Safely in Guangzhou...halfway home!

I'm now safely in Guangzhou, and am halfway home. Tomorrow I fly from Guangzhou to Hong Kong, and then on to Vancouver. Being in China again is a lot different from what I expected.

The Olympic opening ceremonies are on right now, and judging by the atmosphere in Guangzhou, I'd estimate the whole of China is watching them.

It's Friday night, and there's nobody on the streets. My cab ride to YIHE, where I'll spend the night, was the fasted I've ever experienced. There were few cars on the road, and fewer people walking the sidewalks. Gone was the honking mayhem that I've come to expect from Guangzhou, and instead I experienced an amount of space and freedom that I didn't think was possible here.

I wanted to run up and down the empty streets yelling and jumping, just to take advantage of this amazing atmosphere. Guangzhou is empty, and it probably won't happen again for another few decades!

Usually, Guangzhou would be humming with activity, especially on a Friday night. But since the opening ceremonies are on, everyone is holed up in their houses. I could have shot a cannon ball through the busiest subway station, and nobody would have been injured. Stores were closing early since nobody was around to buy anything.

After I got off the plane in Macau, I took a bus to Guangzhou, a two hour trip. It felt like we were driving Highway 7+8 from Shakespeare to New Hamburg at midnight, with only a few other cars on the road.

The things I found most difficult about China over the past year are not present tonight. The crowds, the stares, the blaring horns and jostling people are all absent. It is truly amazing, to experience a whole city shut down like Guangzhou has.

I was not wanting to come back here and revisit my China experience, but it looks like I won't have to. Instead, I get to be immersed in this uncharacteristic and unexpected lull in Chinese life.

It's hard to describe the sense of freedom and joy I felt walking the streets tonight! They were so empty, so clean, and China doesn't smell like China. I bet the whole country spent the last month scrubbing every street. It sure changes the face of the city. I'll leave with a positive impression of Guangzhou, and that's great.

Goodnight from Guangzhou!