The morning came quickly, but I rolled out of bed, packed, and checked out. I had paid a key deposit, so I collected the refund. For breakfast, I stopped at a place packed with local people. After eating, I ordered their speciality dessert, a kind of pudding. I could understand why it had won awards.

Before going to the train station, I decided to find one of the ten tallest buildings in the world, since I seem to have a fascination with tall buildings. I found it, took my photos, and walked through a traditional market. Sadly, there were many turtles ready to be made into stew or sauce, which I found unsettling.

I then took the subway to Martyrs’ Park. I had thought the park would be dedicated to those who defeated the Qing Dynasty, but it commemorated the Communists who defeated the KMT, the party that had helped overthrow the Qing dynasty. I felt uncomfortable once I understood the park’s purpose, while admitting that my own understanding of history might also be biased. I reminded myself that, although my perspective might be imperfect, it did not come from a society where history was entirely censored. Regardless, the park was pleasant, and many older people spent their time walking backwards.

Finally, I made my way to Guangzhou East station, stopping to buy food first. I ran to the 7-Eleven, as I already had some food from the market, and tried to buy water and a few other items. I handed the older man a $20 note but was immediately told, “Sorry, this is fake.” “What? The hotel gave it to me!” In a hurry, I paid with another note, ran back to the station, and boarded the train. Once aboard, I examined the note and could not see anything obviously wrong with it. It was slightly lighter and did not feel quite like the others, but it had a very clear watermark that did not look fake. Oh well, I had a long train ride ahead of me: almost 22 hours.