Quangzhou, Guangdong, China

Not my photo.

Quangzhou was quite the shock. Only a few hours from Hong Kong, I expected slums and smog, snarled traffic and a chaotic city. Instead, we found impressive parks and landscaping, riverfront walking paths and night tennis, towering skyscrapers and a super subway system.

There is a dark side though: the city's Qingting Market is a heinous yet very popular place to buy live animals for the dinner table. Choices include sparrows, kittens, rabbits, puppies, monkeys, snakes, turtles, and, apparently, leopards. The animals are uncared for and in serious distress. An ugly scene.