Guangzhou, China
I’m chronologically recording a 2 week trip we took through southern China. This is the second post, you can find the first one from Xi’an here.
From Xi’an we flew to Guangzhou. Our youngest daughter is from a small town about 4 hours by van from Guangzhou (the capital of her province). I knew I’d need a day to prepare before we traveled back to her town and the orphanage.
As the plane touched down in Guangzhou, I leaned over to her and whispered, “This is the city I met you.” It felt like coming home.
Soon we were on the subway and headed to our Airbnb. Hotels really are not an option for our budget. As a family of 7, we have to book 2 hotel rooms and no one gets a bed to themselves. We booked 1 Airbnb for $35 a night. It had 4 bedrooms and 6 beds…and lots of indoor plants to make me feel at home!
Corbett and Hudson had a favorite restaurant in Guangzhou from their last visit to China. It was a tiny restaurant tucked in a little side alley of the city. Despite being tired, we decided to jump on a few subways to see if we could find the place with the fried rice they’d been missing.
Unfortunately, the restaurant was no longer there. We asked around and found out the family that ran it had moved cities. It was a bit of a bummer. We walked around and found a different spot to eat.
The next day we spent exploring the wholesale areas of Guangzhou. A large concentration of manufacturing plants are in the greater Guangzhou area, so the city is a hub for international buyers looking for items at wholesale.
I found my happy place – the stationery wholesale spot! Unfortunately, we were carrying everything on our backs for the next two weeks, so I couldn’t buy much. I did, however, make note of a few items to pick up during a train layover before we headed back to Beijing.
If anyone is looking to hire a stationery buyer – pick me! I’ll travel to China and do your shopping! Chris suggested I open my own online store. I reminded him it takes me a year to get anything in the mail, pretty sure shoppers wouldn’t like my shipping times.
Chris is incredible at navigating the public transportation options in different cities. The kids aren’t always thrilled to wait for him to figure out the best route, but one day I think they’ll appreciate his navigation skills!
We stopped by the electronics wholesale area – where Chris came up with countless other business ideas. He would start a new business every day if he could. He is a big picture guy. I’m a details girl. Shopping in wholesale areas with him is a little stressful and frightening for me!
Thankfully, our backpacks kept us from starting any new businesses – this round.
Products. Negotiating. Price points. Consumer pricing. Wholesale pricing. It wasn’t a day hiking in the beauty of nature, but it was a perfect opportunity to teach our kids about global economy, business start-ups and a host of other related topics. They got to meet business owners from around the world and get a firsthand look at all kinds of business models.
The joys of having two entrepreneurs as parents – “How to Start a Business” classes all the time. 😉
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