Travel fever having flared again, we caught a bus to Melbourne from where we flew to Singapore via Darwin. We stayed in Singapore for a few days and Lee Tuan caught up with her relatives and friends from her Singapore days. Singapore weather may be unpleasant, but you would be hard-pressed to find better food anywhere, and we enjoyed some great street and café food. And you can't help but admire the cleanliness and order of the place.
On 5 May we caught an early morning flight to Guangzhou in southern China. Our hotel is near an entire shopping district devoted to just one product – shoes. There are over 1,000 shoe shops offering a total of about 500,000 different models of shoe. Lee Tuan browsed around but didn't find anything she liked!
We went for a walk to Beijing Lu, a popular Guangzhou pedestrian mall. As we approached, we saw an enormous crowd ahead. We then discovered that the Olympic Torch Relay was due through the mall in 90 minutes time, so we joined the crush (and I mean crush) and waited in the heat and humidity for it to arrive. The crowd-control skills and methods of the Chinese police were something to see, and when the time came, the mall was cleared within seconds. The torch bearer was accompanied by such a large entourage of security personnel, police and vehicles of all description that the torch had passed before we realized it. But the massive crowd was extremely satisfied with the spectacle and went wild with excitement. Their pride in their country was palpable.
It's mango season in Guangzhou – they are everywhere and inexpensive, and we have already done our bit to keep China's mango growers in business. And the fried dumplings from the small shop across the road are to die for. Which is exactly what attempting to cross that road might require.
On 5 May we caught an early morning flight to Guangzhou in southern China. Our hotel is near an entire shopping district devoted to just one product – shoes. There are over 1,000 shoe shops offering a total of about 500,000 different models of shoe. Lee Tuan browsed around but didn't find anything she liked!
We went for a walk to Beijing Lu, a popular Guangzhou pedestrian mall. As we approached, we saw an enormous crowd ahead. We then discovered that the Olympic Torch Relay was due through the mall in 90 minutes time, so we joined the crush (and I mean crush) and waited in the heat and humidity for it to arrive. The crowd-control skills and methods of the Chinese police were something to see, and when the time came, the mall was cleared within seconds. The torch bearer was accompanied by such a large entourage of security personnel, police and vehicles of all description that the torch had passed before we realized it. But the massive crowd was extremely satisfied with the spectacle and went wild with excitement. Their pride in their country was palpable.
It's mango season in Guangzhou – they are everywhere and inexpensive, and we have already done our bit to keep China's mango growers in business. And the fried dumplings from the small shop across the road are to die for. Which is exactly what attempting to cross that road might require.
