Getting to Guangzhou

Getting out from University to Lowu (Luohu) had become routine, and much simpler with the student visa since I no longer needed to needed to fill out departure and entry forms for Hong Kong. The Guangzhou bus station (the building just in front of and to the right of the KCR exit) was easy enough to decipher.

A large map on the wall showed the destinations serviced and the signs indicated that buses to Guangzhou were leaving from terminals 24 and 25. When I arrived there, two buses looked about ready to leave. And they were leaving only 5 minutes apart of each other. I think buses leave for Shenzhen from Guangzhou every 5-10 minutes. Once I was seated, they collected $60 RMB and that was it. The ride lasted a good 2.5 hours since we got stuck behind a car accident and New Years traffic around the Guangzhou train station was very heavy. However, the bus was quite comfortable and even provided a bottle of water, which I dared not use for drink.

From the bus station, I walked a quarter-mile to the first hostel on my list which was pretty much adjacent to the train station. Of course, they told me they had no single beds available, which made sense, because who would want to lose money during a high season like this? They offered me an entire room for RMB $168. I instinctively knew that a more suitable arrangement could be had elsewhere and continued on to the Metro station at Yuexiu Park. It was a bit of a longer walk than just walking to the Metro station underneath the train station, but it allowed me to avoid walking among the masses who were waiting for train tickets or their train, or both. Large 10 foot tall signs with train schedules were set up around the station and many large canopies were created to house the passengers. People everywhere were rolling along their suitcases and plastic bags on wheels. I noticed a fair number of foreign people of African descent walking about.


The Metro station of Guangzhou was very impressive. Obviously brand-new and obviously created by the same people who made the Shenzhen metro and possibly the Hong Kong metro before it. Payment is made by using a value-added card or buying a black, plastic token. The metro allowed passengers to disembark from one side before allowing passengers to board from the other. I have a feeling that Guangzhou will be able to develop quickly and well as a result of its ultra-modern metro.