To Hong Kong

Woke up at 5 am again and ate our last breakfast in mainland China. Left the hotel and flew to Guangzhou (Canton) to see the fifth largest city in China with a population of 12 million. Situated on the Pearl River this is a mega city with much commerce and new buildings everywhere. For the record Chonquing is the largest city with 32 million people, followed by 20 million in Shanghai, 18 million in Beijing and then Tangjin and Guangzhou. Pretty impressive with the national total over 1.3 billion people.

Back to Canton which has a subtropical climate and today it is hot and humid. Our first sightseeing stop is the Banyan Tree Temple which is a serene place for Buddhists to pray and there are many locals there. There are several banyan trees and many other trees and plants making it naturally beautiful. Several temples with Buddha’s are on the grounds as well as a nine story pagoda. We enjoyed seeing one hall which had commemorative placards in memory of loved ones. Each card had a photo of the deceased and some information. A nice place for their family to visit.

Next on the agenda was a stroll through an old neighborhood and a stop at the Chen Family Temple. This is a large complex with many rooms displaying Chinese art such as painting, paper cutting, calligraphy and embroidery. Lots of “shopportunities” here. We saw an outdoor barber shop on the street and clothes hanging overhead on lines. A typical day in the hood.

Lunch was on one of the shopping streets in a large restaurant where we were led to the third floor and our last time at a round table with a glass lazy susan. Food was pretty good and the service was good too. I had a nice experience in the bathroom. Most Chinese use the squat toilets and public places usually have at least one “Western” toilet. Usually there is no paper, but sometimes there is a dispenser on the wall near the sinks and I found them mostly empty. You don’t flush the paper, but throw it in a waste can in the stall. Anyway I was waiting in line and four elderly Chinese ladies were in front of me. When someone came out of the Western toilet they insisted I use it. I shook my head to say you go first, but they were adamant and it was so thoughtful of them. Just another example of how kind we found the Chinese to be. A smile goes a long way here.

Now time was really running out and we headed for the river city of Shunde and our ferry to Hong Kong. Sun made a nice farewell speech and gave us instructions about baggage and transfers. We got to the terminal and went through customs and immigration. Our tickets had seat numbers and we all settled in on the large boat with 14 seats across the width of the ship. We had walked past a woman who was taking our temperatures as was done in the airport when we first arrived. One of our men had a slight fever and was detained for a few minutes. He had to sign some forms that he did not have a plague or something like that. We were all relieved when he finally boarded the ferry.

We travelled down the Pearl River and it was very foggy with no views. Two hours later we docked in Kowloon and stepped off into Paradise. A bus met us with our new guide, Kelly, and we set out to our hotel the InterContinental Grand Stanford, which is not the InterContinental on the harbor. We are up a few blocks and overlooking the water with a highway and promenade (Tsim Sha Tsui) in front of us. Jeff and I opted to upgrade our room for the Hong Kong view and it was worth every penny. We are on the 17th floor and look over to Hong Kong with all the tall buildings lit up at night with neon signs. Fantastic views and lots of boat traffic on the water.

Once we were settled we met Laura and Michael and had a great meal at Ruth’s Chris Steak House across the street from our hotel. It was extravagant, but so enjoyable. I had scallops and au gratin potatoes while the other three carnivores enjoyed thick steaks. We all oohed and aahed over the warm bread. Bed time.