All About China > Your trip to China

1st trip to China - Guangzhou and Chengdu

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kiwisteve:
Hi all,

I'm getting a bit nervous - only a few weeks to go until I start this trip in May and there is so much to do and learn before I go...

The quick history: I started with online dating sites in mid November 2011, got burned by chnlove, tried a few others, CLL was the best for me, and QQ has been the most valuable method of communication. This forum is also a fantastic resource of shared experiences, advice and encouragement. I hope to get more much-needed advice from the bros in the future, and also by writing this log of my trip, it might help or at least provide interest to others.

I met my lovely lady Anna firstly on CLL, then quickly switched to QQ. We chat several times each day and it seems we know each other really well now. With the 5 hour time difference over the summer (now 4 hours) she would often phone me on my mobile to wake me up when she got home from work so we could chat. Neither of us can speak the other's language but we are teaching each other daily as well as learning from the internet. We are both very much in love, but I am a bit more reserved about that than her, at least until we have a chance to actually meet and spend time together.

BTW, I'm 53, separated with 3 teenagers (not living with me), Anna is 43, divorced and with a 15 year old daughter living with her. Our thoughts at this stage are for her and her daughter to come and live with me here in NZ after we are married. That's it as far as plans go and given we haven't yet met face to face, there's not much point in thinking about that long road too much right now.

She lives in Chengdu, where I'll be for 1 week, and I'm leaving that week totally free for her. She wants to find me a hotel, and is planning on taking me to see family and friends as well as a little shopping and sight-seeing. It is only a short trip, but is all I can afford to do right now.

Firstly I fly from Auckland, New Zealand direct to Guangzhou on the overnight on May 1st. I stop there for about 24 hours for a breather before flying to Chengdu to meet her on her birthday, May 3. Same on the way back a week later.

I've got heaps of things to organise and questions to ask, but for this post I'd like to ask:

Can anyone recommend what part of the city (Guangzhou) to visit for 1 day and one night, also any hotel recommendations? I don't have to have 5 star, but it must be clean and comfortable and handy to shops. In this limited time I'd like to do a little shopping (gifts for my kids mostly), have a quiet drink and a meal, get my bearings and a taste of China, and prepare for the big day the next day.

If there are already topics in this forum on things like things to do, places to stay, things to pack (and gifts), please point me in the right direction. I just did a search here for guangzhou and got 16 pages, which I'll work through when I get a chance.

cheers,
Steve

Pineau:
Steve. 24 hours is not much time for a breather if yo want to do much of anything. There is a lot of things to do and see in Guangzhou.

I recommend you visit this  website http://www.gzstuff.com/. It has some ads for the "better" side of town. There is a lot of shops and places to eat near the garden hotel. It is a 5 star hotel and there are a lot of different ethnic groups that stay there and thus you can find a variety of ethnic food. There is upscale dining and shopping as well as some sidewalk vendors on some of the pedestrian overpasses.

I stay away for the ritzy hotels and prefer just a clean room with a bed.  when i travel in china I always stay at the Hanting Express. It is the economy lodge of china. Most larger cities have them and I know Guangzhou has several.

For shopping you need to know Guangzhou is a major export center and you can find anything made in china in the shops and sidewalks in Guangzhou.
So make your shopping list and research it well before you arrive. If not you will surely run out of time just looking at all that stuff. 
Zhongshan 7th Road near the xi men kou subway station is  a great place for electronics new used and stolen.  If you post a list of the kinds of things your looking for I will try to get you enough information to tell a taxi driver where to take you.

Check out this thread for some other suggestions. http://www.chinaromance.net/index.php?topic=2854.0

RobertBfrom aust:
Steve , just so you understand what Gerry said about the city size , note the following ,Guangzhou is the third largest city in China and southern China's largest city. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 12.78 million.[7] Some estimates place the population of the entire Pearl River Delta Mega City built up area as high as 40 million including Shenzhen (10.36 million), Dongguan (8.22 million) and most parts of Foshan (7.19 million), Jiangmen (4.45 million), Zhongshan (3.12 million) and a small part of Huizhou adjoining Dongguan and Shenzhen, with an area of about 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 sq mi) (about the size of US state of New Jersey). In 2008 Guangzhou was identified as a Beta World City by the global city index produced by GaWC.[8] . In other words this 1 city proper has more residents than 4 New Zealands put together , make sure you have an electronic translator , ie; a Besta or similar to help you out , it will become an invaluable tool between you and your lady , yes in her hometown let her book a 4 star type hotel , generally she can get better rates and would know what locale suits as Chengdu is not a small city either probably a couple of hundred hotels if you just want an idea of hotel costs look at Tripadvisor.com or Expedia.com.au , regards Sujuan and Robert .

kiwisteve:
Thanks guys,

I knew it was a big city, but you put it into perspective. I realise I'm not going to see anything much in 1 day, and I may not be actually buying anything on that first day, just looking at what is there and getting a feel for the culture and language. I felt it was better to stop for 1 day though in Guangzhou and freshen up, rather than meet Anna for the first time at the airport in Chengdu after a long flight.

My business is in computers so I'll be looking mostly at electronic stuff, but also at anything that is significantly cheaper than at home and that is small enough to carry. Also, some personal medication might just come in handy later (it is really expensive here).

I am trying to resist spending any more money on a Besta, plus it's another thing to carry. I have recently upgraded my old PDA to a Samsung Note, and the various translation programs available for Android seem pretty useful so far. Also Anna already has a Besta or similar for when I get to Chengdu.

Just from nosing around Google Earth and reading accommodation reviews, it seems that Beijing Rd for shopping may be a possibility for me, and there are a few average hotels nearby. I'll do more research though as I want to make the most of the very limited time I'll have there. I'll be storing my luggage at the hotel first thing in the morning, then spending the day wandering around. A quiet evening meal, then a good night's sleep before meeting Anna in Chengdu the next morning. I'll have a second chance (1 day and 2 nights) at Guangzhou on the way back a week later. Thanks for the suggestions - I'll do more research.

Steve

Willy The Londoner:
Just remember GZ is very spacious. Its a long way between places. Bit like the Strip through Las Vegas - the places look close but they are a hell of a walk from one to the next. 

But for shorter journeys it is often quicker to walk than take a taxi stuck in horrendous traffic.

I suggest that you download a map of the Metro - now goes to the airport.

Willy

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