Jade District, Guangzhou, China

The vibrant reds and pervasive greens of China define this jade market, but I almost didn't get to see it.

I was scheduled to fly from Christchurch, NZ to Guangzhou, China to Shanghai, China to New York, all on Chinese airlines. When the first of my three flights left late, I missed my connection in Guangzhou, and — to my delight — found myself with fourteen hours in Guangzhou, China.

I was determined to see the city, in spite of the heat, humidity, and smog, to say nothing of the considerable language and culture barriers. It wasn't easy, and the guide I finally found would only show me approved sites, but I managed to see a tiny bit of the 16-million person metropolis that is Guangzhou, China.