On the KCR East Railway, you can travel between Hong Kong's Hung Hom station and Guangzhou East for HK$190, or roughly US$25. (There is also another train that makes this trip with a stop in Dong Guan, which I was told is quite the shopping center.) Tickets can be purchased at either station, and early arrival is suggested, as gates close 10 minutes prior to departure.
The KCR train has comfortably cushioned seats, food & drink service, restrooms for riders, as well as cell phone SIM cards available for purchase onboard. Overall, it is a quick, scenic and uneventful ride through the P.R.C. countryside. Especially if you're fortunate enough not to sit too close to a Chinese business-man or -woman who will be on his/her cell phone throughout the entire trip.
The train ride takes about 2 hours, departing & arriving with remarkable timeliness. Do note that you will pass through immigration at both ends of your trip.
For more info and/or maps.
Showing posts with label Guangzhou. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guangzhou. Show all posts
Monday, December 11, 2006
Sunday, December 10, 2006
10 Tips for Traveling in China
- Separate & distribute your $ into various pockets.
- Keep your passport locked in the hotel safe.
- Buy bottled water; never drink tap.
- Bring cold, diaherria and indigestion medications.
- Bring an electrical multi-adapter for your electrical gadgets.
- Carry a frameless backpack in anticipation of stowing luggage on trains and buses.
- Practice squatting. Porcelain toilets set into the ground abound on the mainland.
- Buy pocket tissues in bulk; it's BYOTP here.
- Convert to RMB at a bank branch in HK.
Sidenote: Compared to the rising value of RMB today, American currency is past it's heyday. - Register your trip with the Department of State (or the appropriate office in your country) before leaving your home country.
Bonus tip:
- When shopping, always haggle. Start your bargaining at approximately half the price you are quoted, or lower as discretion calls for.
Village Life
We made a trip inland into the Poon Yue region, to the ancestral village of a friend's family in order to visit their family homes. The houses in the village ranged in style, being a strange amalgamation of aesthetics - from decrepit wooden gates and doors, to the nouveau riche, stainless steel balconies.
The facade of one of their houses, labeled "modernized" by our guide, was covered in tiles. We learned that the patterned roofs were distinctly regional. The Town Hall opened with an impressive, enormous wooden door, and housed family trees that listed each generation of males born to those originally from the village. My friend, who had not been born in the country much less the village, was listed thanks to his grandmother's phoning in his birth.
Friends in the village gifted us with homegrown nectarines, which tasted incredibly fresh and were the sweetest I've ever had. The village square, which sprawled like any Main Street, small farmers sold their homegrown crops daily. A restaurant down the road was relatively clean with decent, if unoriginal, offerings; however, the bathrooms...or should I say, outhouses...considered relatively modern by the locals, comprised of small stalls lined up like Porta-Potties, and had tiled floors with holes in the ground to answer all of nature's calls. Needless to say, these required some aim...as well as prescience to BYOTP. Also learned that a local restaurant worker typically makes $700 every month.
The facade of one of their houses, labeled "modernized" by our guide, was covered in tiles. We learned that the patterned roofs were distinctly regional. The Town Hall opened with an impressive, enormous wooden door, and housed family trees that listed each generation of males born to those originally from the village. My friend, who had not been born in the country much less the village, was listed thanks to his grandmother's phoning in his birth.
Friends in the village gifted us with homegrown nectarines, which tasted incredibly fresh and were the sweetest I've ever had. The village square, which sprawled like any Main Street, small farmers sold their homegrown crops daily. A restaurant down the road was relatively clean with decent, if unoriginal, offerings; however, the bathrooms...or should I say, outhouses...considered relatively modern by the locals, comprised of small stalls lined up like Porta-Potties, and had tiled floors with holes in the ground to answer all of nature's calls. Needless to say, these required some aim...as well as prescience to BYOTP. Also learned that a local restaurant worker typically makes $700 every month.
We visited an unexceptional Guangzhou mall, and walked through street bazaars that sold fresh bamboo and coconut drinks, textiles, and household goods.
Saturday, December 9, 2006
Dimsum at Tea Club
When you first step over the entryway's wooden lintel, your eyes take in the indoor pond of koi, the antique vases, and the centuries old tapestries and furnishings. You have entered the Tea Club.
As the hostess leads you up the wooden stairs and along the hallway to a room called "Tranquility," you notice that each of the large faux antique vases are home to small goldfish! Talk about ambiance.
Upon stepping over the wooden lintel into the private dining room, a young waitress inquires about your tea preference, and immediately sits down at a low, wooden antique table to brew a fresh pot. She will then proceed to pour tea for the table while you peruse their extensive menu with very wide eyes...so many choices, so little time!
To name but a few offerings, the Tea Club serves: scallion pancakes; steamed shrimp & pork dumplings (siu mai); beef balls; shrimp dumplings (har gow); spare ribs in black bean sauce (pai gwa); pan-fried turnip cakes (law bok gao); rice rolls (cheung fun); fried bean curd skin rolls; wontons; congee with pork & 1000-year eggs; steamed roast pork buns; steamed egg custard buns; beef tripe; fried spring rolls; sticky rice; mini-egg tarts (dan tat); and deep fried coconut milk. In short, they can prepare quite a spread!
If you have after-breakfast plans, be sure to schedule them for later in the day, because you'll want to save some time to enjoy the food, the service, and the old-world environs of the Tea Club.
As the hostess leads you up the wooden stairs and along the hallway to a room called "Tranquility," you notice that each of the large faux antique vases are home to small goldfish! Talk about ambiance.
Upon stepping over the wooden lintel into the private dining room, a young waitress inquires about your tea preference, and immediately sits down at a low, wooden antique table to brew a fresh pot. She will then proceed to pour tea for the table while you peruse their extensive menu with very wide eyes...so many choices, so little time!
To name but a few offerings, the Tea Club serves: scallion pancakes; steamed shrimp & pork dumplings (siu mai); beef balls; shrimp dumplings (har gow); spare ribs in black bean sauce (pai gwa); pan-fried turnip cakes (law bok gao); rice rolls (cheung fun); fried bean curd skin rolls; wontons; congee with pork & 1000-year eggs; steamed roast pork buns; steamed egg custard buns; beef tripe; fried spring rolls; sticky rice; mini-egg tarts (dan tat); and deep fried coconut milk. In short, they can prepare quite a spread!
If you have after-breakfast plans, be sure to schedule them for later in the day, because you'll want to save some time to enjoy the food, the service, and the old-world environs of the Tea Club.
On the Road in Guangzhou
If you were to judge the safety of the city by its taxis, GZ would never welcome any visitors.
Every taxi driver is fenced into a metal cage. The only contact a passenger can have with his driver are in the spaces between the metal bars that are spaced approximately 5 inches apart each. In NYC, the only contextual equivalent I can imagine is if our taxi drivers were enclosed in a plexi-glass box with only a small slot through which we could hand him cab fare.
In the front of the cabs, where NYC cabs post a sticker warning of the dangers of not wearing a seat belt and/or prohibiting car seats in the passenger seat, a sign is posted bearing the warning that the only passengers allowed in the front seat are women or children. And the passenger seat is reputed to be electrified in case of a robbery. We were not interested in testing that reputation.
A cab ride (or any other car ride for that matter) in GZ is absolutely an exercise in sheer will. It should only be attempted by the truly brave. Aside from traffic lights and crosswalks, no other discernible traffic rules exist. Here, cars drive haphazardly around circles reminiscent of Washington D.C.'s [in]famous circles. Here, cars brake suddenly for pedestrians weaving their way across the a major road with no crosswalks. Traffic merges between two cars are like an old Western duel between cowboys: He who gases first wins the merge.
The roads in a southern suburb of GZ are shared by cars, various farm vehicles, and what at first appears to be charming covered wagons. However, the passenger in a car on these roads will witness countless traffic incidents where a car and a wagon have both lost the war of the traffic merge, and the two vehicles have simply collided. In short, the ride is not suitable for children, pregnant women, and those with heart conditions!
Every taxi driver is fenced into a metal cage. The only contact a passenger can have with his driver are in the spaces between the metal bars that are spaced approximately 5 inches apart each. In NYC, the only contextual equivalent I can imagine is if our taxi drivers were enclosed in a plexi-glass box with only a small slot through which we could hand him cab fare.
In the front of the cabs, where NYC cabs post a sticker warning of the dangers of not wearing a seat belt and/or prohibiting car seats in the passenger seat, a sign is posted bearing the warning that the only passengers allowed in the front seat are women or children. And the passenger seat is reputed to be electrified in case of a robbery. We were not interested in testing that reputation.
A cab ride (or any other car ride for that matter) in GZ is absolutely an exercise in sheer will. It should only be attempted by the truly brave. Aside from traffic lights and crosswalks, no other discernible traffic rules exist. Here, cars drive haphazardly around circles reminiscent of Washington D.C.'s [in]famous circles. Here, cars brake suddenly for pedestrians weaving their way across the a major road with no crosswalks. Traffic merges between two cars are like an old Western duel between cowboys: He who gases first wins the merge.
The roads in a southern suburb of GZ are shared by cars, various farm vehicles, and what at first appears to be charming covered wagons. However, the passenger in a car on these roads will witness countless traffic incidents where a car and a wagon have both lost the war of the traffic merge, and the two vehicles have simply collided. In short, the ride is not suitable for children, pregnant women, and those with heart conditions!
Chime Long Hotel & Resort
Not advertised in English as a resort, but considering its surroundings, Chime Long's the closest thing to it.Meaning "long dragon" in Chinese, this hotel definitely lives up to its name. Chime Long is an extensive jungle-themed property located on Yingbin Road in Panyu, a suburban district south of Guangzhou. It consists of a main hotel, a zoo & safari about 5 minutes from the hotel by free shuttle bus, and a Cirque du Chime Long arena and a theme park that are only a 5-minute walk from the hotel lobby.
The hotel contains two separate two-story atriums housing two white tigers and a beautiful assortment of flamingos, a gym, tennis and squash courts, a large outdoor pool, a sauna, snooker, and a string of amenities on the sub-level, including: an extensive game room, mahjong rooms, and a snack counter. One restaurant offers overpriced, sub-par dimsum before noon, and regular dining through out lunch and dinner, and the other offers a buffet-style dinner with a good selection of grilled meats and fish, made-to-order noodles, tasty desserts in stingy portions, and occasional strolling minstrels. The hotel also has a bar/lounge on the main level that currently features a Filipino singing duo. The game room includes 4 bowling lanes, 3 megatouch games, and an arcade room filled with racing, bobble, and shooting games.
Each room at CL hotel has a balcony, although the smoggy air outside leaves you wondering if you wouldn't be healthier staying inside. Alas, the rooms here are not smoke-free, so you never know if the previous guest in your room chain-smoked till s/he checked out (pun intended). So bring a spare pillow or pillowcase at your own discretion. Still, the touch that makes it a truly 5-star experience is the exemplary service...that's something you'd have to experience for yourself!
CL Zoo was formerly reknown for its Night Zoo, a feature that was inexplicably discontinued as of December 2006. However, for glimpses of giraffes in reconstructed Africa-plains and lions and tigers and bears (oh my!), the safari is a worthwhile stop. For an unbeatable $15 US, the zoo's artful landscaping and animals "exotic" to Westerners is admirable. Also, the zoo features an animals nursery exhibit, including (in December of 2006, at least) a baby hippopotamus, six tiger cubs (including two incubated newborns), and three (two incubated and one not) baby chimpanzees. If you visit the zoo early enough, you can pay to have your picture taken with some of these babies! Otherwise, you can have your picture taken all around the zoo with grown white tigers or camels. And I'd recommend skipping the tiger show if you've already seen one elsewhere - there's nothing novel about it.
For a real treat, pay a visit to Cirque du Chime Long instead. We were impressed by the show called "Forest Code." With the spectacular lighting and water effects, and acts like "Fairy Fly," "Colombian Wheel of Death," and "Kazak Horsemanship," the circus manages to weave a giant tapestry, combining an assortment of unrelated acts into a loose storyline. And if the story seems a bit convoluted, you can always just sit back & enjoy the slew of animals and the amazing acrobatics. Upon a rough comparison, Cirque du Chime Long tickets (approximately $15 US) are infinitely more reasonable than the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey, which charges customers anywhere from $12 to $75.
Interesting sidenote: all of CL's hotel cabs have tiger-striped seat covers.
Friday, December 8, 2006
Busing it to P.R.C.
To start our vacation off frugally, we took the bus to Guangzhou. What a mistake!
We got on Bus #1 in HK, each with a weekend duffel. We simply trekked to the bus depot, bought a ticket for the next bus, quickly used the depot bathroom, and boarded for departure. These buses fill up very quickly, but - and here's where the bus does earn some points for convenience - a bus leaves the depot for China every 15 minutes.
We were warned to keep our baggage within our sight on the bus, so we boarded with them in lieu of the bus' undercarriage storage; but the overhead compartments on the bus were not even tall enough to hold a 10-inch high square duffel, so we had to keep our bags on our laps for the whole ride.
We rode in Bus #1 for roughly 2 hours, then stopped at a station, where we then walked through a "neutral" border, and bought tickets for the second leg of the trip into GZ. Call me paranoid, but carrying my passport when when I'm afraid to lose it or have it stolen was a harrowing experience; it makes you almost twitchy.
After the appropriate nod to Customs, we boarded Bus #2 to GZ - duffles on our laps - for another half an hour before getting to the bus depot in GZ. Getting two taxis to our destination was a hassle for another story. But for those travelling in groups, the most cautious measure we employed during the bus trip was to give all Customs forms to two people to fill out while the rest of our party flanked them. All in all, to keep dragging our luggage around and to be on guard for passport pick-pockets was exhausting.
We got on Bus #1 in HK, each with a weekend duffel. We simply trekked to the bus depot, bought a ticket for the next bus, quickly used the depot bathroom, and boarded for departure. These buses fill up very quickly, but - and here's where the bus does earn some points for convenience - a bus leaves the depot for China every 15 minutes.
We were warned to keep our baggage within our sight on the bus, so we boarded with them in lieu of the bus' undercarriage storage; but the overhead compartments on the bus were not even tall enough to hold a 10-inch high square duffel, so we had to keep our bags on our laps for the whole ride.
We rode in Bus #1 for roughly 2 hours, then stopped at a station, where we then walked through a "neutral" border, and bought tickets for the second leg of the trip into GZ. Call me paranoid, but carrying my passport when when I'm afraid to lose it or have it stolen was a harrowing experience; it makes you almost twitchy.
After the appropriate nod to Customs, we boarded Bus #2 to GZ - duffles on our laps - for another half an hour before getting to the bus depot in GZ. Getting two taxis to our destination was a hassle for another story. But for those travelling in groups, the most cautious measure we employed during the bus trip was to give all Customs forms to two people to fill out while the rest of our party flanked them. All in all, to keep dragging our luggage around and to be on guard for passport pick-pockets was exhausting.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)