China Romance
General Discussion and Useful Links => Useful Links And Articles => Topic started by: maxx on July 22, 2009, 12:31:36 am
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After more then a few requests from other members.I thought that I would start a thread.About what to see and where to go in Different cities in China.
After we get this going good we will hand it over to our tech guy Irishman and he can clean it up and make it look nice.
Zhuhai my second favorite city in Asia. Lovers rd. Nice place to go at night right on the ocean nice scenery nice brease real romatic.
Gombei mall on the border of Zhuhai and Macau. shopping, food in probably over 100 different stores.
Caddy corner from Gombei mall.Is another little mall.Where you can buy handcrafted goods.And some real nice Paintings.
Fisher women a statue a little off shore you can walk to the statue at low tide.
Walking Island.You can eather walk to the island or take a taxi.it is connected to land by a bridge.The island is probably 2 miles around.You can eather rent a tandom bike or you can walk around the island on the paved path.
New Yuan palace.It is a copy of the forbidden city.It is a all day excursion.They have plays, music,Horseback ridding.Airiel tram,You can tour the buildings.They have a little museum that you can walk threw.And at night they have a pirate show.It is well worth the trip.
Holiday hotel,You don't have to be registerd there to take a walk threw the grounds.Alot of Chinese people have there wedding pictures taken there.
Kareoke bars are all over the place.If you want to do that take your lady with you.She will know what clubs to go to and what clubs not to go to.
Big bhudist temple outside of Zhuhai.worth the trip just to have a look.About a 2 to3 hour self guided tour.After you exit the temple grounds go to your right there is more to see.Climb the mountain ring the bell.
Exercise park is on the side of a mountain.Across the rd from where you get the water from the mountain.Good execise for you health nuts really steep nice view.
Hotels Greenery hotel, travelers hotel, nanyang seascape hotel,Holiday inn.Greenery is the cheapest of the 4 star hotels very nice hotel.Holiday inn is a real good hotel alot of the staff speak English.But it is expensive.All of theese hotels are in or near the Jidi District.It puts you real close to everything.
Western food 4 mcdonalds and three KFC. A couple of Pizza places.And the Blue Angel cafa Best western food in China.If you go to Zhuhai Blue Angel cafe should not be missed.
There is a row of bars called the expat district it is two blocks north of the Nanyang seascape hotel.Alot of Expats hang out there after the sun goes down.Alot of ladies of the night hang out there to.There is a Kfc at the end of the rd.
If I missed anything.Just add to my post and like I said we will have Irishman put it all together.
Beijing
Forbidden city,Summer palace,Great wall,Ming tombsTinnaman square.Chairmen Mao's body.Peiking Duck.olympic park
Forbidden city is a must see start early in the day.It will take close to all day.After the forbidden city.Tinnaman square is right across the street.And so is Chairman Mao's body lying in state.You can view the body at certain times durring the day..If you go to your left after exiting the forbidden city.Go about 2 miles go past the real expensive hotels.You will see the Beijing hotel on your left.Turn left there.And walk threw the outdoor shopping market.Toward the back they have food from all over China.It is Cheap and good.
Summer palace plan on a full day to see this.Climb up the steps to the temples walk along the lake.Walk to the islands.In my opinion it is much better then Forbidden city.
Great wall you travel outside of Beijing.You can climb the wall in about twenty different places expect big crowds in the summer.Don't forget to get a tshirt.That says I climbed the great wall
Ming tombs take the Museum tour its about twenty minutes.Signes are in English and Chinese.Go to the tombs walk underground about 30 feet down.Tour the gardens.There are other historic sites in the valley of the tombs.If you want to see all the tombs.It would take all day.I would suggest a guide for this.
Temple Garden in the middle of Beijing.About a 3 to 4 hour self guided tour.This is the place where the Ming emporiers used to have the harvest celeabration.It is well worth seeing.Just to walk threw the lanes watch the people play hackey sac with the locals.
Right across the street from the temple garden is a big shopping center.Where all the foriegners go it has just about everything and most of the clerks speak English.The clerks are very agrresive so bargen and bargen some more.One clerk started out at 800 Rmb for a silk robe.By the time we were dome I payed 35 Rmb for the robe.
Olympic park.See where history was made.You can go inside the different arenas but expect to pay.As you enter each arena.And of course big crowds in the summer.They also have some venders selling handmade Items from all over China.It took us about 2 hours to look at the different arenas from the outside and to check out the handcrafted itemts.
Peiking Duck Go to the Chen Chi Duo restraunt.They have ben cooking Duck since 1865.The style and the atmospere in this restraunt will blow you away.Don't worry about ordering the Duck.It comes with every meal.The cheff cuts the duck up right in front of you.Best Duck I have ever eaten.With each Duck comes a card.The card is written in English and Chinese..It tells you the history of the restraunt and the number of the duck you have just eaten.After the meal Check out the different shops.Take a ride on the trolly.
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Maxx this thread is an exceptional idea, once the brothers start posting about their ladies places, think of the info this forum will have...:icon_biggrin:
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Maxx, you forgot the Museum in Zhuhai, it will take a couple of hours to walk through, it is a collection of buildings connected with foot paths, the more paths you follow the more you will see, so be adventuriuos.
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What else can I say about Zhuhai that Maxx has not already said. I live close to the copy palace and it great for an evening walk just to sit and watch the different group of dancers strutting their stuff. This happens in many parts of the city but on the forcourt of the palace there is room for many many dancers.
Must try that romantic evening walk down Lovers Road soon.
Willy
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Zhuhai my second favorite city in Asia. Lovers rd. Nice place to go at night right on the ocean nice scenery nice brease real romatic.
Maxx
Thanks so much for this. I am definitely going to do everything on your list, apart from the expat district . . . *laughs*
I am going there on 16 September. I am just so excited I don't know what to do with myself.
Things with my woman are just wonderful at the moment. It seems like a dream at the moment, writing and talking on the phone. It's all sweet. Dreams are made of this.
Danny
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Nice job Maxx this thread was long overdue.
China Shark Mike
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I think thats the least words I've seen CS Mike post at one time, short and sweet Mike, LOL just funnin
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Great Maxx!
That's what I needed as will go for the Honeymoon to Beijing on the 3rd of August. Thanks for the post!
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I am not sure but i think Maxx is talking about the Silk Market where he bought his robe. This is 4 stories high and has at least a couple of hundred stalls on each floor. You can have anything made you want out of silk. Quite a unique place. He is right bargain very very hard. They will not let you leave. I can not tell you how many times I was grabbed by women trying to get me into the stalls. I let my friend bargain. They told me to come back without her. LOL. Great job Maxx
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Yes, Michael I am the man of a thousand words. Occupational hazard, what can you do. Now this is the second shortest post you ever saw CS Mike write, so there, lol. It's all good in the Neighborhood.
China Mike
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Well ... let's see , how many that been to Beijing ... actually know that there is a " Chinatown " there ?
No kidding , it is a little Area for where the chinese minority People live . It is close to the Olyimpic Village . Had the most wonderful Lunch there with my Sweetheart .
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Gee Arnold that is informative.Where at Close to the Olympic Village? North south east west.2 blocks 2 miles.Details Because now I'm wondering where its at.And I'm wondering what minority people it is.And why would they call it Chinatown in Beijing?Last time I Checked about 90% of Beijing was Some kind of Chinese person
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Don't tell me you never heard of it ? It's the home of a special Minority Group of People in China . It's within walking distance of the Bird'snest. Sorry , I did not count the step's I took . It also has a nice Tea room Restaurant near by . The way you know you have found it , is by the two like Totum Poll's at the entrance . Let's me see if I have a Photo of it and I'll post it .
Hahaha , that what I thought and looked at Qing and said ... Chinatown in China ????
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@Maxx: Ting and me went also to somekind of a underground shopping area, Gombai district. I liked it very much, lots of stores (little ones), somekind like a flea market flavor, bistro's, little restaurants. Don't know if you mentioned that. Maybe you already did. One entrance is just at the Gombai port hall.
Andreas!
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@Maxx: Ting and me went also to somekind of a underground shopping area, Gombai district. I liked it very much, lots of stores (little ones), somekind like a flea market flavor, bistro's, little restaurants. Don't know if you mentioned that. Maybe you already did. One entrance is just at the Gombai port hall.
Andreas!
I found that underground shopping centre just a complete dive. Is this the Gombai district? I wandered around it for a while and I just didn't find anything that was different from home. Some old junk you get at the markets here in Melbourne. I found it really tacky and run down. What bits of it can you recommend? Maybe I missed the good stuff?
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Great to see so many places, now just need to budget more time. Thanks to all who have shared.
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@Maxx: Ting and me went also to somekind of a underground shopping area, Gombai district. I liked it very much, lots of stores (little ones), somekind like a flea market flavor, bistro's, little restaurants. Don't know if you mentioned that. Maybe you already did. One entrance is just at the Gombai port hall.
Andreas!
I found that underground shopping centre just a complete dive. Is this the Gombai district? I wandered around it for a while and I just didn't find anything that was different from home. Some old junk you get at the markets here in Melbourne. I found it really tacky and run down. What bits of it can you recommend? Maybe I missed the good stuff?
Danny, not really something special though. It is like you say, but if one wants to get a casio watch or things like that you might get a good deal there. Its is cheaper than over here, that is for sure. I didn't buy anything there. My girl and me just went there, walked thru some alleys, had some icecream and a milkshake and that was about it. When I am back in September I will check it out ones again, wanted to check out some electronics stuff. But overall you're right, its a flea market, just the kind we got in the west.
Andreas!
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Fantastic thread guys, keep them coming, i'm gonna take all the city posts when done and move them into a separate thread so its nice and neat and together, i'll leave this thread too for people to comment on and add their own reports. Hopefully over time we will have most of the major cities covered.
If some people would like to do cities in Thailand now that there are Thai profiles on chnlove too go right ahead, in fact why not make a report for any of the local countries that our ladies can visit, I'm sure I'm not the only one that visited SE Asia countries with my lady.
I'm gonna write up Guangzhou and after my trip do Tianjin, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Langkawi in Malaysia. I can write a little about Taishan too, Chonger though is the resident expert on that city. Hong Kong is a big one too, I can write a little about there too.
If a city has been done then don't let that stop anyone writing additional stuff that wasnt covered, I'll group multiple posts about the same city together so its easy to follow.
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The Provincial Museum in Changsha is well worth a visit. Also, a walk along the river is relaxing, with plenty of things to see and do.
If you happen to go to Zixing in Hunan Province (Near Chenzhou), a trip up to Dongjiang Dam is a nice side trip. Charter a boat, and go to the Tao Monastery on Dongjiang Lake. Half way up the mountain to the dam, is a restaurant across from the waterfall. Good food there, and if you are feeling brave, try the wild mouse dish.
In Guangzhou, Shamian is a nice place to visit...but be sure to get off the beaten path and walk around some of the neighborhoods.
Go to Beijing street in Guangzhou.two miles of outdoor shopping.You can buy just about anything you want.In the middle of the street.They cut out the blacktop and exposed the old roads from the different dynasties .At the end of the street is a Buhdist temple.
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Andreas and Danny yes that is the GomBai mall.We go there everytime were in Zhuhai.
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Cool Irishman said I can write about Bangkok Thailand.My favorite city in Asia.Where to start.I spent 12 days there in Nov of 2005.So my information might be a little dated.
There is 4 main red light Districts in Bangkok,Soi cowboys,Nana plaza,Soi 13 and another one sorry I can't remember the name right now.There is other smaller areas but theese are the main ones.You can get anything you want there Women, guns, drugs,Drinks.If you Go for any of that be carefull Thailand goverment holds a very dimm view of weapons and Drugs.The movie broke down palace is based on a true story.You will end up in a Thai prison and there isn't much your countries goverment can do for you.
Transportation in Bangkok is good.Taxi sky train and tuk tuks.most people speak English and most of the signes are in English so it isn't a problem to get around.Bangkok makes a good place to stay.Because it is fairly cheap and it is right in the middle of everything.
There is so many hotels there that you can ussualy get a nice hotel room for about 25.00 a night.When I went I had a 4 star room for 20.00 a night including breakfast.A good part of the city to stay is somewhere on Suckimitt rd or the ratchetit road thoose are to of the main roads threw bangkok.(No I didn't spell the rd names right but it is close.I booked my room threw Asiarooms.com
Thing to do places to go.Emporer palace,canal tour,Dragon boat races.Leaning Bhudda,Mui Thai fights, Floating market,The night market,And the worlds biggest flea market.Me and my driver spent abought 5 hours at the flea market.Didn't even get to see halfe of it.
Emporers palace good for a couple of hours.Check out the art work on the buildings will blow your mind.
Canal tour they put you on a boat and you go up and down the canals.good for about 4 hours.You really get to see how the Thai people really live.
Mui Thai.Is thai Boxing it is pretty interesting to watch.They ussually have a match sceduled in the main sports arena every saturday.
Floating Market.you get in a boat and go down thease little canals and you can stop and buy things from the venders.Its actually pretty cool.
Night market is a flea market at night.Remeber to bring a flashlight.
leaning Bhudda is worth a look.and a few pictures.Be respectfull it is a temple no smoking drinking or cussing.Buy the Thai coins you put them in the pails for luck and happiness.Check out the Arcitecture on theese buildings really impresive.
about a hour outside of Bangkok by car is the J.E.E.T cemtery and the death railway.You can walk threw the cemetery take pictures.Go threw the little museum they have there.Walk across the Kwai river bridge.And take the train on the death railway.For about 2.00 dollers you can take a boat up the Kwai river.It will take you under the Railway bridge and back to shore.If you don't know the history of the railway and the bridge.It is a good idea to read a little history of W W 2 and the Japanese army in Southeast Asia.It will mean alot more to you.If you go.
About a hour outside of Bangkok along the ocean is the party town of Pattaya.Real good place to get yourself in trouble.Off the coast of Pattaya is a little island called Coral island.You can take a boat to the island and spend the day swimming snorkeling,Scuba diving ridding the jet skis or rent a scotter and drive around the island and check out the houses and the temple.And like allways there is a place to do some shopping and plenty of restraunts to eat.
I booked most theese trips threw my hotels travel desk.The most i spent on any trip was like 30.00 per person.So it is real cheap.And on the all day trips lunch was included in the price.For the short trips.Emporer palace floating market,The flea market.The leaning Bhudda.I just hired a taxi for the day.It was running me about 15 to 20 dollers a day.The driver will set there and wate for you.Or you can do like I did and make the driver go with you.
Things really not to be missed.Thai massage. Greatest thing known to man.I Kid you not.When you go into the massage parlor just tell them you want traditional Thai massage.No Boom Boom.If you forget the no Boom Boom part your going to be in for a big suprise.And thoose of you who are traveling with your lady.Will have to find your own way back to the hotel.After she leaves you standing in the street.
other things to Check out a snake show,Ride a elephant,Get your picture taken with a Bengal tiger setting in your lap.(no I'm not kidding about the picture with the tiger) there is some monks that have trained the tigers and you can have your picture taken with the tigers.I seen them at the end of the Kwai bridge tour.
This is Asia so everything is a negotiation and it is expected.Tipping is expected in Thailand.And it is a pretty safe city most of the time.Check with your goverment about the political situation before you go.Sometimes there is a little revolution in the air.It ussually doesn't last to long.And is never really bloody.Be advised stay out of the south of Thailand.The Muslims there are always a little madd.Phuckett Island is in the south but it is ussually really a safe place.
Bad things you do not want to do in Thailand.Don't talk bad about the royal family.It can get you a night in Jail and booted out of the country and fined.The Thais think that the royal family is close to a holy Deity.If you drop Thai money on the ground do not step on it with your foot.Very disrespectful to the King his picture is on the money.Do not touch a Thai on the head very disrespectful.
If you are having trouble with a vender or a merchant.You think that you are being Cheated.Tell somebody that you want to speak with the tourist police.Somebody will call them for you.And they will come and straighten the merchant or the vender out.The Thai goverment wants you to have a good safe time while you are there that is what the tourist police are for
Good place to get some real solid advice about Bangkok and Thailand is.Bangkok bob and Stickman.Both expat bloggers who have lived and worked in Thailand for years.they both cover everything about Thailand and Bangkok
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I must say Zhangjiajie and Fufang (Phoenix Town). Zhangjiajie was one of the most beautiful places I have seen and Fugang för the old and traditional city...
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Aggghhhh!!!I wrote a long Guangzhou guide down in notepad and rebooted the computer without saving it first...all lost forever!! Will rewqrite and post today.
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sorry to hear that Irish, it can be frustrating :s
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Ronan sorry to hear that mate,:-/
could having that 'little' wine last night, have something to do with this mishap:angel::blush:
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Oh I hate that. I use to have 3 battery backups hooked up. First battery died out and I couldn't get the correct battery. Then the others stopped working too. I haven't fixed those yet so when I'm writing something and there's a small glitch in the electrical line I lose it all. Come to think of it where is that other BBU? Well I learned to save as I write each sentence.
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Ronan sorry to hear that mate,:-/
could having that 'little' wine last night, have something to do with this mishap:angel::blush:
Haha I wish that was the excuse, but I did it this morning not last night!
Rewriting now, I tend to waffle on a bit, this thing is turning into a book!
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Nearly done just selecting pictures, its a loooong guide!
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Ronan...make sure it includes the Tee Mall. This was an important part of your Guangzhou adventure.
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I have a little about it in there..its rather long and messy right now, maybe will finally post tonight.
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Cannot wait Ronan. :icon_cheesygrin:
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Guangzhou aka Canton
Overview
Guangzhou is the capital city of Guangdong province and is according to Wikipedia the third largest city in China. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China_by_population)
Its an industrial city and not really a big tourist destination. It suffers from severe air pollution, in my experience far worse than even Beijing. I got a sore throat within 24 hours of arriving there which developed into a smokers type cough after a few days. As a consequence of the pollution all buildings have a pretty dirty façade and look far older than they actually are.The only exception being the glass skyscrapers which are everywhere.
Nobody in Guangzhou lives in a house, everyone lives in apartments, I didn't see one single one family home until approximately 70km outside the city on the road to Taishan.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/CityDriving.jpg)
Because of the incredible air pollution blue skies are a rarity there, mostly the sky is a milky white and frequently completely overcast. In 3.5 weeks there in February and March I had one semi sunny day, and that's the dry season.
It is hot for about 8 months of the year and coolish during December to March though temperatures were in the 30's C when I was there in March on several days. In the summer Guangzhou is at its wettest as that's the monsoon season, expect heavy thundery rain pretty much everyday in the summer. Most tourist guide sites I've read advise Spring and Autumn as the best time of year to visit.
Added to the air pollution the city has a real litter problem. There is an army of street cleaners but they are fighting a war of attrition, the locals seem have no concept of keeping the environment clean, there certainly doesn't appear to be any anti litter laws there.
The 2010 Asian games are to be held in GZ so I imagine a massive clean up operation will be done like in Beijing before the Olympic games, but given the state of most buildings there because of the air pollution I think that's one heck of a struggle they have on their hands.
Despite the horrible air, the litter and the grotty looking buildings Guangzhou has one massive plus to the weary traveller - its amazing cuisine.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/dog-1.jpg)
Dog cooked over charcoal, with spring onion,ginger and garlic, very tasty.
I read somewhere that in Guangzhou if it flies in the air, swims in the sea or walks on the land that you can eat it there. I certainly would concur with that, the sheer variety and tastes of Cantonese cooking is mind blowing. If you are a bit of a foodie you'll be in heaven. Ask your lady to take you to as many different types of restaurants there as possible and let her order for you.
She will take you to the best places and you will quickly realise just how much wonderful variety of foods and tastes there is to enjoy.
Mastering the chopsticks takes some getting used to. However most restaurants will put extra spoons on the table if they see that a westerner is eating. Most restaurants don't have regular knives and forks.
Cantonese is spoken in Guangzhou though everyone understands Mandarin. The street signs are in simplified Mandarin and in Pinyin also.
The Metro maps are in Mandarin and English so its easy to find your way round.
The bus timetables are in Mandarin only, so you will need your girl to tell you what number to get because its impossible otherwise (Unless you can read simplified Chinese). On the Metro the announcer says in Cantonese, Mandarin and English what the next stop is which is very useful.
Getting around
The bus and rail system is integrated. I highly recommend getting a travel card as the ticket machines are often broken or out of change or have long queues. It's far more practical to get a swipe card. You can top the card up in any Metro (underground train) station.
Ask your lady to show you what the sign looks like for the places that will top up your card.
One tip I would give is to note the balance on your card - when you swipe it on the barrier entering the Metro the display flashes up the credit remaining. The card is deducted at the exit point of your destination.
Here's the problem though - if you have insufficient credit it won't let you out and beeps loud and security comes running. Now, you can't top up the card inside the station - only outside the barrier zone. The security guards were not impressed with the fact i had run out of credit and it took much apologising from me and accompanying me to the top up station and back before they would let me go. Pay attention to the credit left on your card!!.
Rail traffic is very cheap most trips were less than 10RMB which is about one euro.
Bus trips are a flat 2 RMB no matter how far the journey.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/nocomment_coolkids.jpg)
Make sure you have directions written down in Chinese!!
Taxi travel is also very cheap by western standards and for shorter trips preferable to the bus or trains as they are nearly always crowded, and in rush hour utterly jam packed and to be avoided if possible. What i did was find a place I wanted to visit on the internet then wrote it down carefully and then asked the people at the hotel reception to write it down in Chinese to hand to a taxi driver, he wont understand your pronunciation unless you are really proficient in the language.
There are two types of Taxi - ones that are metered, most of them, and ones that are not. I do NOT recommend using the un-metered one, you are supposed to agree a cost before heading out on your journey, leading to massive potential to scam a gullible western traveller.
I only got one once and that with my lady and she negotiated for about 5 minutes, with much waving of hands in the air, pretend walking away etc...
She advised me not to get one myself and I bet she's right.
This type of taxi is light brown in colour and has a big sign in the front window dash with a number on it.
The regular taxi drivers were always honest and always used the meter and would give a receipt if you want one for whatever reason, I found them to be very friendly without exception.
In Guangzhou I bet the car horns wear out before the cars! The locals beep, constantly! They beep to change lanes, they beep when the car in front slows down, speeds up, changes lane, there was times I had to restrain myself from laughing out loud at the sheer craziness of it all.
Don't expect to sleep on any long bus trips, the bus horns are loud! It was the very first thing I noticed when leaving the airport, apart from the heat, was the crazy horn beeping.
Driving is insane in the city, it's a game of who chickens out first. There is a reason China has the highest road death rate in the world..Your first few Taxi rides will be white knuckle affairs!
I have a Malaysian friend that's travelled extensively around SE Asia and tells me that the worst driving he experienced anywhere was in Guangzhou, it has to be experienced to be believed.
Places To eat
When you are with your lady let her choose where to eat, she'll know the best restaurants that the tourist wouldn't know about and will know what food is safe to eat.
I do not recommend buying off street vendors unless its with your lady - it's just asking for an upset tummy.
The tap water is not safe to drink and always brush your teeth with bottled water. Do not ask for ice - chances are its made from tap water. In fact when they bring you water in a restaurant its likely to be warm - its boiled tap water far safer as a result (which is a good thing). Never ever accept a jug of cold water in a restaurant if you happen to be offered one, though that's unlikely. The locals wouldn't touch it and neither should you.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/kungfu.gif)
When your lady is not with you and you need to eat, there are McDonald's and KFC's everywhere. But guys you are in a food lovers paradise!!, you can get the junk crap any day back home. The Kung Fu chain (http://www.zkungfu.com/) is all over the place, its got a guy that looks like Jackie Chan in the sign, you'll know it instantly when you see it. Its extremely cheap and serves proper Chinese food.
They all have an English menu at the counter but you will have to ask for it.
Just say "English Menu" - go to the till that has a Manager type hovering near by, chances are he will understand you if the till person doesn't. The foreigner will have his attention believe me - in the place in TeeMall the manager came over with a big smile and spoke in broken English to me which of course made me a loyal customer at the times I wasn't with Ling! Don't be put off that the only visible menus are in Chinese.
Most stand alone restaurants have menus only in Chinese and some don't even have pictures.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/AjisenRamen-1.jpg)
Another Chain I liked was Ajisen Ramen chain (http://www.ajisen.com.sg/) , slightly more upmarket than the Kung Fu chain (http://www.zkungfu.com/) so a little more expensive but still dirt cheap by western standards. Their sign has a picture of a Kid holding a rice bown and winking. I really liked the food there and went many times.
Starbucks is everywhere and is the only place that sells decent Coffee that i came across, but its very expensive by Chinese standards. But sipping a Grande Americano and reading a book is the perfect way to chill for a little while during the afternoon.
Have your lady take you to "Dim Sum" -which seems to mean a Tea house that sells lots of dumpling type dishes, Martin heaven haha!
I recommend asking your lady to take you to a "hot pot" restaurant, I went to two and i thought it very enjoyable.
Oh one thing, after three or more beers i cannot manage chopsticks..so beer with or after dinner but not before haha!
Another tip, don't wear a light coloured shirt when eating noodles in soup..you will drop stuff from the chopsticks and splatter your shirt. Lift the bowl right to your face and slurp - slurping is perfectly acceptable as is spitting out the bones on the table.
Never ever handle your food. If you need to remove a bone from your mouth, spit it discreetly out on a plate or the table, again this is normal and acceptable behaviour even though it feels really impolite to a westerner. She will be shocked and disgusted at you removing food from your mouth with your hand - think squatter toilets for the reasoning behind this.
Stuff to do (mostly broken down on a day trip basis)
Night Cruise on the Pearl River and Shamian Island
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/pearlrivercruise.jpg)
Thanks to daghoi for the picture for the night time Pearl River Cruise
Guangzhou looks a bit grotty and littered in the daytime but at night all the skyscapers are lit up in many colours and its truly beautiful. This is far and away the most romantic thing we did there. The cruise lasts about 90 minutes and is cheap and super romantic, cannot recommend it highly enough.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/Shamian-Island-1.jpg)
The boats cruisers leave from close to Shamian Island which has a market, nice restaurants and old colonial buildings. Maybe take a day visiting the Island and then finish it off with the cruise, if shes not melting into your arms by then - you're doing something wrong!!
Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall and Yuexiu Park
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/SunYat-Sen.jpg)
The memorial hall is pretty and set in nice grounds and worth a visit. Inside there is a theatre and stuff on the walls telling about China's war with Japan which i found interesting (its in Englsh as well as Chinese).
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/goats.jpg)
A short walk away is Yuexiu Park which is home to the famous "five goats" statue and has nice paths to walk along, again its nice and romantic.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/YuexiuPark.jpg)
In one place there the old folk practice Tai Chi and dance, its really sweet.
Baiyun mountain, Luhu Lake and Xinghai Memorial Park
Baiyun (White cloud) Mountain, isnt really a mountain, more alike a little hill, its only about 300 metres tall i think.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/buddists_at_baiyun.jpg)
But there is a lovely walk to the top with a pretty cool buddist Temple to check out about half way up.
At the top its a hive of activity with playing badminton, haki sack and milling around.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/whitecloudtop.jpg)
There is great views of the city..well they would be great if the air was cleaner. I'd recommend this on a rainy day or just after rain if you want to get a decent view, the pollution is so bad it ruins the view from this great vantage point.
From the top I recommend the cable car ride to the bottom, you can take it up too but kinda seems like a lazy thing to do. But going down its a nice novelty and is good fun.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/Luhulake.jpg)
Near the mountain is Luhu Lake which has a trail around it and I highly recommend the pedal boats there, they are in silly animal shapes and great fun to paddle around the lake in and are dirt cheap to hire out.
Xinghai memorial park is beside the lake and is worth checking out. Its small but is meticulously looked after and very pretty. You'll probably walk round it in about 30 minutes.
There is a really good restaurant on the lake (see the photo above) which while expensive by Chinese standards is cheap by western ones. So if you are tired out from all the hill walking and pedalling then I'd recommend refuelling there. Its right by the lake so has lovely views. It's on the same side of the lake as Xinghai Memorial Park which is fairly small and is a pleasant stroll around with a small memorial hall with artwork and pictures.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/XinghaiMemorialPark.jpg)
A gardener prepares to water the plants in Xinghai Memorial park.
Guangzhou museum of Art and Nanyue Wangmu (Nanyue tomb)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/resting_lady-1.jpg)
I really enjoyed visiting the museum of art. A lot of the sections are closed but there is so much to see there its well worth a trip . From stylised paintings to patriotic cartoons and sculptures its a fascinating place.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/cartoon-1.jpg)
Patriotic Cartoon
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/art-1.jpg)
Huge Painting Of Women Working.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/kid_jumpingwoman-1.jpg)
Fun sculpture outside the museum.
It was very quiet when I was there which is a shame as this place is well worth checking out. You really get a feel of the Chinese mind and society can be partially seen through looking at their art I feel.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/NanyueWangmu_entrance2-1.jpg)
The Nanye tomb is pretty cool. They have loads of ancient pottery on display, including clay pillows, that must have been uncomfortable to sleep on!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/pillow-1.jpg)
This is a pillow believe it or not!
The tomb itself is cool, its excavated and you get to walk around the excavation.
They also have a gift shop that has a genuine "Guangzhou style" artist in there.
He makes pottery and draws on it in the Guangzhou art form. It's utterly exquisite and beautiful.
Apparently he is the last artist left trained in this discipline and the government pays him to continue making vases and bowls exquisitely decorated. The stuff this old guy makes has to be seen to believed.
You can buy some of his stuff and to my lasting regret I didn't. It is dirt cheap considering the time and effort put into it - the lady there told me it takes him a full week to make just one small vase and some of the bigger pieces can take up to a month!
It's all utterly unique and signed by the old guy, once he stops making it the art form is gone forever, such a shame. I can easily imagine his stuff will go up in value over time.
I really wish I bought one particular vase he made, it was feather light and must have taken weeks to draw, the artwork was simply breath taking. I have zero doubt of its authenticity as he was drawing right there in front of me, a true artistic genius.
Liurong Si Pagoda and Martyrs Memorial Park
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/temple-1.jpg)
The pagoda is a few stories tall and really beautiful. There are several Buddhist temples on the grounds and it is a active place of worship with monks and all.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/buddahs_in_pagoda-1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/monksgoingtotempleguangzhou-1.jpg)
Its an oasis of calm and tranquillity in a pretty busy area.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/marytrspark2-1.jpg)
Gardeners looks after the plants in Martyrs Memorial Park
Martyrs Memorial park is right beside the iconic China Mall a towering massive shopping mall and office skyscraper. There's a lovely little lake with benches to relax on and several temples where folk practise Tai Chi outside.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/tai_chi_martyrs_park2-1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/china_mall_from_martyrs_park-1.jpg)
China Mall towers over Martyrs Park, a powerful edifice. Very impressive
If you want to chill out, i really recommend this place, I've a ton more photos of it, is really photogenic and very nice to just sit down in and relax.
When you are done chilling out head over to China Mall and have a look around. There's a Cinema there where you can book a posh viewing where you get to sit on a leather sofa with your lady while you watch the movie, candied popcorn is provided too which i thought was horribly sweet! Expect mobile phones to be going off every once in a while, Chinese girls never ever turn off their phones. And nobody will be the slightest annoyed when they talk on their mobile whole the show is on. There doesn't seem to be a decibel limit in the cinemas in Guangzhou - expect action scenes to be incredibly LOUD!!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/Chinamalltowersovermartyrspark-1.jpg)
Old and new together in perfect harmony, both incredibly powerful and strong.
Foot Massage and KTV
Have your girl bring you foot massage. It's not like massage parlours in the west. It's main stream and perfectly acceptable. Its also great!. The foot part of the massage is a bit sore to be honest but they also massage your legs and back - after massaging your legs with hands of steel the pretty girl asks you to lie on top of her and she kinda gyrates which isn't unpleasant!. Its all done in a professional way with a guy checking in every few minutes and a tv blaring away and I have to admit afterwards i was feeling feeling very refreshed. There is tea and fruit provided to consume while they are rubbing your feet and legs. The hair dressers do head massage too. I had this while my lady was getting her hair cut and never again, basically they wash your head and then scrape across it with fingernails..there are no muscles on the scalp..its daft and i thought it pointless, though maybe some other less follically challenged guys might like it!! Mind you there is the straddling aspect of it that wasn't altogether unpleasant..*ahem*
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/ktv.jpg)
Entrance to "best" KTV in Guangzhou..
KTV is something you MUST do with your lady if you want to understand her world. KTV is a way of life, everyone does it, to not experience it is to not understand Guangzhou people.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/ktv1.jpg)
Waiting area (for your private room to become available), I knew this was going to be a unique experience!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/ktv_food_area-1.jpg)
In a nutshell its private karaoke with food. I went to the "best" one with my lady and a couple of friends. They booked it in advance. After signing in at the reception area you go upstairs to a huge buffet room with countless foods to choose from.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/ktv_food-1.jpg)
KTV singing fuel!!
Above that is private room after private room after private room of earnest Chinese folk singing to the TV in front of their friends.
This is serious business, its not like a western karaoke where everyone gets drunk and sings in front of a faceless crowd - Here you sing just for your friends.
There are very few western songs, just Chinese ballads that to my uncultured ear sounded all the same!! The machine has some western songs but the lyrics were hard to read..problem is that a Chinese character stands for a word..and in English a letter is only a part of a word. In KTV every letter is treated as a word so if you don't know the lyrics they flash in front of you way too fast!!
I went to a wedding with Ling and the friend of a friend that drove us there had a dvd player in his car. It played KTV ballads.. do not mess with KTV, its serious business and you gotta check it out!
Shopping - China Mall, Tee Mall, Beijing Street
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/TeeMall-1.jpg)
The two biggest malls in the city that I came across are China Mall and TeeMall (though apparently the Chinese translates as Team Mall, but the sign says Tee Mall go figure..) TeeMall is expensive by Chinese standards but has everything you could possibly want in one place. There's a whole floor dedicated to restaurants of all types, some have English menus others dont but they all have pictures so you can guess if you are feeling adventurious.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/Pizzahutqueue.jpg)
China needs more pizza restaurants!
There's a Pizza hut there too but there's a perma queue outside to get in which isn't something that would happen here ever.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/duskoutsideteemall.jpg)
Dusk outside Teemall
Beijing street is several kilometres long of pedestrian shopping. There is a cool section with a glass covering of excavations of the ancient cobblestoned street.
People will constantly comie up to you offering cheap Rolex fakes and fake bags .
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/beijingstreetnight-1.jpg)
Its the most touristy part of the city and the initial buzz soon wears of as the hawkers are persistent and become annoying quickly.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/durian_icecream.jpg)
There's a ice cream shop there that sells Durian ice cream if you are feeling brave, its not as strong as fresh Durian but an interesting taste to say the least.
There's cinemas in both Malls and are very expensive even by western (Irish) standards. Martyrs park is just outside China Plaza and is a nice change of pace from the frenetic shopping. It has a nice lake and some temples, lots of places to sit and chill out too, i found it very peaceful.
Xiangjiang Safari Park and Chimelong International Circus
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/kid_feedinggiraffe.jpg)
Both of these are beside each other. The safari park is part of the zoo and you get taken around the park in a small motorised train and get to drive though herds of various different types of animals, its really got. There are tigers on a hill separated by water from the trail the train takes and they go wild roaring at the train, no question of a doubt that if they got across the embankment we'd be dinner - excellent stuff altogether!
In the zoo there is a Panda house with about 10 pandas which are cute to see so close up.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/katabatic/China/circus_chaos.jpg)
The circus is a once in a life time thing, you will not see anything like it here. The clowns do a good job warming up the crowd initially, they really go wild, makes a great atmosphere. Now if you want to see bears riding big motor cycles around a ring ,monkeys cycling bikes and jumping through rings of fire this is the place for you, at times I couldn't believe my eyes. At one part of the show they have bears in a mock boxing match which made me feel real uncomfortable but it was staged and short and was only a tiny part of the overall spectacle which was amazing, I would go again.
After the circus highly recommend heading over to the hotel across the road (I think its called Safari Hotel or something) they have real live Lions and tigers and crocs in open areas in the hotel, its ridiculous! However the restaurant is extremely high quality. I think I had the best food there of any place in Guangzhou.
It is a little pricey by Chinese standards but the service is truly 5 star, you are treated like a king, and the food is exquisite in my opinion.
After the Pearl River night cruise day, the Safari Park and Circus day was the best which is why I have them first and last here, your lady will be putty in your arms after all this take that from me!!
Wow - you made it!!
This guide is a bit long, sorry for that, I could make one twice as long easily..stuff I haven't covered would include the Jade market, the electronic malls, the food markets, which are amazing and some other parks, but that stuff is more personal interest.
I did a lot of fun stuff in Guangzhou, hopefully some of my guide gives you idea of stuff to with our without your lady in the times she's in work.
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All pictures in the guide above were taken by me with the exception of the Pearl River night cruise which "daghoi" kindly gave me permission to use and the Shamian Island picture which i found on Wiki and the taker gives his permission to reuse by anyone.
If any forum readers have Shamian Island photos I'd prefer to use them to keep it all in house so as to speak. If you do please let me know, thanks.
Ronan.
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Wow good job.Me and the wife spent about 4 days in Guanzghou.I dodn't get to see halfe of the stuff you did.Nicely done.
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Ronan, this was well worth the wait, thanks brother, well done :icon_biggrin:
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Kung Fu chain? Jackie Chan? I thought that was Bruce Lee? But very informative.
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Yeah...the Kung Fu chain was all over Guangzhou. I never went in there, but I saw them everywhere.
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Excellent!
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What an great Job you did Irish . As I will be going to Guangzhou with Qing , this will come in so handy . I will copy this to take along . Thank you , knowing how much time you spend on this . I will read this a few times for sure .
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Kung Fu chain? Jackie Chan? I thought that was Bruce Lee? But very informative.
Heh, maybe it is Bruce Lee, I like Jackie Chan as he's from Hong Kong which is Cantonese so it says that to me, its not really important though in the grand scale of things!!
Thanks for the nice comments, sorting and choosing which photos to use and which to leave out took ages!
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Great job Ronan
Excellent pictures and narrative, personaly i didnt find it to long.
The standard has been set high for others to follow.
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Great job with the story, and very good pictures. You have for sure set a very high standard for others to match. Thanks,
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OUTSTANDING...Got a funny feeling you'll go far Ronan A*
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What an great Job you did Irish . As I will be going to Guangzhou with Qing , this will come in so handy . I will copy this to take along . Thank you , knowing how much time you spend on this . I will read this a few times for sure .
Great post Irish ... I was there also and didn't see half the places as you did.
Arnold ... check out "The German Restaurant" in Samian Island. Also there's the best "Roasted Pigeon" Restaurant there also.
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Chong , when we do get together .. all six of us . Do we eat normal chinese Food or are we going to have a chinese Fear Factor contest ? Pigeon's ??? No any Bird making that kind of sound is not good eating . Turkey is ONE exception , I let slide by me .
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I found this site travel channel and there were posts on there some of you may be interested in http://discussions.travelchannel.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7661981059/m/7591998949 It covers alot of things from gifts to drinking water hope this helps someone.
Ron
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Thanks Ron . Even though this has been shown before ... it's alway's good to read it again , as one must remember all these well whenever going to a strange / new Country . Especially going to see your new found Lady and one does not want to get sick and ruin a chance to get the relationship to a point you came there in the first place . Thanks and good luck to you .
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Errrr...
I've been in Gz for 5 days and I didn't see so much places as Ronan did.
But anyway, I know what to do in my next trip :D
Thanks for sharing it, Ronan :)
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Wow, great pictures Irishman. This would have helped me a lot, except that due to a lack of train capacity I cancelled Plan A (Guangzhou) in favour of Plan B (Wuhan).
I have no idea what I will see in Wuhan as there's not a lot of information available, I can find no decent English maps and I have no idea how I will get around as the place is vast and the subway isn't built yet :icon_cheesygrin:. I will walk around and take photos of anything and everything.
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Brett there is a number of posts on this forum about Wuhan.At one time halfe the group had ladies in Wuhan.
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i live here in gz and havent seen a few of these places
will have to check them out
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Government video page showing showcasing parts of the PCR. http://www.prcgov.org/video.html some beautiful pictures and good music too.
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very interesting paul
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I like the mogolian horse's and the race they have --- tough race for both rider and horse.
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need a few beers for that one
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Does anyone will go to Shanghai to attend the EXPO from May to the end of October?
I will buy a three times ticket, It means I will spent three days there.
Becuase there are more than 40 exhibition centers there, Even three days is not enough I am afraid.
I recommend your guys who will come to China can arrange some days to visit there.
Here is the website http://en.expo2010.cn/
And you can do a trial visit from internet here. http://en.expo.cn/index.html#c=home
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I have not planned on attending the EXPO. But if I get a chance to I would. I have more of an interest in the Canton Fair (Guangzhou) but that would be next year. With some luck a project I am working on will be exhibited there then?
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Vince,
if you get to Guangzhou next year look me up as i live here
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I may be in Guangzhou THIS year? But not for the Canton Fair. Once I have all the timing and plans, I'll announce it and whoever is available in my traveling I'd like to meet up with. Funny I said this to my lady and she took it as all 300+ was meeting in China? She wants me to herself? and was hinting not to spend to much time with others. I assured her it wasn't a men only club. :icon_cheesygrin:
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but Vince tell her we were just going to take you out to
the clubs one night were we could all drink beer and talk with
young ladies all 300 of us
hahahaha that would go over well
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Shanghai Expo is now open.
Interesting?
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300 Of those shirts in one place!!!!!!!!
First two days 300,000 visitors to Expo and not a Willy in sight.
Willy
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I've been wondering that myself. I was a kid when expo 86 was in Vancouver. We went and I seem to remember having a good time. I'm kinda wondering if visiting the expo in July would be worth doing. I read that the Canadian pavilion has virtual bike rides through Canadian scenery. That might be a great way to introduce her to some of Canada. I'm thinking Shanghai might be very expensive and busy through the summer though.
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Kung Fu chain? Jackie Chan? I thought that was Bruce Lee? But very informative.
Heh, maybe it is Bruce Lee, I like Jackie Chan as he's from Hong Kong which is Cantonese so it says that to me, its not really important though in the grand scale of things!!
Thanks for the nice comments, sorting and choosing which photos to use and which to leave out took ages!
He is Bruce Lee. He is regarded as the King of Kong Fu. Zheng means steamed and sounds like the pronunciation of real (zhen). Kong Fu sometimes means martial arts, and sometimes it means skills. So Zheng Kong Fu means real steams skills in food. Almost all food in Zheng Kong Fu restaurant is steamed food. You know Chinese like to use homophone for some special things. You will never understand it without the explanation of a local people. :icon_cheesygrin:
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You know Chinese like to use homophone for some special things. You will never understand it without the explanation of a local people. :icon_cheesygrin:
When knowledge is recieved from one so lovely, it becomes a double pleasure. Thanks Zhuzhu - and that Irishman is one lucky fellow. :sleepy:
Ya the suit he is wearing gives it away as being Bruce Lee. That is the gym strip he wears in Enter The Dragon. Quentin Tarantino pays tribute to that movie in his Kill Bill movie when he has Uma Thurman wear the same tracksuit.
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has anyone in their travels to china seen the KFC rip company that has an old lady
that looks like the original actually cheaper and food is good
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I'm not sure Ted.I know there is a knockoff of KFC in JiuJiang in Jiandxia province.The food isn't bad.And it is real cheap.
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looks just like kfc but it is a grandma instead of the sanders
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This is too funny.
One of the places that the lady whom I am going to see mentioned is that she loves KFC.....I hope she meant the real one! :icon_cheesygrin:
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kfc is a little different here than in the states with some of the items on the list
but overall not bad and cheap
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The original and the knock-off establishments are both pretty good and pretty cheap too. So if you like that sort of thing, it doesn't matter much, as both are as good as each other....
David....
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never ate in the knockoff one but occasionally we go to the original on a
hot day for the sundaes as they are better than mcdonalds here in GZ
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never ate in the knockoff one but occasionally we go to the original on a
hot day for the sundaes as they are better than mcdonalds here in GZ
I ate in the knockoff one but I did not realized it was the knockoff until we left the restaurant. :icon_cheesygrin: The food was ok. I mean it is just fried chicken. How bad that can be made?
I have heard of the kung fu restaurant chain and always want it to try it but I did not see any around GZ, until I saw this picture we took together in March.:icon_cheesygrin:[attachment=2106] (Check behind us.)
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Andy that picture looks like Beijing street in GZ Did you check out the temple at the end of the street?It was pretty cool.Also where your sitting looks like.The place where the road is cut.And you can see the roads from the different dynasties.
The Bruce Lee restraunts are all over Guandong province.I think I have even seen 1 or 2 in Beijing.
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Maxx that is exactly were he is at. Andy they are all over the place here in GZ.
from really big ones to small ones tucked in the middle of the street block. also i
am starting to see a lot of Subways opening up around GZ. They seem to be a hit
right now with the locals as its buy one get one free lol!!!!
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Yeah, that is right. It is the Beijing street. I have to confess that I am really a bad tourist because all I can see and remember is that lovely lady on my side.:icon_cheesygrin: I remember something was at the end of the street, but for some reason I had a hotel in my mind.
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Ya the suit he is wearing gives it away as being Bruce Lee. That is the gym strip he wears in Enter The Dragon.
Rhonald , correct me if I'm wrong .. but I think Bruce Lee was wearing that Outfit in Game of Death not in Enter the Dragon . I saw all his Films at least 30 times and counting , as I have them all on DVD's . He had started me on taking Kung Fu lessons in the seventies .
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:-[ You are right observant one. I only watched his original movies once but a parody (Kentucky Fried Movie) many times. In this movie they pook fun at the Kung Fu genre and in praticular - Enter the Dragon, so when I think Bruce Lee, I think mainly of Enter The Dragon.
As punishment I will practice my katas for three Hail Marrys. As a side note the movie IP Man is based on the martial art legend who was Bruce Lee's first instructor. I bought this movie a year ago in China and now I see it is going to be released here in North America next month. No Yellow Track suit seen in this movie :o
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Actually Ip Man 2 is out... Haven't had a chance to watch it yet, although I got it last week... Maybe next week. Will let everyone know.