God, i must have laid on my bed for twenty-odd hours in my feverish dream. And finally we reached our destination.
Guangzhou. A bustling hub of sprawling buildings and urban jungle, among the largest and most populated cities in China. We filtered through the living masses, looking for a nearby hotel. We found a cheap one hidden in an alley that winded off and away from sight, due more to poor planning than any concerns of private serenity. We washed up and left the place in a huff to catch an appointment.
The GZ Metro, reminiscent of the one in Taiwan. We took the train to Chen Ancestral Hall, where a familiar face awaited us. Joy! Literally. She had been on an internship in an industrial park near GZ, and came out on the weekend to meet us.
We had a look at the ancestral hall, built from the donations of scholars and featuring porcelain, jade, sculptures, paintings and antique furniture collections. Times like this, you'd wish you were an antiquarian.
The three of us ate at a nearby restaurant, catching up about our travels and sharing about our experience in China. Can't remember the food though.
We cabbed to Shang Xia Jiu Jie, literally Up Down Ninth Street, a famous shopping district and teenager hangout. We bought a load of cheap clothes (which tended to have color run-offs back home) and snacked on cheap, delicious foods.
Not me, though. The stomachache just grew worse and vomiting fits came often. At times i could barely speak. Luckily Jason hit it off well with Joy, and i was glad enough to look at their sandals to keep following.
Wish my stomach was strong enough for China's street fare. It felt sickening, my stomach churning inside out. I barely remembered anything else. But we said our goodbye to Joy after we (they) had some supper, and headed back to the hotel.
A good night's sleep later...
... and we were off and running again, this time taking a train to Shenzhen. China's first and most successful Special Economic Zone, Shenzhen had a modern, ordered feel to it, more than any other city in China.
We headed straight for its shopping districts, of course! Lao Jie, the Old Streets, and Dong Men Ding, SZ's counterpart to the taiwanese version. They offered fashion-wear priced higher than GZ, so it was mostly window-shopping for us. But the variety made it exciting and tantalizing for us to explore, and we scoured the place for good buys.
After fully satisfied our shopping thrills, we crossed over the border to Hongkong...
Sanitized toilets and clean food, here we come!
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