More on Guangzhou - March 2

We normally do not wake up to sunshine here in Guangzhou. It is usually foggy but it clears up towards the middle of the day or early afternoon. On Sunday, it was nice and warm. I had this craving for dimsum after watching a show last night so Doug and I decided that we would go out on a date after I was done my infusions.

A nurse wrote down the name of the hotel where she said they had good dimsum. We took a cab.
The cabs around here are not airconditioned. There is a railing between the driver and the passengers in the back. Usually, there is a TV screen attached to the back of the passenger seat infront which features commercials. The funny thing about the cab we took is that the driver found it inconvenient to make a u-turn to bring us right to the hotel. So he pointed out the hotel to Doug and dropped us off so that we could cross the highway and walk there ourselves! Hmmm, in the Phils. they drop us off right at the door!

Thankfully, it was not a long walk. We got to the restaurant and they handed us a Chinese menu. We asked if they had an English menu or at least a menu with pictures. No, they had none and the waitress could not speak a word in English. We had about 3 more personnel come to us and they too did not speak English. The only dish they could understand was hakao. We decided just to point at different dishes that people around us had ordered. I would have wanted to go all around the restaurant and look but the waitress kept on telling me to sit down. Oh well...

Whenever a waitress would bring us a dish, we would look at what other things she had on the tray and then order. Let me tell you, I left the place feeling 3 months pregnant but our taste buds were absolutely satisfied! I refuse to eat in Harbor City anymore. I am spoiled for the ordinary! Now I can't wait for another dimsum date!

Last night, Doug took me on the Pearl River Cruise. The Pearl River runs through the central part of Guangzhou.

To get there, we took a bus and rode on the Metro (Subway). I was really quite impressed with their mass transport system --- very much like Canada. Guangzhou is a very clean city. There are garbage bins everywhere. They have small malls --- nothing compared to SM or Ayala (or maybe I just haven't seen them) and they have lots of stand-alone shops all along the streets. There are many patches of green in the city --- little gardens, parks and trees. Residential buildings are often built close to each other, forming little communities with fruit stands, shops, hair salons, etc. close by.

The streets are wide, well paved and busy! Bicycles still abound and you really have to watch out for them! Sometimes they could be going the wrong way on the street which looks like its one way. I also noticed they have some tricyles --- more like the tuktuks in Malaysia. I just don't know their boundaries. Driving is much like the Philippines and honking the horn is acceptable.

We had quickly taken a meal at a Chinese fast food because at least they had pictures of their dishes. We boarded the boat and sat at the top deck. It was a nice leisurely trip, up and down the river. Many of the buildings were lighted up and we passed through 3 or 4 different kinds of bridges. The river itself is lined with trees. There are not too many billboards I noticed. If there are, size-wise, they are nothing compared to those in Manila!

A Chinese staff was probably talking about the different buildings and sites that we had passed but as expected, she only did it in Chinese. I thought: what a shame, it would have been nice to find out what she was talking about. Like most Filipinos, I am usually mistaken for a Chinese. People we encounter look to me and start yakking away in Chinese. I give them a bewildered look and tell them: English only. Actually, Doug knows more Chinese words than I do so this amuses them.

I am glad that I am able to see some of Guangzhou. Now, if I only had enough energy to go shopping...!