Destaques do amistoso de ontem na primeira excursão do CHELSEA à China em sua história:

- O ótimo 1º tempo do lateral esquerdo ASHLEY COLE;

- Para a garra, qualidade técnica e posicionamento do menino argentino DISANTO no ataque;

- E para o golaço de LAMPARD.

I rode down after the gym and headed in to the building I go which has two stories of tiny stores. I didn’t venture far, finding some cool stuff at yingxu optical, where, fortunately, Lina, one of the clerks, spoke great English. The store is a closet, but a nicely designed walk-in closet, where their thousand or so frames are all neatly and nicely arrayed. They had these super cool faux-wood frames, which were why I stopped, but they were only wide enough for rodents, not for pumpkin headed people like me.

But I found a great pair of aluminium frames that swoop to match my eyebrows, and got a pair of nice plastic frames for sunglasses. I blew my budget though, doubling it to RMB 850, but the frames are better quality than the last ones. And it’s still below half of what I would spend in Canada. Lina told me that I would have to wait a while, but could I come back at 3pm? It was 1pm. I had my camera, and there’s plenty of stuff to see, so I said sure. She called in about ten minutes to say it would be five, but still, two pairs of glasses in four hours? I am not complaining.

So I got on my bike and rode away. Between then and picking up my glasses—which were ready bang on time—I saw the usual variety of usually unusual things you see in Guangzhou, including a group of people swimming in the Pearl.

After getting my spanky new frames another of the usual variety of things: sudden thunderstorms and pelting rain; people running; people waiting; people scrunching up under umbrellas; clear skies; workers resting on rubble in front of buildings adorned with glorious socialist realist friezes.

>

Another great day in the Lair.

Golaço de Frank Lampard em amistoso contra o Guangzhou, da China, na estréia de Felipão no comando do Chelsea.

O Chelsea faz uma pré-temporada na Ásia, e começou muito bem, 4x0 encima do Guangzhou Pharmaceutical, da China. Kalou, Lampard, Wright-Phillips e Di Santo marcaram para os Blues. No site do Chelsea, em uma notícia antes do jogo de hoje, na segunda, Felipão disse que o lado que ele escolhe, vai ganhar, que é importante o Chelsea ganhar todos os jogos, amistosos ou não. Haaa, cascudooo!

E seu espírito já contaminou os jogadores, que como Kalou disse, vai dar o melhor de si. É isso aí! Como eu já havia dito quando soube da contratação do Big Phil pelo clube, com ele, o Chelsea vai ganhar tudo.

Ainda antes da estréia do clube no campeonato inglês, o Chelsea tem um quadrangular em Moscou contra Lokomotiv, Milan e Sevilla. Deve ser algo no estilo do Torneio Dubai disputado pelo Inter no início do ano.

Por Kaka'

Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street (上下九商业步行街 shàng-xià-jiǔ) This shopping area is also a showcase of traditional Cantonese architecture. It is particularly pretty at night when it's lit up. Prices here are generally lower than Beijing Lu's, but prepare to bargain a fair bit. Remember to visit Liwan Plaza (荔湾广场 lì-wān-guǎng-chǎng), located at 9 Dexing Lu (德星路9号), the east end of the street. You will find a good selection of crystal here. [Metro 1 Chang Shou Lu - Exits D1, D2]

Info from wiki travel. Well, here's what i've got.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="ShangXiaJiu Lu"]

[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Old Appartments"]

[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Food !!!"]

[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Shuang Pi Nai"]

[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Century Egg Porridge"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Meat Porridge"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Lucky Number"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Our Feast"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Gary's Chang Fen"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Xia Jiu Lu = Tons of people"]

[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Food Street"]

[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Random shots"]

[/caption]

I checked out Google’s maps. Google’s satellite photos are clearer and probably only a year or so old. They have that sheen of newness, of drying ink. The new bridge is partially there, as is the base of the new CCTV tower. It also shows just how much of Guangzhou remains farmland and jungle. It’s one of the great things of this city. Modern developments built around a jungle in the middle, ever threatening. Nice linear roads are matched with twisting paths in the centre. The wilds are great places to go. It’s easy to forget that when you live and work hundred of feet up and you can’t see the trees for the forest of concrete.

That’s an indication of just how quickly things grow here. An article in Vanity Fair just pointed out, that in the time since the Twin Towers memorial site was announced, nothing has really happened. But in Beijing, the Olympic buildings, Rem Koolhaas’s CCTV ‘pants’ building are either complete or nearly there. Same in Shanghai. And here, in the Lair, we have the new opera house, an art museum, and a few towers in Guangzhou, that have been built or are nearly finished.

Comparing the maps is one way to see the rapidity of change. Bridges and buildings appear. Neighbourhoods and land disappear. But mapping out the photos shows changes just on the Google Map. On one, from the June 21 ride, I ended up at a large open field of rubble. A guy was filling a bucket from some water pipe which poked up through the debris. A typical Chinese gate arched over a road through another zone of remnants. Looking at this on the Google satellite picture, I can see the gate, but the fields are still traditional Chinese high-density housing: ramshackle buildings packed cheek-by-jowl.

I am annoyed by Google for one small thing, though. The street map (in Chinese) and the satellite map don’t register correctly. I like to map out my routes on the satellite map, but when I switch to the street map, it seems like I rode though buildings or over the surface of water. Nice, but I am neither ghost nor messiah, even if I do preach the bliss of biking.

Here's the yahoo map

And the Google one

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=117481085861112897991.000452868cc989487a92c&ll=23.11818,113.309276&spn=0.009946,0.029998&output=embed&s=AARTsJocol0N6s-95UCzlRmtysAbEjDhpg&w=425&h=350]

With the Google map, switch between the map and the satellite to see the registration problem.

That's the sunset along the Pearl River, one of the most polluted waterways in China. Guangzhou can still be beautiful despite all of its faults. Just gotta know where to look. Before I hop on a plane bound for Beijing, I want to share a few more nuggets about Guangzhou.

-- My favorite neighborhood in Guangzhou is Shamien Island, the former concession area for France and England. Perhaps it's because of my American upbringing as an imperialist. The island is an oasis from the hustle and bustle of the city, the trees providing much-needed shade and respite from the heat. You also have less chance to get run over by a car, since traffic on the island is restricted. And it's an ideal place to people watch, especially near the White Swan hotel. The hotel is a base for Western parents adopting Chinese babies. On the first day I was there, a Western family was pushing its newest member in a stroller. One of the older kids of the family had a T-shirt that read "哥哥 -- ge ge" for older brother. The families piqued my interest but locals don't bat an eye any more.

-- Although the Olympics are only a few weeks away, I think I've seen just as many banners and ads for the Asian Games, which Guangzhou will host in 2010. The city is feverishly constructing new buildings and subway lines and renovating roads. It adds a little more chaos to an already chaotic city. Interestingly, people who live in Guangzhou think it's a slower pace of life than other cities in China, like Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

-- The Pearl River is allegedly cleaner than it was a couple years ago. It still looks filthy, but they are trying. A couple boats cruising the river picking up trash:

-- To be young and rich is glorious in China. Everything is at your fingertips and there are very few rules and restrictions -- as long as you stay out of the political arena. Some bars don't close until the last patron leaves, nightclubs blast beats until dawn and booze flows freely from karaoke bar to karaoke bar. And this is Guangzhou, I'm not even in Beijing or Shanghai yet. If you want to party -- and have the cash to do so -- China is the place to be.

-- Interesting anecdote about Tibet. One of my cousins who lives in Guangzhou is going there for a few days of R&R. It's a popular place for Chinese to go for some respite from their jobs, family and responsibilities. My cousins suggested I take a side trip there, saying it's easy to get there. I told them it's not so straightfoward for foreigners, especially Americans with a journalist visa, to get to Tibet. The news shocked them.

-- Although the costs of living are rising, China is still relatively cheap, especially meals. You can get a healthy bowl of noodles and veggies for a couple bucks. My relatives treated me to a meal at a restaurant; there were about 10 of us and we all ate for about $5 per person. One irony: McDonald's is one of the more expensive meals you can have in Guangzhou.

-- Lastly, I know I said in an earlier post that I would be using my Canon SLR more. I lied. I've decided to shed as much weight as possible when I walk around the city. The heat and humidity make it nearly unbearable to lug around a big backpack. I think my point-and-shoot (which I had to buy in Hong Kong after dropping mine on the ground) is working OK, for now. I'm just making excuses for why my pictures are sub-par ... it can't be the photographer's fault, of course.

That's all for now. I've got to catch the airport express to Guangzhou Baiyun Airpot. I'll check in once I reach Beijing. 再见.

I made it down one road that leads to the new Hyatt. Wonder howbusiness is given that it’s smack dab in the middle of holes and skeletons. It’s beautiful and I hope it has the same high tea that the Cha Lounge in the Hyatt in Taipei has. I’ll have to find out someday. Trucks and their drivers waited around on the street. Some workers were busy digging in the road. I took some shots around the trucks.

The drivers were entertained by the Mamiya, which I finally got out and working.  There was one moment when I turned and saw a driver sitting in his cab, one leg dangling down, just staring at me. Against the red exterior of the truck, and the black interior it was an excellent pose and one for the memory of photos seen and not taken. I moved on a little.

I found a hole in a fence around a field of nothing, and a lock that had a nice “made in China” on it. Workers were walking through the field and out of the door. It's these small things that I like to notice and give me some sort of thrill, like finding the quarter in a cake with money when I was a kid.

I packed up and rode away, managing to make it another 50 metres. I had about 2km to ride until I reached my planned starting spot. I would never make it. Another hole. This one in a cement wall, one of the pieces at the bottom making a handy stair. Behind it was a man-made hill, covered in thick grass. I had seen this hill from the office and had been curious.  Again, people were coming down a path which ran along the hill.

I snapped some shots with the RB, packed up, and headed in. The path simply led to the road on the other side, but it provided a fantastic view. A group of workers in the site below called out and waved. From where I was to the river, hundreds of metres away, there were only holes, foundations, cranes and machines.

I worked around there for a while then climbed to the top. It was surprising. Fat, it was carpeted in lovely grass and afforded me an amazing view as I walked around. An old tree pointed up out of the ground, echoing the bamboo from earlier, and the buildings around it.

It was amazingly quiet and peaceful, as if all the noise just lay beneath me, though I was but 50 or 60 metres up. But up here I could find the perspective I wanted—people tiny in the vastness, making their ways, conforming the spaces to their needs.

I then shot a nice but banal image of a flower before the stick. If you look along the grass to the left of the flower, you might see the RB in the blurry background. I knew that it was a trite image when I was making it, but oh well.

But that was that. It was after twelve and I needed to get going. I had spent close to 3.5 hours going but a few blocks.

I wasn’t frustrated but excited, but I wanted to head down to the camera area and get some more 120 film, oh, and see if I could find a nice Mamiya 6 rangefinder. I like the square format and read that the 6 is a fantastic camera. I decided to find a new way there. There’s an annoying military area along the river, meaning I couldn’t pass directly through, so I rode around the outside. I ended up finding this old area with fantastic post-colonial houses. Narrow, tree-canopied streets lined with brick and plaster buildings, taking me back a century from where I was, where some shiny future is being erected.

The hole in the plaster fence and its beckoning trail made me think of Alice in Wonderland. I felt like her, passing through into some strange realm, suspended between things. It was a place seemingly out of time. A place to watch time marching past, measured out in levels and layers of green fabric, measured out in the constant turning of the cranes. Then the trip into the past on the other side of the rabbit hole, where the pace is slow, but where some lies fenced up, waiting its chance to move forward in time.

Here's a Google map of today's veleur.
[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=117481085861112897991.000452868cc989487a92c&t=h&ll=23.121516,113.306776&spn=0.011643,0.025213&output=embed&s=AARTsJocol0N6s-95UCzlRmtysAbEjDhpg&w=425&h=350]

"Hi mom, how are you?"

"Have you stayed away from the Chinese girls!!??"

I also received this earnest email from a cousin in Hong Kong today:

One thing I forgot to remind you about is to really becareful on those look beautiful and may seem reliable local Chinese ladies...... Just a word of wisdom.... just don't hook up on one... because the consequence could be a heavy suffer and pain

Apparently, they believe I'll be tricked into a relationship by some dragon lady, some demon with irresistible looks eager to make innocent and virtuous 'ol me her next victim. Or I'll be drugged, dragged into a shanty, forced to have sex with a village girl and blackmailed into marriage. Who knows what ugly and bizarre scenarios my mom or grandmother or cousins are conjuring.

But don't worry, dear family members. I've been avoiding Chinese girls like Shaun Alexander avoids contact. Like a sorority girl on the walk of shame avoiding eye contact. Like an alcoholic avoiding last call. Like a cowboy avoiding Brokeback Mountain at Blockbuster. Like ... you get the point. After two weeks in China I haven't been drugged, duped, blackmailed, raped or sodomized. And I really don't plan to be.

That's Beijing Lu, a shopping promenade in Guangzhou. It's just like the Promenade in Santa Monica but with more flavor -- and knockoffs. You can slip into a building that's filled with tiny stalls selling shirts for a couple dollars or watches for 10 bucks; it's easy to get lost in the labyrinth. If only I was in the market for a fake Louis Vuitton handbag.

After three days of touring and crisscrossing the city with my cousins, resulting in a blister on my foot, I decided to spend a leisurely day by myself. I was able to find space at one of the many local Starbucks to read (Peter Hessler's River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze), study my Mandarin flash cards and reflect on my time in Hong Kong and Guangzhou.

It's been illuminating to be in Guangzhou following a week in Hong Kong. My aunt's family has been wonderful, opening up their hearts and homes to me. My cousins spent three days as my tour guides, shepherding me to nearly every sight in Guangzhou and insisting on paying for everything. And one of my aunt's daughters invited me into her home for a home-cooked meal. I've been touched by their kindness and warmth.

If there's one thing I take away from my trip, it's that family is as important as ever. And that bonds last despite distance, sorrow, misery, even death. My only wish is that I had met my aunt and her family sooner.

Walking around Guangzhou, it's easy to notice the differences with Hong Kong. I felt it the moment I stepped out of the train station. The heat, the smells, the grime, the dust, the noise -- it was all turned up a few notches. It's rougher around the edges, more unkempt, with a wild streak. I can only imagine what Shenzen, or one of the metropolises in central China, is like.

The energy of the city and its residents is palpable, it pulsates from the swoosh of the newly built subway, the sparkling neon lights advertising beer or whitening creams, the nightclubs that are open all night and morning, the cheesy but well-intentioned "light show" along the Pearl River, the cacophony of noise amid the plume of smoke in a dim sum restaurant, the crush of people jostling for position on the street and in life. I'm enjoying ever minute of it.

I took this video of a crosswalk in Guangzhou, south of the Pearl River, which is considered to be less civil than the neighborhoods north of the river. The light is red and the crossing signal is green -- but no matter.

[flickr video=http://flickr.com/photos/21735581@N00/2679509953/]

I think the video conveys the pace and energy of the city, which I'm growing to love. Guangzhou is preparing for its own coming out party, as it hurriedly prepares for the Asian Games in 2010. Don't you change on me, Guangzhou.

But my time in Guangdong province is coming to an end. I'll be heading to Beijing on Tuesday, eager to stay up for two weeks straight and pump out thousands of words a day. I'll have a couple weeks to explore the city before the Olympics start, so I hope to keep updating my Flickr feed and blog.

It's a little ironic, but being in Guangzhou is the calm before the storm.

Parks in China, especially large ones like Yuexiu, serve as community and senior centers, a gathering place for retirees and friends. It costs money (5 RMB) to enter but most people just buy a monthly pass (one update: seniors get in free).

I went there the other morning and witnessed Guangzhou's dance, dance, revolution. I passed by three different groups of women doing aerobic exercises. The classes are free, led by an instructor, and a woman will hook up with a group once she decides she likes the group and the instructor. I imagine it's a bit like joining a sorority. I took a video of each class, but this one is my favorite. I love the guy clapping his hands who walks by.

The sights were definitely worth the price of admission.

What brought this on is that when Richard and I were returning from lunch, there was a scuffle on th e road. Some motorist was kicking at a parking officer who, I guess, was trying to put a ticket on the car. I wasn’t quite quick enough with my camera, but the event dragged on as various people got involved and a crowd formed.

The driver, who was yelling and pulling and people and not liking me taking pictures one bit.

A drunken guy holding a foaming bottle of Miller was stumbling about. Turns out he was the driver’s father. He was harmless and bumbling. The clown in this circus.

Some pudgy woman in pink was yelling. The mother.

A woman who pulled 100 yuan out to bribe the officer. The wife. (the officer didn’t take it)

Some guy who proceeded to kick at the car (who knows?)

The driver drove away eventually; his car a few dings worse for wear. Everyone went about his way. No police arrived, and who knows what’s going to happen.

That said, I still feel physically safe here, and have never felt threatened. I may get cheated by cabbies, but it’s one or two yuan and not worth a fifteen minute argument.

I am still working out how it all hangs together, because I don’t know. But it works in its own fashion.

Of course, in my upper-middle class cocoon, where everything was provided for and more, I dismissed his tales of woe with a roll of the eyes. Sure, sure dad. Whatever. Now let me get back to my GI Joes. How much poverty could my father have really suffered? We were living in an affluent neighborhood, an island that was figuratively and literally shielded from other people's suffering, misfortune and pain. I figured his stories were tall tales, half truths intended to scare his children into studying more and finishing their homework.

I was wrong.

My father, who was originally born in Wuhan and living there, moved in with his eldest sister and her family in Guangzhou when their mother, my grandmother, committed suicide (another story for another time), leaving him an orphan at age 9 or so.

My aunt and her family lived in a former mansion that used to be the home of a privileged family. Around the time of the Communist takeover, the three-story building had been subdivided, converted into a quasi-apartment building. But conditions were -- and still are -- hellish. Several families lived in the building, but everyone had to share one bathroom, one shower, one kitchen.

I walked into the building and was shocked at the conditions. It was dark, dank, dismal. The air was stale, putrid. Perhaps that's why residents were burning incense at the front door and in the main entryway, it was a way to honor the gods and mask the smells

My father lived in the "mansion" until he left for Hong Kong when he was 20. Every night, I'm told, he would stay up until 11 p.m., studying. Eleven p.m. might not sound late, but most people went to bed by 9 p.m. back then. Why? There was no electricity. He studied by candlelight. I can understand his reasoning: he wanted to get the hell out of there.

My aunt lived there for nearly five decades, moving out only six years ago. Her children and some of her grandchildren also called it home. My cousin made an interesting point when we were touring the dilapidated building: Back then it didn't seem poor or pitiful because nearly everyone lived in similar conditions. Ignorance, as they say, is bliss.

People are still living there, still sharing one bathroom, one shower, one kitchen. Rent is about $50 bucks a month, $600 a year.

There was some one sleeping on the main floor when I visited during midday:

The shared kitchen:

None of the other pictures turned out well; it was pitch black in there because each family had curtained off their own section, blocking the sunlight.

As my cousin and I left, I tried to lessen the impact as much as I could. He had spent a couple years of his childhood there, after all. I told him it was "pretty sad." He was quick to correct me.

"It's not just pretty sad," he said. "It's utterly pathetic."

Der Abend fand in einem angesagten japanischen Restaurant in Guangzhou statt, im Da Yu (übersetzt "Grosser Fisch"). Das besondere ist, dass man an einem Tisch sitzt mit einer Kochplatte, wobei ein Koch das Essen direkt am Tisch zubereitet. Das Lokal war dann auch ziemlich voll, es war heiss, stickig und laut - aber bei dem Essen auch nicht verwunderlich.

Es gab wiedermal einiges an Seafood, Sashimi, Suschi, Muscheln (mit viel Knoblauch), Shrimps.. , aber auch Rindsfleisch und Pilze gab's zwischendurch mal. Selbst Sushi mit Kaviar wurde aufgetischt. Dazu noch Bier und Sake (das Glas war selten halbleer da immer wieder aufgefüllt).

Nach dem Essen, oder vielleicht eher Gelage, ging's dann in einen schicken, teuren Club - dem Tang Club. Beim Bier ist man mit 60 Yuan, 10 Franken, mit dabei, die Drinks hab ich mir erst gar nicht angeschaut. Aber wie das so ist.. irgendwann standen Long Island Ice Teas auf dem Tisch..

Publikum war gemischt chinesisch und westlich, naja eigentlich vor allem Osteuropäer waren da (Russen..). Von den Frauen waren wohl über die Hälfte Prostituierte :-s Der Abend war aber trotzdem ganz amüsant.. Ach und wo sonst bekommt man eine Rückenmassage, während man am Pissoir steht :D

Dafür war dann das Aufstehen am nächsten Morgen etwas anstrengend :)

Weeks earlier I had spotted a derelict amusement park in the middle of a jungle in the middle of Guangzhou. It was a perfect destination for my first veleur. I brought my RB67 along with the Canon. The Mamiya, in a little backpack, fit nicely on the rack, while the Canon nestled into the basket, along with the tripod, and a big bottle of water.

I decided to bike East then south, crossing the river on a big bridge next to a small port. The ride was fine as it usually is in GZ, with bike lanes or wide sidewalks making things easier. I made it all the way to the bridge before I found something.

I knew that before crossing I would pass yet another derelict, half-constructed building, of which there are many here. Abandoned dreams or sink-hole con jobs, I have no idea what they are, but they are gnomons of sunnier plans. As I rode up I saw a nice white staircase and ramp which kept its shininess but had the patina of neglect and mislaid plans that can be attractive.

Then I saw the row of tired brick building below. I went down the stair, took a quick look around at the children playing amidst rubble and rows of garage doors, then went back up for my bike and the RB. I switched to my wide angle lens for the Canon and took a few shots, trying to get the family into the left of the frame (I feel sneaky at these times, but I know that pointing my camera directly at the people would be a problem). I didn’t really get anything great so I turned.

Along one wall was a sheet of beautiful blue glass, resting against the weathered brick, a trail of fragments leading to it. I set up the RB. As I had found out the previous day when I took some crowd shots in front of a popular computer mall, the tank-like RB gets people curious. Sure enough, a young guy wandered out of one of the businesses and came over. I just let him look through the frame and smiled a lot. We talked a bit and I snapped off a bunch of photos of the window, excited that it reflected the unfinished building.

The rest of the area had piles of rubble and bric a brac fighting with plants.

I left and made it about ten metres toward the derelict when I noticed the old underpass, a grass infested and garbage covered road leading down to it. I wandered down and found a small enclave of old brick houses. The other side of the underpass was more passable, and cars, trucks, and bikes slowly climbed into and out of this little secret mystery. A few taxis and a truck were on the road, and I could see some guys playing cards around a table in the cool darkness of the tunnel. Another of GZ endless number of sloughs passed between road and houses.

I saw something through the trees between a wall and the dark water. I poked my head in and found scattered torsos, limbs, and hands from old mannequins. They reminded me of the buildings. Models tossed by the wayside. I brought out the RB67, which was loaded with Ilford B&W, for some hand held shots. Crouching in the underbrush wasn’t the easiest thing, but we’ll see how things turned out. I also fired off a few other hand held shots with the beast. It’s getting a little easier to use, but I have a problem with the interlock when I turn the back: it has a habit of not firing. I’ll get used to it and figure something out, but it’s annoying.

I rode on, getting a few shots of the building’s levitating staircase, and making it almost onto the bridge before pulling both cameras out for shots of the bridge and a smokestack. Then a little further, when I saw the pool of green water and what is probably an old loading dock area standing next to modern apartment buildings with a playground and soccer field. I loved the contrast and tried to get some shots. The Canon’s screen, though, is a bitch to use in the light.

The Pearl is an impressive and wide expanse of dusty brown. It took a few minutes to ride over. I never made it further south, though, as the underside of other side of the bridge, captivated me and I stayed. I like bridges, and I like the places beneath them, where unnoticed lives go on. It might be the “Billy Goats Gruff” living on in my memory.

Here they try to make the areas attractive, planting fields of lilies which are lovely when in bloom. I found a balled-up red sign, an advertisement for workers, and it made a nice image. I made some other shots and packed up to move on.

I was moving my bike out when the sunlight shone through the slatted cement area between the lanes overhead and lit up the ground. I couldn’t leave. I unpacked and waited. The RB malfunctioned some more because of the interlock and I had to wait. And wait. The sun arrived finally, I got what I wanted, and I left.

I rode along the river, down the wide path the city built on either side. In most cities, this place would be packed with people: people biking and rollerblading; people jogging and walking their dogs. Here, there was almost no-one. It’s sad because it is beautiful and lonely.

The storm clouds began to collect and move in. Typical for a Sunday afternoon here. I get together with friends for some Ultimate Frisbee at 2, and the last few weeks have been wonderful except starting at about 1pm on Sundays, when the storms decide to return. There was a great shelter in front of the immense trade fair centre (it was huge and with recent construction it’s monstrous). A group of performers in costume for some reason, a family of four children and their mother, and a bike mounted fisherman waited underneath the glass canopy.

It poured for a while. I took more pictures and read a bit of a detective novel set in Shanghai that Richard had lent me. I left when the rain became a drizzle. I passed the fisherman who had left before me, then another who had a line of six poles propped up. I stopped under the next bridge because I spotted a small triangle of red fabric caught and hanging. Some more fisherman were underneath along with one of the ubiquitous uniformed guards who are everywhere.

Like most people though when I am out on my bike, the guard was friendly and eager to talk to me. A foreigner on a bike is a rare site, particularly down in those areas—the highest peaks in Tibet no doubt see more white people than the bridge bellies of Guangzhou. We stumbled through a conversations, joined in by the others underneath. I still don’t have the courage to ask people if I can take their pictures, so I rode away.

I was exhausted at this point. I had been out and riding for nearly six hours and hadn’t eaten. The riding takes energy, but so does the picture taking. It takes an effort to look and to see, and I was losing that awareness. I pedalled about, finding an amazing swamp and jungle in the middle of the city. Vines and plants climbing over old buildings.

A pair of shoes tightly wrapped up in a plastic bag lay on the vines that covered the ground. Discarded clothes disturb me a bit. These weren't so threatening. They seemed forgotten.

I found a huge and wonderful park in which noone flew a kite, or walked, or played, or had a picnic. I rode down vast roads that had no cars. I saw red mudflats, watched over by three men and a bulldozer that had a great poster in front of it. I turned down cigarettes offered by these workers who always asked where I was from and where I lived and what I was doing.

I said that Guangzhou is a strange city.

It is. It is the weirdest place I have ever been and certainly ever lived. It is confusing in so many ways. It is a wonder in other ways. It made me really happy. It was a perfect veleur.

Maybe next time I’ll make it to the amusement park. But I have to return to the abandoned buildings in the jungle and swamp next to the Zhuzhiang brewery and the park. I haven’t even begun and I am further behind.

Here's a map of today's veleur
[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=117481085861112897991.000452866f65d2dd36f66&ll=23.123943,113.341656&spn=0.037219,0.032014&t=h&output=embed&s=AARTsJoL2U90iJ2TnSatnvqhvrwOeCfvFg&w=425&h=350]

But as I sit here in my hotel room, which looks across to the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, I'm still digesting my week in Hong Kong. Here are some quick thoughts from the past week:

-- Hong Kongers viewed me with a sense of amusement, curiosity, exasperation or pity, depending on the person and situation. People instantly recognized by my accent that I wasn't a native speaker. At the bar, when I ordered wrong (I would say one thing of beer, instead of one bottle), it was cute and funny. It was most likely the booze, but people were complimenting me on my Cantonese. At the local 7-11, when I would struggle with my vocabulary, I was wasting the sales-woman's time and testing her patience.

-- I will never understand fashion, just ask any of my friends or look at my wardrobe. But fashion in Hong Kong is bewildering, especially the clothes worn by young hipsters. They've taken it to another level. They're still wearing trucker hats, which became passé in the U.S. years ago (am I right?). And they wear T-shirts that mimic American slogans and culture but are nonsensical or are a little off. Like the "Nevada vs. Oregon" or "We Are The Champion" shirts I saw in one store. And don't get be started on the ubiquity of Louis Vuitton bags, on women and men.

-- I think there are more Starbucks per city block in Hong Kong than Seattle. There's even one at the shopping village of the Tian Tan Buddha statue, which is out in Lantau. But I don't think Sonics scourge Howard Shultz has to worry about closing any down, they're packed every time I walk past one.

-- Hong Kong is one clean city, cleaner than New York. It looks like they've taken extra steps to make the city nearly spotless after the SARS scare and the bird flu.

-- There's a trap that I think some expats and people who are traveling can fall into. It's easy to feel a sense of arrogance and elitism when you're in a foreign city, even if its a minute degree or not overt (though some times it is). I only say this because I'm not immune to these feelings. I've had to check myself several times: when I was enjoying the nightlife in Hong Kong, when I was walking around Macau, when I decided to catch the earlier ferry back to HK even though it was $100 HK more (all the coach seats were booked). If any elitism or conceit comes through this blog, please call me out on it and hit me in the head.

-- I've been using my Canon point-and-shoot camera over my Canon 20D SLR. The main reason was the humidity, which fogged up my lens every time I pulled it out of my bag. It's also been much easier to carry the smaller camera. But I think the quality of pictures have suffered. So I'll be lugging around my SLR the next few days. Let me know what you think

That's all for now. It's midnight here in Guangzhou, but here was the view from my room this afternoon, looking out toward the city and the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.

According to the Customs, it is the international iron ore talk and rocketing freight rate that combine to cause the increases in import volume and prices of iron ore in Guangdong province in the first half of 2008.

Baosteel's first acceptance of 65% iron ore price rise earlier this year with Vale and then the settlement with Australian miners of 96.5 hike on lump lead to worldwide upsurge of this resource. Meanwhile, freight rate from Brazil to Tianjin port surges to current USD 80 per tonne from USD 20 per tonne in 2006, and the case is true with ports in Guangdong province. The rise in freight rate directly triggers cost increase of imported resource.

Guangzhou war dann erst ein richtiger Schock. Nur schon die Fahrt mit dem Bus in die Stadt: grosse Autostrassen (4 Spuren in jede Richtung, teilweise 3 Strassen übereinander) die voll mit Autos waren. Nicht etwa Motorräder, das sieht man kaum. Nein, Autos. Und nicht irgendwelche alten Autos, sondern neue, schöne Wagen. Mercedes, Nissan, Toyota.. ist hier alles zu finden. Natürlich auch diverse chinesischen Marken, die aber, wenigstens im Design, den Europäischen in nichts nachstehen.

In der Stadt hat es dann auch sehr viele nicht gerade billige Geschäfte. Die grossen Uhrenmarken sind natürlich vertreten:

Rolex-Werbung ist sogar im chinesischen TV vertreten. Starbucks, McDo, KFC.. und nicht etwa nur Ausländer sind da zu finden. Es wird fleissig gebaut in der Stadt und die Hochhäuser schiessen aus dem Boden.

Aber natürlich gibt es noch die andere Seite, die hinter den Hochhäusern. Da schaut's wieder ganz anders aus, nicht so neu, fancy und international, sondern, naja ich würd mal sagen, chinesisch.

Mit den Leuten verhält es sich wie in der Schweiz, wenn man vom Land in die Stadt geht. Gemächliches Leben auf dem Land im Gegensatz zum doch ziemlich geschäftigen Eindruck in der Stadt.

Interessanterweise sind in einem Stadtteil von Guangzhou viele Schwarze zu finden. Hätte ich zugegeben nicht unbedingt erwartet. Vor allem fragte ich mich, was die alle hier machen.. Die Frage wurde dann teilweise beantwortet, als ich später von einem Schwarzen gefragt wurde "Do you need any stuff?" :) Also ob ich Drogen brauche..

Da ich gehört hab, dass es nun Saison für grüne Orangen ist, hab ich irgendeinen Markt aufgesucht, bei dem ich vorbeilief. Das war dann quasi eine niedrige Halle, in der alles mögliche an frischen Lebensmitteln zu finden war: Fisch, Fleisch, Gemüse, Früchte...

Der Geruch war ganz interessant, lässt sich kaum beschreiben. Ein einziges Gemisch aus allen möglichen Gerüchen, zudem ziemlich stickig. War dann doch froh, wieder rausgehen zu können. Natürlich mit den grünen Orangen :)

Nach einiger Zeit in der Stadt ging ich in den Yuexiu-Park mitten in der Stadt. Quasi ein grünes Ausflugsziel für Chinesen. Und da war es dann auch soweit: mein erstes Foto mit Chinesen.. Ist ja ganz amüsant, aber grundsätzlich sehr ärgerlich, dauernd angestarrt zu werden. Gross und blonde Haare - keine sehr günstige Kombination hier. Glaube nicht dass ich mich daran gewöhnen kann, aber muss mich wohl damit abfinden. Jedenfalls, der Park war insofern ganz interessant, als dass es einige wenige Hauptwege gab, auf denen alle Leute anzutreffen waren, kaum nahm man jedoch einen Weg, der etwas den Hügel hoch verlief, war keine Menschenseele mehr da. Die Chinesen pilgerten eigentlich nur dorthin, wo gerade was los war, z.B. zu den Bootsverleihen (wo schrecklich billige chinesische Musik lief - ich vermute ja zur Abschreckung..) oder zu dieser verrückten Geissbock-Statue:

Was die Statue da sollte, das weiss ich auch nicht. Ich ging da nur hin, weil ich die Statue ja ganz amüsant fand :)

So, das war's ein kleiner Einblick in meinen Ausflug nach Guangzhou. Wird wohl nicht das letzte Mal gewesen sein!

Room ****

We stayed at the Elite room, which was not out-of-this-world, but met our expectation for a five-star hotel. We really liked having the bathtub and shower side by side, and the electric curtain by the bathtub - guests can have the choice of lifting up the curtain, giving your spouse a view of yourself while showering :)

Location *****

Can't beat the location. Downtown Guangzhou, walking distance to great restaurants and shopping area. When I say "shopping area", note that Guangzhou is not a tourist destination. It's purely business and convention city. But the areas around the Garden hotel will definitely give you some good bargains.

Service ****

Unlike The Venetian, where it's hard to get to any place because it was just too confusing, the Garden hotel is well laid out. You can see all the major boutiques and restaurants from the lobby. Signs are clear, if you need it at all. Going back to your room to get something is not troublesome because the hotel is laid out in a way to minimize your walking distance.

People might say, "The two can't be compared! Venetian is 4000 rooms while Garden hotel is only 800-something rooms!" Which is exactly my point! At 4000 rooms, Venetian shouldn't have a centralized check-in and drive way. It should probably have 4-5, one in each wing. I've stayed at Sultan Hotel Jakarta (formerly The Hilton International), a 2000-something room convention hotel, and it has at least two check-in centers, three car entrances to the hotel complex, and each wing has its own coffee shops, restaurants and set of staff to attend to the wing's specific needs.  While Sultan Hotel isn't exactly my favorite, but at least they do one thing right.

Anyhow. Back to the Garden hotel. Check in and check out were efficient. I especially loved their concierge counter, which was attended by 7-10 men at any time! And boy, each one of them was busy attending to guests' inquiries. Everyone spoke good English.

Everything we experienced at the Garden hotel was meeting our expectation, although they don't give us anything memorable kinda thing. Unlike our stay in other hotels, which can be extremely good or absolutely horrific, this one is ... just right, but nothing special. It is, after all, a business hotel - where everything should be efficient but not specifically personal. But definitely worth-staying if you're on a business trip there.

It is unfortunate that I didn?t get to see the place much as the entire trip was devoted more to work than anything else. So no opportunities to check out the sights except for a little shopping here and there.

You can check out the photos at my OVI site.

Le Shan and Emei Shan - Le Shan and Emei Shan are two sites near Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan.  Le Shan has the world's largest Buddha - which at 71m tall is probably the biggest statue you will ever see in your life.  Emei Shan is a network of Buddhist monasteries strung along several beautiful mountains in the foothills of the Himalayas.  Budget three days to see the whole complex.  The trail is challenging (think tens of thousands of steps), but the scenery is mesmerizing and sleeping in the monasteries adds to the experience.  We will remember Emei Shan for the rest of our lives.

Food - We loved Chinese food in all its variety and intense flavors.  Mouth-numbing peppers, dim sum, Peking duck, lagman, the list goes on and on.  The best way to find the best food in China is to eat what Chinese people are eating.  Do not order the food that you want in a Chinese restaurant; order the food that other people are eating.  That will always be the best option.  Walk around the restaurant - see what looks good that other people are eating and then point at what you want and say "wo yao yigga" (I want one of those).  Trying to find that restaurant in the guidebook in China is futile since addresses have no meaning in Asia.  Food is sold everywhere in China.  Ignore the guidebook - stop to eat at a restaurant with food that looks good.  Point to the food that looks good and eat that.  Ordering foods that you want that the restaurant may or may not have or may or may not be good at cooking is a guaranteed recipe to get bad Chinese food.

Xian - Xian is the old imperial capital of China.  Unlike most of China, where everything of cultural value was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, Xian has old stuff and a lot of old stuff worth seeing.  The terracotta warriors are a great site (try to do it without taking a package tour - they take you to all sorts of miscellaneous unimportant sites and try to sell you stuff you don't want; riding public transport to and from the site is fast and easy).  The city walls are absolutely spectacular - rent a bike to go around them.  The forest of steles museum is also impressive - it has the oldest evidence of Christianity in China.

Macau - Macau, an old Portuguese colony, is downright weird.  Signs are in Chinese, then Portuguese and then in English.  We couldn't find anyone who knew what Portuguese is.  Make sure you have a double-entry visa if you go since going to Macau technically means that you have left China.  Macau didn't suffer from the Cultural Revolution, so there are several historical sites (particularly churches) that are of interest.  The main draw (and there is a main draw since Macau now receives more tourists than Hong Kong) is the casinos.  There are several American-style casinos, but don't expect to see American-style games.  There is one poker game in town, which is at the Grand Lisboa.  There is a blackjack table at the Wynn (with a $30 minimum).  The rest is Baccarat, roulette and more baccarat.  The currency of Macau is the Pataca (valued at 10:1 to the dollar), but all casinos only accept Hong Kong dollars for bets (valued at 8:1 to the dollar).  So make sure you bring Patacas into the casinos with you to pay for food and drinks, since the casinos will only cash you out in Hong Kong dollars.  And prices listed are the same whether you are paying in Patacas or Hong Kong dollars.

Xinjiang - Xinjiang is China's largest and western-most province.  If you have had enough of "Han China", head west and get a taste of Central Asia.  The Uygur food is exceptionally good.  The Taklamakan Desert is enormous and wild and there are several mountains in the Tian Shan range surrounding the desert that reach above 25,000 feet.  All of which conspire to make spectacular scenery.  Getting around Xinjiang by train is very easy and very fast despite the vast distances.

Three Gorges - Taking a cruise through the Three Gorges should definitely be part of an itinerary through China.  Now that the dam has been built, the rushing Three Gorges have become a placid lake - but the beauty of the Yangtze has not diminished.  If you go on a tour - make sure to pay the additional supplement to see the Little Three Gorges.  The dam is worth seeing, but is unexciting.   To add to the experience and save a bunch of money, take the cruise with Chinese tourists rather than with Westerners.

Shanghai Museum - After spending time in 20 big Chinese cities, Shanghai looks remarkably similar to other big Chinese cities - only that there are more foreigners.  The highlight of our visit to Shanghai was the Shanghai Museum.  Neither of us are avid museum goers, but the collection of bronzes and scrolls was world class (and entrance is free).

Beijing - Beijing has all the good and the bad of China wrapped in to one.  Good luck finding a sunny day while you are there (because of the smog), but you would be very unlucky if you can't find the excellent restaurants, tourist sites and social scene.  This giant, throbbing, very Chinese city is an experience entirely unto itself.  Note - when trying to get around Beijing in a cab, do not bother giving cab drivers addresses; the city is oriented around its various enormous shopping malls and tourist sites.  So make careful note of the name of the shopping mall closest to your hotel.  "The Ritz Carlton or Marriott, please" will get you nowhere.

Great Wall - Go to Simatai.  It is the most remote of the Great Wall sites, about 3 hours each way.  There are no hordes of tourists or Chinese people selling stuff you don't want and spectacular views in each direction.  The easiest way to get there is to latch on to a tour organized by a hostel.  Alternatively, you can ride the 980 bus from Dongzhemin long distance bus stations to Miyun and then hire a taxi to take you to Simatai from there (which should cost no more than 50 RMB for one person or 30 RMB per person for a larger group, negotiate ruthlessly).  At Simatai, ride the cable car up halfway - this is totally worthwhile since the hike at the bottom of the mountain is hot and offers few views.  At the top of the cable car, hike up the rest of the way - the train is not worthwhile.

Shopping - Buying and selling things is integral to life in China.  It happens constantly and is only interrupted by meals.  Everything is negotiable - and if you are a foreigner - you must do so ruthlessly.  Most purchases we made were negotiated down between 95%-99% from the initial asking price.  The key to getting the right price is to walk away, and keep walking after hearing the initial asking price; do not offer your own price - listen to how quickly the price goes down.  The last price you hear will be still too expensive, but closer to the mark.  Next time you see the item that you want - take 50%-75% off this last price you heard and start there.  We negotiated handbags down from 600 RMB to 45 RMB and a stamp from 250 RMB to 1 RMB!  So be aggressive.  If you are interested in clothing and tailored clothing, go to Alice's Tailor Shop in Ya Show (a cab driver will always know "Ya Show") in Beijing.  If you are interested in a truly good deal, go to the wholesale markets in Guangzhou - everything that is made in China and sold to the world is here - so if you want to buy 1 or 100,000 sets of golf clubs at a bargain price, this is the place to be.