Close encounters
Looking for an easy-to-reach weekend getaway without the hassle of Chek Lap Kok? As Cecilie Gamst Berg discovers, there's a welcome in the Guangdong hillsides, where visitors are treated like royalty and 'progress' has yet to ruin the scenery
You may think not when you consider there are so many easy-to-reach destinations right on our doorstep. Yes, I'm talking about Guangdong province.
Just across the border is a plethora of towns and cities that you can reach by leisurely boat, bus or train without having to remove your shoes or laptop - or indeed have your water bottle taken away.
After having visited all the big, bigger and biggest cities in China, which are all starting to look depressingly similar, I've come to appreciate the smaller towns in Guangdong. They can be easily reached for a weekend away, the people who live there (except imported taxi drivers) speak Cantonese, and they treat foreigners like rare and treasured gems, which is so much better than being treated like, for example, manure.
My latest discovery is also one of the closest: Zhongshan, a mere 1-1/2 hours away by ferry. This town is the rarest of rare mainland entities: a place almost devoid of taxis. Official taxis with meters, at least; private-car touts ply their trade quite forcefully.
From the ferry terminal, my friend A and I are therefore forced to take bus No1 (go out of the terminal and turn right on the main road), which goes to Zhongshan itself. Or so we thought. The bus conductress looks bus-conduct-distressed when we tell her we don't know where we are going; just "anywhere in Zhongshan?" Her face shows clearly what she thinks of people who don't know where they are going - vile troublemakers! She settles on charging us four yuan (HK$4.93) each, after some gnashing of teeth. A 20-minute ride later we see a parade of shops and al-fresco restaurants; white plastic tables and pink plastic chairs, markets and hotels, and think this must surely be it.
"Wait! Four yuan will take you much further!" the conductress protests - but do we listen?