Guangzhou: My Epic Fail Diary
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Hey, a heads-up and some quick rant for those planning a trip to Guangzhou!
Firstly, traffic in this city can give you a headache! Even outside rush hours, it’s often so bad that you just have to breathe and keep calm. We once traveled from the Thirteen Rows area (a massive wholesale garment district) to Dongshan Kou (an artsy neighborhood filled with quirky stores and cafes), which was only a few kilometers away, but it took us two and a half hours! Furthermore, drivers seem to have a rather “free and easy” style, often changing lanes without signaling, so whether you’re driving or crossing the street, stay alert! Be warned: taxis in Guangzhou can be costly due to traffic jams, causing the fare meter to skyrocket. And as for subways… get ready to squeeze like sardines!
Secondly, some areas of Guangzhou appear rather “crude” — it feels quite messy, and hygiene could definitely improve.
There are just too many people! Don’t plan to visit popular tourist spots during holidays or weekends. We picked a weekday to visit Chimelong (a renowned theme park) expecting it to be less crowded, but we ended up only playing four rides all day — unbearable! Contrary to what people think about weekdays being less crowded, truth is, everybody thinks that way. Strongly recommend choosing when the crowds are thinner (like after schools reopen), or opting for VIP skip-the-line tickets; otherwise, you might lose faith in life while waiting in line. Also remember to apply sunscreen, as the sun is brutal!
Before shopping around in Dongshan Kou or the Thirteen Rows, remember: do your homework online! This time, without any prior research, we dashed straight over, only to find out later that many shops specialize in wholesale orders, with minimum purchases set at ten items. Moral of the story: do your research!
Another word of caution: avoid driving in Guangzhou. It not only disrupts travel plans and wrecks your mood due to heavy congestion, but parking spaces are hard to come by, and the fees can be eye-watering: in Shenzhen’s city center, the daily parking rate at places like Huangteng Plaza never exceeds 60 yuan. In Guangzhou, though, decent spaces charge a minimum of 90 yuan per day. We were completely surprised when we realized that parking fees were the highest expense of the trip!
One amusing incident was with food delivery: at our accommodation, delivery drivers didn’t actually deliver right to your door. We intended a tasty breakfast the following morning, but since we weren’t informed of the delivery, we stumbled across the cooled-down, now lackluster meal, sitting alone in the designated pick-up cabinet downstairs, only upon waking up mid-morning.
Overall, however, some parts of Guangzhou still won me over:
- Firstly, the food here is still amazing! A local tradition of enjoying dim sum while having tea is excellent, with all sorts of delicacies offered alongside fluffy rice noodle rolls — fantastic indeed! One chain café named Dian Duo De is quite decent, priced reasonably and worth visiting.
- Secondly, great clothing options in both Dongshan Kou and the Thirteen Rows. Numerous fashionable designer stores and affordable outlets await, making it difficult for us to fully explore this trip. I’ll be back next time without a doubt to find hidden gems once more.
Summing it all up—Guangzhou was filled with pitfalls during this trip. I shall take pause before planning another visit now. #Guangzhou #pitfalls
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Honestly, Guangzhou's road planning is just terrible. I feel like it's a major contributor to the severe traffic congestion.
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Haven't noticed, I'll check it out in a few days.
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It's probably just in certain areas that delivery drivers can't come upstairs; I've always had my food delivered right to my door. But those first few points you mentioned are spot on. The crowds are definitely getting bigger, and frankly, it's a bit overwhelming.
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Definitely.
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Chimelong is always packed with people.
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Whatever.