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Hi all, I've made it to China and thought I would give you a quick update before I catch a sleeper train north-west to Guilin this evening. I am in a sprawling city of 10 million people called Guangzhou, or Canton. It is a totally chaotic place, I have never seen anything like it - one giant construction sight covered in scaffolding, streets full of rubbish, gaping holes, road repairs that seem to defy all logic, bricks, planks of wood, people and all shrouded in a thick pink smog and flashing lights - what on Earth am I doing here?!
It really is an unbelievable place, there is just so much construction going on everywhere, even right next door to the hotel I am in, and they work 27/7 here - pneumatic drills all night! I arrived on the train from Hong Kong on Saturday afternoon - a nice ride through rough and rural China. I spent most of my time in the dining car observing the Chinese puffing away and slurping noodles. I ventured out to see the 'sights' of Guangzhou yesterday and did pretty well really. The Metro is great and easy to use but navigating the streets is a nightmare - the English and Chinese names don't match at all, I have 3 maps which are all different and no one speaks English! Plus, crossing roads is a death-trap! I successfully found the Yuexiu Park though, the largest in the city and it was a real experience. The whole of Guangzhou seemed to be there on Sunday morning - walking, riding pedalos on the lakes, playing badminton, picnicing, ball-room dancing, playing chequers and doing their morning tai-chi exercises - it was fascinating to watch, such a happy, communal atmosphere. I saw some sights within the park, including the Guangzhou museum, then caught the Metro out to some nice temples, a mausoleum which was pretty grizzly, and a Roman Catholic Cathedral which was totally bizarre. No-one is afraid or embarrassed to be religious here so they were lively places.
This morning I went in search of an island called Shamian, described in my book as a 'leafy suburb' - yeah right, I'd classify it as a construction site. But behind the main boulevard I descovered some small park areas and more dancing and tai-chi, it was a delight to watch. I passed Qing Ping Market en route back, oh God it was horrid, I daren't think what some of the stuff was...I must mention the most bizarre thing of all about China - some girls came up to me yesterday asking if they could 'share a photo'. Huh? I quickly realised they wanted a photo of me, and from then on I was aware that everyone would stare at me when I passed, whisper, and want photos. One lady clung to my arm as if I was a towering God, it was so weird and it is really bothering me. Some people just want a chat in English and I feel too polite to turn them away, others like the monks outside temples are a real pain - I see them up ahead making a beeline for me. I can't understand it, it is just so weird. Also, Chinese people are so horrible to each other - they don't hold open doors, they spit (I will come to this more another time!) and they push and shove. I went into a supermarket and it was unbelievable - total CHAOS! It was such a funny sight! I can't get over just how many people there are here - every train, street, shop is packed, even the park, there is no peace anywhere. You really have to see the Chinese population to understand the sheer size of it.
I could ramble all day but I must go and find the train station. My book describes it as 'a constant, seething mass of humanity' - oh help!
Grace xx
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