We took a DiDi directly from our hotel in Zhuhai to our hotel in Guangzhou, which is about 124 km away. The journey took roughly two and a half hours, primarily on a motorway with a toll of 65 CNY, which we had to pay both ways. Ultimately, the total cost was around £50. While this may be relatively high for the area, the convenience was worth it, as it spared us the trouble of getting Peter on public transport in his wheelchair. Guangzhou, formerly known as Canton, is the largest city in Guangdong Province and serves as its capital. This vast port city is located on the Pearl River.
In Guangzhou, we stayed at The Sofitel Sunrich Hotel. Upon check-in, we received a lovely room on the twenty-fifth floor. I noticed several vintage cars in front of the hotel, although I’m not sure of their significance. We had access to the executive lounge, where we enjoyed afternoon snacks, an evening meal with drinks, and breakfast. Shortly after checking in, Peter was thrilled to discover that he could have tuna sandwiches with chips as a snack.
After our afternoon snacks, we checked out the hotel's indoor swimming pool, but did not swim at that moment. I unpacked our belongings, and surprisingly, we were only carrying one small rucksack for the trip, as I thought it would be too challenging to manage Peter's wheelchair and a suitcase on the boat to Zhuhai. There was quite a bit of handwashing involved in keeping our clothes fresh. Later, we returned to the lounge for dinner. The weather was rainy and foggy, but on clearer days, the views from the lounge might be stunning. I could faintly see the famous Canton Tower in the distance.
The next day, the weather seemed a bit improved. We had breakfast in the lounge before taking a DiDi to Shaiman Island. Originally a sand bank in the Pearl River, Shaiman Island became an important trading post for foreign traders when Guangzhou, then known as Canton, was one of the few places in China open to them. British and French merchants built European-style buildings here and engaged in trade with the locals.
The island is beautiful, featuring numerous well-preserved old colonial buildings, many of which have been transformed into restaurants or cafes. I didn’t know the original purpose of most of these buildings, but they were a joy to explore and often quite colorful. One building, painted blue, housed a Starbucks, likely one of the most charming Starbucks around. When we return to Hong Kong, I might check what these buildings used to be on Google Lens.
As we walked around, we encountered two churches. I was able to enter one called the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes. At one point, a Chinese secondary school student approached us and kindly said, “Welcome to China. How may I assist you?” He wasn’t trying to sell us anything, just being courteous. We asked him to take our photo, and he wished us a lovely stay.
We also passed through an open-air craft market and enjoyed the lovely flower-filled gardens on Shaiman Island, which is mostly pedestrianized, creating a pleasant atmosphere. Beautiful buildings line the gardens, where we also found an exercise area and a children's play area, both of which were quite popular.
Throughout Shaiman Island, there were numerous statues depicting interactions between Chinese people and foreigners, aspects of Chinese culture, and children having fun. One notable aspect is the canal on one side of the island and the Pearl River on the other. We strolled along the waterfront, where we saw a modern art center in the distance.
Despite the constant rain, it was hot and humid. We spent a lot of time on Shaiman Island but eventually began to feel tired, so we took a DiDi back to the hotel for a rest before heading to the lounge for dinner. After dinner, I attempted to go for a swim but was asked to leave by the lifeguard due to not having a swimming cap. I had to buy an expensive cap to re-enter. We later learned that most pools in China require one, and for some reason, I haven’t been enjoying swimming here.
We took a DiDi directly from our hotel in Zhuhai to our hotel in Guangzhou, covering a distance of approximately 124km. The trip lasted about two and a half hours, with the majority of the route on a motorway that had a toll of 65CNY. We had to pay the toll in both directions. Ultimately, we spent around £50. While this may be considered pricey for the area, it was very convenient for us, as it spared us the difficulty of getting Peter onto public transport in his wheelchair.