Day eight, Monday, Sky's day off

Today we went back to the maze market otherwise known as Chao Yian Men market. We cannot move a foot out of Sky and Yue Li's apartment foyer without being beset by well-meaning women who want to see the baby and give advice. It appears Yue Li and I have been quite neglectful in not dressing the baby in socks and hat, so to avoid future criticisms (and it is getting sunnier) we've decided to get her a bonnet. Skyler also needs a hat, he says, so here we are in the clothing section of the market.

Yue Li is known here as she did some of her purchasing from them when she owned her own clothing store. They call her the acrobat and it's walk and stop past the stores as everyone comes out to congratulate her and Sky. These shops are quite small, very artfully displaying the clothes, there are so many I know I would lose my way alone. The market place sells everything from furniture to electronics and Yue Li estimates there is somewhere around 1000 stores in all.

Sky puts some sunblock on baby Star, and we continue on until he finds himself a hat. Only he buys a green one, and Yue Li reminds him a green hat signifies he's of a different sexual orientation than he really is, so he goes back and gets a black one. He's not keen on drawing more comments than he already does, I think.

From the here we take a taxi to the other side of the river. A row of very nice restaurants face the river and behind them are luxury apartments, according to the kids. As we walk toward the restaurant they talk of moving to one of them one day, when they can afford it. In the restaurant we get our own private room and Sky orders up dishes of duck (without it's blanket, whatever that means) and soy beans with wasabi greens and mashed potatoes with cream sauce and on and on. The plates come in waves - just as we are finishing the first course along comes the next. It's a feast.

To end the day we visit a tea house. The kids order up tea and Sky breaks out the cards. He wants to teach us how to play a Chinese betting game called "Beat the landlord." I see groups of men playing it on the sidewalk and apparently Sky plays it when his friends want to win some money off of him. He admits he's not good at it and usually avoids playing it with them. But Yue Li doesn't want to learn the game and after a friendly argument he agrees to rummy. I taught this to Yue Li last night and she beat me, 200 to 5. Look out Lizzy, Trev, Kari, Jerome and Olivia. You have another very good and competitive gamer coming your way.

We spend almost three hours passing our time at the tea house. Back at the apartment we watch "The Yes Man" with Jim Carrey, and then to bed. A good day.