The Silk Market

Ok, I'm not a big fan of shopping, as Carrie will tell you... I'm just too impatient to wander around stores for any long period of time. But I was told that the Silk Market in Beijing is one shopping experience that's just not to be missed. So Scott and

I took a cab downtown to check it out.

It's on one of the main drags in Beijing and features thousands of vendors over seven floors.. The place is known for wide selection of designer knockoffs, from clothes and bags to jewelry.

The place is jammed with merchandise and jammed with thousands of shoppers. It's truly sensory overload when you walk in; loud and bustling, with vendors constantly beckoning shoppers into their booths.

What the silk market might be best known for other than it's knockoffs are its aggressive vendors. They are, in a word, relentless. First they call out to shoppers, pleading for you to come in and look at their stuff. Some even grab you and try to pull you in. Then, if you do go in, they're going to do everything they can to make sure you buy something.

Here's a common sight above. The vendor holds the woman by the arm while they try to negotiate a price. She shows the woman her asking price on the calculator in her hand and then the haggling begins.. It's really pretty amazing. Everyone haggles on the prices. Many walk away and the vendors will chase them down the aisle.. Anything to make a sale because lots of others are hawking the same stuff.

There's plenty of Chinese knick-knacks for sale too, as you can see above.. You won't find many empty corners in these booths.

This was my absolute favorite picture of the day. This Ukrainian fellow COULD NOT get out of this booth. The vendor grabbed onto his bag and wouldn't let him leave. We stopped to watch for a little while and even jokingly reached our hands out to try and help drag him out. I finally had to bring out the camera and get a picture of him.. Felt a special bond with the fellow, but alas, we eventually had to leave him there; never did find out if he made it out...

After hitting just about every floor -- breezing through fairly quickly and haggling a bit -- we eventually headed out and walked the streets for a while.

Was a beautiful day to wander, so just checked out the local flavor. Plus, the streets, crowded as they might be at times, can't top the craziness of the Silk Market.. Definitely was a shopping experience like no other.