Mou Tuck Deng 无得顶: China Shi Long Village visiting (Balik Kumpong) 中国石龙回乡

It was a tough job for the Chow family (周家）to organise for a 16 members group to visit their home village in China - Shi Long (石龙) especially majority of the family members are senior citizens . Fourteen of the members are 65 of age and above. Only two members are of 2nd generation. Numerous trips were made to the Richard Travel at People's Park Complex to iron out tour details on issues like departure date, type of airline, duration of stay, tour itinerary. This was not the usual standard conducted tour offering by the travel agent. This was a special tailored tour to suit the family requirement. The final arrangement by Richard Travel for the village visit was as follows:
1. Preferred airline : Singapore Airlines
2. Duration : 1 April 2017 to 7 April 2017. The date also coincided with the Qing Ming festival 清明节。
3. Chartered coach : 32 seats coach ( exclusive) with one tour guide and a driver. A special request was to provide a stool for the seniors to alight and aboard the coach with ease
4. No pre- arranged shopping trip to be made by the tour guide
5. Two days stay in Dong Guan - Shi Long (东莞 - 石龙）to pay respect to ancestors.
6. Five days tour at Gui Lin (贵林）。 Travel from Guang Zhou (广州）to Gui Lin（贵林）by High Speed Rail (HSR) , 高速快鐡.
The whole trip went according to our plan and everyone was enjoying. More importantly the seven days trip really gave the family members good bonding and understand each other better.

1 April 2017 (Saturday) Day 1
Richard Lim the boss of Richard Travel met us 6.30 am at Changi airport T1. Richard had done the online check-in for us 2 days before departure. He distributed the boarding passes to us and also assisted us with the self check-in luggage machine. We took the 0820 SQ 850 flight to Guangzhou. We arrived Guangzhou at 1220. A local tour guide, Mr Steven met us at Guangzhou airport and we stopped for lunch before we headed for Dong Guan 东莞- Shi Long 石龙 and check-in to Gladden Hotel 石龙名冠金凯悦大酒店.

My boarding pass

SG Changi airport

SQ 850 took off
at Changi airport

About to land at
Guangzhou airport

Landed at
Guangzhou airport

Group photo at arrival

Food outlet at
Guangzhou airport

Loading of luggage

Stool for the Seniors
that made it easy to
board and alight

Guangzhou airport

Village visiting in 2006

Photo taken 11 years ago

(2006)

Last visit to the

village 11 years ago

First stop for lunch

Arrived at Shi Long
Gladden Hotel

Hotel lobby

Hotel drop off point

Buildings opposite
Gladden hotel

View from hotel room

Restaurant for first dinner

2 April 2017 (Sunday) Day 2

Breakfast was at the Gladden Hotel. We met the Chow family relatives at Shi Long village and thereafter proceeded to the cemetery paying respect to the Chow ancestors. The Chow family played host inviting the relatives for lunch before returning to Guangzhou for dinner.

Shop houses at Shi Long

Shi Long village entrance

Shi Long relative's
house

Photo taken in 2006

House 22 praying to ancestor

Photo taken in 2006

A dilapidated house

Marching to cemetery

Chow family
ancestor's cemetery

Photo taken in 2006

Paying respect
to the ancestors

Video of paying respect to the ancestor by Frankie

Lunch at Shi Long

Good bye to
the relatives

Our dim sum dinner
at Guangzhou
点心晚餐在广州

View from hotel
room at night

Dessert after dinner

Dessert store near hotel
Landmark Canton

3 April 2017 (Monday) Day 3

Woke up early in the morning and proceeded to the Guangzhou high speed train station for the 0830 high speed train to Guilin 贵林. Another tour guide, Ada met us at the Guilin train station. We first toured around the Guilin city before stopping for lunch at a local Chinese Restaurant. We visited the Elephant Trunk Hill after lunch.

Video of Gulin 2017 by Frankie

HSR station at
Guangzhou

Selfie

Arrived at Guilin
Bei station

Guilin Bei train station

Guilin Bei train station
concourse

Guilin city
贵林市

1st lunch at Guilin

Entrance to Elephant
Trunk Hill

Elephant trunk hill

Elephant Trunk hill
象鼻山

Our meeting point
after shopping at
Zheng Yang Lu
正阳路

Zheng Yang Lu
shopping street

Zheng Yang
pedestrian street
正阳步行街

New Balance look a like

Lawrence enjoying oyster

Doris having a fruit
juice and snack

Four Scholars from Guilin
during Qing Dynasty
清代贵林四大状元

Dinner before checking
in to Guilin Vienna hotel

Guilin Vienna hotel

4 April 2017 (Tuesday) Day 4
Guilin Li River Cruise.
The Li river cruise from Gui Lin to Yang Shuo 杨朔 is the center piece of any trip to the north eastern Guang Xi province 广西省. Gorgeous along the river gave the tourists surprises at each bend. There was a saying that Gui Lin has the best scenery in the universe, 贵林山水甲天下。We enjoyed the Liu Sanjie 刘三姐 performance after early dinner. The show started at 7.45 pm. The auditorium was housed on the natural islands of the river with the audience seating on the designed terraces surrounded by green plants. This was really a new concept opera using nature as an integral part of its performers.

Video of Li Cruise 3 by Frankie

Boat ride ticketing office

"Assistant tour guide"took
over while tour guide went
to ticketing office

Guilin Li River Cruise
贵林漓江游

Boat cabin

Abang / Adek

Selfie

At the roof deck

Tourists busy
taking photos

Beautiful natural scenery

Jacqueline sketched for
the American couple

Lunch at the cruise

Arrived at
Yang Shuo
杨朔

Yang Shuo
shopping street

Coffee break

Hotel at Yang Shuo

Buildings opposite
Yang Shuo hotel

Out side Yang
Shuo hotel

Yang Shuo hotel
centre court yard

Hotel lobby

Dinner before Liu
San Jie show

Entrance to the Liu San
Jie show auditorium

Liu San Jie auditorium

5 April 2017 (Wednesday) Day 5

We visited the Guilin Shiwai Taoyuan 贵林-世外桃园 after buffet breakfast at the hotel. We took an electric motor boat ride at the lake and understood a little bit more of the life style of the minority groups. We also visited the Longsheng minority group village after lunch.

Boat ride with other
group at the back

Minority group
The Tong 侗族

Happy family

The cleanest toilet
same standard as
airport toilet

Lunch venue

Longsheng
Minority village

Longsheng minority
group senior citizen
activity centre

Dinner venue

6 April 2017 (Thursday) Day 6
Visited the ancient lanes of Guilin. After lunch, we said good bye to Gulin and took the high speed train back to Guangzhou. At Guangzhou we went for Pearl River 珠江 night cruise after dinner.