November 25/11
Dear Family and Friends:
Part 1 – Guangzhou
I got the biggest birthday cake ever for my 41st birthday. It was a three-tier tower that looked more like a wedding cake than a birthday cake. (Haha.) I really appreciate that Wah bro (from Arizona) hosted such a great birthday party for me and that my dear friend, Allen (from Vancouver) was there for me. I am especially happy with the birthday video my daughter did for me, that included many family and friends’ warm smiles and wishes and made me feel closer to home. 🙂
My experience of Guangzhou this time is so different from my many past trips. I am discovering a shift in my values in regards to the “luxury” kind of life style here. Local friends were great hosts to Deon and me but I can no longer justify the 4-digit lunches and 5-digit dinners that they buy us, especially as there was so much food left over that would go to waste. Even though I really appreciate their hospitality in offering what seemingly is “the best” to them, I can’t help think of what people are eating in rural villages and how the Xi’an students are saving a few RMB so they bike or bus to “Amy’s Corner”. (Taking a taxi would be far beyond their means.) I am even considering slowly becoming a vegetarian because I don’t want to promote violence toward animals. Since my travels began over two months ago, my view of money has definitely changed. I will be more mindful, in the future, where I spend it. Please consider this as a “heads up” as I might become one of those “cheap” people I used to complain about. lol
Guangzhou’s hospital is so scary looking! Dark and dirty. So crowded too. It’s like a zoo inside the IV area. I first got sick on Oct 25th, due to the lack of heat and hot water in the rural village where I was staying. I felt better around my birthday but I guess the party didn’t help because afterwards, I got sick again. This week, I couldn’t sleep due to coughing like crazy so I finally gave up trying to let my body fight the virus and went to see the doctor. Thank god, Wah bro friend’s mom is the head of this hospital and I didn’t need to line up behind dozens of other patients. The doctor said I have “Hay Koon Yim” (bronchitis) and needed antibiotics. They do it thru an IV here and each dose takes an hour. As I need three, I have to come back again tomorrow and again on Saturday for the last IV. (Oh by the way, I am leaving for a 4-day Quilin trip on Saturday at 7pm. What timing!)
All I can say is that today was “another interesting experience”! The good news is that Deon learned (after witnessing what I went through) that it’s not a smart idea to wear shorts and T-shirts on cold days (as he loves to do). I haven’t forgotten about my niece’s terrible incident in Guangzhou two years ago. While I was sitting in the hospital room with the IV yesterday, it brought tears to my eyes, recalling everything that had happened to Cadence, myself, and our family since her accident on Nov 24/09. :((
I feel I am “Guangzhou’ed out” – meaning I don’t see myself coming back here again… but after I got back from my Guilin trip, I decided to make the best of my last 36 hours in Guangzhou. I had a manicure, pedicure, and my lashes permed. I invited all my local friends and hosts to come and join me at my favorite spa (Spelland Spa). I was there 18 hours total before leaving for Manila and I could easily have stayed another 32 hours though my friends only lasted 8 hours. lol. I had such a great time with karaoke, finger games, massages, ping pong, and movies. Partying in slippers and pajamas was definitely relaxing. The sleeping room was dark and comfy so I was out cold by the time all my friends left. I am glad to end Guangzhou feeling this good.
Part 2 – Macau
We stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel which is connected to the Venetian. We were only in Macau for one night to see “The House of Dancing Water” show. It is Macau’s version of Vegas’ “O Show” but obviously this can’t compare. However, it has one that “O show” doesn’t have: the motorcycle performance. I loved this. In fact, both Deon and I enjoyed all the performances. By the way, it cost 2.5 billion (35 million CND) to build this stadium.
Part 3 – Guilin
We began our 4-day Guilin trip with an overnight train ride as neither Deon nor I had traveled this route before and so we wanted to experience it. The train station was very dirty and the vib was pretty scary but the very old, not pretty, and kind of stinky 12-hour train ride wasn’t THAT bad. We did NOT get any bedbug bites as I had been told! Whew! I took a sleeping pill and slept all the way till we got to Guilin. Obviously, it was a no-brainer decision to fly back to Guangzhou instead of taking the train again and go through the very old, not pretty and kind of stinky 12-hour train ride. Despite the fact that it wasn’t THAT bad at all. Lol
First surprise: The oldest traveler among the 17 tour members was not more than 45 years old contrary to what my Guangzhou friends told me that I would be with the seniors – over 60 years old. Apparently, nowadays, in China, living standards are better so more younger people can afford to travel.
I learned there are 3 types of tours here:
1. The first type is “scenery + shopping.” This is the least expensive category because travel companies get commissions from shop owners that they set the package price low to attract more travellers.
2. The second type is “scenery + options.” This type covers hotels, some meals, and a few visiting spots. The rest is optional, that is, you have to pay extra if you want to visit more places. Most young people join this type because it is more flexible and more relaxing. Fortunately, I “accidentally” joined this type and therefore my experience has been amazing (fun and relaxing)!
3. The third type is “all inclusive” which means all destinations and meals are pre-planned and prepaid. This is the type the SENIORS join because they don’t need to make any decisions after they arrive and don’t have to worry about additional costs. This is also the “traditional” type that my Guangzhou friends were describing, where you have to get up early and arrive back at the hotel very late each day. The traveler feels rushed throughout the tour as the tour company wants to cram as many spots into it as possible so the tourists will feel like they’re getting their money’s worth.
Shortly after we got to Guilin, we made friends with four young girls (22 to 25 year olds) and later on, we became friends with the only 3 guys (in their 30-40s) in our tour. These guys are real estate developers in Wei Zhou (2 hour drive from Guangzhou) therefore we had a lot to talk about. They were really funny and their purpose for travelling without their wives was to pick up girls. Thus, they were very generous to the four young girls and me. They bought us drinks and snacks everywhere we went. When I told them I shouldn’t be included as I was too old, they said that I was a VIP – a “Foreigner Chinese” coming back to “hometown China.” And so, they felt that it was their job to make me feel welcome. They insisted I should extend my trip a few days to give them a chance to be my host in Wei Zhou. I said I would take a rain check. Maybe I would come back with Rainbow as Wei Zhou is her hometown. Lol. Oh, at the end of the trip, one of them grabbed the butt of one of the young girls. Haha.
Overall, the energy of our group has been great! I am really glad I joined a tour for this trip and even more glad that I had met this kind of “accident” of being in this type of a tour.
Apparently, Guilin and Dalian are known to be the two most “relaxing” cities in China. People here seem simpler and more laid back. They do everything slowly, including driving and walking across the street. They admit to finding big cities such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Beijing way too busy and too stressful and although these cities are way more developed, they would not want to move to any one of them. In my opinion, they did seem happier than the people I saw in those bigger cities.
Guilin (in Guangxi) is also known for the natural beauty of its mountains and clear water. There are well over 100,000 mountains. The population in the center is 700,000+. There are twelve towns connected to Guilin and if one adds in the population of these twelve towns, Guilin has well over two million residents – considered very small in China.
There is no heavy industry here. In 1981, Guilin began to welcome tourists. 40% of Guilin’s economy is now based on tourism. The other 60% comes from light industry (silk), farming products (fruits), and Chinese medicine – well known for a cough spray and medicines for throat-related illnesses.
The busiest town, Yan Shuo (a 70 minute drive from Guilin) is the most popular town in Guilin. Five out of the six “must see” destinations in Guilin is located in Yan Shuo that accommodates over 20,000 tourists daily.
I was very happy to be eating the BEST pan fried sour and spicy snails in Yan Shuo near Xi Jie (well known street for foreigners). I am thankful that our friendly tour guide took me and Deon here.
I highly recommend visiting Guilin if you plan to visit China. The scenery here is indeed as pretty as what I’ve seen in Chinese paintings. (I have our tour guide’s telephone number and you can book him privately for 100 RMB per day plus the cost of his food and hotel.)
For those who plan to view the pictures on latest “travel website,” here are some details on the places that I visited during my four-day Guilin trip. We were told that the six “must see” destinations in Guilin are:
1. Yu Long He (Bamboo Raft on Yu Long River). Entrance fee is 150 RMB = $23 CND. The bamboo raft ride on the river is perfect for viewing Guilan’s glorious mountain ranges and waterways. As I noted early, they look like those on a lot of Chinese paintings.
2. Impression Show – Liu San Jie (Outdoor Performance on the River). Entrance fee is 220-680 RMB = $33-$105 CND. It’s quite a beautiful show. I liked it more than the Water show in Macau. Considered a “minor cultural” event, the show which includes, among others, singing and dancing, is performed on the river. Liu San Jie belongs to Zhuang Zhu culture where a man in the chorus sings “mountain songs” to the woman he wants to court. If she is interested in him, she sings back and if not, she ignores him.
There are 3600 seats which are always sold out per show. There is at least one show per night, two every weekend and sometimes there are extra performances on weekdays, if tickets sell out early. Unless it’s raining, the show is performed 350 days a year.
Zhang Yi Mou (a very famous Chinese Director) was the one who designed and started the show in 2003 and since that year, the show has been attracting tourists to the town of Yan Shou. It cost 150,000,000 RMB (23+ million CND) to build the venue and it took 3.5 years to complete.
3. Silver Cave (Natural Cave under 4 mountains). Entrance fee is 100 RMB = $15 CND The cave opened to the public in 1999. It’s tallest point is 50+ meters (18 floors high). Other than the lighting, paved walking road, and bridges inside the cave, the all stone-like carvings are natural. It’s known to be the prettiest Cave in Asia.
4. Shi Wai Tao Yuan (translates to “a place outside the earth”). Entrance fee is 100 RMB = $15 CND. This place was inspired by the famous ancient poet/artist named Tao Yuan Ming. The entrance fee covers a 30 minute boat ride in which any tourist marvels at the natural wonders. There are also four types of minor cultural shows (Zhuang, Yao, Miao, and Tong Zhu).
5. Butterfly Spring, a natural stone found on the cave that looks like the shape of a butterfly. Entrance fee is 100 RMB = $15 CND. We saw the Natural Mountain Cave plus cultural displays of Tong Zhu + Miao Zhu (wedding dresses, singing and dancing).
6. Gu Dong Pu Bu (Mountain and River climbing). We didn’t make it to see this destination.
We also went to the following places:
A) Li Jiang (Boat ride on Li River). 298 RMB = $45 CND. It’s a five-hour scenery boat ride from Guilin to Yan Shou. It’s a natural view of Water and Mountain Scenery. The 20 RMB bill shows a picture of this place.
B) Da Rong Shu (Wishing Tree). Entrance fee is 35 RMB = 5 CND. It is a big tree that is 1400 years old. They say that if you say all your wishes out loud while walking around the tree, your wishes will come true. I figured that since I’d paid already, I might as well include my fantasies and hopes. I made sure that I walked as slowly as possible around the tree (1/2 block radius) so that I had all the time to ask for all I wanted! Lol.
C) Yan Shan Yuan (Mini Kingdom). Entrance fee is 90 RMB = 13 CND. This place is designed based on a fortune teller’s advice. This mini Kingdom (286 acres) was originally built for the last king of the Qing Destiny in 1365. He lived here to avoid his enemies. After him, it was occupied by Tang Yue (a local, rich, well-educated man). The third owner was Chen Chun Xuan (the former Governor General). In 1933, it became the University of Guangxi, and in 2004, it became a public park.
D) Xiang Bi Shan (This mountain is shaped like an elephant’s nose and is the symbol of Guilin.) Entrance fee is 65 RMB = 10 CND. Over thirty years ago, this was considered the number one among the “eight most beautiful scenes in Guilin.
I am leaving today (Nov. 24/11) for the Philippines for my cousin’s wedding. On December 4th, Deon and I will be in Hong Kong where Jody will join us for X’mas. After that, we will go to Chiang Mai (Thailand) to teach starting on January 7/12.
Please take care of yourself and your loved ones!
Cheers
Amy & Deon
Originally posted on Amy’s travel blog: TravelwithAmy.ca