Another Flight, Another City or Two
Up at 4:30 and on the bus at 5:40 for a 7:00am flight to Canton (Guangzhou). One hour on China South Air and a strange breakfast of a dry bun, a sweet cake and a pouch of some kind of relish deposited us at the exceptionally large airport for the city of Canton ...12 million population.
Our city guide explained that we now are in a Cantonese speaking area of the country versus the Mandarin spoken in most of China-or the varying dialects. It is important to change from "knee how" to "knay how" when greeting!
Because it is a very warm climate, the crops are rice, pineapples, bananas, lichee, and many vegetables. The land is unsuitable for wheat, apples and pears and such. In 1978, the city was open to the outside world for trade because it was so convenient to shipping in Hong Kong.
During
the Cultural Revolution the city was basically closed down with people afraid
to even go into the streets. When the Cultural Revolution ended in 1976, 750,000
million people were living in poverty making less than $1 per day. Now the Pearl River delta area has one
of the highest standards of living in China but many areas of the country are
still in poverty... it is estimated about 240 million are still in poverty. When
you visit the cities teeming with activity and the accouterments of prosperity,
it is hard to believe there is so much poverty but one has to consider the
massive rural areas of this country and the people who can’t fashion a good
living.
Quangdong
Province has been called the "powerhouse" of China mostly because of
its food production. It is easy to believe the guide who says China looks like
capitalist country but is called a socialist country. Zhou Ping stated, "
I don't care if it is a white cat or a black cat as long as it catches the
mouse. We do what is best for the country." So capitalism is alive and well in this country. There has
been a lot of foreign investment in the province and it is quite prosperous.
Things have moved quickly as well in the Shanghai River delta but not as
rapidly in other areas of China.
After an hour and a half bus ride, we arrived at the port for the hydrofoil trip to Hong Kong.
After an hour and a half bus ride, we arrived at the port for the hydrofoil trip to Hong Kong.
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| Victoria Bay from Kowloon |
The hydrofoil trip was like taking a mental break from the
hustle of the trip. There was really nothing to do but rest and look at the
sea. Upon arrival, we met our city guide and boarded a bus for the trip
downtown to our hotel, Regal Kowloon.
We were in the heart of Kowloon and quite near the harbor. Ted, Judy, Paul and I headed out for a
light lunch and found a French café across the street.
Fortified by croissant sandwiches and Hong Kong dollars from the adjacent exchange, we rejoined the group for a walking tour along the harbor walk. The day was beautiful and the shimmering water alight with boats of all sizes and descriptions was wonderful. One of the sights pointed out was the venerable Peninsula Hotel. This “Grande Dame of the Far East” overlooking Victoria Harbor since 1928 was just too enticing so, after we cleaned up a bit, we walked down the street to have a drink in the bar and enjoy the view. I dressed up, as did Paul but as usual, he wore his flip-flops. Just a rapid glance at the shops in the hotel building-Harry Winston, Tiffany’s, Gucci, Louis Vuitton - most complete with armed guards outside the entrances should have been a tip-off that this was one fancy spot. Nevertheless, we strolled in, eschewed the lobby restaurant and bar (which were pretty decadent) and traipsed upstairs to a cozy intimate bar where we were politely told by the bartender that sandals were not acceptable! As luck would have it though, the bar manager was there and countermanded with the caveat that we could certainly have one drink. As expected, once seated we were served lovely hors o’deuvres and very expensive vodka tonics! Yes, it was extremely classy but unfortunately the drapes were closed so NO view. And we stayed as long as we wished….I felt pampered. After the drinks, we joined the promenaders along lovely Harbor Walk and ended up eating outside at a picturesque cafe named Wooloo Mooloo Steakhouse. We watched the twinkling lights of official Hong Kong across the bay and the storied ferries plying the harbor on their way to the gambling palaces on Macao. All in all, a lovely way to end our first day in an exhilarating city.
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| Pastry selections at the cafe |
Fortified by croissant sandwiches and Hong Kong dollars from the adjacent exchange, we rejoined the group for a walking tour along the harbor walk. The day was beautiful and the shimmering water alight with boats of all sizes and descriptions was wonderful. One of the sights pointed out was the venerable Peninsula Hotel. This “Grande Dame of the Far East” overlooking Victoria Harbor since 1928 was just too enticing so, after we cleaned up a bit, we walked down the street to have a drink in the bar and enjoy the view. I dressed up, as did Paul but as usual, he wore his flip-flops. Just a rapid glance at the shops in the hotel building-Harry Winston, Tiffany’s, Gucci, Louis Vuitton - most complete with armed guards outside the entrances should have been a tip-off that this was one fancy spot. Nevertheless, we strolled in, eschewed the lobby restaurant and bar (which were pretty decadent) and traipsed upstairs to a cozy intimate bar where we were politely told by the bartender that sandals were not acceptable! As luck would have it though, the bar manager was there and countermanded with the caveat that we could certainly have one drink. As expected, once seated we were served lovely hors o’deuvres and very expensive vodka tonics! Yes, it was extremely classy but unfortunately the drapes were closed so NO view. And we stayed as long as we wished….I felt pampered. After the drinks, we joined the promenaders along lovely Harbor Walk and ended up eating outside at a picturesque cafe named Wooloo Mooloo Steakhouse. We watched the twinkling lights of official Hong Kong across the bay and the storied ferries plying the harbor on their way to the gambling palaces on Macao. All in all, a lovely way to end our first day in an exhilarating city.
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