Saturday- a bit of shopping and more

it’s hard to express with mere words the level of exhaustion I felt today. But my time in China was to be quite short, so I needed to make the most of it!

After breakfast I headed out in search of Bā bǎo chá 八宝茶 (Eight Treasures Tea).
I had learned to enjoy this treat after my spring trip to China when my friend Bamboo (who was living in Shanghai) gifted me two big boxes. Back in Colorado Rhonda and I had savored the delightful flavor. I had to get more! (absolutely impossible to find in Colorado, and I could only find a weak substitute through online shopping)

Well, Yinchuan was the place to find it!
(In fact, although she was living in Shanghai, the packages Bamboo had given me were actually from this city!)
I found stores selling Ba Bao Tea all over in Yinchuan! Selecting what to buy would have been easy if i had found the exact same manufacturer and packaging as what we received from Bamboo . I keep hoping to find that, because I figured it was a sure thing. But to be sure I would not leave Yinchuan empty-handed, I bought 3 packages from a different manufacturer. (OMG the three packages weighed a ton! I began to imagine how heavy my suitcase was going to become!)

I then stopped at a bookstore hoping to find some books that would catch my eye. I suppose it was a blessing that I did not encounter any books that I could not resist!

But i did encounter black porcelain brush rests in the shape of a cat.
I had bought a white one like these on a previous trip to China. But my oldest daughter has a cute black kitten, so how could I say no to these?
So I bought one for Mindy and one for my own home in Colorado (knowing that my wife would confiscate it for her own use!)

My hotel is just a block away from the historic “drum tower” ( photos later after I transfer some stuff from camera). Wanting a low key day I went to explore another nearby historic building sometimes called the bell tower.

I will just add a few pics and will have to explain when i have more time!

these other pics were were taken by other people.

next pics from new pal “Chen chen”