Shopping in Wu Dao Kou

I did some shopping in Wu Dao Kou. I bought a fanny pack. When I first traveled to Japan as a teenager in 1993 I had a fanny pack. Then they became uncool, even the Ben Folds Five made fun of them. However while in Xi’an I took my big backpack which I leave in the hotel and had nothing to put stuff in on the day’s outings.

I wanted to travel light so I took just one bag. It was a big bag and I brought too many changes of clothes, but I like to keep my hands free. Previously when backpacking in Europe and South East Asia I had a satchel which I threw over one shoulder too. Then when I got to a destination I left my main backpack at my guest house and used the satchel on the days outings.

The satchel was black and leather and was given to me by my late uncle Rob. It wasn’t really meant for the jungles of South East Asia. Despite replacing the strap with a better one, it also wasn’t that comfortable when filled to the gills. In fact putting books and magazines in it was alright on planes and trains but not so great out and about.

I tried the Sauder MBA bag out for one plane and ferry trip but I didn’t like it either. I like the bag I bought in Japan, especially when carrying my laptop. So today I bought a macho high quality fanny pack. It is orange. I wanted a blue one to match my backpack but I liked the style and size of this one. It is made by the One Polar brand. I had never heard of that brand, but it seems pretty good. There is a mountaineering/outdoor store in Wu Dao Kou. I picked it up for 74 RMB which was the price on the tag, perhaps I could have haggled. I’m going to test it out on my upcoming trip to Shanghai.

This entry was originaly posted on December 11th, 2005, it was last edited on February 10th, 2019 and is filed under: Asia and tagged: Beijing, Shopping, Wu Dao Kou.