"Test Tube Infant" - Awesome.

We did a lot in Nanjing, and I don't want to write a novel. So go go go!

Upon arrival, it was nice to see a subway system. Once more, they give you cute little blue tokens to use. At 2 RMB a piece (30 cents), it's pretty cheap too. Not to mention they would make really cool poker chips.

Our hostel was a bit of an ordeal to find, because it was inside another building complex. It looked like an old military base, with all sorts of gates and guard buildings. We walk in and eventually find a sign, in front of a path into the woods. For serious? After walking this path, it opens up into a bar with a pond and a cat chilling out.

I like this place.

I'm there, promise.

It had the added convenience of being very far from the road, but not very far from the train tracks. I slept through them, but on occasion the train would rumble on by to wake everyone up. Bastard train drivers! But it was in a great location and cheap. Can't beat that.

The first night was some walking about the street markets near the Confucian Temple. That's where we found the aforementioned bunny pastries. It was pretty late, so onto day two.

Pictured - the best thing ever.

Day two was a trip to Purple Mountain. There was Dr. Sun Yat Sen's memorial, which is pretty far up this gorram mountain. The Chinese really like their stairs. Afterwards we took a boat out onto the lake. Our navy man Sean was our Captain, and only managed to beach the boat once. That evening was dinner at a genuine German beer garden, which was pretty much the best thing ever.

The next day we went to the park, I got to feed/hold pigeons, another museum where I'm not really sure what was about, and a walk along the city wall of Nanjing. Quite pretty, that is. After we went to see the actual Confucius's Temple, and I got drunk on another boat. Well, tipsy I guess. I bothered the driver with questions such as "Can you make this boat go really fast?" and "Can Sean drive?" That night we had Indian food, which was amazing but Guru in Cincinnati is still better. The final full day was the Rape of Nanjing Museum, but like I said that deserves it's own entry. The next morning we went to an exhibit about the Taiping Rebellion, something you've probably never heard of. But 20 million people died, and the rebels controlled about half of China at one point. They also blew up the Death Star.

Godamn rebels.