Beijing '10 Day 10 - Dumplings and Meatballs, YaShow Market & IKEA

July 14, 2010 (Wednesday)

I was aiming to go to the Muslim restaurant in BLCU but I ended up eating at the old Hangzhou dumpling place behind the supermarket ChaoShiFa 超市发. For 4RMB, I got myself a full meal of 10 蒸饺 / ZhengJiao or steamed dumplings. It was a perfect meal with Chinese vinegar and chili. 

An additional 1 RMB got me a bowl of seaweed soup / ZiCaiTang 紫菜汤. The dumplings used to cost 3RMB for 10.

Today, I was going DVD hunting and I decided to go straight to the Yashow Clothing Market 雅秀市场 via Line 10. I took Exit A of the TuanJieHu 团结湖station and made a U then right and straight. It was a long walk but I finally saw the new The Village beside it. The Village is a shopping complex filled with branded stores, the most noticeable being the 4-storey Adidas store at the front.

I was anxious to go to the DVD store I researched via internet so I headed to the small store to the left outside of Yashow. I also went to the right side outside but I couldn’t find any 5 to 8RMB Chinese series that I was looking for. There were a lot of English series though in boxes costing aroung 10RMB per disc. They are of good quality like the collection my roommate does but the season is not compacted into 1 CD. One box can have around 25 discs with only 4 to 5 episodes each. I think it costs too much.

I went around Yashow instead and got my mom some silk-like pajamas for 30RMB each. I should have haggled more. Yashow was really unlike before now. It was super well ventilated and organized and more recognized by foreigners already. There is also a bus stop in front of it named SanLiTun 三里屯.

I tried my luck to go to DongZhiMen 东直门 and ended up paying 18RMB finally giving up by taxi to go to Ikea. It helps to give exact change to the taxi drivers, that way they don’t automatically deduct a forced tip from your change. It turns up Ikea was not near DongZhiMen. I was looking forward to buying a lightweight travel bag and eating at the Ikea cafeteria. For dinner, I had the 15-piece Swedish meatballs for 15.50RMB and corn soup for 6.50 RMB. I had the Ikea card from before and I was supposed to get free coffee but it was not offered at the moment. Also, I used it to get a discounted price on the items I purchased. I got my card for free before near the exit but I suggest maybe going to the website for more information.

Lastly, I was very disappointed to find out that Ikea does not offer free shuttle rides to WuDaoKou 五道口 anymore. There used to be shuttle buses all around the city. I also found out that there was a 753 bus that stops at a walking distance near BLCU. The stop for Ikea – WangJingQiao 望京橋 (East/Dong 東 I think). Just look across to the left and you’ll see the big blue and yellow Ikea building.



Read more about Beijing:
Beijing '10 Day 1 - A Very Hot Welcome, Beijing in July
Beijing '10 Day 2 - At  HaiDian, Vegetarian Restaurant at WuDaoKou to Meet Up with an Old Friend
Beijing '10 Day 3 - Giving In to Korean Influence, Kimchi Rice, Kimbap and Koreanovela in Beijing!
Beijing '10 Day 4 - At The Golden Tripod & Lama Temple, Time Stops, Things Change and the World Goes On
Beijing '10 Day 5 - Taking On an Old Route, Food Delivery in Beijing
Beijing '10 Day 6 - Staying Awake on a Night Out
Beijing '10 Day 7 - The First Time’s the Charm
Beijing '10 Day 8 - Banking, Shopping & Commuting Tips
Beijing '10 Day 9 - In Time for the Lotus Season, the Festival at YuanMingYuan!
Beijing '10 Day 10 - Dumplings and Meatballs, YaShow Market & IKEA
Beijing '10 Day 11 - Trapped in the Rain, Eating Lamb Chuanr in Beijing!
Beijing '10 Day 12 - 798 Art District
Beijing '10 Day 13 - Tripping Through the Olympic Green, Bird's Nest & Forest Park
Beijing '10 Day 14 - Saying Goodbye With the Best Hutong Experience, SheShaHai, 100-Year Old Lamb Restaurant & NanLouGuXiang
Beijing '10 Day 15 - Going Home