Arrived in Guangzhou, southern China last night. The train ride from Hong Kong was less than 2 hours long and was probably the most comfortable train I’ve been on. This morning was spent booking a ticket on tomorrow nights sleeper from here to Guilin, a journey of 12-14 hours. Hope the book I’ve got is good…. The crowds outside the central station are huge, as well as at the main ticket booking office. I chickened out and headed for a travel agent. It may have cost me more but it would have been easy for me to have waited ages in the wrong line elsewhere. I’ll have to face up to the crowds tomorrow night when I catch my train.
Its hot (30 deg C) and humid here, the same as Hong Kong. It makes doing anything outdoors a sweaty and uncomfortable business. The main part worth a stroll round is the small island south of the city centre where the Europeans were originally given their trading privilages. Most of its colonial architecture has survived and the area is less frantic and busy than most. Not a very obvious traveller scene here… I’m hoping for more of one at Yangshou, near Guilin. It will be good to chat to other travellers again, especially those who have come south from Beijing.
Apparently China has a habit of censoring its web access. It took me a couple of attempts to access my own site, BBC News is definitely off limits and I’ve yet to be able to access my email. Sorry if I do not respond to email for a while… it may not be my fault!