May 6 - Guangzhou

I had expected to hate Guangzhou, perhaps as much as I had expected to like Jinghong. Another unfulfilled expectation.

Guangzhou has gone under the radar of most travellers because it's seen as nothing more than a hub for people heading in and out of Hong Kong. But, finding myself with several hours to kill before my night bus left for Yangzhou, I set out to explore. Leaving my bags at the hotel, I did a five-kilometre, three-hour walk through the centre of the city, south from the train station to Shamian Dao, a beautiful, tranquil, little island that seems completely out of place with the dusty city life across the canal. On the way I stopped at the Temple of Six banyan trees and the Five-Genie Pagoda. Or was it the Six Banyan Tree Pagoda and the Temple of Five Genies? Oh well, either way, there are no longer any banyan trees in the former and only four genies or "ferries" as they are called, in the latter.

Misnomers aside, they were both worth the few dollar entry. The temple is a stunning,  17-storey, octagonal structure, that reminded me of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It's built in such a way that every second floor is hidden, and each time you go up a staircase, you come out a different side of the octagon so you get a different view of the city. Inside are Buddhas, paintings, artifacts and a variety of nooks to explore. Don't go up if you're afraid of heights, though. The balconies that surround every second level are narrow and not for acrophobiacs.  The next temple on the walk was the Temple of the Five Genies, with beautiful courtyards, steles and bansai trees. Heading south, the roads in Guangzhou became narrower and narrower as I neared the river. Here is where the bulk stores appear -- rice, material, plastic bags, metal screws -- where people gather in little circles on the sidewalk to talk, where cars have to fight for space with hand-pulled ox carts. And then, the streets open up to an increase in hustle just around Guangzhou Department Store.

Pushing on, just over the beautiful bridges of the canal and I was into Shamian Dao, an oasis-like respite from the crowds with quite streets, a beautiful boulevard lined with gardens, coffee shops and souvenir stores. The perfect place to relax for an hour or two. Right next to the island, on the west side, is a conveniently located underground subway station that took me right back to the train station and my hotel.

If you only have a few hours to spare in Guangzhou, get on a subway and in 15 minutes you'll be at Shamian Dao, a spot that should help put Guangzhou back on the radar.