Guangzhou, Nov 12 - Comments from Jessica MAH (AUS) on her first week in Guangzhou ahead of the 16th Asian Games.

"After being cooped up in the Media Village for two days I finally made it into the city for a look around. Asian Games town is located about an hour south-east of the city and it takes at least two metro changes to get anywhere worth visiting in the CBD.

"The shopping in Gz is indeed plentiful with the district around the Guangzhou railway station taking the cake. There is a "Fashion City" "Accessories City" and an underground wholesale market with at least 22 exits popping up over what must be a 4 block radius. It is an abolute rabbit warren of clothes, designer rip-off, boots (none of which fit my size 40 foot) and everything you could imagine. Needless to say I will be posting home more shopping along with the Games time schwag which I seem to accumulate."

"The media village is great. It's a little bubble in which we can get free beer from vending machines, free daily neck and shoulder massages and even a haircut if we so wish. The beer garden out side my aprtment block is where we all inevitably end up talking until the wee hours and swapping war stories of the day.

"that being said work has not really picked up yet but that will all change after the Opening Ceremony tonight. So far I've checked out gymastics, squash, billiards and basketball and spent the rest of the time traipsing all over town in search of the best shopping. Beijing Road and Chongshou Lu I would rate second and third on the shopping meccas list.

"The Canton Tower and the Safari Park have been the other highlights. The tower only opened at the end of September and will be a big feature of the opening ceremony. At night it is lit up all the colours of the rainbow and looks spectacular. Gz is definitely a city best viewed at night. The Pearl River is dotted with neon boats and bridges. From the top of the tower - level 101 is about 480 something metres high - there is an observation deck and glass floor. Not as good as the CNN tower's glass floor in Toronto but still worth a look.

And the safari park - amazing. Without a doubt the best zoo i've ever been to with an amazing amount of interaction to be had with the animals. you can pat the elephants, the giraffes will eat out of your hand and the pandas are to die for. There are 12 here for the games, 6 of which are less than a year old and were the most active pandas you could imagine - all playing rough and tumble. Got some great video.

There is the crueler side where the locals will taunt the animals and trhough things to get them to move about, and the elephant show was also part gob-smacking part cruel when you think about what kind of training techniques must be in place to make an elephant stand on a barrell and roll it under its feet unicycle style, or walk on a balance beam and do a hand stand on its front legs.

But the tigers were also gorgeous. White tigers and even cubs just days old and still in there incubators.

The other part fo the park is a 'safari' in which you baord a gimmicky train that takes you along a winding path through the open zoo. No fences or cages and the animals are free to roam but mostly stay in there own sections - rhinos, wilderbeest, yaks, giraffe, numerous types of gazelle, antelope etc.

They've been the highlights so far. Must sign off as we've highjacked the tennis court for the afternoon and are about to commence out AGNS tennis tournament!