Day 20, Part 1 – Flight to Guangzhou

April 3, 2015 by Let's CUT the Crap! 50 Comments

Luggage had to be outside our rooms at 10:00 p.m. the night before. The wake-up call jangled at 5:15 a.m. and we rushed to breakfast soon after 5: 30.

Breakfast

• fried eggs (had to wait for hot steamer refill: were rubbery)
• Coffee, watermelon, cantaloupe, bananas
• buns, strawberry jam
• sausage (no knives for sausage or jam)

Breakfast is normally at 6:30 a.m. Who can eat this early in the morning? I suppose the offerings weren’t bad (though limited variety) considering the English eight and the French group (about 30 people) were the only early risers. We had to leave for the airport by 6:20 for an 8:00 a.m. flight. I guess the next breakfast crowd will have our leftovers.

I noticed the landscape changing on the way to the airport: less mountainous or maybe just smaller mountains.

Lily, our guide, has an apartment in Guilin where she lives with her husband and nine-year-old daughter. They must be doing well enough because she mentioned she bought an apartment in town for her parents. Her husband works at the airport, she didn’t specify his job, but confirmed he is not a pilot when someone asked.

Quick Facts

• Nissan: most popular Japanese car in Guilin (light and good on gas)
• Costs less than $20,000 USD
• Insurance per year: $800.00 (imagine that)

The flight was uneventful this time. Upon our arrival at Guangzhou, a new tour guide awaited by the name of Helen. We guessed her age as fifty-something.  She later introduced our bus driver as Mr. Li though he appeared to be in his mid-thirties or so. After landing, the ladies needed the Happy House, but the first two washrooms were full. We continued towards baggage claim and found one which wasn’t busy.

Guangzhou Quick Facts

• Population: 20 million
• Area: 11,000 square kilometers
• Third biggest city in China next to Shanghai and Beijing
• They have no winter
• Three seasons
• Spring all year round
• Also known as flower city / spring city

© 2015 All Rights Reserved Tess @ How the Cookie Crumbles  (Stairway to Five Goats Sculpture)

• Agricultural city and market: fresh fruits, vegetables, chickens etc.
• Restaurants crowded with local people / prefer eating out to cooking
• Many restaurants
• Tea enjoyed three times a day
• Eat two meals a day
• 100-year old lunch restaurant is best restaurant
• Lots of steps because the building here are old
• Busy shopping area
• Have best wood for coffins
• Long ago locals had a poor life / lived and slept on the river in boats
• Main occupation was shipping
• Pearl River is the fifth longest: 2,129 km

Another full-sized bus for us. Of course, I agree, we’re special. Off we drove to Goat Park

© 2015 All Rights Reserved Tess @ How the Cookie Crumbles

The story goes: five goats from heaven brought five types of grain, presented it to the locals, and taught them how to grow them. Grateful, the people built the Five Goats Temple. Read more about it here.

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Next on April 10^th, Guangzhou, Day 1, Part 2

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© 2015 All Rights Reserved Tess @ How the Cookie Crumbles