China Romance
All About China => Your trip to China => Topic started by: kiwisteve on April 08, 2012, 08:06:34 am
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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
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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/ (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 (http://www.chinaromance.net/index.php?topic=2854.0)
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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 .
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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
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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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Steve I have ben to GZ a number of times.and Willy is right.It is along way from A to B and the traffic can and will be bad.I have ben to Beijing street and it is a good place to check out.There is a real tall building down town by the American embassy.You used to be able to take the elevator to the top floor.It gives you a nice view of GZ. Also right across the street from the embassy is a nice park.It has a waterfall.And some fairly descent sculptures if your into that kind of thing.Right around the corner from the embassy is a nice hotel.If I remember correctly it is called the grand palace hotel.It is a nice hotel.They have everything you would want in a hotel.And the staff did speak English.
In one of your post's you mentioned that your lady is going to book a hotel room for you in her city.That is a good idea.Just make sure that your lady understands.That only certain hotels in China will except foreigners.So your lady needs to make sure that the hotel is able to except foreigners.
Check out the travel section of this web site.Irishman wrote a real good review of GZ.I think he even added pictures.Irishman is the GZ expert here.Good luck and have a good time.
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Who is this Irishman? Have we any on this site? Perhaps my memory does not go back that far. Or maybe he is otherwise engaged nowadays! ;D
Pineau is the one who has spent most time there so he is one to be in contact with and he still writes on here.
Willy
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Willy yes Irishman is still on here.He posted something last week.But you are right Gerry would probably be the person to talk to.
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Beijing Road is 90% fashion-type stores & restaurants.
Buy a metro pass. The subway system is easy to navigate. And you avoid the HEAVY car traffic and smog.
All over the city, they have motel type places that serves your only purpose of sleeping. Research where you want to be base ( re: shopping and sight-seeing ) and then google motels around that area. Before you pay for the room, ask to go upstairs to inspect the room first.
Have a safe trip.
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Hi Steve, here are a few Photo's.. of what Maxx was talking about. The pictures show the Hotel we stayed at, next to the Embassy(real nice) and it's right next to the East Train Station.
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In Guangzhou you can look inot if you prefer to stay on Shamian Island. It is close to the evening cruises on the Pearl River and the famous Qing Ping market. If you find the time I will recommend a walk around the Qing Ping market, you will se so many different and interesting things.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamian_Island (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamian_Island)
Anyway, travel with an open heart and mind, god luck with your adventure.
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Hey Arnold thanks I can't find my pictures.If I remember correctly you and Qing were thiere a couple of years after me and my wife.It still looks good.And yes the subway station is close to there.Chong I thought Beijing street was pretty cool.When me and my wife were there.They had allot of different things.That didn't come from a retail store.
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If you look carefully at picture number three you may see me sleeping in the park. Great in the summer and no hotels to pay for. ::)
Willy
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Hi Steve,
Good luck with it all.
A few tips from somebody who was in your shoes 12 months ago, and has been to China 8 times since to spend time with the same girl. She was the third girl, and fourth trip, so I have been there a total of 12 times over the past two years, and about 15 times in total.
Point one
GZ is a hole, as is most of the pearl river delta, ESP if you come from great climates and places like Oz and Unzud. One day is plenty, the shopping is generally crap and you run a good risk of paying reasonable dollars for good quality fakes, even in the best stores. Beijing road is fun for crowd watching.
If you got three teenage kids, go to the Canton tower and check out the green store beneath it..... full of really cool stuff your kids will love, trust me. Got a sister store in HK... equally cool.
Pearl river night cruise pretty good, do not do the dinner cruises, food is pretty crap, but I would say GZ has the worst food in China anyway. Haha, it seems even Anthony Bourdain agrees with that!!
Point two
Wise man for taking a days rest first, the best thing you can ever do, actually two would be even better. I assume you are flying China Southern, it is a tough flight. I pay the extra couple of hundred and fly premium economy, the best money you will spend as you often get a four seat row to yourself, and sweet dreams.
NEVER go straight to Chengdu from NZ... if this lady is the one for you, then the only way you will stuff up is when you turn up exhausted and make rash decisions, or become easily irritated.
I often go to Qingdao, JiNan or Honkers just for a few days to see her.... HK is ok but the extra 3 hours plus stop over time to the other two cities makes the trip very tiring, and we are never at our best when exhausted. So always plan a short lay-over,even if you feel it is encroaching into your time with her. Bitter experience has taught me this!! If you can get the China Southernnday flight then that is great, or else check out Cathay when on sale.... fly into Honkers and limo to Shenzhen airport if you need to.... I got a great driver who will teach you mandarin on the way!!
Again...... NEVER turn up tired!!
Point three
You are a lucky man, Chengdu is a sensational city, you will have a great time. If you are there for a week, I also advise you to spend just half a day apart, gives your subconscious time to have a say, and relaxes your mind from all the nerves and quick thinking.... for example, there are many great golf courses there, go spend four hours there on your own. Trust me, both you and her will be glad to have that little breathing space, no matter how strong the chemistry is. Gives her a good chance to chat to the family and friends too.
Point four
No matter how many times you tell yourself this, you will at some point forget what a huge cultural divide there is between the two countries. If you have instant chemistry, then just make the assumption up front that if anything goes wrong, or does not seem right, it is cause of the cultural divide. You will be correct 99.9% of the time. And if you do accept this assumption, you will work out the problem 99.9% of the time.
Point five
You are going to have a long hard road ahead. I am still not even half way there, but we put our papers in soon, and I think this is the best thing I have ever done. Period. I love this girl to death. There is surely nothing as magnificent as a warm, loving Chinese lady.... they are incredibly special.
Good luck bro, keep us all informed!!
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Well said Nigel. If I could write more that 15 serious words maybe I would have said that. ;D
I will double iterate what Nigel says. Do not rush to meet the lady on your first visit. You will be tired and they will not look it at like that. Chinese do not get tired whilst travelling - they sleep the journey away! - (in fact they will sleep any day away if possible and in the most unlikely places.) They will think otherwise and you will get off to a bad start.
Get acclimatised so that so many things are not such a culture shock to you. Get out of the hotel and walk about, see and be seen ( you will be the centre of attraction in most places). Stay apart at least 8 hours preferably a full day then when you meet you will be wide awake and will be so pleased to see a welcoming smile that it will havce an immediate affect on a relationship.
Another no no is to go and eat your first meal with her family present either at restuarant or at home. You need to meet her and get to know her face to face before the family gets into the picture.
Willy
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Well said Nigel. If I could write more that 15 serious words maybe I would have said that. ;D
I will double iterate what Nigel says. Do not rush to meet the lady on your first visit. You will be tired and they will not look it at like that. Chinese do not get tired whilst travelling - they sleep the journey away! - (in fact they will sleep any day away if possible and in the most unlikely places.) Willy
Funny you should say that Willy...
I have just got back from the airport having picked Ming up from her Chengdu visit....kiss, kiss, hug, hug and all that good stuff ;D ;D ;D
We arrived home, she gave me some presents, looked in the fridge, lay down on the sofa and was asleep in 30 secs....and I expect her to stay this way for maybe 10 hours.....
If only I could learn to sleep like that !!!!!!
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Well said both Nigel and David E and Willy can put more than 15 words together if he tries or maybe at 15 he starts counting again .
Yes my Sujuan is asleep within 5 minutes of getting into the passengers seat in the car at any time day or night and has been known to jump on the tram to go somewhere and ended up at the terminus by falling asleep .
Steve , I would ask you lady if she likes driving a hard bargain when shopping and if so wait till Chengdu for shopping otherwise you will not buy at Chinese prices , I always say what I want to buy and then stand back and watch the fun as Sujuan drives the price way down , I even let her do it here and it can be amazing the extra discounts that can be achieved , regards Sujuan and Robert .
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Thanks for all the great advice. I've been so busy with work the last few days I haven't had a chance to progress my planning, except that I'm now thinking if the subway is good, it doesn't matter too much where I stay the night, but I'd be better off making it simple for my first trip and choose a hotel along Line 3 somewhere so I can get there easily from the airport, and not have to change trains or haul luggage all over town. It will also be easier to get back to the airport early the next morning.
Once I've got rid of the luggage I can take off and explore for the day.
I think I will book and pay for a hotel before I go, so It's all done and hopefully no probs. Not sure about the hotel on the return stop-over. I might leave that just in case I want to stay in Chengdu an extra day (or maybe leave early!). I paid a bit extra to get flexi fares just in case.
Steve
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Just remember that GZ airport is a loooooooog way from town, about the same as CdG from downtown Paris. The train with luggage is a pain, think about a taxi, which is great and not too expensive. If I was you, I would stay at the Pullman airport hotel, which is absolutely fantastic,... it will cost you about $120 for the night, and you can get off the plane, dump yr stuff there, have a nice bath or shower, and get into town refreshed. And in the morning, the terminal is 2 minutes away. Personally, I think that is also money well spent.
Just make sure you get a good rest, it will be very important, believe me.
It even tougher for you kiwis cause the difference is 4 hours, so when it is 8pm in Chengdu, it is midnight back home..... at 8 yr lady will be just warming up, and you will be feeling pretty shagged.
What the guys said above is true.... the Chinese can sleep anywhere, and most easily survive on 4-5 hours sleep, so they simply will not understand your exhaustion, and might mistake it for something else. I know I keep repeating myself, but I can't stress this enough!!!
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When you leave the airport be sure you have your destination written down in Chinese for the taxi driver.
Go outside and get into the Taxi queue.
DO NOT BOOK A TAXI ANYWHERE ELSE OTHER THAN THE TAXI QUEUE. If you do you will end up paying double or triple the amount you would normally pay.
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Also a word of warning...watch out for pick pockets. Keep your wallet, money, and passport in a safe place. Irishman had his wallet taken in GZ. This does not only happen in GZ, so just be mindful of where you put these things.
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Nigel - thanks, that Pullman hotel looks like a great idea for me. I have booked it now.
Now I've got a couple of weeks left to organise my gear, gifts for her and family (any ideas?).
cheers,
Steve
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For her...... Tiffany bracelet. You can get a great one for 200-300. The Chinese women to nuts for Tiffany,with the aqua box and all
For the daughter,.... Buy and iPod and get one of yr kids to download their music onto it. Chinese kids crave western music as much as older Chinese women crave Tiffany!!
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Chocolate, skin care products, cigarettes and or alcohal for male members of the family...picture book from your country (of your country) and shirts or hats with your countries flag or images of your country.
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Also what are as cheap as chips grab some lanolin products , ie, skin care , with as many sheep that U have over there the oil must be cheap ha ha , also what is cheap are some Kiwi or NZ lapel pins , U should find them at places like a reject shop for about 20 cents each in packets of 10 or more if you are lucky , but I suggested this to one of my friends when he went over recently , he took 100 plus and even gave one to the hotel receptionist , taxi drivers etc , it always helps to advertise your country , regards Sujuan and Robert .
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Take lots of Lanolin Skin Cream, and lots of genuine Fish Oil capsules (they are mad for them but the local variety is likely made from something awful)
These two "gifts" will make you a hero wherever you go !!!
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Thanks for all the gift suggestions. I can go shopping this weekend now that I have wheels.
I totalled my SUV on the harbour bridge last week, and the insurance hasn't come through yet, but I've now hired a car for a few days so I can get stuff done.
I'll head for the souvenir shops and pick up loads of small stuff. The lanolin cream is a good idea, there's heaps of that sort of thing in those shops. Lots of NZ natural products.
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Funny you should say that Willy...
I have just got back from the airport having picked Ming up from her Chengdu visit....kiss, kiss, hug, hug and all that good stuff ;D ;D ;D
We arrived home, she gave me some presents, looked in the fridge, lay down on the sofa and was asleep in 30 secs....and I expect her to stay this way for maybe 10 hours.....
If only I could learn to sleep like that !!!!!!
Agh! So now we know why, after such a spell apart, you have the time to write to us!!! ;D
Willy
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Hi all,
Well, I've been back from China now for a week after my first ever trip, so time to update this thread...
Firstly I got some great advice from you all before I left, and I even followed some of it :)
I did fly premium economy on China Southern and it was an excellent flight - I even managed a bit of sleep. The stopover for 24 hours in GZ was the right thing to do and the Pullman Hotel right at the airport was great. I was a bit tired after all the things I had to do before I left, so I spent that time in GZ mainly resting. I think I got ripped off when I asked someone for directions from the arrival area at the airport to the hotel, only to find he walked me there then demanded 50 RMB for his service.
I did walk around all the shops at the Airport and had a meal there. I figured out the airport free WIFI (the website was only in Chinese) and sat there for an hour working through emails, and a young Chinese man started chatting to me. He had just come from his English lesson after work and was also trying to figure out the WiFi while waiting to meet his friends for dinner, so I helped him with that. There was a confusing phone call from my gf who couldn't understand what I was doing back at the airport, so he helped translate that one back to her. Then I had an important email come in which had some documents attached that I needed to sign and fax back to New Zealand, so I told him (his English name was Went), and he kindly offered to help me. He works for China Southern airlines so we caught the bus to his offices, where we downloaded and printed the documents. They got signed (and witnessed), but his company fax wouldn't send international, so he kindly wrote out instructions in Chinese for me for either my hotel, or Anna the next day to organise the faxing. Anyway I was really pleased to run into such a helpful person in my first few hours in China.
Later that evening, I took a break in the hotel bar and used the WiFi there (not available in the rooms) so I could chat on QQ some more with Anna. I had 2 Heinekens and the bill was 104 RMB - another lesson learned.
The next morning I was up early for breakfast, and dressed all tidy ready to meet Anna in Chengdu for the first time. The temperature had already risen to 34 C, but the airport terminal was less humid than outside. I checked in my bag then had plenty of time to wander around before going through security. When I finally went through (after waiting in a really long queue) I was told that my duty free bag with a gift box of 2 bottles of NZ wine could not be carried on the plane, even though it was perfectly fine the day before on the flight (same airline) from NZ. They made me go back through the x-ray and queues and check it in. The check-in queue (miles back from the security) was even longer and I waited there for an age, then managed to grab an airline lady and explained the situation. She sent me to another counter for packaging it up (for a charge). Then they sent me across the airport to another counter for excess baggage check in, and yet another queue and the only person serving there was on the phone. Finally I got that accepted but he said there was another fee to pay and that I have to go back across the airport get it paid and receipted and bring it back to him. I said there was no time, my plane was boarding, but he said hurry. So I ran again, got it paid, ran back to him and another queue. This time I did the Chinese thing and pushed past everyone else and handed him my receipt, then ran the other way across the airport back to security. The guy on the desk was really confused because my boarding pass had already been stamped, but somehow made him understand I was coming through for the second time. This time the x-ray went mental and I had to take off my belt and shoes and go through again etc, then put them back on again. I'm getting really hot and sweaty, late for boarding and a bit irritable, but I stayed calm, there's no way I was missing this flight. Maybe I should have abandoned the wine, but it was a gift for her brother. Another long walk to the far end of the terminal (I'm sure they do this on purpose), and I'm the last person on the bus which is sitting on the tarmac in 35 degrees and high humidity. We wait another 20 minutes in this heat before finally driving out and boarding the plane. At this stage I wish I had packed a clean shirt in my backpack, but at least it cooled down a bit during the flight, and I was getting closer to Anna and could think of nothing else.
Well that's plenty for the first chapter...
Steve
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The problem with this forum, is guys are getting more and more suspenseful in their writing! It puts the rest of us on the edge of our seats, to get the next installment.
Great start to this story!
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Well, some were saying the forum was a bit quiet, so I thought I'd space this out. Nobody likes to read a novel in one sitting anyway.
P.S. No Americans were harmed in the making of this story.
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Good Story so far. But you'd better watch your back if you take too long. You know how impatient we Americans are. ;D
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Good Story so far. But you'd better watch your back if you take too long. You know how impatient we Americans are. ;D
I think that you are the exception to that rule Shaun ;D
Willy
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Day 2 - Arrive in Chengdu
There were 2 exits where people were waiting for arrivals - mine was the second, but the baggage carousel was further on, so I had to walk past both exits knowing that they were there somewhere watching me, but I had no hope of picking them out of the crowd. We had previously joked about whether or not we would recognise each other but I knew then she had the advantage. A wait for the baggage to come around and surprisingly it was all there including the wine. I knew eyes were on me as I walked out into the crowd, but a quick scan of all the Chinese faces was hopeless. I strided on through and found a clear space and just waited - a large kiwi surely was easier to find for them than the other way around. Then I spotted this woman smartly dressed all in black with her nose in the air facing away from me to demonstrate the fact that I must have been ignoring her by not recognising her earlier. I was not playing that game so I rushed over and picked her up - just as well I had the right woman.
She had her brother, a nephew and his girlfriend and a couple of friends who came just to check me out then left in another car and I didn't see them again.
We went straight to a restaurant, but I tried to explain I wasn't really hungry - this was before midday and I had already had 2 meals (another on the plane). They weren't taking no for an answer, so straight into the deep end with Sichuan food - all sorts of unknown "meat" as they call it (I wouldn't), vegetables I had never seen before and the thick smells of garlic, chilli, coriander, sesame oil and all sorts of things I had no idea about. None of them drank but they bought me beer which was light, warm and tasteless, but it helped wash away whatever the hell I was eating.
Anna was exactly the woman I knew from QQ except her skin was quite a bit darker - the webcam washes out the skin tones a bit. For a Chinese woman she is really very outgoing - the centre of attention, and clearly the boss of the whole family, but not in a bossy way - she is just tremendous fun. From the moment we hugged at the airport we were never apart the whole trip for more than a few minutes. In fact the longest was about half an hour when she insisted on going out one morning and getting KFC for me when she figured I had had enough of the local cuisine. This is one piece of advice from the bros I was happy to ignore - we did not need any time to ourselves - I did not need a day to play golf or anything - we were just so comfortable together the whole time.
We checked into my hotel which she had arranged for me, and everything became clear once I saw that she had a bag packed and was staying with me. All the talk previously about not staying together before marriage was clearly to save face with her friends and neighbours, and when it came to me and in front of her immediate family there was no question.
That afternoon we wandered around an archaeological site and museum where they had found ancient relics, tools, gold artifacts etc from b.c. I found this really interesting, coming from a young country with a history of only a couple of hundred years.
Then out to another restaurant for dinner - more exiting and unusual smells and tastes, then we all went to KTV which was a first for me as well. The nephew and his girlfriend clearly do this all the time - their singing was terrific. I had to have a go in the end but I'm afraid the party just wasn't the same after that!
Day 3 - Chengdu sights
Her brother and his 11 year old son picked us up the next morning and we spent the day around various sights - old historic buildings and markets - all sorts of crazy market stalls selling weird food. In the middle of that we found a stall selling NZ ice cream.
The boy was learning English at school so he acted as our translator for the day. Before that we managed with gestures and the occasional use of the Besta or phone.
That night we had a big family meal at a restaurant - it was Anna's birthday the day before. I met her father, her other brother, wives, nieces, nephews, girlfriends. Her father had hand painted a Chinese fan as a gift for me. Luckily I had brought loads of gifts from NZ so they all got something from me as well.
During these 2 days I had no idea of what we were doing each day - I just went with the flow, and it was fantastic.
Some photos of these first 2 days:
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Guess I'm the first to read Part 2.. because I'm crazy! Up at 3:00 in the morning to watch my LaoPo's Flight.
Oh boy... What if you picked up the "Wrong" woman at the Airport? :o
Nice/exciting story Steve and wonderful Photo's. You have a lovely Lady there as well!
Funny, the last Photo reminded me right away of "Fist of Fury" a Bruce Lee Film (the first here in the US).
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And I am in 2nd Arnold , Nigel , Sujuan and I are happily reading of your great journey to the middle kingdom , and await the next installment, regards Robert .
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Sorry, got side-tracked with work and visa documents and ex-wife issues....
Day 4 Leshan and the giant Buddha
Anna was hurrying me along to get ready because her other elder brother (no names) was coming to pick us up today and take us to see a stone Buddha. Ho hum, I thought, but I didn't really care what we were doing, I was happy that I was being organised to do things. Lots of phone calls (her phone is a permanent decoration on the side of her head) that I didn't understand. Then it turns out this brother didn't know we were at a hotel and was waiting outside her apartment across town. Eventually we were on our way in a tiny hatchback, me and Anna in the back and her brother driving and her friend along for the ride as an interpreter. I had no idea where we were going but it was several hours, lots of wrong turns over bridges and rivers even though he had a GPS, then we arrived in Leshan for lunch. All the row of restaurants had family outside insisting that we park outside their particular establishments, and there were arguments between all the locals as to which restaurant we were parked in front of and which one we were going to patronise.
The night before during a meal I had commented about the fish, not that I particularly enjoyed it but at least it was ingredients that were recognisable even if they were so plastered with chilli and oil there was no other taste. Well this lunch then had to be all fish, just to please me, even though I would rather have had something else. The fish was tasteless, a bit muddy, and full of bones which everyone just spits out on the table or the floor. Later her brother told me it was local fish caught from the river, and after seeing the colour of that water, I was not so sure it was safe. Also I had need to use the toilet at this "restaurant" and it was the most disgusting I have ever been in. A single room with a squat toilet with cracked and dirty tiles, just off the kitchen. Discarded on the floor were all sorts of unmentionables including used lady things. The hand basin had floor mops soaking in it, and who knows what they had just been mopping up, so lucky I had some hand sanitiser with me. Don't get me wrong - here I am a Scout Leader and used to all sorts of rough camping and boating situations, but this place was a definite health hazard. I just had to walk away and accept that if nobody dies, it would be fortunate, and maybe just one of those differences in standards between cultures.
Anyway, with that behind us, we had a great walk up and around the stone cliffs with ancient carvings, temples, and loads of photos. Then a really long wait in a queue (more than an hour) to get onto the steep track down the steps of the cliff by the river to view the giant Buddha - the biggest in the world apparently. Then another long walk back, and it was quite hot so we were grateful for the ice creams back at the top.
Another long drive back to Chengdu in the back of this tiny car (and I'm rather large), and I was keen on getting back to the hotel, showering and having a cold beer, but instead we were meeting more family and going to a huge buffet restaurant. This place was amazing. It had every kind of food imaginable, and they kept going to different parts of the place and bringing back more dishes for me to try. My favourite was the duck, and the pork ribs, and some of the seafood, although they really have no idea of what seafood should taste like in inland China. When Anna comes to NZ I'll show her what fresh seafood should be like, and it is not plastered in chilli oil.
She knows I like wine, and bought me a glass of "red wine" with ice cubes in it! Well it was cold and wet and marginally better than the beer, so I was happy.
One thing I noticed with their food - it doesn't seem to matter what they eat at what time of the day, and in what order. When at the buffet they were all interchanging between sweet desserts and chocolate, and spicy savoury dishes. They insisted on feeding me a chocolate cake with cream just as I was swallowing a piece of Peking duck. I really don't get that. Anyway it was all good fun and I was having a great time.
I ended up with cramp in my legs that stayed for about a week and was really painful. I had to get up in the night and take more painkillers just to get back to sleep. I'm pretty sure it was the long car ride in the back seat. Anna found some special oil which helped, so I wasn't complaining.
Steve.
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A few photos of the big Buddha, and some of the giant stone statue as well - haha.
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That was funny Nigel , your last day 3 did not show up as new on my board so until now I had missed reading it , but a great read and photos , now we will await the continuing story , regards Sujuan and Robert .
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She knows I like wine, and bought me a glass of "red wine" with ice cubes in it! hahaha.. they don't like Ice in Water/Tea.. but in Red Wine... that my friend is "Funny"!
Great Story telling Steve ( why is Rob calling you Nigel ) and very nice Pictures too.
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Thanks for all the comments. I've been extra busy lately, but will try and update the story soon.
Actually saying non-committal words like "soon" is typical of me, being a software engineer and wary of making promises that end up becoming impossible to keep for various reasons, and it reminds me of an ongoing joke between Anna and me:
When we talk about things we want in the future I often tease her by saying "I hope so". In English this is perfectly reasonable and means I really want this to happen, perhaps tempered with the knowledge that there might be stumbling blocks along the way to making it happen. In Chinese it must translate to something more negative as she always send me back the angry icons or hitting-the-head smiley. She takes it as a non-committed response or unenthusiastic or something. She knows I'm kidding though.
Steve
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That is a good question Arnold , my apoligies to Steve , regards Robert .
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Well, it is such a nice day here today - too good to be working, so I decided to go through all my trip photos and continue the story. I have around 1200 photos from this trip so it is not easy picking just a few out.
Day 5 - A Rest Day
This was a much needed rest day, just to ourselves. We decided around midday that there was no point in me spending a day in Guangzhou on the way home and I should delay my flight there by a day to spend more time with Anna. After a few calls to the airline I figured out I had to send a photo of my passport to authorise the flight change. So I went to the lobby so I could use the hotel wi-fi. It was playing up, and really slow, and Anna came looking for me. It seemed the photo was too large for their wifi connection, so I either had to go back to the room and take another photo or resize this one. While Anna was running around trying to get the hotel's help, I tried a few things and eventually downloaded an app that resized photos, and resent the email. All good, so I thought, and we went back to the room. After phoning the airline several times over the next hour it seemed they didn't receive the email, so I went downstairs and sent another one. Still they hadn't received it (or at least could not locate the attached photo). Anna tried speaking to them, then she phoned her English teacher for help with translations, but the whole thing was getting out of hand and I was getting really frustrated by this time as we had wasted nearly 5 hours trying to change a flight. The whole point of changing the flight was to spend more time together, so I cut my losses and said we'd forget about it.
She then wanted to take me out for her favourite meal which was hot pot. The hotel restaurant didn't do it, so we walked the streets until we found a place. I wasn't so keen on the cleanliness of this place but Anna was in charge, and we did have a nice meal - see photo below.
Even with the frustrations of dealing with the airline red tape and bad translations, it was great just to spend time alone with Anna.
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Day 6 - Another Rest Day.
She took me to get beef noodles first - she didn't have any, she just wanted me to try it and make sure I was eating enough.
Well we went exploring the local shops which was fascinating, especially the supermarkets and all the different foods. There seemed to be an endless array of cabinets full of unidentifiable foods. Rabbit heads, some sorts of grubs or insects, entrails from unknown origins, and of course whole quails with the heads on, chicken and ducks feet.
We bought some beer and wine, some fish and squid for the next day as well as vegetables, because her brother was going to cook for us.
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Ahhhhh... a good thing I ate already :-\ . Sometimes I do wonder what all I endured in the Food department :o ?
Again, great read Steve and Anna is a beautiful Woman.. thanks for the Pic's.
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Day 7 - The older brother's house.
The older brother came and picked us up, and after a few stops to pick up more food, like a huge lump of beef, we arrived at his house. This place was much larger than other apartments I had been in and he had pretty flash furniture. He is a movie actor and also loves everything about movies and photography. Every room of his house has huge cabinets packed full of DVDs - he must have thousands of movies. In his lounge was a huge tv screen with surround sound, and he got me to pick out a movie and Anna and I watched it while he was preparing lunch.
Lunch was beef and noodles, and some other dishes I can't remember, and more beer. We got discussing beer (using the translator) and I had mentioned I liked ales and sometimes darker beer as well. Later in the afternoon, he went out to pick up his son from school and when he came back he had a couple of bags of more beer including mostly dark beer for me, which I found a bit embarrassing.
He was in the kitchen most of the day, and was cooking up a feast for dinner also. He had beef done lots of different ways, as well as the veges and seafood dishes. The other elder brother also came and it was great having a family dinner at home and not at a restaurant.
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Day 8 - Pandas
Every day I was there, Anna was reminding me how many days we had left together. We were both sad that this would be our last full day together.
The older brother picked us up in the morning after dropping his son at school. We dodged the crazy traffic and drove to the other side of Chengdu to get to the Panda visitor centre. This was a nice walk around gardens, lakes, fish ponds, waterfalls and fountains and of course plenty of Pandas. We watched a short movie about the breeding program and the successful protection of the species here.
As it was our last day, I took plenty of photos (more than a hundred, plus video), but her brother went crazy with his fancy Nikon SLR and a bag full of lenses, and ended up with about 500 photos, mostly of me and Anna in front of various flower gardens and waterfalls. I won't bore you with these but I'll put in a couple of others.
As we were walking around a large lake, Anna started calling the swans, and they were calling back from across the other side of the lake. Soon, we had several of them swimming over to us, and walking up the bank to see Anna. It was hilarious, and many other tourists gathered around to see what was going on.
On the way out we decided to have lunch there, and it was a really nice clean restaurant. Bamboo featured in a lot of the dishes, and I found a couple of really nice dishes, which Anna promptly ordered more of despite my protests. I had to finish them - it would be rude not to, but I was really stuffed. We drove back and I tried to figure out using the translator what we were doing, because I really wanted to rest up at the hotel before dinner. But no, we had to pick up his son from school then head out to another restaurant for an early dinner!
When we collected the son (the only one I could speak English with), I teased him by saying we just had a huge lunch of barbecued Panda. It wasn't until later on after dinner that he was telling his dad and he figured out I was joking. They told me you get executed if you were to kill or eat Panda.
On the way they asked me if I liked BBQ, and I said great, thinking we might get a steak or something. It turned out this was another cook-it-yourself restaurant with a gas hotplate in the table. They collected heaps of trays of different meats and vegetables from the buffet, then we cooked them. I was so full I could only manage a little taste of each and we had plenty left over.
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Day 9-10 Home.
The next morning was a bit quiet for both of us. We were both sad, and also I was a bit crook that night - probably all that food the day before. Also I had some business problems going on back home that I needed to sort out by email in the hotel lobby while Anna and her brother checked out for me. They were worried we were going to be late for the airport, but I had told them an earlier time than really necessary just to be safe.
When I arrived in Guangzhou, I just went straight to the hotel room and crashed. The cramps in my legs as well as the now very dodgy belly meant I couldn't venture far.
The next morning I was worse, so I arranged with the hotel for a late checkout and also paid for another half day as my flight wasn't until late in the evening. By early afternoon though, I thought I just have to try and do something while I am here, so I ventured out to the subway and figured out how to get to Gangding (thanks Irishman for the suggestion). This place was awesome with dozens of shops of all sizes and everything digital. I bought a few gifts to bring home and managed to get the prices down a bit, although I'm sure if Anna was there she would have done better.
I knew before hand that there would be fakes, and there was this USB stick I just knew was too good to be true but I bought it anyway as it would make an interesting talking point back at the office. It was a tiny USB stick packaged properly as HP, but labelled as 500GB. Sure enough when I got home and gave it a test for 24 hours it was fake, so beware of these things. You not only don't get what you pay for, they overwrite your valuable data once they get past their real capacity, and Windows happily continues to report the full capacity is there. From different shops I also bought a Kingston 64GB stick thinking this was real, but it also tested later as a fake (2GB). I also bought a SanDisk 32GB microSD card but haven't tested that yet. I also bought a few mobile battery packs to recharge phones and things, as gifts for my kids.
Later that night I was glad to have the hotel room still so I could have another shower and pack and weigh everything for the plane. At the airport I checked in ok even though my bag was a few KG overweight they let it through. I then mucked around for ages trying to get the airport wifi to work (I couldn't) as well as charging my phone. When I finally went through to security I was told : "bag, open". After a few minutes of translation I figured they were telling me to go back outside as there was a problem with my checked in bag. All the way out going against the tide, and then at the overweight baggage counter they asked about batteries, and I remembered I had put the kids mobile battery packs into my suitcase. No problem I swapped them out with some other junk that was in my carry on bag, hoping they would not want to weigh that. The Chinese guy put it through the xray and came straight back, gave me the thumbs up and sent me back to security. Another long walk, and the security lady did not like me. She said I had to go and "open bag", so I told her the story that I already had done this. There was much arguing between me and her and a couple of other security men came over and joined in. Finally they took my passport and boarding pass and sent me through the x-ray, at which point I realised one of them had taken my boarding pass and was heading all the way out to the overweight baggage counter again. So I sat and waited for ages, and he finally came back and said, no it had not been done and I had to go back through and open my suitcase. Well I am usually calm, but I blew up and told them this was all bullshit. What do I need to do to prove to them - I gestured should I take a photo for them? Should I get a signed note from the other people? Don't these various sections talk to each other or flag it on the computer? There was no point, I had to go back again, fuming and hearing that boarding was underway for my flight. Back outside at the other counter there had been a change of shift and the lady and man I was dealing with before were gone. More explanations and waiting while they tried to find my suitcase while I was telling them they won't find it because it was already done and it will be on the plane by now. Eventually they figured it out, gave me back the boarding pass and gestured me back to security. I wasn't moving until I had some proof. They would not sign a note, they did not want their photo taken, they were messing with the computer but couldn't seem to get it do work. Eventually the lady said she would phone security and they would let me through when I got there. I had no faith at all, but little choice but to go through again. While walking back I was wondering what she was saying on the phone ("that big angry kiwi is coming back your way. Can we mess him around some more or should we let him through this time?"). This time most of the security counters were closed as the rest of the plane and any others leaving at that time had long gone through. The lady looked at my pass, a little puzzled about the multiple stamps, but I think she wanted to go home so let me through. This time, thankfully the xray did not pick up my belt and shoes and I went through fairly quickly. I still don't know if she got the message from the other lady or whether she just couldn't be bothered, but I made the flight - last on the plane again. Maybe I'll learn now to go through security earlier.
I was pleasantly surprised to find my bag was there when I got to NZ, and I went straight through customs with nobody even slightly interested in looking at the wine, food etc that I had declared.
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Well, this sucks! The story appears to be over. I was enjoying reading all about your trip. Better luck next time with airport security.
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haha - yes that trip is over, but the story continues... Anna and I are planning the next visit.
Steve
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From somewhere in Canada to LA, we thank you for an entertaining Story. Looking forward for excitment Part 2 and hope it wont be too long in between. You know, some of us are getting older and the eye-sight is fading... or else... you'd have to call each one of us to tell it all. ;)
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Well I guess I didn't specifically say it, but this trip was just fantastic. I never expected her and her family to be so hospitable. The first few days Anna would not let me pay for anything, at the markets, restaurants, or sight-seeing tickets or anything. Eventually I managed to put all my cash in her bag and she started to use that as well.
It might seem like I am complaining at times, but really those stories are just to add a bit of interest. Those incidents have already faded into insignificance compared to the absolute delight of visiting China, after years of thinking about it. Of course, spending time with such a gorgeous woman didn't hurt as well. Everything in the past with the crooks at chnlove is now a distant memory and best forgotten - their system is great as long as you realise the real:fake ratio is really really small - zero in my experience, but others here have had better luck.
We are both very much in love and fully expect a future together. Now we just have to start the journey with the authorities as many of you have already done. I am fully aware of the difficulties ahead thanks to this site, but I am not sure she is yet.
Next step - passport for her - all done and she received it a couple of days ago.
Then a visa so she can come to NZ for a visit. This is under way, but I am really sceptical about what she is doing with her visa company or travel agent or whatever they call themselves. I just have to wait now, I've sent her every document I can think of. See my thread: http://www.chnromance.com/index.php/topic,3494.0.html (http://www.chnromance.com/index.php/topic,3494.0.html)
cheers,
Steve