City #6: Guangzhou | Natalie and Tyler

We arrived in Guangzhou on Wednesday, November 12th. A bus and tour guide came to pick us up at the Guangzhou airport and took us to our hotel. I think our tour guide was able to upgrade us to deluxe rooms, cause our rooms were really nice with a fantastic view of the city and river and the hotel itself was very nice too. Their buffet breakfast was very satisfying. By the time we arrived at the hotel, it was already dinner time and Po Po’s old college friend was waiting for us at the hotel with a dinner table reserved for us at the hotel restaurant. The food was magnificent! One of the best (and pricier – though still cheap compared to the US) meals we had in Asia. After dinner, the kids were beat. So we headed back to our rooms and called it a night.

The next morning after breakfast, our bus came to pick us up and took us to a few historic sites. Po Po’s friend came along to show us around as well since we were without a tour guide for the remainder of our trip, only a driver. For lunch, Po Po and Gong Gong met up with their old college friends whom they haven’t seen in 40 years. It was funny when we walked into the restaurant, they clapped. After lunch, they stayed to chat with their friends and the one friend who was acting as our tour guide took us shopping in an area close by. That afternoon we also met a great grand aunt and did more shopping. Our group decided to go watch a circus show at night, so they picked up some noodles to go (so cheap, only $1 per bowl) and we headed back to the hotel and dropped me and Tyler off. I figured he’d be too tired to watch a night show. So the two of us hung around the hotel and walked around the lobby shops and ordered some fried rice and just hung out and enjoyed our cool hotel room. It was fun & relaxing.

The next day, another bus driver came to drive us back to Zhu Hai. We did a little more shopping at an art and aquarium wholesale center and then headed back. We were eager to head back to Zhu Hai cause we wanted some more time in the underground shopping center. So after we got back to Zhu Hai, we had lunch at a restaurant close to the under ground shopping center and left our luggage there and then came back for dinner and picked up our luggage and then walked back across the border to Macau.

Po Po’s Friend