廣州一盅兩件／李明熙
以前上廣州，鍾意坐巴士，最平。現在為省時，愛坐廣九直通車，兩小時車程而已。縱使我們在開車前二十分鐘才到紅磡車站，也沒有人龍排隊買票過關。在空蕩的列車上，談論到那只快十多分鐘，卻造價千億的高鐵，又會有多少載客量呢？
一到廣州東站，便看到酒店的接駁車在等，原來 Agoda 早把我們的到達時間通知了廣州香格里拉大酒店。十五分鐘車程到珠江南岸，遠離繁囂市區。這房間超大落地玻璃窗看五羊城及珠江美景，雖然煙霞漫天，但極之開揚。酒店最大的賣點，是一個佔地 5,800 平方米鳥語花香的公園。原身是一個高爾夫球場，但近年打貪嚴厲，高官不敢入住高級酒店，香格里拉立即變陣，打造公園，轉攻家庭及婚宴市場，成功轉型。
請教街坊老友，食在廣州，到底要去哪？朋友推薦上下九街的「陶陶居」食點心。陶陶居創於清末，牆壁掛上名人詩畫，是文人雅士聚會之地。樓底高，廳房寬敞，我倆獨佔一張六人枱。問 Kim：能吃出廣州點心和香港點心的分別嗎？Kim 說口感比香港的好。意思是每件點心比香港的大，而且味道鮮明。第一口好味，第二口滿足，我們都笑說香港的相對變成迷你點心。
陶陶居的點心好，但嘆茶，朋友則約我們在沙面的「陶然軒」。陶然軒一樓是為茗茶而設，格局優雅，每枱都有茶盤，專人服侍，茶錢二十五元一位。嫌貴的可以到二樓，跟一般茶樓無異，要排隊等位。陶然軒的點心亦不錯，只是少了 Kim 所說的口感而已。
First time in Mainland China/Kimberlogic
It’s not cheap for an American to get into China, but it is quite easy. I have lived in Hong Kong for three years and just recently I finally made my first trip to the mainland. Chinese visas for Americans cost a bit more than most other nationalities, but as long as you pay the price, a ten year visa is issued in less than a week. So, this past month I got my visa and hopped on a train to Guangzhou for a long weekend.
Maybe it was the pollution or maybe it was my first time being in a communist country, but there was a different kind of feeling in the air. Although I felt a difference, my surroundings showed only subtle alterations to Hong Kong.
First, the sidewalks were bigger. This may not seem like an important thing to note, but for me, I hate feeling claustrophobic trying to walk down a street in Hong Kong, so more space for pedestrians makes Guangzhou not feel as crowded. Only in the subway train did I get an overwhelming feeling of being packed in a container like a sardine. The streets were clean and it was very comfortable to wander around during the day and even in the evening. Guangzhou was quite easy to navigate as well due to the fact that there weren’t many pedestrian bridges to find in order to cross a street or a few blocks.
I am not much of a shopper, but I found the wholesale streets very interesting. In Hong Kong I find many shops selling samples, fake or last season’s products for very cheap. In Guangzhou’s wholesale district, I was amazed by the quantity and similarity of items. There were entire streets of just belts, or just underwear…entire streets! There was a toy street, a fabric street, a shoe street, and more! I think on one street alone, there were enough belts to provide for the entire human population!
The food in Guangzhou was again similar, but different. Most of the places we decided to try were selling dishes originating from the north of China. My favourite meal was from a small family run shop away from all of the chain restaurants. This shop was in a small neighbourhood on a quiet, dimly lit street. We sat at one of four tables out front on the sidewalk and had spicy noodles and dumplings. Although you can find spicy noodles and dumplings in Hong Kong, this place had character that was different and the taste was far different from anything I have tried in Hong Kong.
So although at first glance the cities of Guangzhou and Hong Kong seem similar, I found many differences. Some good, some not so good, but I enjoyed exploring the city, searching for the differences. I find the best part of anything; a person, place or thing is always in the details.
