JADE

These are some of the amazing jade carvings we saw. Turns out jade doesn't only come in green.... that's just the most popular. I enjoyed the jade factory most b/c nothing was killed in the making. The demonstrator explained how they cut through rock & polish til they reach a certain color. You really don't appreciate some things til you've seen them made. Got my mom a little gemstone, because she loves jade but couldn't afford any large items.

Pottery factory

I don't believe there are any animals hurt in the making of pottery, though I felt kinda bad taking pictures of the people creating these beautiful pieces. According to the dictionary, a sweat shop is: A shop or factory in which employees work long hours at low wages under poor conditions., but all people displayed on the tourist trip were adults. I didn't see any NIKE shops on the trip. Look at all the vibrant colors!! I wanted to sit and paint with them, but I don't think that would've went over well.

Pearl Factory

Ok, the oyster didn't survive this one. But the lady was a hoot and joked so much, my tears were more from laughter than anything else. These oysters aren't edible, each one has about 20 pearls. Stephanie and Josh were an awesome couple I met on the trip. She was the closest guesser as to how many pearls were inside so she got 2 pearls from this picture. The lady told her that meant she was gonna have 2 healthy children. You should've seen the looks on the couple's faces!

silk factory

Feels so good, and costs so much. (like the pearls & jade). I assume silk worms are killed to make silk... but people eat them as a snack here. Watched Dan & Greer eat them once. Yuck! My friends bought covers for their comforters and I'm so jealous. I saw a print that I loved but I think I'm gonna wait til I'm an adult ... I mean an older, wiser woman... to decorate with silk.