52 Hours in Qingyuan, China: My First Stop on a Post-Pandemic Travel Sprint
The first stop on my 9-city sprint across South China. Two months post-surgery, I took a train to Qingyuan in search of noise, nature and a reason to get moving again.
Two months after Achilles tendon surgery π©Ό, I was limping around Guangzhou with big savings π° and too much free time π°οΈ.
I had planned to rent a second apartment closer to the city, because living in Guangzhouβs Higher Education Mega Center π felt like being stuck inside an unfinished textbook π.
I needed friction β‘
I needed noise π
I needed options βοΈ
β
I toured a place β decent enough.
A young Chinese couple π¨βπ©βπ¦ lived there.
The husband was boiling eggs π₯ while I followed the agent through the apartment like I was casing a robbery π΅οΈββοΈ.
They smiled.
I smiledβ¦ socially π«
Classic China apartment moment.
The vibes were off. But I was probably gonna rent it anyway.
Then?
The agent ghosted me. π»π²
So I did what any rational man on crutches would do:
Planned a 9-city tour of South China.
One city per week.
Leave Tuesday afternoon π
Return Thursday night π
52 hours max.
No excuses.
No refunds.
Letβs go. π₯
βΈ»
Qingyuan was stop one.
No plan. No clue.
Just heard the chicken was good π.
I hopped on the high-speed train π
30 minutes later, I was in nature liteβ’.
The next morning: Gulong Gorge π«οΈπΏ
I booked a tour.
The bus was full of aunties and uncles in matching vests π΅π΄π§₯
And before we even got rolling, I got hit with the Four Auntie Questionsβ’:
βδ½ ζ―εͺε½δΊΊοΌβ πΊπΈπ΅π·
βζ₯δΈε½ε€δΉ ε¦οΌβ β³
βδ½ εδ»δΉε·₯δ½οΌβ πΌ
βδ½ ζδΈε½ε₯³ζεεοΌβ πβ
Translation:
Where you from?
How long you been in China?
Whatβs your job?
Do you have a Chinese girlfriend or nah?
They smiled π
I smiled π
My foot screamed π¦Άπ’
Still recovering. Still swollen. Still stiff.
But hey β it was Qingyuan or nothing.
βΈ»
Gulong Gorge was rainforest-meets-theme-park chaos ποΈπ’
There was a waterfall π¦
There was mist π«οΈ
There was a man from Singapore πΈπ¬ with his Chinese wife who wanted to talk about San Francisco π
I nodded politely and zip-lined into oblivion πͺ
Then I stood on a giant hand statue β over a canyon like I was in a Zhang Yimou remake of The Karate Kid π₯π¬
For the photo. πΈ
For the algorithm. π»
For the plot. π§
βΈ»
And of courseβ¦
I ate the chicken π
sautΓ©ed greens π₯¬
beef balls π§ (because chaos follows me)
It was a reset-your-soul meal π½οΈ
The kind of food that whispers:
βYou didnβt die today. Good job.β
Almost made the foot pain worth it.
Almost. π« π¦Ά
βΈ»
Final Verdict:
Qingyuan was a soft-launch adventure π§
Perfect for limping, laughing, and pretending to understand Mandarin in front of strangers π§ββοΈ
Qingyuan hao. β π
βΈ»
This is part 1 of my 9-part series
γ52 Hours in Xγ β a fast-travel experiment through post-COVID China.
One city ποΈ. One story π. 52 hours β±οΈ at a time.
Next stop: Kaiping π°
Spoiler: there were castlesβ¦ and confusion π΅βπ«