Guangzhou, Guangzhou

I realize it has been quite a while since I last posted here, I hope you haven't all deserted this blog and forgotten about it ;)

Lack of time to write here obviously means my life has been crazy, and with my trip to Guangzhou at the end of the holidays, and then classes starting the following Monday, I have found myself sitting and staring at this very page several times, but never going further than writing two words.

I went to Guangzhou, China's third biggest city (if I'm not mistaken), to visit a friend (Bernice) at the end of the vacation.

                                                                 Bernice! And when I came back to our sleepy and peaceful campus, I realized that I feel much better here! Guangzhou is a typical bustling Chinese city, but the pollution seems intensified by the heat and humidity. I had a very hard time standing the mix of pollution and noise and various (city) stenches.

I nevertheless had a really good time, Bernice took me around the city with two of her own friends, who had lived in Panama for several years. On the first day, we wandered to the mecca of cheap furniture (Ikea), a giant  bookstore and...Starbucks. Oddly enough, the only thing I managed to get from Ikea was a pair of slippers and some chocolate. And I spent the whole bookstore time experiencing yet another squat toilet, my stomach being still in the process of adapting to Chinese food...


The underground in Guangzhou is the epitome of modernity: instead of tickets you get little round plastic coins, that reminded me of those little plastic washing machine coins. Tthat doesn't sound too modern- but is is. The coins are then simply pressed on the electronic turnstile, and that's it. Mobile phone service is as good underground as above ground. After the months of roaming on the London tube, grumbling about the lack of service, it came as a surprise and was another example of how  incredibly contrasted China is.

The next day, Bernice and I walked to Shamian Island, which was a haven for foreigners at the time Guangzhou was invaded/colonized by the French and English. Today the island is a patch of peaceful greenery in the middle of  the city. Most buildings are of European architecture, and it seems to have become a very beloved spot for couples to get their wedding pictures done.Guangzhou even has a gothic looking church..Which I didn't see.



The most peacefully situated Starbucks I have ever drunk a coffee in...


On our way to Shamian, we walked through a typical Chinese market. I had most pleasurable encounters with jumpings toads (in a basket), chicken testicles and more or less (usually less) appealing ingredients. Like my Chinese friends often tell me- Cantonese people eat anything.
                                                                      The toads...

                                                         and the testicles...

I also experienced my first counterfeit DVD store. After a stealthy hand gesture and a mysterious sounding "we'd like to go upstairs", we meandered through a rather squalid-looking building, passed several locked doors until we finally arrived to the (very well hidden) dvd heaven. 5 movies and a whole season of Heroes made the 10 € I spent well worth it.

In the evening, Bernice taught me how to make Chinese dumplings. My dumplings had a rather pitiful appearance next to Bernice's, but in the end they all tasted the same anyway. Other pictures from Guangzhou:

      Bernice took me to a restaurant in the morning (not my usual habit ;)) to try the famous Cantonese Dim Sum, a variety of food presented in small wicker baskets : meat balls, fried rice in a leaf, chicken,pork, dumplings...and of course, tea.. Families often come on Sunday mornings to drink tea, chat and eat to their heart's content.
The tray with all the wicker baskets:

and what we ordered:

One of Guangzhou's biggest shopping avenues has a group of statues scattered along the street, and subject to varied uses:

A chopstick store, mainly for tourists from what Bernice told me...

The posh looking restaurant where we ate the Dim Sum was so popular people were queueing for what seemed a very long time...

The backstreets of the poorer areas of Guangzhou...


At the entrance of the market, the hustle and bustle of a typically Chinese market is starting to make itself noticed...




The next day, we went back to Zhuhai to go to the Chinese Medicine valley. After the noise and smog of Guangzhou, it was the perfect place to be. Hot springs(and colder ones) filled with all kinds of Chinese medicine made for a very relaxing day.

And then back to the reality of university life, with the semester beginning for us, at last.