Cebu Pacific's ad says “it’s time everyone flies”, I got hooked with the slogan. And so we booked a flight to Guangzhou, China. Ina and I got some really great cheap airfare, so we took the chance. March 14, on our departure date, Ina and I still went to work that morning. Our flight was not until 7:20 that night, we just took the afternoon off and decided to just meet at the airport. I met my parents and Enzo at the airport (they got my luggage) after squeezing my 7 year old son, said goodbye to my parents, Ina arrived. We were on time, tired from work but excited about our first trip to Guangzhou (though I’ve been to Hong Kong before that was work). This trip was pure vacation us! Ina and I jive when it comes to traveling, dining, and music, and I’ve traveled with her a couple of times, I know she’s got a thing for discovering new things, different cultures, eating great foods, trying out new restaurants. I remember we were both whining about work that day, our big,bad,bald,boss has got a habit of giving anyone a hard time when he knows that the person is going to take a vacation. After we checked in, it finally got into us…we were on our way to China! We immediately forgot the drama that went on that morning at work.
The flight was on schedule, as soon as we fasten our seatbelts we talked about our hotel and we forgot to print the hotel address that we booked in mandarin language, we only have the English version. There were some Chinese people on board, one was sitting beside Ina. We politely asked is she could translate it, we gave her paper and pen. She seemed like she was having a hard time translating it, even asked some of her family members traveling with her who were seated few seats away from her. After few minutes, she gave it back to us with her translation in a piece of paper.
The flight was 3 and half hours. We arrived at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport around 11 at night, we were tired and hungry. With the help of English speaking Help Desk at the airport, we showed them the address then we were directed to take the bus no. 1 outside the airport. As our research, the airport taxi was a bit expensive so we took the cheap way, the bus. Inside the bus, we were the only tourist, no foreigners just Chinese. The ride was about 30 minutes. We got off as how we were directed and we took a taxi from there (we figured, we’d be okay with the taxi fare since we were already in the city). We showed the taxi driver the address, he gave us the confused look but he nodded. We went around for a while, the driver was obviously lost, we were lost. He then called on his cellphone (maybe asking another driver about the address). He then explained to us (in sign language) that the address written in Chinese was wrong, the translation was wrong! We thought maybe the girl from the flight had a different Chinese language, I mean they have Cantonese, Mandarin, Wu and Min. But fortunately, the driver was able to find the hotel.
We booked our hostel through hostels.com. All hostels had cheap rates, we tried to book in a decent one but it wouldn’t fit with our schedule. We found V8 Hotel (train station branch). The price was so cheap we couldn’t believe it (about 3,000 something in pesos for 4 nights already). The pictures looked okay so we booked it.
When we arrived, it looked like a normal building outside, when we got inside, the lobby was so empty and dark but we thought, it was almost midnight. Upon checking they mixed up our booking dates, we originally booked for a queen size bed but then it wasn’t available that night, so they gave us two single bed (which was more expensive), but there was a little difference so we were okay with it. When we opened the door to our room, we were surprised. The room was tiny, the place was old, the bathroom was not clean, and more…the kettle for hot water seemed to be like it hasn’t been washed in years! We still have not eaten anything, so we went downstairs and walked around the hotel to look for any convenient store, or fastfood that would still be open at that time. We thought of transferring to another hotel, we saw CNN hotel just beside V8, it looked way nicer than V8.
The next morning, as early as 5:30, Ina and I were already up. We couldn’t wait for coffee and a really good breakfast. We went to CNN hotel and inquire about their rates, the rates were similar to V8, luckily there was an available room for two single beds, we paid for it and decided to transfer our things as soon as we get back from breakfast.
Ina and I were looking forward to our very first Chinese breakfast, dreaming of dimsum and yang chow rice all night. Our location was at the back of bus and train terminal, there were hundreds of people with their luggage and big bags waiting everywhere. We couldn’t find any Chinese restaurant around, except for, get this…KFC. Ina and I looked at each other, we were hungry for caffeine fix, no other choice we went inside. I had coffee, ham and eggs sandwich, Ina had her congee and coffee. It was…lets see…just okay, its food, there’s caffeine.
We checked out from horrible V8 (sorry no photos, I tend to take pictures of beautiful and beautiful things only) and dragged our luggage to the hotel next to it. Our room, located only at the 2nd floor was way better. The bed, the tv, the bathroom…we even have our own water dispenser! How cool is that…tea and coffee maker too.
We head out to explore Guangzhou. A cab took us to one of the cheapest shopping place called Beijing Lu, its at the center of the city. Our morning was spent walking from one store to another, some were cheap, some were not and some were not even wearable in the Philippines…like leather boots (they were pretty cheap!!! But if you buy it and use it in Manila, be ready to suffer from heat stroke). 
By lunch time we found this Chinese restaurant at the corner of the street of course I didn’t understand the name but the food was great! Garlic chicken sauté in red chili and Chinese fried rice…YUMMY!!!
We head out to our first tourist attraction, the Ancestral Home of the Chen Family. The huge compound was constructed in the traditional Chinese symmetrical style. In the hall we saw the folding screen with beautiful wood carvings.
We went around, took pictures of the beautiful ancestral home. The place was old and kinda creepy actually, there was a time when I was walking at the backyard checking out those trees with flowers that looked like cherry blossoms, I imagined what it was like there before, what was the Chen family like? Was there any forbidden lovestory that happened on that backyard, for a moment, I imagine myself wearing a nice cheongsam dress and walking around with a cute chinese guy…interesting image I know. I have an interesting imagination.
After the tour, Ina and I went out and saw CANDY GIRLS!!! They looked so cute with their pink dress and standing in the corner of the street giving away candies!
We got our candies took pictures of the girls and went off to our next destination, the Western Han Dynasty Nanyue King Mausoleum Museum.
The oldest and largest Han tomb with the most funerary objects in Lingnan (South of the Nanling Mountain) Area. The museum was big with 10 exhibition halls inside. The highlight of the place was the tomb of the second king, Zhao Mei of Nanyue State of the Western Han Dynasty. The tomb was made up of huge stones with colorful murals, the king was put inside a silk-jade garment made up of 2,291 pieces of jade. According to them the silk connected to it is the only one of its kind in the world…well jade stones or not…its still creepy! I wasn’t really into tomb and dead kings but I let Ina explore the place while I dream of a long hot bath. I was exhausted and tired...and not to mention my face felt oily already...i need facial wash ASAP.
2nd day
We woke up early the next day, a very cold morning and had breakfast inside our hotel room with instant spicy noodles, coffee and bread. We took a cab to take us to the nearest bank to change our US dollars, it was still closed when we saw a park right beside it. Ina and I went inside and take pictures. We sat in one of the benches and enjoyed some time in the quiet park that looks like a college vicinity.
After the bank we went to Shamian Park, we heard that the place was surrounded by buildings built in European style. The park was nice, trees everywhere, a starbucks on one side, a lot of souvenir shops and two wedding photo shoots....with a very bad fashion wedding look.
Ina and I smelled the addictive aroma of cappuccino, we couldn’t resist it. As we went inside Strabucks, we felt at home with people having coffee, Americans and other tourist enjoying their caffeine. Ina and I reached the counter and was surprised that the coffee was F*ck!n expensive!!! In Manila, a cup of cappuccino would be around P130, the price in Guangzhou was double!!! About P350 when we convert it, Ina and I gave each other the look of WTF???!!!!! The Chinese barista was waiting for us to pay for our coffee, as I reached for some money I was swearing in tagalog.
More shopping happened after, I got my mom a hand paint painting of cherry blossoms, shirts for my friends, a Chinese terno for my son and hand bags for me. Ina and I had this urge of buying a pair of boots for us…something wearable I mean. We went back to Beijing Lu that night and we got ourselves some nice purple boots (yeah we got the same boots…purple shade, but don’t worry we promise to text each other first so we wont be wearing it at the same time).
3rd day
We decided to take a walk from our hotel to our next destination. The Yuexiu Park located in downtown Guangzhou. The park is huge, we went inside early morning, we came out around mid afternoon. It is made up of three artificial lakes and seven hills of Yuexiu Mountain. You can also find the stone sculpture of the Five Rams, Zhenhai Tower, the site of the Ming Dynasty City Wall and Square Cannon Site.
We found this photo opt spot inside, where you can rent Chinese clothes and take your pictures. Ina and I got crazy and got ourselves into some neat costumes!!!
Ina wanted so much to see the the Five-Ram sculpture, I saw it on the website, it was a stone sculpture….nothing more nothing else. Going around the park was hard, because its big, you’ll get lost…honestly we did! Finally after hours of walking around we finally saw the freakin 5 ram!
sex toys for sale...the seller was pretty cool to pose for a picture!
4th day
We went to one of the temples in Guangzhou (I cant remember the name). There were monks outside selling different things to tourist, monks praying, monks sitting with their eyes closed, dirty monks, clean monks, monks cleaning around, monks staring at some blank walls...monks everywhere.
We didn’t do much for our last day, our flight was at that same day (evening flight) after the temple trip we went back to our hotel, packed our stuff and we couldn’t wait to go home. We left around lunch time, took a bus that’s just right outside the hotel and after a 45 minutes drive, we’re already at the airport.
dont worry, this alien is going home in a legal way! by air!
Our flight was not until 10pm that night. It was a long wait at the airport. Ina and I wasted our time, roaming around the airport, eating noodles and Mcdonald’s burger, reading books, listening to our iPod and just chatting.
We finally got back to our beloved Manila late that night. I saw Enzo waiting for me and I saw Ina’s boyfriend waiting for her. The trip was truly fun and its always good to travel with someone you can really get along with, or just sit around comfortably even without talking to each other. Its another travel to remember.
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