Dalian

Before I went into HK, I went to 大连 (Dalian) to see my relatives and get over jetlag.

Flight

food on plane (first meal)

view on first flight

I took two flights, one from Chicago to Beijing, then another from Beijing to Dalian

view exiting plane

coming out of plane @ beijing

on 2nd plane to Dalian

One thing I noticed after entering the 2nd plane: the seating arrangement is the same. I was expecting a smaller aircraft for my shorter domestic flight. After analyzing the view outside my window (I sat on the same side of the plane both flights) I realized that the plane was in the same spot as the plane I came to Beijing in...(notice the building w/ red characters and the yellow sign on the ground which had the same number). I asked the flight attendant and he confirmed that the aircraft we were in had just come from Chicago...! (Made my day.)

Food
All I did in Dalian was basically eat, sleep, and shop...

my grandma's breakfast every day (for the past 10 years)

peking roasted duck w/ pancake -- street style

lamb skewers -- street style

my fav drink of China - Minute Maid drink (orange + mango)
wayyy different from American Minute Maid!

lamb skewers -- homemade style

pork cooked my brother's fav way 

chow mian + dao xiao mian

xiao long bao

zha jiang mian + la mian

Markets, etc.

We went out to buy things almost every day...

found Great Value @ chinese Walmart 

you grab your own meat...

sea cucumber is a very expensive delicacy...supposedly...(ew...)
they're sold in vials or on their own, but usually dried, so you add water and it expands...

McDonalds! dessert drinks were buy one get one 50% off...

food area (kind of like a food court...but not..)

meat is sold this way

grocery market

other things market

fabric market (I get my bedsheets here)

grocery market

Misc.

remodeled area

the "wood" is actually fake...

it's concrete + really believable paint

reminds me of Epcot of Disney World...

Overall, it was a quick trip that involved a lot of stocking up on cheap things and filling my stomach with lots of food. Getting over jet lag and getting used to the heat and lack of air-conditioning in China were also accomplishments of this trip, but nothing could compare to the humidity I experienced exiting the airport of Hong Kong...