Taking a Direct Bus from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, China

Day 1 of Our Trip to China

We landed in Hong Kong!

Thank God! It was an uneventful fifteen hour direct flight from Toronto to Hong Kong.

 We boarded the 10:30a.m. plane and I was afraid that it would be a long day ahead sitting in the plane. It wasn't so bad. I watched three movies and had a dinner, snacks in between and a nice breakfast and we arrived in Hong Kong!

An exhibition in the HK Airport

The Hong Kong airport is modern, efficient and well serviced to serve travelers from around the world.









There were a lot of staff personnel around to help travelers arriving at the airport with their questions and transportation needs.

The day we landed in the airport we saw  a display of how some used bike wheels could be turned into art work. It was interesting!

We enjoyed a concert at the Hong Kong Airport

In the other side of the hall, there was a concert going on entertaining travelers who had time to enjoy it!

Tourists can take a direct bus from Hong Kong Airport into mainland China

Our destination was not Hong Kong, but mainland China. We went to Terminal 2 to catch a bus to mainland China.

We didn’t have to drag our luggage too far. For 180 Yuen per person, we could buy a ticket on a coach from the Hong Kong Airport going directly to Guangzhou, a southern Chinese city.

The bus waiting area was spacious and comfortable

The waiting area was spacious and comfortable. The bus ran frequently, every half an hour. We bought our tickets at around 2:20pm, and waited for about 15 minutes and got on the bus.

Leaving the HK Airport and going into China on a bus

The coach left at 3pm. This was our first time taking a bus into mainland China and it gave us a chance to enjoy the nice scenery along the way.

A nice bus ride for us to enjoy the scenery of Hong Kong

I  never realized Hong Kong was so hilly. It was a smooth bus ride; the bus was not crowded, only about three quarter full.

However, there was no washroom facility on the coach. We were forewarned by some friends and were prepared for that therefore we avoided drinking too much water before boarding.

Our first custom crossing at the Hong Kong border

About 30 minutes after leaving Hong Kong, the bus stopped at the Hong Kong custom where we had to bring everything down from the bus and cleared customer there. That didn’t take long at all.

Our second custom inspection at the Chinese border before entering China

I thought it was easy crossing the border. Little did I know that the bus stopped at the Chinese border and every passenger had to unload every piece of their  luggage for the second time.

This time it took a little longer to clear at the Chinese border as the border officer looked at every detail of our Chinese visa and passport. It took longer but we all cleared without any incident.

The bus trip from from Hong Kong to Guangzhou was from 2:45pm – 7:30pm, about four and half hours, longer than we thought. Since we were not in a hurry to get into China, we considered it a sightseeing trip and we enjoyed the ride.

The bus stopped at a number of designated stops to unload its passengers in Guangzhou, China. After it dropped us off at our requested stop, we took a taxi to get to our hotel, it cost 30 RMB ( about Can. $6.00, not bad at all!)

Our hotel is comfortable!

We called J. and told him we arrived at the hotel. He said he would come over next day and meet us. It might as well as we were really tired. I had been up for almost 48 hours.

Our first dinner in Guangzhou, China

We had dinner at the hotel restaurant and went to sleep after that. I slept like a baby for the first night in mainland China!

R.T.
Guangzhou
China

Buying Last MinuteTravel Insurance at the Airport was Easy!

Buying Insurance Last Minute on Our Travel Day 

Since we have heard many horror stories about the huge medical cost incurred by some Canadian while travelling overseas, one thing we always sure we do prior to our trips is buying travel insurance.

However,  since there were so many unexpected things going on prior to our departure for our big trip that we forgot to buy travel insurance. I remembered people could do that from the airport and that was exactly what we did.

We called the insurance company which we often use at the airport. To our surprise and relief, our call was answered right away without a lot of waiting time! As long as we had not boarded the plane and were still within the country, we could buy the travel insurance for our trip, the insurance agent told us.

The agent was very pleasant and polite. She asked us a few questions plus some standard medical questions such as what kinds of medications we had been taking, had we been treated for serious illness or hospitalized for past few months and did we have any previous known illness etc. The whole process did not take long at all, about 10- 15 minutes.

However, the cost jumped up a lot from our last overseas trip since we turned 60!  It was close to $200.00 for the two of us for a two week plus a few days holiday covering us for medical emergencies.

It was fast and easy buying our travel insurance last minute before we boarded our plane in the Toronto Pearson Airport

Well, for our peace of mind, we gladly bought the travel insurance and hope that we would not have to use it!

R.T.
Toronto Pearson Airport
Toronto

A Belated Mother's Day Gift from Our Son

It is pretty exciting that we are going to China!!

We are waiting at the Pearson Airport ready for boarding. Funny, I didn’t even feel tired even though I did not sleep at all for the whole night last night!

It has been an exciting day when we called E. yesterday and talked to him before our trip.

He surprised us by sharing his good news with me via email. He sent me three attachments, two of which were his job offers from a couple of tech companies in the U.S. and the other was his resume which was impressive indeed. He‘s got a management position and has essentially moved away from his first job.  This new job he has now pays him much better, a huge % increase in salary that comes with a few perks.

Why didn’t he share with me this great news right away? It would have made a great mothers’ day present for me!  We had a good almost ½ hour conversation on skype and he hasn’t looked this happy and relaxed for a long time. 

This  is why I like calling him on Saturday when he doesn’t have to work. E. was also very excited when talking about his future business trips to Europe. His current title at the new company is some kind of a manager for a huge region. At the end of our conversation, I asked if we could pray together. Though he seemed reluctant, he agreed and we did pray together! 

Thank you God for softening our son's heart! I hope it is a sign that his attitude is slowly changing and that he would seek God and think about the eternal thing more in the future!

R.T.
Toronto

Visiting Three of Guelph's Must See Beautiful Attractions

Cane rental shop across from the Royal City Park on Gordon St. Guelph, Ont.

We had about two hours of free time in the afternoon on the day two of our retreat. I was asked to lead a group for a quick tour of downtown Guelph.

There were a lot to see in Guelph!

I wanted to make sure participants in my group could enjoy the same beautiful scenery as I did. So I chose three points of interest for them to visit.

Guelph has beautiful waterfront parks!

New trees growing out of a stump - Royal City Park

1. Visit to the Royal City Park

I took a group down to the park by the river that I knew very well when I was a student there.

There were more people desiring to tour the city than we first planned, therefore it took a little while to figure out who would go with whom as we needed more drivers and cars.

This time we drove down Gordon Street instead of walking.

Canada Geese crossing the road on Gordon St. near the Royal City Park, Guelph

Our group really enjoyed the walk along the river on Gordon St.

I was in the first car leading and about four or five vehicles were following me. Somehow we made a wrong turn and arrived at the park about twenty minutes.

 The people who arrived before us witnessed the Canada Geese's crossing the road like I did yesterday. Amy sent me a picture she took. They loved the sight!

We strolled in the park enjoying the mild temperature and soft breeze caressing our faces.

A young man was tight rope walking in the park

                                                     

 A lady from our group tried walking on the rope, not as easy as it seemed!

We came across a young man practicing his walk on a rope hung between two trees.


One of the ladies tried it but found that it was not as easy as it seemed!

Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate

2. Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate


Built in 1877, this church was the longest building project in Canada and until 1925, it was still being built.

It is a magnificent building both inside and outside!

Looking out to downtown Guelph from the top of the hill

The Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate sits on the central hill of the town of Guelph and visitors can see a good part of  downtown Guelph when they are on the church ground.

The magnificent interior of the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate in Guelph, Ontario

Beautiful arches and stained glass windows all around the Our Lady of Immaculate

It was not difficult finding a parking spot. We opened the door quietly into the sanctuary not sure if there was a service going on at the time.

The lady at the basilica welcome us warmly into the church. There were a few people sitting in the sanctuary. We asked for permission to take pictures.

The pipe organ inside the Basilica

The nice lady encouraged us to go up and take pictures of this beautiful place of worship filled with stained glass windows and arches.

A gentleman sitting in one of the pews directed our attention to the huge organ on the balcony.

A beautiful sight!

Entrance to the Basilica

Sculpture of John McCrae

The Civic Museum is located right next to the Basilica.

On the ground outside the Civic Museum stands the statue of John McCrae.

Major McCrae was born in Guelph, a soldier, physician and a poet who wrote the well known poem of In Flaunders Fields in 1915.

The sculpture of Major John McCrae and the poppies outside the Basilica

The poem, though written over a century ago, is still read every year on Remembrance Day, described the sacrifices made during the first world war.

 Thus the poppy has been used as a symbol for remembrance around the world to remember the ultimate sacrifices of the soldiers died fighting for freedom.




3. Old Quebec Street Shopping Mall

Old Quebec Street Shopping Mall, Guelph

We could have easily walked to the Old Quebec Street Shopping Mall after visiting the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate. But to save time we drove and found parking without any problem

The Old Quebec Street Mall is located in downtown Guelph, a unique mall with an indoor streetscape. I could imagine during a cold winter day, this would be a nice warm place to stroll about.

Our group got there after 5pm on a Saturday afternoon and we didn't expect many shops opened at that hour.

Our group had a lot of fun visiting  Guelph's downtown 

We were hoping for some ice cream.
Fortunately, the ice cream shop was still opened. Preparing for closing, the staff had already cleaned the frozen yogurt machine. Because we ordered some frozen yogurt with fresh fruits, the lady did make them for us!

We enjoyed walking about, sharing some tasty food and sharing a laugh or two.




Within the two hours free time we had, we were able to see three of Guelph's interesting places, relaxed and joked around. It was a great time for us and an opportunity to get to know other people at the retreat!

R.T.
Guelph, Ontario

Watching the Canada Geese Crossing the Road

A pretty stone house in Guelph, Ontario

Since we were in Guelph for three days, we drove around  to explore the city a little bit.

Heffernan Street Footbridge, Guelph, Ontario

Guelph is not a big city; it has about 120,000 residents, but it is a very pretty town indeed!















There are a number of churches in Guelph, some of them are over a hundred thirty years old.












 Considering the fact that Canada itself as a nation is only a hundred forty nine years old, a hundred and thirty years old church is pretty historic for our country!

A scenic view of the river with St. George's Anglican Church in the background,  downtown Guelph, Ontario

Royal City Park, Guelph

After attending the opening ceremony at the Rozanski Hall, we went on foot to explore the area around the University of Guelph.

We walked along Gordon Street heading towards the downtown area.

Guelph holds a very special place in my heart as this was my stomping ground in the 1970's when I was a student attending university here.

As we walked, we tried to take in the scenery of the beautiful houses and  well kept landscape on both sides of the street.

This is an area where university professors and scholars are housed.








After a walk of about twenty minutes on Gordon Street, we came to the Royal City Park.

This park with the beautiful Eramosa  River flowing underneath the bridge has always been my favourtie part of the city.

The geese walked up from the river to dry land

From the other side of the river,  we saw a large flock of Canada Geese, instead of swimming around in the river,  mulling around on dry grassland.

I thought to myself they might be contemplating to do something?

The geese were following their leader closely

We ran across to the other side of the river trying to see what they were doing.

We saw the whole flock following a leader and gathering themselves on the edge of the dry land.

The leader goose decided to cross the road!

The leader goose looked all around, thought for a few seconds, then confidently stepped onto the road!

All the other geese followed the leader

Then all the other geese started to follow this leader goose without any hesitation!

The geese crossed the road orderly

The leader goose kept walking with such confidence that he did not even stop for a second.

He kept charging ahead!

Traffic stopped until all the geese crossed the road safely and completely

All the traffic stopped on both sides of the road! Drivers waiting patiently while pedestrians were delighted and took pictures of this scene!

 There was no angry honks or shouts. Traffic simply stopped for these Canada geese until they crossed the road completely!




I have lived in Canada for over forty years. This was the first time I witnessed a flock of Canada Geese crossing the road on a city street!  It was amazing!

R.T.
Entrance to the Royal City Park
Guelph, Ontario

Attending the 2016 T3C Retreat in Guelph, Ontario

A beautiful weekend to be away from the big city!

Just like the Olympics, our church holds a retreat for the three congregations every four years.

A sculpture on U. of Guelph campus

This year, the Toronto Christian Community church retreat was held during the Canada Day long weekend at the University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario.

Johnston Hall, University of Guelph, Ontario

We met at the Rozanski Hall for our meetings

The University of Guelph was a perfect venue for the church retreat.


There were over six hundred people attending the event, many of whom were seniors as well as numerous young families with children.

We met at the Rozanski Hall for our meetings. While the adults attended the meetings, the children were looked after in a separate area with their own program.

The T3C retreat took place at University of Guelph during the Canada Day Weekend

This was our second time attending the church retreat and we enjoyed it tremendously! Being in a beautiful environment was important; having our room and board look after was great! The best part was listening to inspirational messages and receiving excellent biblical teaching from our great speaker - Rev.( Dr.) Stephen Lee !

Dr. Stephen Lee delivering his powerful & inspirational messages 

Where was I all these years? How come I never heard of his preaching before until this weekend?  I kicked myself for not knowing Rev. Lee sooner. All the great messages I have missed in the past!

Rev. Lee gave four messages in the retreat. He talked about Moses, David and Peter. I read and learned about some of these biblical people well, especially Moses and David. I even taught Sunday School many times to children about their stories.

But Rev. Lee opened our minds and brought our attention to things about these famous leaders that we never thought of before. He taught us how to ask questions and dive into the deeper meaning of the bible.

University Centre - where we enjoyed delicious meals and spent time getting to know people better 

U. of Guelph is a beautiful venue for retreats/ conferences

Another excellent experience we had at the three day Guelph retreat was the opportunity of making new friends and getting to know other members of the church.

Every Sunday when we go to church we only have a small amount of time talking to the people we know.

Delicious meals were served buffet style at the University Centre 

At the retreat and away from daily distractions, we had plenty of time enjoying delicious meals while conversing with the new friends we had just met! It was a refreshing experience!

The T3C Retreat provided opportunities to make new friends 

The retreat was a relaxing weekend for many of the participants!

It was a wonderful relaxing retreat for the participants as everything was so well planned and executed with all the details having been taken into consideration.










Thank you to the Summer Retreat Committee who has worked hard in organizing this event!

Loved it! Will definitely be there for the next retreat in 2020!!!

R.T.
T3C Retreat
University of  Guelph
Guelph,
Ontario