Guangzhou, China – July 11, 2026

I added the date to this post’s title because I’m on a mission.  I will explain later.

En route from Manila to Borneo, we were required to change planes in Guangzhou.  We decided to stay a while.

We’ve visited Beijing in NE China, Shanghai in SE China, Chengdu and Xi’an in Central China, so why not, we thought, “Do a little exploring in Guangzhou in SW China? Let’s do it on our own with no help from a travel agent.”  All we knew was that Cantonese is the food here.  Feeling a little froggy, we thought it over and booked a hotel.

China is a very large country, and it is nothing like most people would have ever imagined. In our previous stops in this huge country, we saw that it has quietly become perhaps the most progressive, capitalistic country in the world. Shocking, maybe, but I assure you, true.

Unlike Chengdu, a city we visited earlier this year, and which only in the last 10 years has become a super city . . .  very large and very modern. In contrast, Guangzhou is a well-established, modern, efficient, and meticulous city of 19 million people.  It is the third-largest city in China, known as a major business and manufacturing hub.  We are glad we decided to stay a bit.  Like any spot in this part of the world this time of year, however, the weather here sports a surprise thunderstorm at least once a day in broiling heat, making it a literal steam cabinet. Today’s high lasted 4 hours and reached 97 degrees, but it felt like 115 degrees with 90% humidity.

In our 4 days here so far, we participated in a GuruWalks tour through Shamian Island, the most un-Chinese area in town. Filled with classic 19th-century colonial-era buildings of English and French architecture on broad, tree-lined streets. This serene island, where no motorized vehicles are allowed, was created on a filled-in sandbar in the Pearl River, and once was the very pleasant home to consulates from around the world.  Now, however, these lovely grand old buildings house coffee shops and fancy face cream stores on the ground floors with apartments above.  It seems the consulates have gone elsewhere.  It is indeed a peaceful and sophisticated place, not far away- oh wow- is the house where Bruce Lee’s family lived. You know, this martial arts master and actor died at age 32 in the bedroom of a mistress. His actual cause of death is unknown, at least not to us, but some say he was assassinated because he had revealed in his work some closely guarded martial arts secrets. Maybe his wife poisoned him. Maybe his mistress did. The mystery made Bruce Lee’s horrible movies iconic and cult-worthy. At this point, I must make a confession, and I do feel bad about it: Way back in the late 70’s, I told Stan that he had terminal bad taste in TV because he watched Kung Fu shows, some with Bruce Lee and others with actors far less well-known. Isn’t that awful? Shame on me.

Sometimes Stan and I sign up for a food tour to get a real taste of a new destination in a short period of time.  We did that yesterday and ate Cantonese til we thought our bellies might pop.  Throughout China, it was made clear that people do not waste food.  They consume every part of beast, fish, or plant, and preserve items one might never imagine in ways one might never imagine. These old practices helped them to survive. We tried about seven different dishes on our tour, and all tasted pretty good.  In our experience, we find that Cantonese food contains less fat and sugar than Filipino foods, but as in the Philippines, many dishes here contain pork and beef skin, knuckles, and other goosh.  The tastes may be ok, but the texture requires a little getting accustomed to. I truly like foods from Southeast Asia, I do, but I told Stan that after this trip, I may never, ever eat another noodle or scoop of rice again. Enough is enough!

Earlier, I mentioned my mission. My mission is to get my money back!  On July 9, I booked tickets online for a July 11 evening boat cruise on the wide Pearl River. We could almost see ourselves sipping a cup of white wine while watching the lights of the bridges over the river and the colorful, towering Canton Tower.  When I purchased our tickets, the online site, China Tour Guide, said our tickets would be emailed to me.  They never came. Grrr!

On the night of the cruise, we took a DiDi (Chinese UBER) to the Tianzi Wharf, where busy ticket attendants tried and tried to find my booking.  None found.  Grrr!  I must admit, though, I thought that might be the case, because as I recalled the transaction, it seemed a bit sketchy. You know me, though, I sent the requisite emails to PayPal, the tour company, and the billing company, requesting the refund of my $80. Mark this date: July 11. How many days will it take for resolution? And how high will I have to jump to get this done?

We, of course, were disappointed that we could not take the cruise, but decided to make the most of the evening and walked the promenade along the spectacularly lit wide river, Pearl.  It was a splendid carnival-lights sight!  And since it was a Saturday night, people were out in throngs. Some were doing Tai-Chi, others were riding bicycles, couples walked arm-in-arm on a date night, and families gathered and let their kids run in joy with total abandon. What a wonderful place the people of Guangzhou have to enjoy for free. As Stan and I walked along, on our own date-night, we could see the tall. slender Canton Tower in the far background with its brilliant moving lights — making a commercial display, we think. The walk all the way to the tower was too far, and although the sky was dark, the temperature was still HOT!  We were satisfied to simply see it. The tower was built in 2010; it is one of the tallest in the world, and its twisting shape has earned it the nickname “Slim Waist.”   — Oh, I remember when I had one of those.

Stan and I are not done here, and we have not lost our sense of adventure and exploration.  We have visited Jufang Park, a tremendously huge and beautiful park here, but there’s another big, beautiful city park we hope to see, and we want to get out of the city to see more of this part of China. But here’s the rub: we searched available tours, but the thought of paying $400 or more for an all-day trip to the Gulong Gorge and its glass bridges, for example, just did not sit well with us.  And the $400 will only get us transport and admission. A little research made us feel sure we could do it ourselves via two subway lines, a super high-speed train, and DiDi with shorter hours and far lower costs. We love a challenge, and as we often say, “What else do we have to do?”  This DIY excursion is on tap for tomorrow.