The ancient Dafo Temple. — Photos: DR SINDHUJA RAJADORAI
While planning our family trip to Tokyo, Japan I noticed that our flight would have a layover in Guangzhou, China. I suggested to my husband that we should extend our holiday and visit the place before returning home, and he agreed.
As we flew into Guangzhou, I eagerly looked out my window to see what was in store for us, but to my dismay, the place seemed dilapidated and run down compared to Japan. With my young son and daughter, as well as my 72-year-old father accompanying us on the holiday, I began to wonder if it was the right place to take them.
Despite my trepidation, I was determined to discover what Guangzhou had to offer. We stayed in the bustling district of Tianhe, the centre of the city. After checking in to the hotel, we went out to look for food. We found ourselves sharing the pedestrian walkways with not only people but also electric motorcycles that would appear silently out of nowhere, honking to make their presence known.
We went into a restaurant and with the help of Google Translate we managed to order two huge bowls of noodles and an even bigger bowl of meat. We enjoyed them thoroughly.
In the morning, we headed to the Tianhe Sports Complex subway station, where we had the option of buying unlimited day passes (children under six years old travel for free). There were security checks at each entrance, but the officers were helpful, despite the language barrier.
Our first stop was Yuexiu Park. It was raining but we still went on a paddle boat ride on the lake, where a black swan swam right next to us. We walked to the Nanyue King Wen’s Mausoleum, which is near the Yuexiu Park train station.
At the park, we searched for the iconic Five Rams sculpture (Guangzhou is known as the “City Of Rams”), walking along the ancient Ming City Wall.
The next day, we ventured out of Guangzhou and into another major city – Hong Kong. We took the bullet train from the Guangzhou East Railway Station to West Kowloon.
After clearing immigration, we walked along Canton Road, Victoria Harbour, the Avenue Of Stars and the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, taking in the beauty of the harbour.
We went to Mody Street and Nathan Road, too, stopping at Peking Road for the compulsory Hong Kong dim sum lunch. On our way back to Guangzhou, we ordered chicken rice for dinner, which was superb.
The reader’s husband and son outside Bruce Lee’s ancestral home.
In Guangzhou, you will find walkways everywhere so it’s pretty easy to get to places on foot. We walked to Bruce Lee’s ancestral home on Enning Road and checked out some traditional “Xi Guan” houses. We could hear Chinese opera music in the area, which somehow made the experience more authentic.
We then headed to the historic Shamian Island to check out its “European heritage”. On our way there, we passed by Qing Ping Road which houses one of the largest traditional herb markets in China.
At the Beijing Road Pedestrian Street we saw the excavated remains of the layered walkways from the Ming and Song Dynasties. The Dafo Temple is also located along this street.
The cliff swing at Gulong Gorge.
For me, Gulong Bay is a travel bucket list item. It is situated 1.5 hours away from Guangzhou by car, and the views are astounding. As we made our way up to the Yun Tian Boba (glass bridge), we were greeted with the cascading Wangzangya waterfall.
Further up on our climb, we saw the Hand Of Buddha, which my husband and I ascended.
We resumed our climb and walked across the first glass bridge, viewing the valley below with every step. There was a swing by the cliff which my husband decided to try – I volunteered to take pictures and videos from down below.
As we exited the glass bridge, my husband and I took the opportunity to hang glide across the canyon. What an experience!
The reader's relative at waterfall at Gulong Gorge.
As we made our way down, we came to the international rafting site. My son was able to join my husband and I on the raft, though we held on for dear life as we hurtled down the waterfall. It was a thrilling experience indeed.
After all that, we were all ravenous, so we indulged in the world-famous qingyuan chicken (a breed that’s native to China), ordering the roast and kiln varieties. Delicious.
On our last evening in Guangzhou, we went on our own tour of the Pearl River, Canton Tower, Liede Bridge, and Haixin Pedestrian Bridge. While we were walking, someone stopped us and asked to take photos with us. I found this amusing, as I have not experienced this in any other country I have visited.
Dinner was at the nearby Grandview Mall. We found multiple museums, art exhibitions, an arcade, a snow house, a rainforest attraction with live animals, an ice-skating rink, an IMAX theatre, a haunted house which the kids had a spooky time in, and numerous other shops and eateries. It was truly an impressive mall.
Guangzhou truly showcased a good mix of traditional and modern, old and new. The people were incredibly friendly, the cuisine delectable, and the landscape mesmerising. It exceeded my expectations and gave us some wonderful memories to last a lifetime.
The views expressed are entirely the reader’s own.
