My purpose of trip to Guangzhou, China is mainly to visit my husband's grandfather and his mother's side of the family. I have not met them before, nor have they met me. I learned, after meeting them in person, that they have seen some our wedding photos. Most of my time in China was spent with relatives with just a short amount of time for exploring (until next time!).
In addition, this trip to China is my very first international trip (unless visiting Canada counts). Or...maybe I should say my very first overseas international trip!
In any case, here are some of my trip details and highlights.
Where I Stayed: Hilton Guangzhou Tianhe
The hotel was beautiful, modern, and clean. Basically, what you would expect from a Hilton Hotel. There were many personnel and bell boys on staff to help with luggage. The floral arrangement upon entering gets changed every couple of days. The flowers looked so perfect that I initially thought they were fake. That is, until I saw florists fixing up the flower arrangements early one morning.
The hotel restaurant provides a variety of food that span the East to West. There was an area with traditional Western style breakfast foods (ie. bagel, muffins, grapefruit juice, etc) and an area with Eastern style breakfast foods (ie. porridge, steamed dim sum, etc). One day, my husband and I rolled in a little later and was able to eat some of the breakfast foods and some of the lunch foods (as they were switching over to lunch).
There is also an executive lounge, where you can stop in for a meal and enjoy this lovely view. The food choices were more limited, although some of the food items served were more expensive like passion fruit and dragonfruit (at least compared to the cost in the United States).
Where I Ate: Sky No. 1
The Sky No. 1 is a Michelin star restaurant. The food was delicious and the views were spectacular. Depending on where your private banquet room is located, you may get a view of the Canton Tower or a view of the Zhujiang River nearby. Their private rooms have very luxurious decor and make you feel like royalty (or for me, under dressed for the occasion). The service was very good as well. My husband, his mother, and I had arrived first to the small private banquet room. The waiter asked if we would like anything to drink (we went with tea) and even provided a kettle-full so we could refill it ourselves as needed. Located in our private banquet room was a restroom, which was accessible only by people in the private banquet room. The restroom was modern and not one of those squat-style ones.
Meeting the family was fun, although there was a language barrier because I don't speak too much Mandarin. It was helpful that some of the younger family members were able to speak English though. It really helped to bridge the gap!
Where I Explored: Shang Xia Jiu Pedestrian Street
What's a street blocked off for cars and made just for pedestrians? Well, the Shang Xia Jiu Pedestrian Street, of course! It even has "pedestrian" in the name!
Along the street are shops, so it's perfect that pedestrians (shoppers) can roam the streets freely without fear of being run over. There are lots of shops with souvenir-type things or clothes. There are even street food or fruit vendors after every few shops you walk by. I got some pants for myself (in preparation for clinicals) and some souvenirs for family and friends.
Have you been to Guangzhou, Guangdong, China? What are some sights you've seen and what is worth seeing?
- Nicole G.
@nextwithnicole
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