Guangzhou

Usually I shun going to China due to a not so pleasant childhood experience. My memories of Yunnan are filled with smelly & flies infested toilets, salty and way too oily food and touristy attractions. You can get half a bowl of oil from your bowl of soup. I had diarrhoea for 5 out of 7 days we were there. I could only eat mantou for fear of soiling my pants. And don't even get me started on the toilets. It was just a drain with thigh-high walls separating each cubicle. If you could even call it a cubicle in the first place. I lost 3 kg...

Anyway, after that trip, it was no China for me. There are tons of places outside of China that hold my interest. Unfortunately R is besotted with all things Chinese. He convinced me that Guangzhou is very different now. Trying to make peace, I agreed. 

And boy am I impressed with the progress that China has made over the last 10 years. 

You arrive at an airport that is clean, well laid out. My only grouse was that they should have some insulation from the weather. It was 8 degrees when we landed so it was a tad chilling without our thermals. Otherwise, everything was great!

Having woke up for our 5.30am flight, we haven't had breakfast so first thing was to fill our stomachs!

The noodles are soft and supple! It was interesting that they added a mushroom that tasted like Matsutake and also chickpeas. I never had that combination before. It was filling but not heavy. Perfect start to the day. 

We took a cab to the hotel as we were still groggy from the early flight. The taxi driver sure came prepared against potentially aggressive passengers! And they keep the safety lock on the doors just to make sure that fare evaders don't get to run away. 

We got to Fraser Suites Guangzhou and I likey this place! Price was affordable, service was impecable, room was clean and spacious and I'm already looking forward to breakfast!

Time to hit the streets!

We got a 3 day Guangzhou Metro Pass which will allow us to take unlimited rides on their metro. Definitely a plus point for short stay travellers. I'm super impressed with the infrastructure. They even scan all passengers' bags before you get to enter the transit area. 

There's bilingual directions so you don't have to worry if you don't read Mandarin. 

We decided to hit the wholesale market area around Yide Road一德路. You will be overwhelmed with the selection of dried seafood, dried chinese herbs, clothing and toys. See until eyes blur blur. 

Look at the size of those dried prawns!

And the size of the flower mushrooms! Almost as big as my hand. And my hands aren't dainty small. 

For those who shop frevently on Aliexpress or TaoBao, here's the logistics in action. There countless people hurrying around trying to finish their packing and deliveries. I really can't wrap my head around their operations. It's like there is order within the chaos. 

Time for lunch!

 And small bites in between... We slowly walked from Yide Road to Shangxiajiu Commercial Pedestrian Street 上下九商业步行街.

So fragrant and soft eggy cake. I smelt it half a block away. RMB10 for four thick slices.

Smelly Tofu!

Octopus Skewers

Lightly grilled fresh oysters with tons of garlic. RM25... Where to find in Singapore?!

Lightly grilled ginormous clams, again loaded with garlic

Pan fried soft tofu with some Sichuan chilli powder

Saw many people queuing up at this stall and the kiasu-ism kicked in. We must try too! 

Rice rolls and porridge. Actually not that fantastic but it fills you up! There's almond paste dessert too!

I think my whole trip, we just spent most of the time looking for food and ingredients! Haha!

Evening time, we decided to check out the Guangzhou Tower 广州塔, formerly called Guangzhou TV AStronomical and Sightseeing Tower. It is 604 metres tall multi-purpose observation tower in the Haizhu District of the city of Guangzhou. There were throngs of people taking photos and I don't blame them! The view of the tower was quite spectacular and the view of the riverbank just next to the tower was pretty as well. 

There are options for taking a river cruise dinner and I'm sure the food will be excellent. So far, Guangzhou has not disappointed me in the food department.


The next day we decided to see a little more of the old Guangzhou. We headed for Lingnan Impression, a themed park of sorts, featuring the old architecture and culture of Guangzhou.

It was nice and not crowded at all. I hate it when all I can see are just people's heads. Just like when I was in Shanghai a few years back. You can't see anything else!

Open air area for community gathering, dinners and etc.

 The ivory carvings are so beautiful as much as I mourn for the deaths of the elephants that provided the source of the ivory.

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Look at the amount of detail!

Shop showcasing how sesame oil was manufactured in the past. The roasted sesame aroma is so fragrant!

Braised beancurd sheets

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All the different Tai Sui(s) in charge of the different years

2018 Tai Sui in charge of the Dog Year

After all that walking it's time for lunch!!! We headed for a recommended dim sum restaurant called Dian Dou De

Take a walk around Shamian Island as well. It was a colonial area with beautiful and carefully planned out avenues with some prominent buildings like White Swan Hotel, Shamian Hotel and the Poland Consulate. The name Shamian means sandy surface in Mandarin. 

I loved this sculpture of the little chinese boy posting a letter!

We didn't want to do shopping so we went marketing instead. I have no idea how we got to this place where the locals did their marketing. We just walked and walked and probably following the noise and smells, stumbled upon their local marketplace. 

Different varieties of rice

Different live seafood. The Chinese believe in the freshest of ingredients.

Bamboo clams! So cheap here!

The Chinese do eat everything they can get their hands on. Crocodile meat is deemed as nutritious and good for curing certain ailments like asthma.  

Fish is kept alive until the last possible moment before cooking

Mudskippers are considered a local delicacy. Not as widely available as all the skippers have to be caught by hand in the mud.

Different kinds of preserved vegetables

First time I see such a huge slab of roast pork belly being sold this way.

Even the poultry have to be as fresh as possible. I don't think I can bring myself to slaughter a chicken at home! But it's so interesting to see all the different poultry on offer.

Deep fried scorpions anyone?

Soft shelled turtles for chinese herbal soups

Chinese version of jamon called Jin Hua ham. Great for brewing the Chinese superior broth.

Much cheaper here compared to Singapore. The older the ham is aged, the more valuable it is. And more expensive as well.

Last night in Guangzhou and we end a nice vacation with a big meal at Bing Sheng, a more up-market Cantonese Restaurant. Still cheaper than Singapore... *rolls eye

Deep fried goose intestines

Stir fried vegetables (lotus root, black fungus, water chestnuts, garlic, snow peas and capsicum)

Light herbal mutton hot pot

Braised tofu in superior broth

Wash it down with 40% proof rice wine

Roast goose

Cold dish: pig intestines with fried shallots and peanuts, drizzled with special soya sauce dressing

Stir fried hor fun, Guangzhou style

I think we went overboard with the food. Haha!

Overall, Guangzhou has proved me wrong with the much slower pace of life compared to Shanghai. The people are more polite. Food is no need to say, great! In terms of natural scenery, Guangzhou does not have as much to offer but definitely one of my future destinations for a short getaway.