My mom is visiting here in China

Mom's visiting, and we've done some fun stuff (even though during the week I have to be at work). It's actually worked out quite well, Mom can go on her own during the day to the tourist sites I've already seen and have no desire to see again, and then we go out to dinner and do stuff at night when I'm off work. Brilliant! Here was one of our first dinners at a vegetarian place where the food presentation is half the fun:The veggie restaurant has a Buddhist theme, please see the following menu excerpt for the 'Fire of Ignorance Tofu' we ordered.

I had a three-day weekend on account of Labor Day, so we took the opportunity to head to Pingyao, the city I missed out on seeing a few weekends ago on account of there being no train tickets. This time, I was smarter and planned earlier...and got a ticket agent to get the tickets for me. Sweet. So hard-sleeper tickets and 12 hours overnight later, we arrived in Pingyao Ancient City. Mom in the dining car:Our hotel:Scenes of Pingyao Ancient City:Muslim guy making lamian, pulled noodles:Guy shoveling coal in the middle of the street:

We returned to Beijing after a night spent on a traditional Chinese kang (brick bed that can be heating from below during the winter) via 1.5 hour bus ride to Taiyuan, and then a quick dash to a train that was leaving in 20 minutes. This time the train ride was only 8 hours...but we were only able to get hard seat. Ah well, it was during the day so it wasn't so bad, it's not as if we needed to sleep or anything. Mom was shocked by the seatless folk--you don't have to buy a seat either if you don't want to or they're sold out, you're welcome to stand the whole way!