Guangzhou - Where i'm living for the next 6 months!

My first impression of Guangzhou was kind of....meh. The view from the train station seemed to be a regular urban scene, rather dull when compared to the bright lights and querky streets of Hong Kong. This disappointment however was short-lived, once I explored the more central parts of the city at night!

Luckily, my apartment is very close to the city centre! However, it's hard to tell from how it looks...

We took the taxi to the nearest location to the apartment (it's a zoo! on my doorstep!) to meet my coursemate/new room mate Kexiong. As he walked us to the destination the shiny modern architecture began to dissipate, as we entered a rather old section of the city centre. Here the buildings are grey, very dusty from the pollution and all the windows have bars on them. Needless to say I was rather surprised that this is where i would be living, and so were the locals we passed - i'm definitely the only Caucasian in this area!

I was quite frightened at first, as I thought maybe this doomed me to be burgled, mugged or just hassled whenever I walk to my door. But once I entered my apartment, this time I was met with quite a decent sized room and a very large bed - even a tv to watch shows I won't be able to follow! Once my posters and favourite possessions were spread around the place it instantly began to show promise as a functional home-from-home.

Although i'm the only westerner here, I don't feel unsafe - but me and Yinzi do tend to attract a lot of stares, especially from an old man who owns the corner shop who never ceases to be amazed. This place certainly makes me aware that i'm in a new place with different values and unique customs - therefore providing the ideal environment to truly indulge in the China experience.
Maybe this place can become my comfort zone and act as a strong lifeline for getting by here in China.


The toilet will take some getting used to though......