Guangzhou.....

[egolessvegan]

Most of the locals that live in the high rise tenement buildings have in ground toilets. After you finish your business it is necessary to take a bucket of water and wash down your contribution.

Ken

[animatormark]

that depends on the age of the building. My SO has the regulation toilet.

[egolessvegan]

Lucky you!

In Guangzhou you can get great legit massages by highly trained individuals for about 5 dollars for an hour. Some places will even feed you also for the same price. I wish we had a health club like that here in Jupiter.

Ken

[hank]

I was in Guangzhou during December, so the weather was perfect and the pollution didn't seem that bad... no worse than NYC. But then again, I could imagine how it must get in the summer.

 

I've been to Shenzhen, and it seems a bit nicer than Guangzhou. They have some amazing restraunts there.

[Luo_Bin_&_Jialu]

I would say that GZ is probably my least favorite Chinese City. The air is just too hard to take. That and for a big city--and a chinese city--it is too expensive to get around. BUT..I do think that GZ is a great place to go shopping for clothes and zhung wo dong xi...

 

I prefer Nanning to GZ as far as big cities go. I also like Zhanjiang, although it is only because I know so many people there---my SO's family is quite large and well established, and I have established great relations with a few..and spiderwebbing all the time.

 

I also really, really liked outside of Chendu--Jiuzhaigo, Huanglong..

[Trigg]

I gotta vote for Zhanjiang. Big enough to ahve everything but the air is breathable. The old part of the city,chicon district, has real character and the most beutiful parks in the world and the seafood in Zhanjiang is GREAT!!!!!!! And I love to ride in the three wheeled taxis.

[BuffaloPaul]

I've been to 3 large cities in China now - GZ, Shanghai and Ningbo. All are quite modern in many ways (airports, transportation, shopping). Toilets are my least favorite part of the Chinese experience (although all have western style toilets in the good hotels, as well as in my SO's house). What the heck do you do with your pants?

 

The most amazing thing to me is how the bikes and motorized vehicles co-exist (especially considering that no one seems to obey the traffic laws). After spending a total of 25 days in these cities I have yet to see an accident or an ambulance.

 

On my last flight back the airline magazine noted GZ as one of the top 3 shopping destinations in the worlds (Tokyo and Chicago were the other 2). Next trip I'll have to bring some extra cash.

[bandj]

GZ is my least favorite city in China though last week I saw the first time the new airport and that was pretty impressive. Shenzhen, Shanghai, Zhuhai, HK, Macau, Chongching, Guilin,etc all have more to offer. GZ to me is always to disorganized, dirty, bad air, bad architecture, bad traffic... I like some of the things in nearby Foshan and elsewhere on the Pearl.

 

Once you get the balance thing down I sort of like the in -ground toilets. The weird part is going to a public park and squatting with 10 other guys without stall dividers. If youneed to borrow paper it is convenient I guess. I think the no toilet paper - always carry the tissues - thing is strange. Use tissues for the toilet and then use toilet paper on the table for napkins at any little food stand. Shouldn't they be switched? Or are we wrong in how we do things?????????

[Trigg]

Use tissues for the toilet and then use toilet paper on the table for napkins at any little food stand. Shouldn't they be switched? Or are we wrong in how we do things?????????

I'm in agreement about switching. However, timing is of the utmost importance here. Always, I repeat always make the swith before the first use.

[Luo_Bin_&_Jialu]

That's a good idea Trigg. How do we monitor this if we can get the law passed? Check for brown spots on people's faces?

 

On second thought...I don't want to post this..

[Trigg]

That's a good idea Trigg. How do we monitor this if we can get the law passed? Check for brown spots on people's faces?

 

On second thought...I don't want to post this..

possibley look for undigested food in their shorts? EEwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!

[Guest blsqueaky]

I guess that I will weigh in here. I have to admit that in all of the cities that I have travelled in China, GZ is the best for me. Hong Kong, tell the vendor that you are not interested, and they will chase you down the street, Beijiing, enjoyed, people friendly, cna't wait to see how they clean up for the Olympics, Shanghai, good times, especially the New Years eve party at the Peace tower, new millenium.

 

All in all, GZ, met many people, got along very well, and in all the time that I spent there, was only bothered once by some pickpockets, but the wife and I picked them out fast. Subway, just great, and never bothered walking down the halls, only time ever bothered days is the little steet urchins that try and sell you flowers on the river. They just can not take no for an answer, even when my wife or one of her friends pull them away and scold them, they just come right back.

 

All in all, I still have to say GZ has been my favorite, especially Shamian, but have to be partial here, the wife is from Shamian. How do you know that you have been to Lucy's bar and Grill too much, when you walk in alone and they just bring you a beer, walk in with the wife, bring you a beer, hand the wife a menu.

 

Also my biggest kick when visiting is when go to the real restruants, not the the ones that the tourist go to, order dinner, pick up chopsticks, people watch you, see that you can use, and they give you thumbs up, and if there is a family around with little ones, they let them come and and talk to you. So trusting, I just love it.

[oregonknl]

OTRMark makes some great points here --- Yeah, Guangzhou in the summer is a bitch...

 

... but in the winter it can be really wonderful! Very mild, air not too bad..., and yeah, friendly people, mostly, because the have had exposure to Americans because of the Consulate... And unlike some places ... the public areas are very much used ---- US "planners" should visit Guangzhou to see how public areas actually bring groups together, rather than just look pristine... Check out the early morning exercise crowds in the parks of Shamian many different groups --- or the various groups singing Chinese opera in the park close to the old section (all day) ---

 

Great, cheap, fresh food even in the winter, because of the tropical climate (and the basic fact that Cantonese food is a major matter of cultural pride!) --- much arder to find in Beijing in the winter.. (costs more too...)

 

One of the thinks that I discovered on my Dec. trip for Fei's interview was the river dinner cruises --- reallly quite spectacular! Much more interesting skyline at night than Shanghai's Bund..

[Luo_Bin_&_Jialu]

Duuuudde....have you ever been to Zhanjiang or Nanning?

 

I will have to admit that the river boat dinner in GZ is cool, so is the clothes shopping. But....

 

ZJ has the best food, at great prices. Some really good western/chinese places (the california cafe) and a great street by the ocean that is called (in translation) the "beer bar street"...there are also a few clubs with nightly shows--dancing, singing, music--including a periodic cover of "hotel california" and some great Michael Jackson dance impersonation (no, no 12 year old wieners!)...

 

Nanning is almost as big as GZ, but the air quality is way better. The shopping is off the charts. The architecture is similar to Shanghai, the people are up-and-coming big city--ie, cosmopolitan without the decadence of big city folk.

 

Once again, I am biased because I have friends and family in both places. BUT...I have been to plenty of other areas too..these just stand out as cool places..

[IceBreaker]

I just visited GZ for 3 months.

 

To me, the best things were:

 

My beautiful fiancee and spending time with her nice friends.

The cloths shopping is good, as well as the huge computer market for tech gadgets.

It's easy to find a taxi.

Buying DVDs for $1. How come nobody has mentioned this? It's great- i brought home nearly 100.

The old streets and markets.

 

The worst things:

The food.

The air pollution, the crowds, the traffic, bad architecture. Has anyone noticed their affliction of facing the buildings with bathroom tile? To me it's poor taste and gives a very sterile feeling to everything.

The pickpockets. During my stay my SO's friends had at least 4 or 5 cell phones stolen.

To me China seem like the most Capitalistic country i've seen, a bit much for me.