Beijing South Stations feels more like an airport than a train station, especially with the massive drop-off and pick-up ramps outside, etc. It's brand spanking new and crazy huge.
And completely disconnected from the outside world, so transportation to and from here is a hassle.
The daily fast train to Shanghai is pretty popular and it's tough to get tickets for it.
Xuzhou Station looks kind of train station-y.
The main square in front of the train station isn't nearly as zany and chaotic as I feared it might be. Pretty calm, actually.
There are a pretty good number of big buildings in this city.
Main entrance to the station.
Traffic is pretty laissez-faire here.
But, they have McDonald's. Which means they're all grown up now.
There are a few tributaries to the Yangzte river here.
First stop: Pick up my friend Guo Jian's daughter from pre-school.
I'd probably be arrested in England for taking these photos. Here, it's just what it is: cute kids playing around.
I've met his daughter before, but she didn't remember me, so was a bit shy (and too busy playing).
Right across the road is a campus for Xuzhou Normal University.
The trees and nature has a decided more southern and tropical feel here than Beijing.
Walking through a local market. Nothing very large, but all the same stuff as we have.
Yep, apartments kinda look the same too.
Another big street market. More clothes and stuff here, I believe.
We stopped for dinner at this surprisingly cool restaurant.
The fake sky and stuff on the inside was cool.
It kind of looks like I used some bad HDR software or something.
The restaurant was extremely clean and the food pretty good.
Well, this was less fantastic. Barbeque'd sparrow skewers, with the whole bird, sans tête. You eat everything, bones and all.
I managed to down 2. They taste like chicken with a small piece of liver thrown inside. I doubt I'll repeat the experience.
Post-dinner wandering.
Gotta have fun with those VWs.
City centre.
These guys were working to update an ancient building complex here. Dinner time! Probably less than 10¢ USD for the whole thing.
Some lady modeling a traditional dress or something.
The next morning (well, noon) would see us off to a famous local lunch spot, known for it's braised pork.
There are a few hills surrounding the city and each has a little temple on it.
Ok, focus. Back to the food. It's dirt cheap, and very tasty.
The locals will just eat a plate of shockingly hot green peppers. And then note that they're mildly zesty.
Cucumber is a big deal here in China. And always well prepared with vinegar and sesame oil.
We next hopped back in the car and headed down to Yunlong Lake (云龙湖). Apparently it's very clean, with mountain silt being the only reason it's not clear. Locals use it as a primary means of recreation and cooling off in the summer.
That's the local TV tower, I'm told.
That's the Canadian tool that everybody's staring at.
My friend Guo Jian and his wife Yuanyuan.
Seriously, the roads feel like some tropical place in the Caribbean or something.
This Xuzhou Mining University (徐州款业大学).
They're well known for a great university league basketball team.
This is a new housing suburb on the outside of town where my friend bought a new house.
It feels surprisingly western, but with extremely narrow roads, not a single piece of wood anywhere, and with huge thick bars of all the windows.
These are some townhouses in the strip next door.
Once you buy a house in China, you then have to spend some serious time getting the insides fixed up.
But these places look surprisingly comfortable, with nice balconies and garages and everything.
And a huge air force base next door with jets constantly doing touch-and-goes.
Back to the city for some coffee.
I was taking a picture of the red 3-wheeler, but accidentally took a picture of this massively loaded up scooter.
Not sure where these guys are going :-).