Pollution today and glasses

Today I snapped a photo while I was in the car on the way downtown to pick up some new pairs of glasses. The pollution was so bad, the buildings not far from the expressway were obscured by the awful air. If you look closely, you can see the buildings in the near distance. Luckily, the children had inside recess at school.

Leaving the pollution would be one of the good things about leaving here in June. Paying US prices for glasses would be one of the down sides. We are stocking up, though. Jack now has 6 pairs plus 1 pair of sunglasses (our friend, who has a glasses business, gave Jack a pair last week, so I had lenses put in them for about $26.50).

When I took the frames in on Friday, I also bought 2 more pairs for myself. The total came to 1000 rmb (about $150). I only had 735 rmb in my wallet, so I told them that was all I could pay. They said I could use a credit card, but we don't do that here, plus I was using that as my bargaining tool. Next, they told me I could ask my friend for money. I said she didn't have any either (also the truth), so they said I could use her credit card. I explained that I had 735 rmb and that was all I could spend. So, after a great deal of back and forth conversation between the vendors, they said ok. So, I got 1 pair of plastic frames with lenses and 1 pair of wire frames with lenses and lenses in Jack's glasses, all for about $108. The best quality lenses cost 180 rmb (about $26.50) and the middle quality lenses cost about $18. I opted for the best quality. I figured I'd splurge. I now have 10 pairs.