Beauty Exchange Hotel Guangzhou

i knew it would happen, but only four days in and sarah has chinitis, all the smells, tastes and intruguing aspects of CHina have resulted in symptoms including vomiting in front of a chinese family in Qingping markets. we walked through a really really fascinating marketplace full of kittens, puppies, tortoitses, so many fish, salamanders, chip munks, every manner of claw, dried lizards, mushrooms, fungi and bunny ...

We caught a train from HK to Guangzhou on the 4th. Its a very hectic city. Lots of people, bikes, cars and buses. people riding bike on the road with ridiculous things tied to the back. we are staying on an island in the city named shamian. its very pretty, but a true tourist hub. our hostel is lovely. we thought that we were truely livinh the high life until we visited a hotel across the road that ...

Enjoyed our meetings and colleagues. Went to dinner at a typical Guangdong/Canton restaurant. Menu was very creative. Plenty of exotics - baby pigeon, sting ray, fish guts, beetles, snakes, chicken feet. Was a bit naseous, but likely because of jet lag.

... doesn't speak English nor does the lead of the sim-card mafia, but he jumps in the front seat after I negotiate 200 yuan for the ride into the city using the hotel's chinese character address. Guess he just made commission on me. 30 minutes to GZ city center

... As you can imagine I nearly had heart failure worrying! I had visions of him being turned back from China (this might have been a blessing in disguise!) and just when I thought he was gone forever a load of chinese people in white suits from head to toe (think astronaut) appeared from the room he was in......thankfully Ollie appeared a few minutes later looking unharmed but with a white mask clamped to his mouth...hilarious sight!

... the host or the organizer anticipates windy weather, it is always advisable to use tents made of heavy material. Party tents mostly have very fashionable interiors and some luxury tents may also provide air conditioning during summers and heaters during the winter months.

Party tents usually come in two broad categories. One is the pole tent which is essentially a ...

... riding into the area that is now Guangzhou on five rams and carrying sheaves of rice. The celestials bestowed blessings on the land and offered the sheaves to the people of the city as a symbol of prosperity and abundance. After the celestials left, the rams turned into stone, and Guangzhou quickly developed into an affluent and influential city. Due to this legend, Guangzhou has gained ...

... train from HK, but get off at the border and get a train or bus from Shenzen (sp?), missing out Guangzhou entirely, while finding tickets easier to purchase. This has been confirmed since by a few peeps i've met. And every travel forum going. I think the 6Ps theory is especially pertinent here. Proper planning prevents **** poor performance. I've always been a chancer and it's finally caught ...

... than I left Singapore, although it will be a 17.5 hour flight. Figure that one out! Since the end of April last year I have been on the island for a total of 23 days. Although my trip home is still five months away, it hit me like a ton of bricks. It's no much that I only have 5 months left, but I have hardly been home for the past year and I know that it is going to be weird stepping back into that life. I have just passed ...

Saturday

Awoke in the morning to a great view of Hong Kong from my bedroom window. Ate an early breakfast then took a local bus to Kowloon Station. Kowloon is the stepping off point for China and you do all the formalities before boarding the train. Lots of people in the crowded train station and took a while to find the immigration and departure areas. Went through passport control, checked my bags in and hung around for the train to leave. Once the train ...