Buzz
On our first evening in Guangzhou, we leisurely strolled through Yi De Street Market despite the sudden rain, seeking shelter in a nearby building under renovation. There, I found myself drawn to a food cart selling a peculiar dish - pho with a Northern medicinal twist! Not usually a fan of such flavors, I decided to give it a try and found it surprisingly delightful and unique!
Across the street, numerous food carts offered various snacks. Among them was one selling what seemed like the infamous 'fermented tofu' dish often depicted in Hong Kong movies. Its reputation preceded it - pungent and seemingly 'rotten' yet oddly enticing, with crowds flocking to indulge. Hastily, I steered clear, merely observing from a distance, unwilling to risk a taste. It was an experience I couldn't stomach.
With the rain persisting, we sought refuge in the subway station, joining the throngs queuing for tickets at the automated booths. Opting for a change of plans, we inquired about the route to Beijing Lu Pedestrian Street.
That evening, I witnessed something truly astonishing - young children selling flowers employing rather coercive tactics, forcing passersby to open their wallets before granting them peace. They targeted couples, interrupting their romantic strolls to push their blooms. If met with refusal, they persisted, resorting to dramatic displays, clinging to the feet of reluctant buyers until their 'knights in shining armor' relented and purchased their offerings. It was a sight to behold, one that defied belief until seen firsthand.
Beijing Lu stands as Guangzhou's most renowned pedestrian thoroughfare, attracting a diverse array of tourists and locals alike. Visitors from across the globe and Chinese nationals from afar flock to this bustling hub for sightseeing, shopping, or business ventures. By nightfall, it transforms into a bustling marketplace, with towering malls lining its path and street-side stalls peddling souvenirs and trinkets. Bargaining is an art form here, with vendors quoting prices that defy logic; in my experience, offering a third of their initial ask typically seals the deal, if genuine interest prevails.
There are countless restaurants and snack bars here. From grilled chicken hearts to corn soup, even Western dishes are available. However, sellers often discourage photography, perhaps fearing their business secrets might be stolen. Feeling hungry after a while, I bought skewered grilled chicken hearts with a glass of ginseng water, eating as I walked. After a long day of walking, we headed back. Taxis are concentrated here like a designated area for picking up and dropping off passengers. When it's crowded, you have to line up to get into a cab. There's a steel mesh divider between the driver's seat and the passenger in the taxi. There's only a small square gap in that mesh just enough for passengers to pay and receive change. It doesn't look nice, but it's very effective for protecting the driver.
Strolling Through the 'Market'
The next morning, we woke up late and went to a nearby restaurant for breakfast. This place serves only Chinese dishes, from dumplings to rice porridge, they have everything. The food suits our taste buds and the prices are not too expensive, so every morning during our stay, we always came here for breakfast.
On this trip, our main purpose was to visit wholesale markets, so I didn't get to explore many places. After breakfast, we went to the commercial center, about a street away from the hotel on Yi De road. On the way, we passed by a large market specializing in wholesale dried goods, all kinds of agricultural products such as dried shrimp, cashew nuts, lotus seeds, dried fish, various mushrooms, and even dried abalone... From here, goods are packed in boxes and distributed to various places (probably including Vietnam too).
In the role of a merchant exploring the market, we went to the stationery section, entering each store to check out the goods, asking for catalogs, inquiring about prices, and discussing payment and shipping methods... Most of the goods here are well-consumed in Vietnam, and the prices vary significantly.
After finishing that market and heading to another commercial center, perhaps the dream of 'getting rich' made me forget about time; I was exhausted, planning to sit and rest, then I realized it was already past lunchtime, turns out I was hungry. Wandering around the whole morning without eating anything made me tired. The two of us entered a restaurant, filled with Chinese customers, people carrying goods on their backs; only the two of us were 'foreigners'!
The first thing to do is to line up to buy tickets, then hand the tickets over at the counter and indicate the dishes chosen. Tickets come in various prices, 6 yuan, 8 yuan, and 10 yuan. I bought a 6 yuan ticket, although limited to only 4 - 5 dishes, couldn't finish eating. There are many dishes in the restaurant, if buying at 8-10 yuan, more dishes can be chosen, probably only heavy laboring men can finish them. I bought the 6 yuan ticket, chose 2 salty dishes, soup, and stir-fried dishes. The food here is oily, a bit nauseating, but I tried to swallow it to have energy to continue...
Here, everything seems massive, from residential buildings to places of commerce, subway stations, roads, vehicles, probably because of the dense population, so they do things once and for all. When I was at home, I also heard that everything in China is big, so I tried to spend money to see it for myself, now I believe it with my own eyes. The market here is very large, endless, from the ground floor to the tenth floor, everywhere filled with all kinds of goods. Each floor specializes in selling a certain type of goods, feel free to browse, no pressure to buy. Goods here are sold at wholesale prices, so the more you buy, the cheaper it gets.
Eating oily foods for the past few days has been very tiresome. We went to a small market to buy food, but since it was in the afternoon, there weren't many goods, only vegetables, meat, and fruits. So we bought a box of roasted duck to eat with steamed buns. The seller asked us which country we're from, where we came from... For the past few days, we've been continuously asked this question. They also said, there are Vietnamese people doing business here but not many. We went to the fruit section, intending to buy watermelon. I asked where they imported the watermelon from; the watermelon seller said these are imported from the US (?!). I just laughed, didn't know what else to say!
Leaving the market, we walked back, the streets crowded with vehicles, people rushing back and forth. The streets lined with tall buildings, but there are also green spaces reserved for trees; thanks to this, the breeze from the river blows in, refreshing. We stopped by a supermarket on the way back to see if there's anything else we need to buy. One notable thing is that if customers don't bring their own bags, baskets for carrying goods back home, they have to pay for the supermarket's bags, no freebies like in our country. Perhaps this is a measure to encourage people to form the habit of limiting waste (nylon bags) instead of making vague calls for environmental protection awareness.
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Source: Travel guide Mytour – By: TBKTSG
TravelWave.comAugust 26, 2013
