I try to make our home a pleasant place to live, and that includes the garden area of our home, wherever in the world our home may be. Two weeks ago I went on a trip to our local Garden Market called Fancun ( pronounced "fawn choon" ) it is a 45 minute to one hour drive away. On this trip I went on the housing estate bus with several other ladies and a few estate assistants that would help translate and help with bargaining, put stickers on our purchases, coordinate that the purchases would be put on a truck and later brought to our respective homes.
I do my own bargaining as I can usually get a better price than if the translator is helping. I tend to go my own way, but within a distance that the estate assistant sees me making sure my purchases get picked up and taken care of accordingly.
Pretty early into the morning I found a plant I had to have. Not sure where it would go but it was nice and would fill a gap. It will be one of those plants that gets moved around the garden or patio and to the front porch. I like to move things around a lot.
To Expat husband's dismay, this includes the furniture in the house too. One of his complaints as he is picking himself up off the floor because the chair was there yesterday, why did you move it ? It was fine where it was before!
So I had to have it. I struck a good deal for the plant and I hand the seller my money. The estate assistant walks up and asked if I bought this plant, so he marks it . As I stand there patiently receiving some of the change, the seller has to go into another pocket for his money to finish giving me my change. He pulls out a wad of smaller bills and then pauses to pick his nose. I stand and wait politely as I have grown used to this, over the years.
The estate assistant says to me in English "I bet you could just kill him."
I make no reply as I just want my change, and think to myself, that I brought wet wipes to clean my hands.
I would have killed him in 1996 when I first arrived to the Garden Paradise of Guangzhou, China. Now? Well, it is disgusting but, that is just the way it is here.
I came home after a full day of shopping with Loads of Planters, Plants, Soil, and Rocks.
That weekend was spent planting in the ground most of the plants and planting some plants in pots. I ran out of Soil and Plants and decided to make another trip on my own.
Last week our driver and I set off early and have our own little trip to Fancun. Before we left, I told him I would be buying a lot and he might want to move the back seat out of the van. He did not agree so the seat was left. I figured he would have to load the car and he would know best so I said OK......
Off we went. Raining all the way so this made things a bit more messy in the market. I had to roll my jeans up so the bottoms would not get too wet.
First stop was to the man who sells soil. I got the price I wanted on the 5 bags of soil. No problem. Next door is the place I bought some planters. Twenty of them at the price I wanted. The Drivers eyes were starting to pop now. I think he was starting to think he should have left the seat at the house and not in the car. So the driver and the sellers took those purchases to the car and I pointed the direction the driver would find me with the next lot of goodies. Next I was after impatiens for all those lovely little planters. Found the man with the nice plants and paid for them just as the driver was coming to pick them out. This was working out well. I would be done by lunch time at the rate I was going. HOORAY!!!
I wanted Water Lilies and had spotted a couple of pots on the last trip that I loved and had planned on getting. Found the shop and had a look could not find them......"great, I think I should have bought them last week." I have a look around at some other shops. Then I go back into the shop I saw the ones I liked and had to explain to the guy what I wanted. This is easier if you know more than the names of vegetables and fruits and the money. But, unfortunately, I have a mental block when it comes to the Chinese language. So I point at a pot that looks similar and tell him smaller in Chinese and show him how big with my arms. After doing this a few times he turns on the lights and goes to where they moved them. Phew... I was so happy! OK got them it was great and the driver had a smoke and good laugh as he watched me in action bargaining. The deal was struck and our driver has a new respect for me. He thinks I am Chinese! 
Off I go pointing in the direction of where I am to be found, after he tries to put those huge pots in the Van...
Now I am after Orchids like this...click on the photo's for a LARGE scale version...or click the link for the photo album with a variety of smaller photo's.
I find a shop and inquire of the price and see another shop and inquire there. Well the second place the price was for my skin tax so I laughed at her and left went back to the shop that had the real price. I bought 7 of them and of course I walked past the other shop so they could see that they should not try to rip me off because they got no sale. I know it is rude but after all these years here I don't appreciate being ripped off.
Now I was off to find the Water lilies for my pots, found them at a good price and bought six. As I was leaving that area I inquired of some 
more that I found further on the way back towards the car. The driver took the water lilies and I went to the vase shop. I did not need anymore but always looking for that bargain you know. anyway it was another shop that wanted to charge me a skin tax with a price three times what I paid for the same plants. I laughed on my way past. No Sale!
At the vase shop which is around the corner I go in and start shopping. I ask if I am eligible for the 10 percent discount that we got with the group from the estate. The answer was yes. Very Cool!!!! So I buy a couple of vases and about 8 planters and 4 more plants. My ever present and wonderful driver was there with his helping hand just in time for the purchases to be carried to the car. Off I went to see if there was anything else I could not live without! Nothing I could not live without, but had to nose around a little shop with some planters and some cool looking Victorian stuff. Yes I found some more planters there and had to purchase six more. But it was heading on to 12:30 and I could smell lunches being cooked and eaten and my stomach was growling so into the car we pile and head back home!
Most all of the purchases have been planted now and, yes, I have empty pots to fill. So the next trip will be a trip for filling the pots I have and perhaps buying just a few more.
If you haven't noticed I buy in multiples, to Expat husbands dismay. Oh Well. I love him and he loves me.
Oh yes, and everything fit in the vehicle quite snugly and even room for me to sit in the seat.
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