Far Eastern Department Store - My FAVORITE!

 Hey Ya'll!

I wanted to share with you where I love to buy my meat here in Wuxi. This place is called Far Eastern. A dear friend of mine took me here one of my first weeks in China because they had a Dunkin Donuts (which at the time was my favorite cup of coffee) and I fell in love.

Far Eastern Dept. Store Supermarket 远东百货超市

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0510-81809998
531 Zhongshan Rd, B1 Far Eastern Dept. Store
无锡市崇安区中山路531号(远东百货地下一楼)

 This place became a haven for me when I was still too overwhelmed with the craziness that is the other grocery stores. It is quiet and clean, with wide aisle and carts that push easily. Pure heaven for a homesick starved woman! Ha.

When you go to Far Eastern, go inside and down to Level -1. Everything you need is right there. Fresh meat, fruits and veggies, cheese, eggs and so much more.

The meat section is wonderful. This is the place where I buy my ground beef. If they are running low of it when you go, they will grind more right there for you. The staff is very helpful. The prices for meat is wonderful. For ground beef is is approx 89rmb for 1kg. 

This is the entrance to the grocery store. It is on the bottom level of the department store. 

Even Pickle loves to shop here...they have kids carts that they can push as well as "car carts" that they can drive while you push. He loves it! 

They have a wonderful fruit and veggie section here as well, but I will tell you that it is EXTREMELY expensive. But when I first started shopping in Wuxi, this was all I would purchase until I got a better feel for where else to shop and at better prices. The main thing I go for here is meat. 

Also on this level, but outside the Fresh Market is a wonderful bakery to get some fabulous bread, Dunkin Donuts and Cold Stone! Also, right as you check out from the grocery store, there is a shop that sells cream puffs in different flavors. This is Tractor Man's favorite stop here and any time I go I always pick him up a treat. Yummy! So many wonderful reasons to come! And now up on Level 1 they have added a Pacific Coffee Shop. So grab yourself a cup of coffee and a sandwich for a light treat. 

The fabulous Bakery. 

We love shopping at Far Eastern! 

Can't go wrong with a good donut and if you are adventurous, you can try a Pork Floss Donut. If you do, PLEASE tell me what you think! 

Ice Cream....glorious glorious ice cream. Makes me feel like I'm back at home when I have a bowl. 

After you finish shopping (or before....) head up to Level 6. Here you will find their food court that has lots of restaurants. There is a Japanese place that has one of my all time favorite sushi rolls. 

Go enjoy a day of good shopping and some yummy treats. 

Thanks Ya'll, 

Belle

Play Time! Indoor playgrounds are fabulous!

Hey Ya'll!

***This post is being updated and rewritten since the last indoor playground has closed.***

I was bummed to learn that our playground we had been going to was closing, but within a few months a new one has opened in a brand new mall! This mall, Suning Plaza, is amazing.


Suning Plaza 无锡苏宁广场

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Renmin Rd and Xinsheng Rd
无锡市人民中路和新生路

Pickle and I love to go to the playground, especially in the winter when it is super cold outside. It gives us a morning out of the house and time for him to run around and wear himself out. Its even better when friends go along. For the Mommy's and friends Suning has a Starbucks (and other coffee shops) and the playground lets you take your drink in with you. Sweet!!!! 

When you arrive at Suning, the playground is on the 3rd floor. It is called "Cheer" and costs 50rmb per kid to get in to the different parts of the playground, but it is totally worth it. You can buy a 10 times pass for 380rmb which is what I have purchased for these last few weeks, making it only 38rmb per visit.

There is three different sections to this playground. There is the main part for older kids, which is where we spent most of our time, a sand pit that is filled with sand toys, and an specific area for younger children. You have buy individual passes to each area per visit, but we tend to stick with just the one. They all look amazing though.

Below are some pictures of what the place looks like. One of the things you will notice is how clean it is. For China this is extra wonderful. The staff does a great job of keeping it clean and making sure the kids are not sick (have a fever) going in and that all kids have on a diaper (meaning no split pants...score!).

Enjoy!

A cool side. 

Tunnels all around. 

Climbing areas. 

You have to have a ball pit. 

They have an amazing area filled with soft balls that you can shoot, make float and more. 

The staff at the place is part of the reason I love it. They are super friendly, not over bearing and always willing to help out. 

Pickle loves going, especially when friends go along. 

So come on over to Wuxi and join us in the fun! You know you want to.

Thanks ya'll, 

Belle

Auchan Grocery Store

Hey Ya'll! 

Lets get down to the stuff that I know you are really wanting to know before moving to Wuxi. 

Grocery Shopping! 

Where do you go to get the stuff we all know and love? Are things from home even possible to find?? 

In this section of our blog, we will share some of what we have learned in shopping and where to go to get all the things that are must haves. The main thing we have learned in China is that it is not very possible to get everything you need in one store. So by these posts, we hope to help you know where to go to buy different items as need be. 

Lets begin with Auchan. 

Auchan (Jinhai Rd) 欧尚（金海里店）

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0510-89087097
288 Changjiang Rd
无锡市新区长江北路288号

Our local store here in New District has gone through many changes since I have been here, but it keeps getting better. Right now they are under construction around the store to make the surrounding area into a shopping center, where I have been told a new Starbucks will arrive! Yea!!! 

Just some of the goodies you can find in the international food section. 

They have a small international food section that seems to be growing. At our last visit there, Elle Lay and I found Ole El Paso refried beans, taco seasoning and salsa. Until now you could only find this at Metro (our store in town like a Sam's Club or Costco). Other items in this section are chips, olives, pasta, beans and so much more. 

Elle Lay loving the cheese section. 

The cheese section here is WONDERFUL! They have a wonderful selection of different types of cheese, butter, yogurt and milk. Other than Metro, this is where we go for cheese. 

The checkout lines are always an interesting adventure. Most days its a long line with lots of people, but if you time your shopping trip right you can get through pretty quick. My suggestion would be to go shopping between the hours of 10am and 3pm. Before that you get the morning crowd of grandparents doing their family's shopping for the day. After that would be the rush of the evening crowd after work. 

LG & Pickle chilling as we get ready to lift their chariots over the barriers. 

As always, if you have kids don't take a stroller to the store unless you have a friend to help you lift them up and over the barriers. 

In conclusion, we love Auchan. Living in the new district section of Wuxi, it is an easy walk from our apartment. If I'm going shopping here are a few of the items I'm planning to get. 

baby wipes - 19 rmb

cheese - 32 rmb 

Pickle's favorite yogurt pouches - 4 rmb

Tractor Man's yogurt - 4 rmb

peanut butter - 12 rmb 

Pandas

Within our first 24 hours of arrival, our family experienced the panda phenomenon. We didn't know what it was called, or whether "panda phenomenon" was just a word made up by my husband's Chinese assistant, but it does describe what we felt. Like pandas in the zoo.

We had to buy housewares and a baby crib, so we met up with a colleague of BG's who has been living in Wuxi for over six years. He had arranged for a van and a translator to shop with us. With our entourage we arrived at METRO to buy housewares.

Walking down the aisles, pushing my sleeping son in his stroller, I felt it.

The stares.

All eyes on us.

Two or three METRO employees, plus BG, a translator, the driver, BG's colleague and me. All looking at fry pans. It was overwhelming. The employees would watch every move we made, and if I so much as glanced at a drinking glass, they'd be pulling a box of more expensive glasses off the shelf and try putting it in our cart.

We felt like animals in the zoo.

From METRO we headed across the road to IKEA and our experience was even more intense. We had little old ladies following us, touching us, and reaching in my stroller trying to peek inside( which was covered with a blanket to keep my son sleeping). No personal boundaries.

A week or so later, after we settled in our apartment, we went to Nanchan with Southern Belle's family for dinner. It happened to be a holiday, so it was extra crowded, but the "panda phenomenon" was in full effect. Crowds gathered round Belle's son as he walked, and the cameras came out full force. No one thinks twice about taking photos of a complete stranger's child.

The crowd is gathered around Pickle. Even the kids are taking his picture. 

I think that in time, we have all grown accustomed to being "pandas" here. I notice far fewer glances, yet if I pay attention, there are most definitely still eyes on us, hands reaching in my stroller, and old ladies getting too close for comfort.

LG in his stroller lovin attention from little girls

My hope is that living here helps us grow a thicker skin, so that when we return to the States, we are far less concerned with what others think about us. I hope that LG grows up with a confidence to stand in front of a group of strangers and speak/perform with ease. Somehow, someway, all this attention is going to have a positive effect on our growth as human beings.