Shanghai to Guangzhou
Trip Start
Sep 12, 2008
1
14
20
Trip End
Oct 03, 2008
Guangzhou,
Guangdong,
China
Saturday, September 27, 2008
While I'm at the airport, I get a message from Tania that she broke a bone in her foot last night and will be incapacitated and in a wheelchair while I'm there! Did I still want to come? Of course, I wanted to see her, and see what I can of GZ, even she was homebound.
So I flew to Hongkong, then caught a bus to Guangzhou. Why didn't I fly directly? Good question. When I booked everything a year ago, the cost of the direct flight was very high. I was able to get a free flight on points to Hongkong. So that is what I plan was, and got a double entry visa accordingly. But then after that, I found out the flight cost was much cheaper between Shanghai and GZ but then I needed to leave China, in order to work within my visa permit. Anyways, long story short, all was well and it took me a few more hours to get to GZ, but no harm done. And I met two lovely young ladies on the bus who I chatted with, and learned more about life as a Chinese person working in HongKong.
The bus dropped me at the wrong hotel, at the insistence of the staff, but I was in GZ at this time and caught a taxi who spoke to Tania to give him directions. My most important travel tool in China? My cellphone!!!! Don't leave home without it. I have no idea what my cell phone bill will be when I get home.
Tania's apartment is in this huge tower, at the end of a key town square in east part of GZ. I got settled in and we caught up a bit. And yes she is in a wheelchair, as the doctors said she should just stay home for the next month. They thought she was crazy for trying to get crutches instead so that she could go to work. Luckily Tania's apartment is also connected to a very nice shopping mall with some nice restaurants and a drug store.
We ordered some noodles in for dinner and I turned in since I haven't been sleeping well for the last week. Turns out I slept for about 11 hours straight!
