I was in Guangzhou from the 11th to the 14th, staying at a Holiday Inn...with a sauna! It was nice to have such comforts, I'll confess, after six days of seafood and small towns. Guangzhou was fun...not as captivating as Shanghai, but interesting nonetheless: a city with a rich history, a gorgeous waterfront, a busy pace of life, a slightly international feel (lots of Africans, especially), and some hidden gems to be found as I spent a lot of time wandering through the city, usually with a plan but a loose plan, hoping to discover sites of interest by surprise.
At the waterfront of the Pearl River, cutting through the center of the city. It felt a bit like Portland, actually, especially with its numerous bridges.
How great is this? This is from Shamian Island, a very old part of Guangzhou dominated by Victorian-style architecture. A Seattle-based company, a tropical setting, old British building, China. I love this sort of style-blending.
My favorite in a series of unique statues.
The Sleeping Wood...a pub near my hotel where I found delicious chicken burritos. It reminded me a lot of a Mcmenamins, actually. Since I get plenty of Chinese food back in Xiaogan, I tried to cherish the American & European food while it was accessible.
One of several busy streets lined with vendors selling flowers, kumquats (Guangzhou-ites love their kumquats, it seems), spinny-wheel-on-a-stick's (better name?), and oversize tiger claw mittens (year of the tiger after all...supposedly a bad year to have children...tigers are trouble).
From Yuexiu Park, a massive park in the center of the city. I love the two monks here, who appear to be holding hands.
Another, more colorful glimpse of Yuexiu.
A dinner cruise on the Pearl River. The scenery was gorgeous, with all the buildings colorfully lit up. The food was disappointing. I hit the Sleeping Wood afterwards for another chicken burrito.
1 comment:
Guangzhou is the last stop for every adoptive family being kids back to the USA, being the home of the US Consulate... so, we have shared with you some of these experiences. Neat to relive them through some of your pictures.
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