What to See in Ghangzhou - Beijing Road

Guangzhou is well known for its many handicraft products as well as its famous delicious cuisine. Along with its close promximity to Hong Kong and its many cultural attractions, no wonder Guangzhou is one of China's principal tourist destinations.

There are a lot to see in Guangzhou, China! Beisdes beauitful scenic locations such as the Wetland National Park, Bai Yuen Mountain etc. there are also numerous museums, historical sites, huge squares and famous streets. Beijing Lu's is one of these interesting streets. Its origins go back over 2,000 years. We visited Beijing Road, one of the busiest pedestrian streets in Guangzhou. If you like shopping while travelling, this is a street you must visit as there are many many stores selling many different kinds of clothes. It is also a street where one could taste local snacks and different food. We saw many anceint buildings renovated and restored beatifully. We were blown away when we reached an area and saw an excavated section of a thousand-year old street covered by transparent glass for visitors to have a clear view.

We visited many interesting stores using many creative ideas to attract visitors on Beijing Road. It was an area full of people and there was an energetic vibe everywhere we went. It was a fun place to visit with many things to see. We found that English speaking visitors like us had no problem shopping / eating at the shops there as many employees could understand English and we could communcate with them and got what we wanted. RT, Beijing Road Guangzhou, China 022024

What to see in Guangzhou -Haizhu National Wetland Park, an Oasis in One of China's Mega Cities

My husband and I enjoy walking and exploring natural scenic locations whenever we travel. We were travelling in Guangzhou, China and came upon the Haizhu National Wetland Park. What made us very happy was that this National Wetland Park, located right within the city area, was easily accessible by public transit, therefore we didn't need to sigh up for any tours or rented a car to get there.

After our lunch with our visitor,T. we decided to visit this national park. T. offered to drive us there but it was an easy walk and we enjoyed the exercise. Therefore we declined the offer and agreed that we should meet at the park. After about 30 minutes of strolling leisurely on the streets of the Haizhu district, we arrived at the park. Since we are over 65 years old, our admission to the park was free!

The park was awesome with colourful flowers blooming, red lanterns hanging from the trees lining the walkways of the park and a few photo booths with Year of the Dragon decorations set up for visitors. The park was too big for us to see everything in one day. We even rode on one of the park trains taking us to me some parts, but not the entire park. We rested and enjoyed a bubble tea and smoothie at a nice cafe serving up lattes, icecreams, and snacks. There was a nature centre and camping ground for school groups as well.

We were glad that we visited the park and learned the following; 1. Haizhu National Park is the first national wetland park in the Guangzhou. 2. It is the largest wetland park among China's biggest cities. 3. Due to the diverse habitats provided by its rivers and lakes within the park, 64 species of fish are found at the Wetland Park 4. In 2018, the Government of Guangzhou implemented the Guangzhou Wetland Conservation Regulations and confirmed the wetlands' permanent conservation status. 5. Guangzhou city abandoned over $1 trillion in commercial development value in order to preserve the wetland as a green haven in the urban area - Thumbs up to the Guangzhou City governement choosing ecology over business profits!

Guangzhou is a mega city, one of the five largets cities in China with a population of 15.31 million people,( Dec. 31, 2019 ) We didn't expect to find such a beautiful, spacious green space here. We were delighted and surprised to discover this oasis in the middle of Guangzhou city. We loved the park and enjoyed visiting it tremendously. We hope that more visitors - Chinese nationals and non Chinese alike will discover and visit this wonderful piece of national treasure and will enjoy its natural beauty and tranqulitiy as much as we did! RT, Guangzhou, China 02022024

A Sea of Red Around the Canton Tower at Lunar New Year Time in China

T. a young person who was embarked on a solo driving trip in China came to visit us while we were in Guangzhou. We took him to visit the Canton Tower and the area aound it in the downtown area of Guangzhou. We even got him to try some Chinese herbal medicine drinks.

This was a wonderful time to visit China. Less than two weeks’ time before the lunar New Year, many public places were decorated brightly with red flowers and new year decorations. There are many modern and creatively designed buildings in downtown Guangzhou. If you are interested in modern architecture, this is a place you must visit. It seems that China does not discriminate any great artists or engineers.

She only wants to have the world’s best designed buildings and architectures for its cities. Guangzhou does have many beautiful modern buildings as many of which were designed by some of the world's best and most famous architects. RT, Guangzhou, China

What to see in Guangzhou - Xiaozhou Village, a Historic and Cultural Area

Guangzhou is a huge metropolitan Chinese city located not too far from Hong Kong. We flew from Canada to HK, and took the fast train to Guangahou. It didn’t seem long at all. We were lucky to have a family member acting as our tour guide taking us to many different places in this busy city. There were lots to see!

We went to the Xiaozhou Village, founded in the early Ming Dynasty. It is situated in the Haizhu District within Guangzhou city. With the convenience of the city's subway system, it was easy getting there.

Xiaozhou Village is one of the first fourteen historic and cultural preservation areas. We enjoyed visiting this ancient village and were awed by its beauty and tranquility. We particularly liked the 10 km waterway running through the village. The scenery was mesmerizing. This ancient village is doted with old buildings, bridges, old city gates and comfortable outdoor furniture for visitors to enjoy a berverage or snack. This place had a relaxing, welcoming vibe of the bygone era.

One stone bridge , the Hanmo Bridge was built in the Ming Dynasty with a one piece solid granite and could accommodate more than twenty people at the same time. It is one of the well preserved stone bridge around. We could have spent a whole day there.

The next evening, T. in his solo driving tour of China, came and visited us. We took him out for a Thai food dinner and visited the spring flower show afterwards. Lots of vendor there selling flowers, snacks and local snacks. We were pleasantly surprised to see a Tim Horton coffee shop there. Tim Horton is one of Canada’s most successful franchised restaurants. We felt good seeing a bit of Canada right here in China. RT, Xiao Zhou Village Guangzhou, China 022024

Making Some Nice Russian Friends on a Delightful Sunday in Guangzhou, China

No matter what country we have travelled to in any part of the world, we always look for a church where we can attend the Sunday Service on Sunday. It was no exception during our travel in China. We landed in Guangzhou on late Friday night. After a day of rest on Saturday, we looked for a local church for our Sunday worship. We did find an English church not too far away. We prayed hard that J. would come with us. At the beginning, he was reluctant as he was enjoying his late sleep in for the weekend. I didn't give up but kept praying while I was preparing food in the kitchen. Finally, just before our departure from the apartment, J. agreed that he would come with us. Hallelujah, how great was that. Parents, don't give up, just keep praying for your kids and grown up children. They will come around one day TO God.

We hailed a taxi and arrived at the address. It wasn't easy to find but the church people were helpful. As soon as we called them, a lady came and guided us to the church gathering place. It was an unit localted high in a big highrise building overlooking the city of Guangzhou.There were about fiftenn twenty people at the service and it was biligual with earphone translation. The preacher was passionate about his messaage and the congregation was friendly and welcoming. I was glad that J. was willing to sit through the entire sermon without leaving his spot. We were very impressed with the warmth of the congregation. After the service, everyone stayed behind for coffee and friendly chats for a long time. I have ever seen a church where people were so willing to stay behind for social time. We were told that most people would go for a lunch afterwards every Sunday after the social time too. We were invited to join them this time too.

We did join the church for lunch at a restaurant in a shopping mall. The shopping mall was huge even in North American standard! Because it was close to New Year, all the shops were all deccorated. In the main hall, there was a huge golden dragon placed in the middle welcoming visitors to the mall. This was more than a shopping mall. It offered many things to its visitors. With our new friends, we had a good time sitting at the viewing station watching kids and grown-ups alike having fun on the skating rink! We didn't expect to see a skating rink in a southern Chinese city with hot climate most of the year.

There were many interesting things to see such as arts classes and educational displays. There was an animal display in a museum within the mall! I could imagine how excited our children would have been if we had brought them here when they were young.

We had a fantastic time talking, enjoying a nice lunch and getting acquainted with our new Russian friends. Thank you, our wonderful friends in China!You have made our visit to Guangzhou an absolutely wonderful experience and we look forward to seeing you again in the future! RT, Guangzhou, China 02252024

A Fast and Easy Train Ride from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, China, Prior to the Lunar New Year of 2024

I have learned about the great importance Chinese place on celebrating the Chinese New Year in China. Each year, around January and February, we would hear and see pictures about the greatest annual migration of people on earth when millions of Chinese travel with China and try to make it back home to be with their families. Even the satellites are able to pick up images of the heat emitted from China due to these tremendous migration movement. I have seen reports of these satellite images on TV and are awed by them. I never experienced Chinese New Year in China, therefore we decided to experience it in peron in 2024, the Year of the Dragon.

We flew to Hong Kong, stayed one night at a hotel near the airport. The next day, after a visit to Tai O, we took the train to Guangzhou, a southern Chinese city.

Before leaving Canada, we were able to purchase our train tickets online. It was easy, no problem at all. The cost was very reasonable. We compared the cost of our plane tickets. If we had taken the direct flight from Toronto to Guangzhou, China, the plane ticket would have cost us about Can$ 1000.00 more than if we flew to HK and then taking the train to Guangzhou. It was an easy decision for us. We bought both the plane tickets and train tickets online in Canada. We began our Asian holiday by flying to Portugal, then catching a connecting flight to HK, and from there taking the train to Guangzhou, China. However, one of the Air France flights was late therefore delaying our connecting flight to HK. Fortunately, we were not in a hurry to go to a wedding nor did we have to be at our destination for a specific date. Otherwise, that would have been stressful for us.

The train station in Hong Kong was impressive, spacious, modern and efficient. There were many shops and restaurants opened for dining and for some last minute shopping. Though there were huge crowds, the lineups and boarding were orderly. It was not as scary as we had imagined.

The train station personnel was helpful when we were not sure where we were going. We had no problem clearing custom and boarded our train to Guangzhou. It was a comfortable and quiet train ride for about 2 hours. The trian left HK shorlty after 7pm and we arrived in Guangzhou a little after 10p.m. It was so good to see J. again. He was waiting for us at the train station. We hugged each other tightly. Missed him so so much!!!

After leaving the train station and trying to hail a taxi, we happened to see a local brigade of the firemen changing shift across the street. It was interesting to see how the firefighters, fully dressed in their fire fighting gears, reporting to their roll call and ready to help the local people in their fire fighting tasks. An Interesting event! We look forward to our adventure in China for the next few weeks! RT, GUANGZHOU, CHINA 01262024

Visiting Tai O Village & Encountering an Unpleasant Situation on Lantau Island at a Stopover in Hong Kong

Our trip to China has taken a little while since we didn't buy a direct flight ticket to our destination city. We are retirees and not in a hurry so it was OK for us to stop over in Portugal and then in Hong Kong where we would take the highspeed train to our destination city in China. We stayed overnight at the Regala Skycity Hotel, close to the HK airport and enjoyed a nice breakfast there.

Taking advantage of our stopover, we decided to tour the Tai 0 Village on the Lantau Island in Hong Kong. Growing up, I always thought that Hong Kong was very small as most of the population seemed to be concerntrated on just the HK island and the Kowloon peninsula. Now that I am more aware of geography, I have realized HK is much better than I thought as there are so many islands included in the territory of the city.

Never visited Tai O, this time we purposely made a visit to this village. After breakfast we hailed a taxi which took us there. We could have taken a bus from the airport but to save time we took a cab instead.

Tai O village used to be a quiet poor fishing village. But now it has become a weekend go to destination for HK residents wishing to escape the hustle and bustle of the city We strolled on the narrow streets looking for little cafes and restaurnatns for the seafood for which Tai O was famous. We tried little snacks and drinks there and here and visited an old Catholic church.

It was evident that Tai O residents enjoy a traditional life in their village with many modern facilities and services offered by the government. We saw a community centre offering various services and festivities related to the New Year, a modern looking high school and local buses offering services to the locals. There were many shops and restaurants opened for business. Tai O people are proud of their traditions; a museum was open on the day we visited showing displays of the people's past way of lives, the tools they used and their history. We took a short boat tour which took us near to the houses built by the water. It was amazing to see how families for generations living in houses built on water. We took a stroll along the broadwalk leading to a small beach and the resort houses nearby. Some of these houses were for rent during the summer as vacation homes for tourists. It would not be a bad idea to rent a place like that for a week or two if we visit HK during the summer.

On our way back to the hotel, we rode on the bus which took us pretty close to the hotel. There was a small incident on the bus - 3 or 4 non Chinese teenage boys got on our bus which was full with no seats. Some sat on the floor while some stood on the bus. At the next bus stop, two or three more passengers got on but these boys didn't move to the back of the bus where was more room. These passengers who just got on had to stand very close to the front of the bus which clearly was posing a risk for them should the bus take a sudden stop. I thought these teenagers were not aware of what the need was at the time so I called out to them to move to the back, but they ignored me. I said to them again in English becasue I heard them talking among themselves. But again they ignored me and refused to move to the back. So I spoke to them again in English in case they didn't hear me. Then they started calling me racial names and all sort of stuff. I just had it. In the Chinese culture, people are usually polite and cooperative trying to accommodate other people. They would simply move to the back when an elder person requests them to do so out of respect for them. But being from the Indian culture and English speaking, these highschool boys didn't understand nor have they any repsect for the Chinese culture even though they were studying and living in Hong Kong. They were making fun of me and mocking me in English assuming that I couldn't understand them. I did and I shot back and we got into some heated arguments in which the boys kept telling me loudly to shut up. Finally, the bus driver had to stop the bus and told the boys to move back. These boys dressed in private school uniforms finally did move. Attending in private schools is not cheap. Did these expensive private schools fail in their education of the young? I wondered what did the students learn in their elite school about respecting the local culture and being considerate of others in public space. Nothing? Should I tell my family, I got in trouble again in one day in HK as I couldn't stand stupid people's behaviour in public? RT, Stopover in HK