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Thursday, May 18, 2017

Trip Report and Review of Chimelong Water Park, Guangzhou, China

On my recent visit to China, i visited the Chimelong water park. I have heard about the park for quite a long time but never got a chance to visit it. On my recent visit, i had a day off and planned to visit the chimelong water park.

How to reach Chimelong Park

We went there in a metro. The nearest station is CHANG LONG.
After exiting the station, there is a shuttle bus station which can take you to the park.
Or you can take a walk of about 10 minutes and you can be there at the main area.

The Chimelong parks consist of three parks. Safari Park, Amusement park and Water Park.

Pedestrian Walk way from Metro Station to the Park


Each has a separate entrance, however you can buy a combo ticket for all three parks or either two or just one.

We preferred to go to the water park. It was a wednesday.
The entry ticket is RMB 200 / person

You can view the amusement park rides from the walk way


Luckily it was buy one get one free offer, so we paid 200 for 2 persons which was quite a bargain.


Park entry


Chimelong Water Park Entry



Outside food and drinks are not allowed in the park.

Lockers are available for rental.
Depost was i think rmb 20 and rental was rmb 25 for a small locker.

Washrooms and change rooms were well maintained and were abdundant.

Rides were pretty good and ranged from children, adult and extreme rides.

All in all the park was well maintained, well kepts and the rides were pretty good too , specially the extreme rides.



It is a must visit place if you are in guangzhou and have a day off for leisure.

Saturday, May 13, 2017

Canton Fair 2017, Guangzhou, China

In my recent trip to china, i visited the much anticipate Canton Fair. The canton fair is the largest fair exhibition in the world, where items are ranging from a needle pin to air plane parts (literally)

Its covers various categories and industry sectors, its so huge that exhibition is divided into 3 phases. Each phase is divided into various categories and sectors. The canton fair takes place twice a year. Once in April and once in october.

I visited the April exhibition and attended the first phase, which was most suited for the products I was looking for. To check which phase is suitable for you, you may visit the official website of canton fair to get information about your desirable sector / phase.


To attend the canton fair

To attend the canton fair as a visitor there are two ways. 
You can go to the exhibition complex and go to registration area and register as a visitor and pay the entrance fees. The walk in entrance fees is around RMB 150. Make sure to take your photograph along with you. If you dont have a photograph with you, you can have your self photographed at the spot and it will be extra RMB 100 for the photos.

The other way is to register online at the canton fair website at http://www.cantonfair.org.cn/
This is the simplest, easiest and cheapest way. Register an account on their website, fill in all your required details like name, address, business name, visiting card, photo and other details.

Once you fill in all your details, then apply for visitor pass. The step is simple and you will receive a confirmation email / code confirming your registration.

So on the day of your visit, just go to pre-registered / online registered counter, show them your confirmation email code (either in print or on your mobile phone ) and they will pocess and print your visitor badge in few minutes time.

The visitor badge is valid for life time so keep it safe with you even after your return to your home country.


Visiting the canton fair

The easiest way to visit is to take the metro. The station is PAZHOU which exits directly at the entrance gate of the exhibition. Pass thru security and badge verification steps and you are into the exhibition complex. On the way from exit towards the complex entry you will be haggled by various marketeers offering you gifts and giveaways in return of your visiting card.

This is worth a try as some of them have some very interesting gifts like a chargable fan, a proper trolley and gift bags, pens etc. It was an interesting encounter.

The complex itself is enermous, comprising of various complexes and a bridgway which links the two complexes. Make sure to take a guide map and mark the areas which you are interested in, so you visit exactly the same halls which are of your requirement.

A Cart on the Bridge Linking One Complex with the Other


The hall and facilities are well laid and once you get to understand the hall layout and understand which product category is displayed in which hall / floor and area, it gets easier to navigate the exhibition. It took me almost a day to understand the floor plan, stalls, stall numbers and sectors.

Inside the main complex




Select your suitable sector, floor and start exploring and visiting the sellers.
Take a backpack with you with essential water, snacks and enough storage to carry catalogues and samples. At the end of the day the back pack ought to get heavier with all those samples and catalogues.

Also remember to wear breathable and soft shoes as you are sure to walk at least 10 - 12 km exploring different halls , aisles and floor.

Main Linking Bridge Area

One of the Aisles at Canton Fair 2017


Shrine of Abi Waqas (Saab Bin Abi Waqas) in Guangzhou, China

Guangzhou, China has a shrine of Abi Waqas (Saad bin Abi Waqas)
The shrine is near Guangzhou railway station.

The shrine is built along with a mosque. Many local and foreign muslims visit the place to pay homage to the Sahabi of Prophet Muhammad.

The place also has a mosque and is really crowded during Friday Prayers.
The mosque has seperate prayer area for ladies, while ladies can visit the shrine along with men.

If you want to avoid the rush, it is suggested to go during normal prayer times, as it gets really crowded during the friday prayer times.

The mosque is near guangzhou railway station and on friday you can see loads of people walking in that direction, and you will know they are going for Friday prayers.

After friday prayers, you can also find various vendors outside the mosque, selling halal muslim food, specially barbque and grill items. Grilled lamb chops are a must try along with grilled fish.


Inside the main entrance of the mosque

Friday Prayer Rush at Abi Waqas Mosque, Guangzhou, China

Out side lawn, leading to the gate of of the shrine

Crowd of People at the Friday Prayers in Guangzhou, China

Inside the main shrine. People paying their respect

People paying their respect at the shrine.

All in all, it was a good experience to offer friday prayers in a foreign country and visit a shrine of the sahabi of prophet muhammad.