China Part 3: Xiamen & Beijing

The beautiful city of Xiamen is situated on an island in southern China, close to Taiwan. In fact, you can even see the coast of Taiwan from the beach. (This is actually a shot of Xiamen University from the topmost floor, but you can still sort of see the coast in the background.)

Street eats on Gulangyu island, a small island that's about 5 minutes by boat from Xiamen

Sesame balls, a specialty from Taiwan. And yes I said "sesame balls" with a straight face."

Pics from a famous temple near the university

Beijing: The air was smoggy the whole time we were there, and I felt like I was swimming in pollution. But apparently it's better now than a couple years ago...? My little brother got sick the day after we got there thanks to the condition of the air. I didn't get any ill effects but it just felt icky. The city itself is pretty much how I remembered it from my last visit- busy, busy, busy. I'm not going to lecture about the crazy societal norms there, but it was definitely very different from the more laid-back cities we've been spending most of our time in.

The Bird's Nest and the Cube

Blown-sugar creations

This is fast food in China:

Ooo I loved these...

(Pic actually taken in Xiamen but the same brand is sold all over the country.)