Flat Tire Paradise

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Function follows form ... Wait, what?

Mosquitoes and Me

On the 12th I was bitten by a mosquito in Renhe, which is a bit North of Guangzhou. Although there is no strong evidence of malaria in this area ... it is within the range of possibility. If I were infected with Malaria ... odds are good that sometime in the next 16 days I would be symptomatic.

Tips Regarding the Canton Tower

Hi. Today I went and looked at the Canton Tower. First tip. If you want to go to the Canton tower and ride the elevator to the top and maybe get a t-shirt, go to the nearest subway station and get off at the Canton Tower. I have a lot of confidence in local knowledge, and often it works out great. Not today.

Second tip: RTFM Shawn. I still haven't read it. But I bet it says right in there how to get to get to the Canton Tower.
Third tip: If you are a cabbie in Guangzhou and someone asks to go to the Canton Tower, please tell them to ride the subway and take them to the nearest station.

Fourth tip: If you are a Guangzhou resident, and a Western traveller asks to go to the Canton Tower, do not take them to the south end of the national mall and try to walk to the Canton Tower. It can't be done in a reasonable period of time (I think we walked about 4 miles), and I have no reasonable evidence it can be done despite the appearance of a bridge across the Pearl River. Take your friends to nearest subway station and go to the Canton Tower stop and get off.

Then look around for a really freaking big tower.

My apologies to the three English speaking young men, who asked me at 11:00 how to get to the tower, because I told them they would probably have to walk across the river. The correct thing to tell you, (as I found out a few minutes later) was to get on the subway and ride to the Canton Tower station. You had missed the last train on the short route, so it might have been faster to walk anyway.

Monday, March 17, 2014

Worst beer ever.

Today, Lantau Island ... Tomorrow Chueng Chau Island

I spent today on Lantau Island, just across from Hong Kong Island. Apparently there are still native populations of the original occupants, and also feral cattle and buffalo. I shot film and ate wonton from a street vendor. I saw bananas growing and what appears to be a whole island full of local jungle. The local fishing village of Tai O is pretty interesting. I sent 6 rolls of 120 to the film guru in Tuscon at the Post Office in Tai O.

Tomorrow, the New Territories. Chueng Chau Island. A fairly informative post -- here -- if the monkey could actually remember where she went.