Guangzhou Flower Market

I posted about the flower markets here  but I didn't really make any reference to where they are or how to get there. 

Catch line 5 (the red one) all the way to the very end at Jiaokou. When you exit the station, you go to the right and walk towards the overpass. Basically towards all the people walking TO the station with their trollies full of flowers. Walk down the overpass and again turn to the right and you'll find yourself walking past some shops and cafes. At the first set of lights cross the road to the other side, walk under a little kind of tunnel and there you are! 

The flower markets start with shops full of pots and things, but after a block if you veer to the left and eventually you'll get to a massive under cover area full of flowers! 

Watch out for the beep beeps! 

This is how we CNY

Lunches, dinners, dumplings, cocktails, lanterns and shopping for all things red on Yide Lu. Making muesli for breakfasts and biscuits for fun. Sightseeing, mountain climbing, flower buying, visiting friends and eating amazing food. Evening drinks at every place open in Guangzhou where we could take the dog, as well as day time coffees with Suzi Q. Napping.

It's just like Christmas but with more people, food and shiny things. Actually it is more like  a reverse advent..with activities continuing after the first day of new years day. Anyways...whatever it is, it is awesome and I'm now going to celebrate every single year.

Macau - what we did and how we did it

Macau: full disclosure. It's not my favourite place. It's a bit weird isn't it? That mix of China, Portugal and casinos...but you can enjoy the Portugal side of things and ignore the fact that you are smack bang in the midst of all the high rollers.

Stay in Coloane. We were given a great recommendation and stayed at Pousada De  Coloane. It's perfectly tucked far away from the casino crowds, nestled into some quiet bushland across the road from the beach. Perfect in every way (except for the food...just to manage your expectations. Enjoy the outlook and location...forget about eating there). 

If you are travelling from China, the hotel is about a 30 minute taxi ride from the border crossing. Word of warning though. Should be a 45 minute drive except that EVERY TAXI DRIVER WE HAD DROVE LIKE A RALLY CAR DRIVER.  Even the one who appeared to be 83 years of age. 

So back to what we did. We walked into Coloane village and ate delicious custard tarts from Lord Stows. Coloane is a beautiful spot to walk around and take in the brightly coloured buildings and interesting laneways. It's pretty small though so once you're done, hop in a taxi past all the high rises and high rollers and mooch around Taipe. We wandered around the old cobblestone streets before a lunch at Antonio's tapas bar, which was better food than Antonio's proper...

While the sun was shining we travelled into Macau's old town to take in the sites with all of our holidaying friends. Mandatory ice-cream at Limoncello's then back to the serenity of Coloane. 

Day two was spent hiking the Coloane Trail. Lots of well signposted paths through pockets of greenery and hazy see views. Surprise temples and reservoirs and suspension bridges make this a worthwhile way to spend a morning. Easy to find if you cross the road from the Pousada De Coloane hotel (just walk up their back stairs towards the main road) and start the trail from the BBQ area just behind the carpark.