China Romance
All About China => Your trip to China => Topic started by: Bee964 on February 01, 2011, 09:34:55 am
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Where to start..., I the most logical place would be at the beginning. I started the trip by driving from my home to my friends place in Richmond Hill, (Toronto) so they could take me to the airport the following morning. The morning arrived quickly due to the fact that I was overly excited about the trip. I had to repack my suit cases to try to get them to meet the weight requirements for the airlines. One was a little too heavy but the other was a little lighter. It was just that they were a matching pair and one bag was smaller than the other. There will be more on this later. With this done I was able to spend a couple minutes in my friends hot tub to try to relax before trying to sleep.
The next morning came very fast. The last look at the alarm clock was around 2 am. I awoke just before the alarm went off at 5 am. I was wide awake. I put the coffee on and got into the shower. Before I knew it we were on the road to Pearson airport. I had no trouble getting through security and had both my bags checked in. All I had with me was my "satchel" with my netbook, camera, translator,... etc. I got to the gate and had some time to sit and use the computer.
The airline personel que up the microphone and say the flight is on hold due to the weather conditions at JFK airport. My flight route was from Toronto Pearson airport to New York JFK airport to Shanghai airport to GuangZhou airport. I look at my watch,...... it is about 9:30 am. I feel the first signs of anxiety. I stop what I am doing on the computer and go to weather.com and have a look see....... snow. The whole radar screen was snow. The forcast was for rain snow mix and a rising temperature all day so the snow was going to change to rain. Doesn't sound that bad... The P.A ques up again and says that they have closed JFK due to the weather and my flight is cancelled. I get called to the ticket counter....
I get put on a flight that will get to Newark airport and gives me about 90 minutes to get to my plane. I think to myself, an airport several miles away,... it is snowing,... I have to get my checked bags, get out of the airport and get the shuttle bus or a cab, get to JFK, check in my bags again, get my boarding pass, get through security again, and then find the gate. I see trouble with this plan. The average trip time between the two airports in average conditions is supposed to be about 50 minutes. (My friend checked this out for me on her computer at home while I was trying to find out if there was another option) I was thinking to myself, it is snowing so this cab ride between the airports is going to be taking longer than the average time. I feel a missed flight coming up. The anxiety starts to grow...
As I was sitting there thinking about this I said to myself I need to call the airline directly. I take out my cell phone and call. I tell the woman that answers that I see a problem with their plan to get me to my flight. I told her I need a flight directly to JFK and I need time between the two flights. She asks me to hold while she checks to see what can be done.
After about 7 or 8 minutes holding she comes back on and proceeds to tell me that there is one option and it is with another airline and that they can switch me to it if I want. I will get to JFK with about 1 hour and 55 minutes between flights. I get my flight switched and I have 30 minutes to get to the gate and board the plane. The gate was not too far so I was relieved to get there, get on the plane and sit and relax before a question arises in my mind, if JFK is closed how is this flight getting in? I start to expect to here the captain come on and say the flight is delayed.... After about 10 minutes the captain does come on and say hello and that we will be leaving about 5 minutes late but will make the time up on route. The weather at JFK,... heavy snow. That question is still there in my mind.
It was a rather uneventful flight, aside from a little bit of turbulance, and as we get closer to the airport I keep thinking to myself, if the airport is closed how are we going to land? I expect to P.A. to que up again and tell us we have been diverted to Newark and we will be landing there instead. The captain does come on and tell us that we will be landing at JFK in about 20 minutes, the weather at the airport,... snow. As I look out the window all I can see is the clouds. We have started our descent.
As we finally made our way out of the clouds I get my first look at the ground, it doesn't look that bad. We come in over the water and I see the runway, I expect to see it snow covered or at least snowy in some spots but there is nothing much on it. My first thoughts were, "What the hell are they talking about!"
I have made it and I have some time to spare. I grab a beer at the bar across from the gate of my next flight ans breathe a sigh of relief. The rest of the trip was not as exciting, until I walk to the baggage claim area.... there she was standing. Did I say standing?, she was bouncing up and down with a great big smile on her face! I took out my camera and snapped a quick photo. It is not the best picture I have taken but it was my first sight of her in the flesh. I go to get my bags....
After waiting almost 20 minutes it sinks in that my bags are not going to apear from the depths of the netheregions of the baggage department of China Eastern airlines. I head off to the baggage counter to see what is up. I fill in a complaint and let the airline deal with finding out where my bags are and head for the exit where this wonderful woman has been waiting patiently to get her arms around me! She does drive and she does have her own car, but she has taken a taxi because "she wanted to hold onto me and would not have her hands on the steering and that would not be so good." She would not let go of me the whole ride to the hotel! I did not care that my bags were lost. My only thought was of this woman. I had not felt this much happiness in a very long time.
To bee continued....
Dave C
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I will add some other pictures later too, but these will have to do for now. The plane looks like it can accept additional wing tanks or maybe rockets? bombs? Hehehe...
Dave C
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A rocky start but I am sure it was worth it.
Have a great time and enjoy the New Year!
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HAHAHA...what a start to your journey! So...was it Air Canada not wanting to fly into JFK? Seems odd that they said the airport was closed, when clearly it was not. Maybe JFK was thinking of closing.
Great update Dave. I am very excited to hear more updates from you, on this spectacular journey of yours. Have a blast!
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Well Dave you've made it. Now have a great time. Write when you get the chance and send more pictures.
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Yes .. a eventful start , but now the " BEE " is only getting Honey and a lot of Stares I'm sure .
Thanks for the Photo's and the ones still on the way with your updates . Especially the ones with Irish and Sunny .
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Good you made it, hope thing's goes smooth from here.
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Glad you made it there mate after a rocky start and an anxious uncertain time waiting to see if you would even leave home. Enjoy every minute there. Will PM you when I get to China to let you know when I will be in Guangzhou to catch up for a plate of dumplings.
Have you found your luggage yet? That one shirt must be a bit on the nose by now.......... :P
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Good to see you made it. Now the fun begins.
Fixed the first pic. You can steal them back.
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Sounds like a good start to the trip :D
Keep up the updates :D
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Thanks for the replies guys. I did eventually get my luggage. I got both bags at the end of the fourth day. I did kind of drag the story out a bit didn't I? I will try to keep it more to the point form now on.
To answer your question Jason, she demanded all my clothes almost as soon as we were settled in the room. I thought to myself, wow this is quick! I had my shirt, undershirt, pants and socks off and she disappeared into the bathroom with them. Several minutes later I hear the water running and when I look in she is washing everything by hand. She quickly had everything washed and hung up to dry and we went to bed.
The next day we went shopping for clothes for me for the next couple days. Off to the different shops we went and along the way I was taking in the sights. My first thought of GuangZhou was, wow this city never ends! Hi-rise buildings just go on and on. I felt like I was in the Star Wars I movie where they were aproching the Imperial senate and it looked like the entire planet was a city.
We get to a shop for underwear and buy a couple undershirts and underpants for me. As we left the shop we walked along the street and I notice several police cars and trucks. So I take a couple pictures of them. Then I hear a womans voice tell me, "No more pictures please." I turned to see a female officer standing in the doorway of the station shaking her finger at me. I quickly put the camera away.
We got the clothes I needed as well as changed the room in the hotel to one she likes. After we moved into the new room she takes all the new clothes(except for the new pants) and washes them. This time she goes out into the hallway and talks to the maid cleaning the room next to ours. She comes back into the room and takes all of the clothes and leaves the room. When she returns she tells me the clothes are all hanging out to dry it the sun.
As we relax the rest of the day we discuss the next couple days plans, meet her friends and maybe some of her family. She makes some more phone calls and we will be having "morning tea" with some of her friends. Her brother and her mother are busy for the next few days so meeting them will be on hold for now.
We arrived at the restaurant and search them out. They have a table in the corner with a nice view looking out into the street below, We get our introductions done and sit down. The waitress brings some dishes that look like dumplings but for the life of me I cannot remember what they are called. They were good! Then I get asked if I would like to try the wine her friend has made. I look at my watch, 9:42 am. Well..... like the song says, "its 5 o'clock somewhere". Then the horror stories of the home made stuff that I have heard all about come to mind amd I think that maybe saying yes was not so good an idea, so I say, "Just a little bit please." I just came from France last month, I had some pretty good wines while I was there. This wine was not bad at all. I don't think there was any grape used to make it either. I was invited to join everybody shopping at the market after morning tea.
The drive there was not too eventful until we were almost there. LingLing and her friends were chatting away in cantonese and she puts the turn signal on. I quickly try to get her attention because she is turning to go the wrong way down a one way street! "It doesn't matter. I will just follow him." she points to someone else doing the same thing. Noticing the airbag in front of me I put my seat back a little farther, just in case. Then I see it, a police car coming right at us! Lights on,.. I just point and stammer out loud,"BUT, BUT, we're gonna get a ticket!!!" The cop just moves over and drives right by.... I decided to not pay attention to anymore driving.
After shopping at the market we are driving back to her friends place and I get a phone call that says I can pick up my luggage at the airport after 4 pm that day. I had to write down all the flight information of the plane they would be on, told the guy thank you very much and hung up the phone. I am now very happy.
We spend the rest of the afternoon at her friends house and have a late lunch with some more wine and "Apple Vineger". I guess that apple cider does not translate. As it is getting late in the day we decide to leave and say our goodbys to our hosts. She stops by her apartment and picks up a few things and she shows me around. It is starting to get dark now and she asks if we should head to the airport to get my bags. I agree and we leave and head for the airport.
When we get there we are not sure where to park so of course we park on the opposite end of the airport and have to walk forever to get to the right place. When we get there, there is no bags there. I had also forgotten where I wrote the flight number down too. After a long time when it sounded like LingLing was giving the woman a good talking to it hits me where I wrote the flight number down and give it to the woman. After a long time we get told the bage are in Shanghai and will be shipped out tomorrow. I started to lose it, but stopped myself. I did not care about excuses I just wanted my bags.
We left the counter and said we would return the next day, when they call. (The next evening we got the call from the woman and my bags were there so enough of this story.)
The next day we spent sight seeing around GuangZhou and took in the art museum. This woman has a better apriciation for art than I do. She could quickly see what the artist was trying to convey to the viewer. I was a little upset about my luggage the night before and turned her invitation down to a bike rental to ride along the river. I kicked myself in the ass and apologized to her as we were leaving the parking lot. I told her I would like to do something romantic with her though. She suggested the river cruise up and down the Pearl River at night. It was wonderful! The way the city is lit up and the way the boats are all decorated was very nice. We had tea and looked at the sights at night. (this is when we got the call that my bags were at the airport and she wanted to go get them as soon as we docked.) We also got the phone call from Irishman and Sunny seeing if we were interested in meeting and going to going to the mountain the next day.
To be continued....
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I hope that the pictures have uploaded ok. If not you may have to wait for a while to see them. I am having trouble viewing them here.
Vince,
Thanks for the fix.
Dave C
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I didn't take the river cruise on the Pearl, but certainly saw the boats going up and down the river. They are quite beautiful, as are the surrounding buildings, that are all lit up. Great update Dave. I can feel your frustration over the phantom luggage. Glad to hear you got it back.
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Bee , love the Story so far ( especially the ONE WAY Street one ) .. but what's up with the Cap ? Please take it off at the Dinner/Lunch Table or don't tell me you are a Martin look-alike ? haha
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Fantastic story so far, I'm very happy for the two of you!!!!!
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I think he must take after his father...this was Thanksgiving........
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Yes Martin ! I just had the thought of Dave going to sleep with the Cap too .. not good .
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I just found out that I will be meeting mama today. I will bring a cap but not wear it,... yet.
Martin,
I wish I could see the picture. I know it is there but it won't load.
Dave C
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Arnold wait till LingLing takes him to the Barbers , we won't recognise him after that ha ha , I am glad that all is going so well Dave , and you should have realised she was only going 1 way down a 1 way street ha ha , looks like the weather there is very pleasant and now you know what all of us that have been to the Middle kingdom have been raving about , people and buildings everywhere , oh and being introduced to her friends is a big plus , regards Sujuan and Robert .
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Dave great picture's good story.The only thing I would mention is you need to loose the hat.And the facial hair.The hat at the table in China is bad manners..Except if you are a old man.And the head of th family.Then it is ok to wear a hat.Most Chinese ladies do not like thiere men to have facial hair.Your lady isn't saying anything.Because she doesn't want to make you feel bad.If you shave it off I'm sure she would be very happy.
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Fantastic story bee, the washing of the clothes reminded me of my MinYing, every nigh before bed time she would hand wash the clothes in the bathroom in the hotel, keep the posts coming for us lonely and very interested guys here at home missing our lao po,s.
very happy for you both, had a smile on my face the whole time i was reading the posts,,,,,,,,,c,mon, where's the next post??. ;D ;D ;D
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Dave, Great story. You'll get used to the traffic there. Maxx is correct about the hats but I kept my beard and now Peggy doesn't bother me about it... much. Of course Momma is on my side. She tells her to leave me alone about my beard.
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Dave , I hope you congratulated the lady police officer if she spoke to you in English , nothing like having a lady police officer on side , look at Willy they visit him often to check he is okay ha ha , but then maybe it is his age .
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Very happy for you Dave! Can't wait to hear more...
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Arnold wait till LingLing takes him to the Barbers
Dave, if she does take you to the barbers, do not do like I did and walk passed a hair dressers and said "look a barbers" now Xia calls me baba all the time
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Funny... After have been well shaved all the time my wife want me to grow a beard..... And don't think about the traffic situation.. It could only get worse ;D I had a trip in a bus where the driver thought he was driving a Formula 1 race car.... :)
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Dave...since you can't see the picture I posted...it was Thanksgiving, with everyone sitting at the picnic table...just before we ate.
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So great to read your story. Thanks for taking the time to write.
Funny you mentioned the Star Wars association; it was just the same association I made when I approached my girlfriend’s apartment building in Beijing for the first time. It was a cluster of very tall buildings with the low evening sun shining on them, gave me the Star Wars “feeling”
(If you have time for it, consider to check out the Qing Ping marked and the immediate sourroundings).
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Dave ,. thought I mention this to you .. since you are a BEE also . If you love Honey , go to Lotus Mountain Park .. there is a Shop that sells all kinds of Honey's . I never knew that there were so many different types . You can buy some for your Lady as well , so let her go free to choose .
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Thanks everybody for the comments and advise.
LingLing only ever mentioned once about the facial hair. That was last july. She asked if I was too hot because of the hair on my face. The hat, nobody has said anything yet to me about it, except for just now, Maxx. I did not have one on when I met mama yesterday though. I got my first red envelope from her too! She was excited to hear that I was her first one so I kissed her on the cheek which made her laugh loudly. She told LingLing that she has never had a kiss from a man with a hairy face and that it tickled.
I have to try to get time to write down the past few days. I took about 300 pictures yesterday at the "flower market". Then there will be the Baiyun mountain day with Irishman and Sunny. I hope that we can get a chance to meet up with them again today to see the firework display. So there are more stories to come. By the way Irishman, my toe feels fantastic! It has not bothered me since our foot massage.
Here are a few more pictures for you. Found a store that probably should be renamed.
Dave C
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Now see Dave , that first Photo looks great of you . Your much more Handsome this way , if you don't mind ME saying that ? LingLing .. I bet she has not stopped smiling like this since you got there .. she looks soooo happy , it's hard to miss . This is good , whenever that smile is not there .. you know something not right . Don't need a Translator for that . haha
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Well Dave, you and I have seen each other a few times...and I have to be honest with you.......you look funny with your hat off!
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Well see, I do go without a hat sometimes, even if I am funny looking Martin! Hahaha!
We just got back from the fireworks at the river. We had a fairly descent view of the show and all I can say is WOW what a great show!! We were on the rooftop of LingLings' friends uncles apartment. (WenWen) We also met up with Sunny and Irishman for the show. I have a couple pictures to put up here of the show. I hope you enjoy them. I also have a couple videos of the show but they will have to wait. There were some trees in the way so not much of the lower part of the show is visible. Sorry, I left my chainsaw at home. It probably would have been lost by the airlines anyways. Hehehehe... I have also put up a picture of her friend WenWen.
Dave C
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Great to hear that you are having a good time there. Do you want me to stop by the cottage and grab the chainsaw to send to you?
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Chainsaws are cheap in China :D about $60 USD for a nice 18" bar 52cc model, that's what I use at the moment for the farm work, I bought it from China via www.Aliexpress.com (http://www.Aliexpress.com) with no shipping you should be able to knock on the factory door and get a good discount :D
Cheaper to buy new than ship the old :P
Looks like a nice fireworks show :D
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Hahahah .. Chainsaw ? Better not or Ling Ling will see it as an opportunity to get rid of Dave's Beard .
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This is for Maxx. I could have hats like this guy......
Actually my hair used to be like that when I was a teenager, just not that colour. Hehehehe!
Dave C
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Dave, I would have liked to see a picture with you wearing that hat. Imagine what it would have done for your woman. :-X
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We had a blast today Dave, what irresponsible fun!!, I'll keep 'em guessing and let you fill in the details later :o ;)
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Dave, I would have liked to see a picture with you wearing that hat. Imagine what it would have done for your woman. :-X
Shaun,
I have a story about hair to tell later. It happened over dinner last night. Service was slow but the entertainment was priceless!
Irishman,
It was the most fun I have had in a long time! Pictures and post to come today when I get time. I will try to get caught up today with my posts everybody.
Dave C
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Well its about time! Between you and Irishman, you guys are keeping the rest of us at the edge of our seats.
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I guess I should put upthe post about Baiyun mountain and the dinner and the foot massage too now that I have a little time to do this. Ling Ling sleeps a little late and I have been getting up early for the past several days. She is still sleeping now.
We made arrangements to meet Irishman and Sunny for the first time a couple days ago and spend the day together climbing Baiyun mountain. We also agreed to have dinner together afterwords.
We met up with Irishman and Sunny at the metro station near my hotel here. After all our introductions were made we headed off to the park for our walk. When we parked I thought that we would not be too long for our walk because it did not look that long. What a mistake that was. I was amazed at how far we had walked when we reached a viewing point and I saw a bridge we had parked near. It looked like it was 10 km away from where we were. I thint we were only about 1/3 of the way we walked too. I liked the scenic views and the company and conversation was good too. We got to know Murdock and Sunny quite well as we walked and talked throughout our hike up the mountain. I think we have made the beginning of a good friendship.
We reached a place where there was a gold statue and a tree with loads of red ribbons hanging from it. It was a type of wishing tree I cannot remember what it was called. Murdock, maybe you can help me out with remembering. Anyways, you write down your wish for the year on this red ribbon and then throw it into the tree. It is supposed to be renewed every year too. Ling Ling and I wrote down our wishes on the ribbon and I threw it into the tree. I got it to stay up on the first try too. (I have not had any explination on what happens if it falls out before the year is done or if your throw noes not stay in the tree the first time...
We trekked on a little further to another area where there is several posts in the ground with chains attached to it. Apparently couples that are in love put a lock on this chain and leave it. I think it is supposed to symbolize a couples locked hearts together or something like that. As I did not have a lock with me we could not do this. *note to anybody else coming here, bring an old lock with you if you want to do this.*
We soon decided to turn back and head back down the mountain after taking in the views and taking some photos. On the walk down we also made plans for having dinner together. There was also talk about getting a foot massage. This sounded good as my feet were feeling a little tired and I had a sore toe that was bothering me for the past couple months.
When we got back to the car we headed off to the dumpling restaurant. We ordered several dishes, and a couple beers my first since New York airport, and had an enjoyable time eating. I must admit I am not too adventerous an eater and I do not eat a lot at meals but I think I tried everything at the table. I really liked the dumplings! And the beer was good too.
With our appetites supressed for the moment we headed off to the massage parlor. I have never had any type of massage before so this was my first. We arrived there and we told the lady at the counter what we wanted and we were escorted up the stairs to a room with 4 nicely padded reclining chairs. The buckets were filled with some slightly hotter than I like water and our feet placed into them. While we were sitting there relaxing there Ling Ling, the attentive woman that she is to me, told the girl doing my feet that my toe had been bothering me. Truthfully speaking the pain from my toe was almost unbearable to walk on by the end of our hike. In walked the attendant with his light and instruments. He looks at it and says that he can fix it but it may hurt and it may bleed. Irishman and I talk about this and during this time he packs up and leaves the room but I decided to go ahead and give it a try I was a little aprehensive about what he may be doing. He returns and proceeds to do what ever he wanted to do. It did not bleed or hurt too much, thankfully, and he packed up his stuff and left the room. We had our foot massage finished up and left the place and took Sunny and Irishman to the metro station so they could return home. The next day I noticed that my toe no longer bothered me. I and my feet were very happy!
I think all in all we had a very good first meeting with Sunny and Irishman. I was a little worried about what the women would be like with eachother but Ling Ling told me she liked Sunny and Irishman very much. We both think they are very nice fun people to be with.
I have not said too much about my thoughts and feelings for Ling Ling but I am constantly amazed at the care and attention I am receiving from this woman. I find myself feeling more and more love for this woman as we spend more days together. I am at a loss for the best words to try to explain how she makes me feel. All I can say is that she is perfect for me! I want to spend the rest of my life with her. Feeling her love for me and hopefully giving her and showing her the same love back. The happiness and calmness I have in my heart now is all due to her. I hope that I give her the same feelings back.
Dave C
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Great update! Looks like everything is going well... Keep it up and we'll get you married of yet! ::)
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A great update Dave and I am glad everyone is enjoying their time together , regards Sujuan and Robert .
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Fantastic update Dave. I am thrilled to hear that things are going very well for you. Keep up with the great updates when you can.
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but I am constantly amazed at the care and attention I am receiving from this woman. I find myself feeling more and more love for this woman as we spend more days together. I am at a loss for the best words to try to explain how she makes me feel. All I can say is that she is perfect for me! I want to spend the rest of my life with her. Feeling her love for me and hopefully giving her and showing her the same love back. The happiness and calmness I have in my heart now is all due to her. I hope that I give her the same feelings back.
Mate, there is not a man who has been to China and met his girl who does not know exactly what you mean and also can not express or say these feelings you talked about properly. You are not alone but like us you are one of the special brothers now. Enjoy every minute and a great update. Hopefully we will have the opportunity to catch up soon.
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Dave, Great update. If every western man knew what we know and have experienced they would...
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Well lastnight I did it...... Yup. I sure did.
Since about the 4th or 5th day here Ling Ling has been asking me....
"Do you want to drive?"
She has been telling me to park the car for her and then drive it out of the "carpark" for her and then she takes over. (A carpark to me sounds like a place where you put all the little cars so they can play while you go off and do your shopping)
Lastnight she told me to drive us home. She did not ask me, she told me to drive. I thought to myself, "Well, when in Rome...."
I have to say it was quite an experience. It almost reminded me of the days I drove a stock car at the local track when I was 20. The speed, noise and the bumping were the only things that were missing.
I do not suggest this for anybody that comes to China and I have not checked into the laws about this. I am only telling what happened lastnight after dinner.
I have to admit, it was quite a thrill. I wonder if I could get the Bee here?
She even took pictures.
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Well, I am pretty sure that your Ontario Drivers License is not valid inside the PRC. I thought I read somewhere that foreigners were not allowed to drive in China. It would be a thrill though. Glad you are having fun.
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Wow! brave man indeed!
You do need to take a driving "Test" here, but more importantly you need nerves of steel to take to the streets. It's not something I have done and nor do I wish too,just not brave enough I think!!I take my hat of to you for giving it a go though. I did read the other day that the reason Chinese drivers do what they do is because they are use to the days when every one had a bike. In that they all traveled as a pack at roughly the same speed and were used to changing lane and the like. The more I think about it the more it make sense, to me it does anyway :) Glad to see that your having a good trip!
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Dave and Martin yes it is illegal to drive in China.With out a Chinese drivers license.And it also allot of fun.I have driven around Zhuhai and Zhongshan.And I drove west out of Zhuhai and then drove back east. along the coast.And I have driven the rd between Zhuhai and GZ.both ways.The funny part is stopping at the toll booths.And seeing the look on the toll booth attendant face.When they see a foreigner in the drivers seat.
If you really want to have fun with the toll booth attendant.Start talking to them in English.When they get that puzzled look on thiere face.Is when you need to switch to gutter Spanish.It is funnier then hell.My wife finally got tired of me messing with the toll booth attendants.And made me put on my bandanna and my sunglasses.After I did that.I didn't get any more strange looks at the toll booths.It took some of the fun out of the driving experience.But not all.I still got to blow the horn.Weave in and out of traffic.Cross the center line.And use the sidewalk as a passing lane.Oh yeah lets not forget.Driving down a one way street the wrong way.All you have to do is blow the horn.The other drivers will move over.
If you get a chance to drive out of the city.You should try that.It ups the game to a whole new level.You still have to dodge all the other drivers along with.The people walking down the center of the road.And all of thiere livestock.I missed a water buffalo and a goat.Walking down the center of the road west of Zhuhai.By a couple of feet.The wife was giving me the look.Like what the hell are you doing.So I slowed down a little.And gave the livestock more room.So give it a try if you get a chance.
Now the legal part.As A mod of this forum.I do not condone these kind of actions in a foreign country.If you are caught driving in China.You may have to bribe a cop.To let you go.Which I also do not condone.Also be for warned when you return to your own country it is very hard.To go back to driving like a sane person would.You see that little gap in the traffic.Or nobody is using the sidewalk.So you see a opportunity.And it is hard to resist the temptation.
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Impressive. I've driven in the Caribbean, South America and Central America. When I was in Shanghai. i, I said no way would I want to drive here. If I wore a hat, I'd take it off to you!
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Now the legal part.As A mod of this forum.I do not condone these kind of actions in a foreign country.If you are caught driving in China.You may have to bribe a cop.To let you go.Which I also do not condone.Also be for warned when you return to your own country it is very hard.To go back to driving like a sane person would.You see that little gap in the traffic.Or nobody is using the sidewalk.So you see a opportunity.And it is hard to resist the temptation.
What? Am I suppose to be taking the side of the law as the admin? When did these rules come out, and why wasn't I told about it??? hahaha
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Good on you Dave and Maxx , but we Aussies have a problem with driving in China , the steering wheel is on the wrong bloody side , and I still worry about my Sujuan driving here as she sometimes looks to drive on the wrong side of the road , and roundabouts , now they are another problem alltogether, regards Sujuan and Robert .
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Driving in Zhuhai is a piece of cake wide roada and motor cycles are not permitted in that city. Zhongshan a bit different as most accidents involve Motorcycles and cars. But it is a smaller city, bigger roads and less traffic in the main. Guangzhou I would not drive there.
But just remember us Brits are use to driving on the right side of the road which is the left.
But there again it seems you can drive on any side you wish here. But why are there so few bumps and scratches to cars here!
Willy
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Martin It is for legal purposes.now nobody can say.Hey one of the mods on this web site said it was ok to drive in China.
Willy I didn't know motorcycles were not allowed in Zhuhai? I have seen more then a few.Nothing like in Zhongshan.Or anywhere else in China.But I have seen a few.I was setting on the sign out in front of my hotel in Zhuhai one mourning smoking a cigarette.And drinking a coke.A guy went by on his motor scooter.He waved and said hello.And almost wrecked his scooter into the back.Of a big truck.After that I thought it would be a better idea to go set in my room and watch the traffic.While I was waiting for my wife.I didn't want to get blamed for causing a accident.
I don't remember which forum I read it on.But some guy posted that he wanted to take his Harley to China.And ride it.I remember when I read the post.I thought the guy had a death wish.Or didn't really know what he was getting into.I have seen where you can rent a Harley in Bangkok Thailand.But I wouldn't advise that either.Bangkok is a dangerous city.For a person on a motorcycle
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A couple days ago We met up with Sunny and Irishman to have dinner spend the evening together with some fireworks. Ling Ling and I started off by getting a little lost on the way to meet up with them. She would stop and ask directions from anybody sitting by the side of the road. They would send you off with the wrong directions and you would have to stop and ask again. Most said theywould take you where you wanted to go for say 30 RMB. Finally I asked her to just negotiate with one and have him take us there which she did. He led us right to the meeting place and I realised that we were sent off on a wild goose chase.
When we met up we went for a nice boat ride and we also let the girls drive the boat. All the time Irishman was telling me that Sunny did not have her driving licence. I figured that with Ling Ling beside her we would be ok. We only had a half an hour in the boat but had some good views of the park from the water.
After the boat ride we sat and talked about dinner. We had the usual couple of children come up and say "hello" to us, at their parents urging. Then we decided to leave for dinner. Murdock said it was the real type of chinese restaurant. I saw that we were the only foreigners there. Right away we had 2 children standing beside our table. I was still sitting with my coat on so I took it off. The little boy was watching me. Sunny saw the little boy look at my chest hair and proceeded to look down his shirt to see none of his and he ran off to mommy. They had a good laugh over this.
We had a good dinner and Murdock and I had a couple beers. Then we headed off to find the firework vendors. We looked at a couple and the kid in Murdock and I was starting to take over. We ere looking at some of the big ones and the girls were saying "No!" We did manage to get some interesting ones though. We found a secluded street corner at a bridge and had a little fun. After the supply was spent we were still hankering for more. My Ling Ling wanted to help me suppress my urges to blow off some big ones and she said that she loved hearing the joy in my voice. She insists on going herself and buying them. She hails a man on a motorcycle and heads off to the vendor again. Murdock is worried that she will not get to big ones we wanted but I told him that I think Ling Ling would not let us down. And boy did she make us happy! She returned with some very interesting ones indeed. We had a blast lighting up the night sky and even the girls got into the act. We did have one go astray and land in the street and go off just as a motorcyclist came by but he was ok and we improved our way of lighting them off. I did worry because most people walking by did not care about the fact that we were lighting these things off, they just wanted to see the foreigners. At least that is how I saw it. We had these kind of sparklers that were just a green hard wick kind of thing. We did not think they would be much of anything. We were mistaken. Even though they were not the most fun they were still fun to set off.
After the show we took Sunny and Murdock back to their place and headed back home to go to bed. I was a happy camper.
Dave C
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RE; Driving
Wow, I did expect to get some responce from people but not this much. I know that I did not have a PRC driving licence but the rule of law seems to be of the officers opinion. I do have a great respect for the country and the laws here but there was something that night that said inside me to try it. I do not have any need or desire to drive here on a regular basis. That night she was insistant that I drive. She did call the local government office here before I came and asked what I needed to drive and they said I only needed to do a drivers "test". She had called someone else about this "test" and I would need to use her address here in Guangzhou, my passport, a passport photo, at least 1000 RMB, and possibly other ID such as my Ontario drivers licence. I did tell her that I don't plan to drive but like I said she wanted me to drive and everybody here knows how persistant these women can be. I put the subject to rest by telling her that if I get into trouble here I may not be allowed to return. Then asked her how we would get married. I did this because she wanted me to continue driving here and I said no. By the way, motorcycles are not allowed here in Guangzhou but they still seem to make their way in here.
Dave C
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Yesterday we had some errands to run around town and she said that she wanted to go swimming afterwards. I said that this would be nice. Then I thought about it a little more. I do not have a great physique but I do have a rather hairy chest. I thought about the night before at the restaurant with Irishman and Sunny. Anyway, Ling Ling asked me to wait outside the ladies locker room for her if I had finished changing before her. I swear that she had me waiting there for 20 minutes. Standing there with my swimming trunks on and nothing else. I felt like I was standing there naked. I think every woman there came by to have a look. I know that most of you guys that have been here have experienced it too but this was quite new to me.
While I was standing there waiting a girl about 10 years old came out and stood there looking. After looking for several seconds she disappeared. About 1 minute later I hear this very faint "Hello" in very good english. Then I see the edge of her face peek around the corner of the doorway so I said hello back to her and then said "Happy new year" to her in cantonese, I think. She ran away giggling. It was one of the things that have happened here that will remain in my memories forever.
We had a rather enjoyable swim together and then decided to get out and shower and change. As I entered the changing room the man that I stood near started to talk to me in a very stern voice and shake his finger at me. I do not have a clue as to what he said but it did not sound nice. I just ignored him and continued to get showered and changed. I did tell Ling Ling about this and she wanted me to point out the man but he had left long before she got out. I wonder what he said to me?
After we were changed and out side we decided to go for a little walk through a park beside the pool. It was a nice walk. Very romantic. I took a couple pictures too. I stopped to take a picture of some men fishing in the water. Ling Ling asked me what I was laughing at. When I explained about it she laughed for quite a while. I will let you guys figure it out. I will include this picture at the end of the post. It amazes me that nestled in the city of skyscrapers here are these wonderful parks. As you drive by you never really notice them.
My darling Ling Ling had earlier dropped off one of my pairs of pants for repair to one of her friends. We were meeting up with them later that night for dinner, which we were buying them for the repair. It was an excellent meal. The BBQ salmon and garlic snowpeas were good as well as the other fish. And no, I do not know what it was. I will ask Ling Ling and put it up later. During the meal we talked about the walk we had in the park after swimming. Ling Ling asked me to show them the picture I took of the men fishing and then explained what the words on the backpack meant. They had a good laugh about it. We had a great meal together and I got to meet another of her friends here. We took a picture together and then went on our way.
Dave C
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Buzz Buzz Dave , you are a great teller of detail about you ongoing Trip .. it put's me right back to GZ and the good time I had there .
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Great stories Dave,thanks!
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Your Spelling, Bee, is creating words that make the story Hum along. Also thanks for the enjoyable pictures that you have pollinated your postings with.
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Maybe the guy fishing was trying to pick up women by advertising.
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Hahahahahaha..spell backwards..funny anyway !
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Great story. I enjoyed every bit of it. Hey if you see that guy again he stole my customized back pack. 8)
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Thanks for the comments guys. I am glad you all like the posts.
Arnold,
I have found a couple places that offer a large variety of honey. I see what you mean by your comment that I did not know that there were so many varieties available.
Rhonald,
You, my kind patient sir, are truely the King of the pun! I tip my hat to you sir. You always put a smile on my face with your posts, except for the ones saying how you are still waiting patiently.
Martin and Shaun,
I will be on the lookout for that guy to find out where he got the backpack. I was wondering what the reaction would be from people back home if I were to get one of those? Picture walking down the isle of the crowded supermarket.... walking down the isle you would hear the giggles from the girls... or standing at the checkout with the pretty girl at the cash... you put the pack, with the name facing up, on the counter... the reactions would pe priceless! And all you have to do is smile at them.
Here are some more pictures from my trip here for you to enjoy. The picture of the red lantern is because of the fact that it is electronic. These lanterns are everywhere here and this is the first set I saw that were like this.
Dave C
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I did read the other day that the reason Chinese drivers do what they do is because they are use to the days when every one had a bike. In that they all traveled as a pack at roughly the same speed and were used to changing lane and the like. The more I think about it the more it make sense, to me it does anyway
Paul,
I meant to say this earlier to you that this is exactly what I imagined. I remember the photos that my parents took of Beijing back in the mid 1980's. In one there was a huge pack of bicycles waiting at a corner to go as there was a huge pack crossing the intersection jostling for the best position... starting to sound like a Tour De France commentary.
Dave C
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Dave C,
Your story of "hairy chest" make me laugh. hehe, That' remind me my English teach encourage me to talk to him, So my first talk to the foreighner is "you have hariy hands". That makes everybody laugh.
And is the trip before Chinese New Year or you spent Chinese New Year in Guangzhou ? I live close to Guangzhou,But I didn't visit there ,Now it looks you know more place to see in GZ.
Where is the place with lots of lanterns in the reiverside?
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Chen Yan,
It is called Li Wai Hu park. It had some very romanic settings. I wish I would have taken more pictures too.
Dave C
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I am going to try to get caught up with the posts again.
Tuesday we decided to go to the (I think it is called) Chimelong Safari park zoo. When we were with Sunny and Irishman they suggested going there to see it. As we arrived at the gate Ling Ling was told that we could go through in the car and there was a special discount for this and the Chimelong International Circus if we wanted to go there too. I was a little worried at first when Ling Ling said that it was ok to take the car through. We have a similar park near where I live, the park is in Cambridge Ontario, and the primates are famous for their abilities to quickly strip down the exterior of your car. This had me wondering what this park had in store and what the condition of the car would be like when we exited the park. These fears were put to rest very soon as I saw that it was a little different from the park at home. The animals were not completely free to roam wherever they wanted. There were moats and electric fences to keep the animals at bay. We had a good trip through the park and saw all the animals up close.
After the driving tour through the park there is a foot tour through to see more primates and the Panda bears. There are shows put on by the park of the trained elephants and primates as well as other animals. We only had time to see the trained primates and elephants. Ling Ling really enjoyed the show. She said that she had never been to the park before.
After the safari park we headed to the circus. We got seating fairly early and we had no trouble seeing the whole show. It was a very good show. The acrobats and their performance was very good. They put on several performances throughout the show. I was surprised to see that the majority of their stunts were performed without safety nets and/or safety harnesses. There were also the usual lion tamers and elephant tamers that put on a good show too. There was a show of acrobats that were dressed in penguin outfits and they put on a good diving show. There was a small pool at the front centre of the stage. They even took an audience member and had him join in the act. They did have him remove his valuables but not his clothing. I do not know how willing he was about getting wet but he had no choice as one member took him down with him. It was all in good fun though.
After the circus we headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest. I was tired and Ling Ling felt very tired too. We had done a lot of walking the past couple days here. She had shown me several parks in this city and we walked the streets a couple times in those days too, so we were tired.
The next day we pretty much just spent it doing some errands here she needed to do and spent a little time shopping. We made arrangements to meet her cousin and her husband for dinner and see if they wanted to go to Lotus Hill park with us the next day. They agreed to go with us and made plans for meeting the next day at 10:30 am. I was a little worried about this because my Ling Ling can sleep! She usually sleeps very late. Right now it is 12:08pm and she is still sleeping. We went to sleep about 11:30 pm lastnight because I did not feel the best. I think I have your cold Irishman but I brought some things here just in case I did get sick.
The next morning we got up and got ready and met Ling Lings relatives. Yes, we showed up about 20 minutes late too. When they got in the car Steve had a navigation unit with him. It is all in chinese so I had no clue how to work it. I don't think that they use it much because there was a lot of conversation about it and it took a while to get it programmed to lead us to the park. I have navagation built into my car and I use it all the time I need to find a placew I have never been to before. I have only once been let down by it but this was due to the fact that I only guessed at the town I was looking for. Anyways, as the trip started I quickly saw that it worked just like mine at home. Before I informed Steve about what it was showing him we missed a couple turns. When we finally got on the right track and it said that we had arrived there was no hill, mountain, park or any such thing around. After a quick stop to ask we were pointed in the right direction.
We got to the park and I quickly realised it was a temple complex. I was not sure what it was before we had left but it was much more comercialised compared to Bainyou mountain. There was a small arcade type of set up where you can ring toss or shoot tennis balls out of a cannon for prises. We had something to eat and we were off to the temple. There is a pagoda you can climb and a large statue that looks out towards the sea. I am not sure it is overlooking the sea directly but we could see waterways and boats. The view looking out was very hazy. We decided to get something at the vegetarian restaurant before we left. The meal there was pretty good. I had spinach with mushrooms and some corn with pine nuts. We then headed off to see the park gardens and then back to the car for the trip back.
We dropped off Ling Lings relatives and went to get something else to eat. We stopped at a small corner noodle shop. I think it was one of the best meals that we have had together. It was very good and I did not get a picture of the place. Most places we go to I do get a picture of the place. I hope that we return there for another meal just so I can get a picture.
Afterwards we walked the street and looked at all the shops. Found a shop that only sells honey Arnold! A shop to satisfy every need you could ever imagine for honey. Honey from every source the bees could find.
Here are some more pictures for everybody to enjoy. I did not get many pictures of the circus because it was quite dark.
Dave C
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Dave , a great read and the photos are very clear , you certainly are doing the touristy thing , and we are all doing your trips with you and LingLing , with all the cities in China it would take months if not longer to visit all and enjoy what each has to offer , regards Sujuan and Robert
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Dave. That first picture is a great shot of Irishman. Glad to hear you are having fun.
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I am really not looking forward to tomorrow. Today is Valentines day and I will be spending it with her. I have bought her a couple things she hopefully will enjoy but I am really not looking forward to tomorrow morning. Parting from this woman will be very hard indeed but I have already started to think about my next trip here and hope it will not be too long from now. I am thinking about next september for the mid autumn festival? This seemed very important to her last september so I have it in mind. It is the only thing that keeps the tears at bay right now.
I have a couple more posts to make for this trip thread and then I think it will be done. When I get back I think I have about 1100 photographs to go through and then select some to put here in a photo album.
Dave C
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hi Dave great pic mate you both look great
yes tomorrow we both make our way home
we could say our feelings will be the same to tommorrow
when we both leave our Lady's
have a great valentines day Dave and your lady
just a thought i am hoping to be back in Chengdu come September for good
who nose we could meet up even if it means traveling to meet up :) ;)
regards joey and Sophia
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Dave , I'm delighted to read you had a wonderful trip, Sunny and I are back now in Ireland. Looking forward to catching up with you guys next new year !