Got my first breakfast in China yesterday morning, though it was a bit of an adventure.
I went down to the hotel front desk, but no one there spoke English, which I really can’t complain about given that I know zero Chinese in any of its many forms. So I started wandering up a flight of stairs and found what looked like private dining rooms, and the hostess there took me to the main restaurant. There a waitress brought an all-Chinese order sheet to me and asked me what I wanted with very limited English.
I think I asked for beef (oxtail) having no idea what I was doing, but fortunately a few minutes later a coordinator from the conference came over and helped me order. I got some steamed dumplings, black bean buns, and the oxtail. So I was good. Not quite my idea of breakfast, but when in Guangzhou….
I then headed out for a long walk by the Pearl River that flows in front my hotel.
The Zhujiang (Pearl River) Hotel is a lovely place to stay, but the state-run hotel is really different from the cookie-cutter global conglomerate hotels one usually thinks about.
As you might expect, the Pearl River passes in front of the hotel, and there is a long urban trail that runs alongside it. Head west along the river and you will soon see a sign that proclaims Forbidden Military area. So I walk east instead. Across the river to the south, you can see the city spread out before you:
The view looking south across the Pearl River.
Everyone has seen the photos and videos of people of all ages doing tai chi and other forms of exercise along the streets in China, but it can be a bit of surprise when you realize that in addition to the traditional Chinese disciplines there are also women ranging from young mothers to gray-haired grandmothers doing dancercize to K-pop music. Imagine what you might see at 6 a.m. at your local gym or Y, and that’s what’s happening along the river walk:
Exercisers, whether solo or in groups, are spread out all along the the river walk.
The skyline takes a turn for the dramatic as you approach the Canton Tower, said to be the world’s tallest television tower, and an arena from the 2010 Asian Games. There is a big park-like area around the two landmarks that I haven’t had the chance to explore yet, but I’m hoping to take more of a look there today.
The Canton Tower and the sports arena from the 2010 Asian Games marks a large park area and the start of the Mall of the World.
I don’t really know much about the Mall of the World, other than that it is a long, open area through the city with trees, grass, wide walk ways, Metro stations, and underground shopping areas. There are also museums, a major library and small restaurants/cafes/snack stands along the way.
The most interesting person I saw out on my walk was this bearded man who was engaging in calligraphy on the stone walkway, painting with water. Not long after he had done his careful writing with elaborate Chinese characters, the word evaporated into the steamy air. I have no idea what he was writing or why he did this, but it was beautiful to behold. I’d like to think it was performance poetry, but I really do have no idea.
This gentleman was painting calligraphy using water on the stone walkway along the Mall of the World on a hot summer morning. Not long after he had created the characters, they were evaporating back into the air. I wish I knew what he was saying.
When I travel, whether through the American southeast on my motorcycle, to major cities for conferences, or to the wider world, I much prefer to eat as the locals do, staying away from the omnipresent corporate chain restaurants. But after too much green tea and not nearly enough coffee, I was delighted to come across that most global of institutions – the Starbucks:
As much as I try to avoid chain restaurants when I travel, I was thrilled to get a good cup of coffee at this underground Starbucks along the Mall of the World. The young lady who waited on me spoke excellent English and brewed a fine Pike Place roast.