Enroute

I was invited to the wedding of Ari Klinger and his fiance Lucy some time ago. I didn't really think about going until the day the invitation arrived showing that there would be three and a half days of organised festivities - so then I booked.

I left Sydney on Wednesday morning deciding to spend one day in Guangzhou, somewhere I have never been. Arriving at the hotel around 18:00 I grabbed a light meal and had an early night.

In China no access to Facebook and some other websites and every time I tried to access Google I got taken to Google Hong Kong. Anyway my IT expert resolved that by creating a VPN through Sydney - fixed.

Next morning breakfast and I met my guide in the lobby for a tour of downtown and sights of Guangzhou. Just let me summarise Guangzhou as JABAC - Just Another Big Asian City - one i could happily give a miss to.

The interesting thing is that anything with a brand is substantially more expensive in China than Australia. A Lacoste Polo, a Hugo Boss shirt all around 20% to 30% more than Sydney. But that said no shortage whatsoever of all brand name products EVERYWHERE.

By 14:00 I had enough and parted with my guide and headed back to my airport hotel 30kms from downtown GZ. I was very tired and flopped on the bed at 17:00 waking up at 03:00 on Friday morning.

Anyway mooched around the airport on Friday morning where there are many many shops and food outlets before going back to the hotel, packing and back to the airport for my flight to Dalian.

Board the plane and take my seat to find the seal belt so frayed I wouldn't trust it to hold a child let alone my weight....anyway. Southern China Air is a functional airline with very bad food and minimal service - nothing much to recommend. I have been on this airline before but it gets me from A to B in Premium Economy and at a very low price.

Arrive in Dalian and land at the airport seeing brand new three storey very attractive apartment blocks lining the runway - literally. I don't know who would buy such apartments as clearly they were up market but there appeared to be a lot of life there so obviously there are such buyers.

The plane lands on the tarmac, down the stairs to a bus which takes us to the terminal at which not one airbridge slot is occupied by a plane - clearly some cost benefit of parking on the tarmac as it was like an aero parking lot out there.

Luggage arrives quickly and cab to hotel - I had the previous hotel write the next hotel in Chinese as no taxi driver I have ever taken in China speaks English.

I quickly ready myself as I have to get to the Shangrila hotel (1km away) for the first dinner which is a lovely buffet within the Shangrila. There are around 30 people from the Klinger side, 30 friends of the kids and 10 of Lucy's family. Lucy lives in Sydney but comes from Dalian and her parents still have an apartment here.

The dinner and company was lovely. I know a few of the people, a good friends of the Klingers, Suzie Klinger's sister, Ron Klinger's brother and sister and even a few of the kids friends like Adam Pisk (a cousin) and Ari's business partner.

Activities continued (without a very tired me) at a Jazz Club and drinks. I head back to my hotel for an early night. My Hotel, the Ibis is 1km from the Shangrila and is a normal 3 star Ibis Hotel and while I regret not being at the centre of activities the $A16 a night was too tempting.

Anyway more later XD