The Last Leg of Our China Trip - Guangzhou

Guangzhou or, GZ as I will refer to it is the third largest city in mainland China.  The second is Shanghai.  If you have to ask what the first is…stop reading my blog and go study up on your world geography.  In all seriousness, I had never heard of GZ until we took steps to adopt Zack.  There is a U.S. Consulate there that handles all American adoptions.  All U.S. citizens adopting a Chinese child have to attend an appointment at the consulate to finalize their child’s immigration paperwork.  This appointment is what all other in-China travel is scheduled off of. 

Our Wasatch guides, Judy and John were AMAZING.  They had 6 different families the week we were there staying in 3 different hotels.  They took such good care of all of us – and I have no idea how they did it.  They really went above and beyond to help us and although we gave them some nice trinkets and what they hopefully think are good tips – the service they gave us that week was pretty well priceless. 

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Shifu - great hotel in a great location.  There was a lot of “Shifu versus Garden” chatter in our DTC FB group and I’m very glad we chose the Shifu.  The hotel is nice and the staff was very accommodating.  Most everyone we encountered spoke passable English.  We stayed on the “executive/club level”, which I recommend doing.  I’m not sure how our room compared to the “regular rooms, but we had a ton of room – large bathroom with separate shower/tub, two couches and a desk.  We considered upgrading to a suite, but when we saw the room size, we decided not.  We had a very nice king bed, there were several English channels (HBO, Nat’l Geographic, BBC, CNN) and some of the Chinese channels were in English with Chinese subtitles if the original programming was English speaking (you are in luck if you need to catch up on your Desperate Housewives).  There is a very nice selection of toiletries provided and the towels and robes were great.  There were also slippers, but we did not use them.  My son played with them…he seemed to think they were OK.  There were also the standard 2 bottles of drinking water per day.  The breakfast buffet was great – very extensive.  If you can’t find what you like to eat for breakfast on this buffet, you seriously need to branch out and diversify.  Most important, they had my new favorite, BBQ pork steamed buns.  Yumm-O.  The hours were very reasonable, also…they served until 10:00 AM and I think they started at 6:30…not sure on that one.  The earliest we ate was 6:50 one day.  The pool is nice, although there is no children’s pool.  The entire pool is the same depth and very shallow.  No swimming caps are required and they provide nice pool towels.  There are also water toys and floaties for rent – not sure for how much.  There is a poolside bar/conversation area that looks nice but never was open when we went, and there is a very nice workout room, which we did not use. 

 Because sometimes, it is just necessary to see your family in the bathroom?

The club level included a daily fruit basket in room and access to the executive lounge.  The lounge is accessible all day and always has fresh fruit and a variety of small snacks available (cookies, nuts, cheese/bread, etc) as well as bottled water, canned sodas and coffee/tea.  We spent almost no money on drinks…we would just grab drinks from the lounge before we went somewhere and away we went.  The lounge had breakfast service also, but we never ate up there, since the buffet downstairs had so much variety.  “Happy Hour” was every evening from 5:30 – 7:30.  They had a variety of hot and cold food out each evening.  There were usually 2-3 very substantial Western dishes out each day, along with a couple of Chinese things.  Additionally, there was always fruit, cookies, deserts, and sometimes sushi.  They also had beer and wine as well as quite a few liquors and mixers.  All of the booze was self-service.  They do take all of the heavy food and alcohol out at 7:30 but the hostess goes around and asks if we want anything else.  We never tried to take alcohol out of the lounge, but I think you could probably get away with it.  We made a meal of the buffet most nights we were in GZ.  There is enough variety and the food was good.  There are tables to sit at and some couch conversation areas, along with a larger TV than what is in the room and a selection of magazines/newspapers in English.  It was very nice, although I’m not sure all of the other patrons were really digging all of the families adopting in there.  I can totally see myself saying “why would someone bring little kids in here” if we didn’t bring our son in.  Oh well…the lounge and the freebies totally made the club level worth the extra bit of money – and it really was not an expensive room at all.  I will add that the executive level rooms at the Shifu were about $30 per night cheaper than the regular rooms at the Garden. 

The location is awesome – it is about a 10 minute walk to Shamian Island.  I know everyone says the island is dead, but I have nothing to compare it to, and thought it was great.  The walk is through the Chinese market street, where they are selling some really interesting stuff.  We bought some saffron there (great prices on that BTW) and a few knickknack things.  If you walk the other way from the hotel, you are in a shopping district where you can find just about whatever you want.  There is a multi-level department store that sells a lot of baby and personal items and a lot of restaurants.  There are a McDonalds and a KFC in the area and there may have been a Pizza Hut – not sure.  We really tried not to eat American food in China, so I did not pay attention to these types of places.  The Shifu is also a quick walk to the pearl market.  We ate at three different Chinese restaurants while we were there and they were all very good.  All of them had picture menus and it was pretty easy to order rice noodles with meat, fried rice with meat, steamed buns and dumplings – all of which I could honestly eat 3 times a day forever and be happy with.  We also ate at a place Ann from Red Thread China took us to while shopping – it was on the 7^th floor of one of the malls and I’d honestly never be able to find it again if I had to.  It was crowded with locals at lunch and it was amazing.  Really delicious BBQ pork steamed buns with a honey glaze.  All of the food in GZ is CHEAP!  There is a 7-Eleven nearby the Shifu (one on the island, too) but I did not go in either.  There is a convenience store across from the front door of the Shifu that we bought snacks at, also cheap.  There was a spa and a mani/pedi place nearby that looked OK…but I did not try either. 

 Badminton in the square!

 I really was not trying to get down and funky with the guy in the blue shirt. Swear. 

 There were pets of all kinds for sale everywhere.  The vendors did not seem to dig us looking/taking pictures...probably because they knew we would not buy fish or turtles. 

 Lee seems to really like pushing the stroller. 

 If  you look closely, you will see that there is actually a guy and a bike underneath all of these parcels and bags!!  Crazy!!

 For those who like to buy their seahorses in bulk, here ya go. 

 Skinny model girl...definitely doesn't need the double strand of pearls!

 Yes...this kid is totally sticking his tongue out at me. 

 Army guys...they are looking at me taking the picture...I thought I was being sneakier than this...

 And it is a photo shoot for coats.  I could hardly look at coats.  It was HOT! 

 Shopping at Jenny's place.  She is a very sweet lady.  

Yes...I totally have buyers remorse...why did I not buy this?

We went over to the area where the Garden was a couple of times.  There are more high end stores there - if you want to stock up on Fendi or Gucci in GZ, you can – and more non-Chinese food choices.  We ate at the Mexican place Tekila’s one night (surprisingly good) and also at a Dim Sum Tea House that our guide showed us another night.  Best food in China, that one.  I’d never have gone in...it was a really nice place but the signs out front were advertising some pretty weird sounding stuff.  We had rice and two different kinds of Dim Sum and it was amazing.  I really think our guide John was disappointed that we never ate a chicken foot.  We are adventurous…I think if one had showed up in my bowl, I might have had to try it to be polite, but I don’t think I’d go out of my way to try it.  We did go in to the Garden to look around and we had something to drink in the lobby.  It is very (very, very, very) elegant.  I am not sure what the rooms are like, although I have heard nothing but good feedback from others who have stayed there, but the lobby was super posh. 

I think the Garden is probably a more high-end hotel.  For this trip, we really did not need high end and the combination of the club level lounge and proximity to the shopping were the deciding factors. 

Stuff to do:

Shop!!  If you plan to do any more than just pick up a couple of souvenirs, I strongly recommend you hire a shopping guide.  The two that I know are Ann and Jordon.  I have contact info for each, and I’m sure there are probably others.  Basically, you pay the guide an hourly rate to take you around Guangzhou and negotiate with the vendors (who probably don’t speak English) to get the best price for the items you want.  We used Ann – she was $10 an hour and worth it.  We “split” her with another family and all went together.  I would not suggest any more than 2 families or 4 adults.  Everyone has their own “shopping agenda” and too many people in the mix would probably make things confusing.  Two families was just right and fun.  Be warned – Ann moves FAST and does not mess around.  If you are not quick on your feet, you probably want to re-think using her, or tell her at the onset not to sprint.  We loved her.  I think she helped us get the best deals on the best stuff and she was very nice and a lot of fun.  She really did make me laugh when we were pearl shopping.  She was telling my friend and I that a lot of women were buying the double strand pearl necklaces.  She looked as us for a minute and told us we did not need to wear the double strands because we were not fat.  Not sure if the healthier gals look better in the double strands or if the double strand was somehow slimming.  It did not make sense to me but it was funny to me.  Thanks Ann…sometimes I have those days where I feel a little chunky…I will remember you on those days.  She also took us to lunch, and did not charge us for the hour we spent at lunch (we paid for her lunch, of course).  She took us to a great place and I think our food came to about $30 for 5 adults and two babies.  We bought some pearls, quite a lot of jade (some necklaces and some figurines), a tea set, some mahjong tiles, and some traditional Chinese clothing for Zack. 

Someone was not super impressed with the shopping activities.  Typical guy. 

 The pearls are not completely put together until you purchase them. 

Ann in action. 

We also did some shopping on Shamian Island…we bought some squeaky shoes and a few souvenir types of things”…the “chops” (stamps with a child’s name in English and Chinese with their Chinese zodiac sign) and a few odds and ends to give Zack on the anniversary of his adoption when he is a little older.  Shamian Island makes a nice day out – it is quieter there and there are some very beautiful gardens and interesting sculpture.  We saw a lot of different activity that we didn’t see in other parts of China – a lot of photo shoots (both wedding portrait and fashion photography); some soldiers from the People’s Army practicing their combatives; and some school children.  We ate at the pizza place on the island and at the Thai restaurant (Cow and Bridge).  Both had decent food and service. 

Safari Park –

We opted not to go with the group from our agency (we had pre-booked our shopping session with Ann for the same time everyone else went) but we did go on our own.  The park was really nice and it is worth a trip.  I think the tickets were about $15 to get in…honestly, the exchange rate confused the hell out of me the entire time we were in China.  I was freaking out over the price of a cab ride and was making poor Lee haggle and then I realized we were talking about 18 U.S. dollars for a 40 minute trip.  Oops.  Anyhoo, the park…there was a drive-through safari tram that took you through a park with all kinds of animals that you could see really well.  The zookeepers would feed the animals as the trams came through, so we got a good look at all of the animals.  There was a walkthrough “Jurassic Forest” that had some fake roaring dinosaurs…it was kind of lame and the mechanical T-Rex freaked Zack out.  He didn’t cry but he held on really tight and would intentionally look the other way.  We got to see both Koalas and Pandas up close…very cool, and we got to feed some giraffes.  There were some other parts of the safari park that we didn’t see…I believe we stayed there for about 4 hours and that was enough.  We did have some difficulty getting there, though.  The bellhop at our hotel told the cab driver to take us to the Safari Park (allegedly) and he ended up taking us to the wrong place, which was about 20 minutes out of our way.  We ended up getting another cab.  Thankfully, cabs are very cheap in China. 

Pearl River Cruise-

We took a boat ride along the Pearl River at night…all of the city is lit up and it’s very pretty.  The entire excursion lasted about 2 hours.  It was a pleasant way to spend an evening and Zack really enjoyed it.  I know that some take the “dinner cruise” but we did not.  There was supposed to be some entertainment, but we got caught in a thunderstorm and the entertainment (a girl playing some type of stringed instrument) played inside where hardly anyone could hear her. 

We wanted to get to 6 Banyan Temple, but we weren’t able to get there.  Maybe next trip ; )

All in all, most everyone likes GZ pretty well.  It’s a nice place to be, particularly if you didn’t have a great experience in your province or if you’re getting “China’d out”.  There are more people who speak English, more familiar signs and more familiar food, which is sometimes important.  The weather in August was HOT…I think the climate is pretty mild year round. 

 This is right down the street from the HI Shifu...this is a very busy area.  Near this koi pond is a place where you can get a taxi. 

This is the breakfast buffet at the HI Shifu.  I like someone to make my omelets for me but I did miss making breakfast in my own kitchen, too.  There is a lot to be said for eating in your PJs...which I did not do here.  I promise. 

 Happy boy at the Safari Park.  I have Lee wear this shirt so I don't lose him!

 We are not exactly sure about this giant animals that want to shake hands with us...

 It might be OK to spit out chewing gum if you just don't do it all over the place?  I was not clear on this so I kept my gum in my mouth, just to be safe. 

This is freaking creepy.  I don't care what anyone says.  I would not sit on this bench. 

This guy was very interested in us.  Zack was ready to get out and go give him a hug.  He has no fear of any animal...but some animals (especially our cat) fear him. 

 Zack looking out at the Pearl River.  He thought this whole excursion was very cool. 

Our GZ guide, John.  He is amazing.  He got to come inside the UK consulate with us for about 2.5 minutes and for him, this was very exciting. 

Canton Tower...the world's second tallest TV tower.  It sure has got to be the prettiest!

One other thing I wanted to add, mostly for the benefit of those traveling in the future to adopt:  people make a BIG DEAL out of the consulate appointment.  I see threads and threads of discussions on what to dress the new U.S. citizens in as their parents take the oath of citizenship on their behalf.  Traditionally, most families dress their kids in red, white and blue and/or something patriotic.  We did this, too, although there was not a lot of thought or discussion on Zack’s outfit de jour.  The consulate appointment is about as ceremonial as getting your driver’s license renewed or checking in at a medical appointment.  Seriously.  You go through a ton of security (we had to fess up Zack’s Little Tikes play cell phone (yes, really) and then you are in this dark, crowded room (typical government office) with a ton of other parents chasing after their kids.  There are some toys to play with, thankfully.  Some lady comes on the PA and makes a general announcement and asks everyone to raise their right hand and all of the parents take “the oath” which is basically just affirming that your paperwork is correct.  It is not really a very emotional moment…I had one hand up and the other hand on Zack’s shirt collar because he was trying to take a toy away from another child.  Lee was somewhere across the room squished against the wall.  There is a sign out front where everyone gets their pictures taken, but it is just not an exciting and ceremonial moment, like it is made out to be.  And if I had a do-over or if we ever repeat…I would probably still choose to dress my child in red, white and blue…and there probably definitely would not be a lot of discussion on outfits.