The adventures of Jonezy
26th Mar 2007What's Guangzhou like? So, what`s the city itself like? For starters it`s huuuuuge. Roughly the same population as London crammed into smaller space. Everything is high rise, not many people at all don`t live in the thousands of apartment blocks scattered throughout the city. It`s a strange mixture of old an new at ground level, most streets are lined with privately owned shops, and like most cities you have districts like a few streets with clothes shops, a few with chemists, a few with electrics etc. But they look like they`ve been here forever, with old trees lining the pathways and growing up the walls (even out of them in some cases). Many of them have vines hanging from them, and with the near constant mist that hangs over the city in this season it sometimes feels a very surreal place. Then you have the smells, cooking, perfumes, tobacco mixed occasionally (and unfortunately) with the not so great sewage system! Wouldn`t like to know what that`s like in the height of summer. But since the country was opened up a few years back to make it easier for foreign investment and tourism the place is slowly being eaten up by the west. There are McDonalds, KFCs and Pizza Huts everywhere, although strangely no Burger Kings? And there`s is one colossal shopping square, full of neon, disney characters and plenty of western chain shops. Still plenty of Chinese style shops too, but I found the amount of American and British influence to be pretty disappointing. It`s very strange seeing them strolling around in England football kits, Arsenal and Chelsea shirts (no Man Utd though, ha ha ha). But, if you thought Football was big, forget it. Basketball is massive over here, there`s a pretty big Chinese league, but the NBA is well popular. Pretty soon this place will be like Japan; a little America full of different writing and Asian people. The drivers are all, quite frankly, insane. Worse than the Parisians and Spanish put together. Nobody indicates or obeys road signs or respect the green man on pedsestrian crossings. They run by their own unwritten rules, everybody seems to understand these, and as a foreigner it`s vital you quickly do so too! Being a passenger in a taxi is an adventure in itself, personally I always wear my seat belt as the drivers use only two gears: full speed and stop. It always a race with everybody else for that all important first place at the next traffic lights (which is one thing they do respect, thankfully). And they`re also rude drivers, constantly on their horns and cutting each other up. It`s everyman and woman for themselves! But the cosmic unconciousness that a first seems to allow the traffic to flow isn`t always perfect. I saw a pretty serious crash between two taxis in my first week (hence the seatbelts!). Goes without saying the two drivers were completely un injured and were shouting very loudly at each other. Everyone else merely ignored them and drove around the two wrecked cars blaring their horns. Oh, you`ll be pleased to know I have my appetite back. I am now keeping the local Mcdonalds in business single handedly, as well as enjoying all types of takeaway again. Chinese food is right nice! I still think you just can`t beat good old English food, and I can`t wait to have beans on toast again, fish and chips or especially one of mum`s Sunday roasts again. Best in the world!
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