Jiangmen

Jiangmen is a large city to the west of Zhongshan and between Macau and Guangzhou, as far as western tourists go I would suggest off the beaten track.

Like the other Chinese cities I've seen they are a stark mix of the old and new, a contrast of the haves and have-nots and as if two completely different generations somehow co-exist.

We were visiting school friends who were living in this area and were taken to a number of places of interest but first ....eating.

The "Cafe"below  was epic and the food to die for. Brilliantly laid out, stylish, comfortable with some AC (this is a hot part of China) . Service also excellent, if this was in Auckland it would be packed.

Of course as a westerner with tired not very bendy knees it's these places of the western tourist route that bring the horror of the floor rather than pedestal toilets - apart from that very enjoyable. If I knew the name I would have given it a 4star on TripAdvisor !!

We also went to one of our friends pizza places, in its employment a chef ex one of the big international hotels, very passable pasta and pizza dishes.

Above a curious collection of items.

Funky little booths dotted around  

Most modern city commercial buildings are lit up like Christmas trees and Jiangmen is no exception.

The photos above and below do not do justice to the scale of this animated lighting.

We were staying at the  Wanda Realm Jiangmen Hotel (my Trip Advisor review) which was almost new at the time. Very reasonable by New Zealand pricing standards) and defiantly the best slippers in the business.

We went on a one day road trip  down the road towards the coast along the way we were shown one of the big industries of the region - dried Mandarin  skins with prices based on quality and age. The smell in these shops was beautifully citrus.

Not the most expensive in the shop (above) but that 6800yuan  a kg or NZ$1400 - about nine times the price we pay for our local delicacy West Coast WhiteBait.

There is a lot of history along the route to the coast including remains of ancient forts designed to protect the river - from rival Chinese groups.

There is an interesting museum / memorial to a particular brutal river battle - in English I think it is call the Songyuan Yamen (below)

And of course because the road although looking like a motorway and at some point having a decent surface is like a lot of out-of-town roads in China - zero maintenance - so we smashed into an invisible pot hole and blew a tire. Just as well us western lads know how to change one and it never bothers us just to get stuck in and help.