The Weekend In Guangzho

We just returned from spending Friday and Saturday nights in Guangzhou (pronouced Gwawng-joe) the capital of the Guangdong province in which Shenzhen is located. To and from we took a 55 minute ride to go about 85 miles on a "bullet" train that reached speeds of about 125 mph. The trains were modern and plush -- and the cost was the equivalent of about $10 each way.

The province of Guangdong holds great significance in China both (1) historically: origins of contact with the outside world that reaches back to the second century AD and origins of revolutionary politics that has guided the direction of China; and (2) culturally: origins of Cantonese and their world-respected cuisine. Guangzhou is a city of about 11 million people.

The weekend was filled with fascinating exposure to the city, its people, food and history. We enjoyed long walks through major city parks which gave us lots of opportunity to see families at play and exercise, and visited one history museum and several historical monuments. Surprisingly, the city traffic was less crazy than Shenzhen -- even Lonely Planet guidebook says that the city enjoys "tougher traffic law enforcement" -- and the city seemed better equipped for English-only speakers with more dual-language signage. The subway/metro was most similar to Shenzhen in that it was modern and beautiful.

We exhausted our bodies -- but envigorated our spirits as there was so much to be interested in and learn about. We had many fun encounters with students collecting money for charity, random Chinese tourists who just wanted to put us in their photos, and locals who wanted to teach us their activity with a ball/paddle. We also enjoyed lots of wonderful food.

Upon returning to Shenzhen, we visited their spectacular concert hall and library -- and had a random encounter with a local resident who saw us sampling food from various street vendors and just wanted to converse in English. We chatted for quite a while -- and exchanged email addresses -- so we can keep up the contact.

It is impossible to adequately explain all the wonderful contacts, food and experiences -- but I've put together these two photo collages that will give you the flavor of our wonderful weekend.