An Ikea Grows in Fengtai

What a nasty grey polluted rainy day. So long blue holiday skies. But that's won't stop me. It was adventure time. Time to find Ikea Beijing.

I saw online that there was a new Ikea in some sort of complex not that far from me. So i hopped on my bike and 6 miles later I had found not only Ikea but the best mall in the world!!! It has everything. Every German store British store American store, even Old Navy. Not sure how much of the stuff is knock off (like a Quechua tent for 30 USD? I don’t think so…) But it felt heavenly. The biggest food court I've ever seen, the biggest parking lots... and this is one of hundreds of malls in this city. Atlantic Terminal- you have failed me. 

Cuz everyone needs an NBA store?

 And oh, Ikea. It was like in the states! Everyone was there for the food. They had the same Swedish menu but also a “Chinese’ menu with Lo mein for 5 rmb and chicken wings for 3 rmb a pop. The ice cream was only 2rmb, simiar to how cheap it is in the States. I've never seen so many people eating soft serve ice cream in one place! My favorite part of Ikea was how everyone utilized the showroom as his/her own personal hang out station. I mean, people were actually taking naps on the couches and the beds. Like for realzzzzz. And their babies too. Chinese couples put their babies in the playrooms to play. So funny. Sadly, my Ikea high/love affair was short lived. On the bike ride back, my phone fell out of my bag and is gone. One week and I lost a phone!! It had some photos and lots of memory and $$ invested in it but oh well. I am safe. My passport is safe. My bike is safe. So that’s that. Speaking of money, let’s talk about the ‘cheapness’ of China. Some things are so incredibly cheap it’s silly to pay for them. Some things are really expensive though!! I’ll give you a list.

1 rmb = 0.16 us cents (to give you perspective)

a bag of bok choi= 2 rmb

2 heads of garlic= .8 rmb (why even pay)

2 sweet potatoes= 1 rmb (seriously)

1 chinese eggplant= 2 rmb

Bag of oatmeal= between 40 and 60 rmb. Boooo

Set of sheets= about 300 rmb!! $$$

Cellphones (like the one I need to buy)= 1000 to 3000 rmb!!

Can of chick peas= 10 rmb. Yes, I realize they are not from here but that is more than Goya!

My lightly stolen used bike= 400 rmb

A frying pan= 7 rmb. No joke. I love Ikea

1 fork= 7 rmb. 1 fork for more than a dollar?? What gives? Oh yeah- chopsticks….

And just for fun. A monk on his smart phone. Cuz... why not?