Guangzhou is the third largest city in China after Beijing and Shangai with a metropolitan population of around 24 milon. Including the nearby cities of Shenzhen, Dongguan and Zhongshan the population increases to 44 milion given name to the Pearl River Delta Mega City. Furthermore, if we add the population of HongKong leads to 55 milon: one of the most populated metropolitan agglomeration on Earth. Perhaps not the best place for bicycle touring….
So I decided to start cycling again in Hezhou, around 250 km northwest of Guangzhou. To get there I needed to take two trains: one from HongKong to Guanzhou East, and the second one from Guanzhou South to Hezhou. So the challenge of the day was how to make the 30 km between both railways stations in one of the most dense populated regions on earth.
Until Guanzhou East railway station all went very smoothly. I checked-in my bike in the cargo compartment of the train and after 2h trip, I found her waiting for me at Customs. Then, the time started ticking: my train to Hezhou was leaving in 3 hours and somehow I had to cross the city to get there in time.
After getting a SIM card for my phone I found out that by public transport was apparently quite easy to get there. I had two options: Option One, taking the metro. Option Two, to take bus 122A and change to bus 301A. Just one little detail that could make things a bit more complicated: I was carrying a bicycle.
Anyways, I decided to try first public transport, keeping as a backup start pedalling towards the station (Option Three). Leaving the train station hall I followed the metro sings until I saw the entrance. It took me 20 milisecons to realize that Option One was over. Two security man were equipped with metal detectors and a very serious face: No bicycle in the Metro.
About 200 from there was the bus station. When I got there I looked for the bus 122A. After crossing the station between running busses, I saw the bus 122A without driver, the engine off and the doors open. Immediately I loaded the bicycle on the bus and after one minute the driver came and started the engine as if nothing would bother him.
After 15 minuts we got to the bus stop where I had to change to 301A bus. Once there I realized that to get to the bus 301A would be much complicated task. The stop was full of people and some busses were comming absolutely packed. After some minutes waiting, my bus came. Surprisingly it was half empty, but anyways this time the driver didn’t allow me to jump on the bus with my bicycle. He closed the rear door and left with the bus spitting me a black dense smoke in my face: Option Two was over.
So I got ready and I started cycling the remmaining 25km to the station. After Japan, these were my first kilometeres on the road again! So I was used to the Japanese traffic, where from north to south the traffic rules are respected, where in almost 1000 km on Japanese roads I only heard 3 honks and where the cyclist is taken in consideration.
After some meters and several loud honks I got an adrenaline kick. I saw how a truck was driving against traffic and using the horn to avoid collision. How bicycles much more loaded than mine were slowly crossing the street. All sort vehicles and persons in a caothic and loud system with apparent Brownian movement. The horn here was used to make yourself seen. I had the sensation that some trucks had ship horns (difficult to compete with my bicycle ring), with a deep loud sound that made my heart jump at once.
After some kilometres I realized that I would lose the train. Trying to cross the wide Zhujiang River I got lost in some suburbs were the caothic traffic seemed to persist. Anyways, there was another train some hours later, so I decided to keep on riding to the South station.
Once to the station I exchanged my train ticket, I had two a hours before the next train was leaving. After, I intended to bring my bicycle to the platform, and then is when I saw that would be very difficult, or impossible. To access the platform I had to cross an entrance gate with security and show my ticket. When I tried a man came to me making a cross with the arms and pointing me outside. After trying to convince half the personnel of the station that I could pack my bike, or putting it in the cargo compartment, I dessisted. No bicycle on the train… Hong Kong trains and Chinese trains don’t work the same way! Apparently it was not allowed to put bicycle on the train for security reasons . Interesting paradox after crossing Guanzhou hardly seen any secure thing!
It was getting late and my plans to sleep in Hezhou would need to be changed. Finally I got the possibility of being hosted by Toel, a friend of a friend who apparently was from Guanzhou. After getting her number she told me that would come to pick me up at the station and that I could sleep and her home with her family. Tomorrow would be another day. Then I went out to get some air and wait for Toel when suddenly I crossed sight with a man who looked me with a familiar face and was wearing a Real Madrid t-shirt. I said “Hola” and we started taking. He happen to be Mikel Lasa, player of Real Madrid and Atlético de Bilbao during the 1990s who was now coaching a group of teenagers in Guangzhou. He just scapped from the boys five minutes to smoke a cigarrete.
After saying goodbye With Mikel Lasa and wish me good luck in my trip, Toel came and brought me to her home that happen to be just next to the Railway East Station, just where I started the day odissey. The circle was closed.
They welcome me and invited me to stay as long as I wanted.
Finally I stayed two nights in Guangzhou. The day after I went to Shamian island, a sandbank island where French and British build some European style buildings during their colonial period in China.
Some traditional Chinese dancing. The lyrics talks about the beautiful lanscape of the Mao Tse summer residence.
Guangzhou at night.
Travel in context 