China - Nanjing

6/24 - 6/25: Nanjing and Yangzhou (picture is Shanghai Hongqiao rail station, though)

6/24

Pigeon eggs for breakfast. Raised by my aunt's colleague.

Now it is quite cool out.

7:40. Airport. Quite chaotic, lots of delayed flights from yesterday's weather. Arrived at 7:00, waited in line 15 min to get to the counter. They said our 8:00 flight was delayed until 10:30 and they weren't checking in people for that flight because it hadn't taken off yet from Shanghai. My mom pushed him a little to get us on an earlier flight. We waited some more and he put us on a 7:00 flight (currently delayed, supposed to arrive 8:35, but at least it's already in the air). At the gate now. We'll see.

2:30. On high-speed train to Nanjing. Suburbs! Houses wearing hats (like cow horns)

6:00 to 7:00. Boating on stinky polluted river.

Dinner at place. Small things. Dishes.

Wireless mic in lute box
Young guard and his loudmouthed purple-shirted friend. Keepin' the restaurant honest.
And then apologetic to the waiter. Asked whether they would dock his pay. And left without eating the extra stuff.

Ad for JcDecaux?

We stay at the hotel my mom stays at on business trips. The staff all seem to recognize her.

6/25

Rotating restaurant for breakfast.

Out to Yangzhou for a day trip with a tour company. First stop is the "skinny West lake", I guess because they consider it a smaller version of the more famous West Lake in Hangzhou.

Some cats in the rain!

Very wet! My shoes lasted until a long walk to a big bridge. Soaked through, bought some flip-flops ($13) at a tourist store.

SC bought an umbrella in the park for $15. Similar to the $10 umbrellas elsewhere. Umbrella bucket in the bus. Some dispute with another guy over whose umbrella Sze picked up coming out of the bus.

Saw some people's houses. Pretty awesome. First one was the house of a customs official during the Qing dynasty. Difficult time to be a customs official. Retired early and built an awesome house. Bamboo garden. Nan wood rafters. Different season-themed rock gardens.

He yuan. Salt merchant. House has some Western elements. Birds hopping/flapping about. Bullethole from Cultural Revolution in the glass (imported from Rome). No indication if someone was shot. Also, what happened to the family that lived here?

Dinner at a food-court-like place in Nanjing (was pretty great):