April 19, 2011

Dancing fountains - Zhaoqing, China

Looking down from my room at the Pearl Hotel. I only stayed there one night... but apparently, the dancing fountain show happens every night. It was a beautiful view and the show was quite good. I could actually hear the music from my room (bad "sound proofing")... so I chose to embrace the show. What you don't see in this image is the giant television screen that's just to the right. I couldn't understand what the television was saying (it was in Chinese)... but when I woke up, I had the urge to start advocating public or common ownership and cooperative management of the means of production and allocation of resources.

April 14, 2011

View from the lovely (and brand new) Pearl Hotel in Zhaoqing, China.

The entire city is basically brand new. Everything you see below did not exist 1 year ago (including the hotel room I stayed in). It's amazing how fast cities are built in China. Now over 4 million people call Zhaoqing home... and it's expected to grow even larger within the next few years. You can't see it in this picture, but there is construction everywhere... which is creating a layer of dust that covers everything not moving.

I liked this picture because it represented the hustle and bustle of the new city: bright neon lights, cars/motorbikes cruising the streets, people walking around the common area. It seemed to fit the mood quite well.

March 10, 2011

7 Star Lake.

This picture is of a beautiful lake in southern China. The name of the lake is actually called "7 Star Lake" (great tourist ploy by the Chinese government?)... it's in the Zhaoqing province. It makes you forget that you're in the heart of the biggest manufacturing zone in the world.

September 23, 2010

The Seven Star lake in Zhaoqing, China... very beautiful and serene. It's a nice break from the "hustle & bustle" of Dongguan and Guangzhou.

September 22, 2010

The "ginormous" OYC hotel as seen from the outside on a damp morning (looks a little creepy). Prior to taking this picture, I got bitten by 15 mosquitoes and had 7 motorcycle drivers offer me a ride around the lake.

September 16, 2010

The view from the self-proclaimed '7 star' OYC Hotel (aka mosquito hotel). It's actually quite a breathtaking view when it's not too smoggy. However, the OYC is just a super weird hotel. It is either completely filled with people or completely empty. Apparently, it hosts some government functions (which causes it to get full). When it's empty, it feels like a reenactment of "The Shining"... because it's just so massive and creepy. A few of the creepy things listed below:
-In order to get to the gym area, you need to go through a giant/underground maze that leads you past a "cavernous pool" (a pool designed to look like you're in a cave). When you get to the end, they have a large cafeteria set up that is always empty.
-The breakfast buffet has a giant fish tank in the middle of it... with a woman swimming in a mermaid costume.
-There's a slight mosquito problem in the rooms... because the maids are kind enough to turn off your air conditioning and open your doors when you leave for the day (which can also cause your sheets to get damp if it's humid enough outside).