Day 3 (14 November 2009)

We rose for breakfast at a small eatery near our hotel. We had 20 dumplings, 20 小笼包, 4 big pieces of 油条 and another four cups of soya bean milk. The price? Only RMB 18 (SGD 3.60). We could not believe what we heard. A breakfast meal for a person in Singapore would cost around SGD 4.00 inclusive of coffee. But our meal was only SGD 0.90 per person! Daddy was so contented with the deal that he recommended the store to all his friends back at the conference (who went the next day for breakfast) and we even returned for their steamboat dinner that night.

We spent the morning relaxing in the hotel swimming pool and watching football matches in the room while daddy was attending the second part of his conference on osteoporosis and coronary heart disease. The hotel pool was well heated at 29°C and other facilities included a Jacuzzi, a whirlpool, a sauna and a steam bath (you have to pay).

We then took the subway to 长寿路 station to walk along 上下九街, the shopping haven of Guangzhou other than Beijing Street. Located at an old town of Xiguan (西关), it stretches from Shangjiu Lu (上九路) and Xiajiu Lu (下九路) in the east to Dishifu Lu (第十甫路) in the west, and traverses Baohua Lu (宝华路) and Wenchang Lu (文昌路), about 1.2km long with more than 300 shops.

上下九街is composed of the unique and ancient architecture of Tong Lau and teahouses, featuring the characteristics of European and Chinese styles. It has a group of old famous stores, such as the Guangzhou Garment Store, the Herring Shoes and Hats Store, and the Dalu Clock and Watch Store. The place boasts the best eateries in Guangzhou, including 陶陶居 restaurant, the restaurant having a hundred-year legacy.

We did not buy much from this place as there was just simply nothing more to buy, after grabbing all the cheap deals at Beijing Street and 海珠广场 on the previous two days.

We had lunch at a restaurant called 西关人家 in 荔湾广场. Once again, the pricing was incredible! For a meal with 2 roasted pigeons, roasted goose, 白切鸡, specialty pork knuckles, fish, tofu, Chinese tea and rice, the price of around RMB 170 (SGD 34.50) was unbelievable, considering the fact that we were so full we could only have dinner at 9pm that night.

We bought some books at a bookshop in the shopping centre, including a 谚语词典 for RMB 20 (SGD 5).

From there, we proceeded to Guangzhou’s top attraction -- Shamian Island (沙面岛). The territory was divided into two concessions given to France and the United Kingdom by the Qing Dynasty government in the 19th century. The island is gazette as a historical area that serves as a tranquil reminder of the colonial European period and it gives Western tourists a sense of national pride when they come here. It was an enclave for foreign merchants. The foreigners had previously lived and done business in a row of houses known as the Thirteen Factories, near the present Shamian, but due to local resentment after the Opium Wars, they were confined at a protected area, which was linked to the city by two bridges that were closed at 10pm every night. The most famous architecture there is the Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel.

This attraction reminds the Caucasians of their supremacy in the past, where they had extensive projects acquiring colonies to build a far-fetched empire, in particular the French and the British, who during that era were very strong, compared to China. In the present world, the tables have been turned. China is now one of the forerunners based on economic growth, while Western countries are financially unstable. White man supremacy is all now history.

The island is a hot-spot for wedding couples to take their bridal shots. I wonder how they could endure the cold weather. We saw them in their numerous poses and we suspected they were from the same bridal studio.

We also saw Caucasians driven in VIP cars as they admire their glorious past from within.

We bought 冬果 from the nearby 清平市场 at only RMB 4/斤 (SGD 0.80). Ah Ma bought a far less amount for SGD 7.50 at an NTUC supermarket back home.

We chanced upon the Guangzhou Culinary Art Competition at Grandview Mall (正佳广场). The creativity of the different restaurant participants just impressed and amazed me. Some dishes were just so beautifully decorated, and most importantly, they also looked appealing to the mouth.

We headed back to the same breakfast store for steamboat dinner. We had beef, fish, cow intestines, tofu as well as many other foods that will make us comfortable due to the cold weather outside due to wind chill. The interesting thing was that one of the soup bases for sale was dog soup, something we would never see in Singapore. However we did not order that because we felt it was too disgusting.

After grabbing some DVDs at the roadside outside 7-Eleven, we returned to the hotel for a good night’s rest and got ready for our return flight to Singapore on TR 987 the next day.