5 days in Guangzhou (广州5日游) 4

广州5日游, 5 days guided Tour in Guangzhou (8 Sep 2011 – 14 Sep 2011)

现实人生戏剧 / Real life drama

在09/09/2011, 1300hrs，午餐后, 登上旅游巴士，去到[岭南印象园]参观, 园中富有特色的旧建筑, 街道, 宗词, 民居和商店充分展现岭南传统文化的精华.

09/09/2011, at 1300hrs, after lunch, we visited ‘Southern China Impression Park’ in which consists of architectures of ancient style, and traditional Southern China culture.

我的13位随行团友, 因为天气酷热, 都躲进一间冷气小食店, 品尝岭南特色小食: 牛腩粉, 艇仔粥, 钵仔糕, 双皮奶, 姜撞奶等. 我却一人四处观光. 当时正好有一组摄制队摄制粤语连续剧[妹仔大过主人婆], 除了看到摄制连续剧外, 还给我看到一幕现实人生戏剧.

It was a hot day, all my 13 companies preferred refuge in an air-conditioned small restaurant, tasting Southern China snacks: beef noodles, Guangdong congee, steamed cake, eggs mixed milk, ginger milk, etc. However, I was strolling alone in the park. A TV crew was filming a Cantonese drama. I watched them not only filming a soap drama, but also watched a scene of real life drama in action.

今天的天气酷热, 影响了摄制队人员的脾气也暴躁. 有一位摄制队工作人员问: ‘有没有对白?’ 导演很不耐烦的回答, ‘有啦, 丢你老母, 你无睇剧本!’ 同样的一幕, 只是短短的5 – 10 分钟, 就得重拍几次.

The weather was rather hot but the filming crew temper even hotter. One worker, who carried a microphone recording pole and was supposed to take care of sound recording, asked a question to confirm that there was dialogue to be recorded, ‘Is there dialogue?’ The director answered impatiently, ‘of course, fxxking idiot, you did not do your home work!’ The same scene, for just 5 - 10 minutes, had been ‘NG’ and had to re-do a few times.

到了下一幕, 那位摄制队工作人员又问: ‘有没有对白?’ 导演火爆的回答, ‘有啦, 丢你老母, 你无睇剧本!’, 这位负责同步录音的队员忍不住了, 脱下手套, 把手套猛力向导演掷去, 大声道, ‘我唔捞了, 成日被你丢老母, …..’ 导演回敬, ‘唔捞就走人, 废物.’

Come to the next scene, the same crew staff asked: 'Is there dialogue?' The director  answered angrily, ' of course, fxxking idiot, you did not study the script.' This crew staff,  who was responsible for simultaneous sound recording, got offended, took off the gloves,  violently  throw at the director, and said loudly, 'I quit, stop scolding me idiot, .....' The director angrily replied, 'get lost from my sight, rubbish. "

另一工作人员马上接过那支录音麦克风, 制片工作继续进行, 没有因为一人退出而停顿.

Another crew member took over the recording microphone pole to do the recording, production work continue, it did not halt as one crew member’s withdrawal.

看过了这现实人生戏剧一幕,  我回到冷气小食店, 也品尝到几口的岭南艇仔粥.

Having watched the real life drama, I returned to the air-conditioned restaurant to enjoy a few mouthfuls of Guangdong congee.

5 days in Guangzhou (广州5日游) 3

广州5日游, 5 days guided Tour in Guangzhou (8 Sep 2011 – 14 Sep 2011)

8菜1汤 / Menu of 8 dishes and 1 soup

在09/09/2011, 1100hrs，我们登上旅游巴士，开始我们的行程。45分钟的车程后，于中午1200hrs，我们先用午餐，然后前往参观的旅游景点。14人开两桌， 每桌8个菜，一个汤和白饭，每道菜都很丰厚份量。此外，饮料有中国茶，一瓶1升装可乐和2瓶啤酒。太多食物了，我们吃不完菜肴，剩下很多食物。

On 09/09/2011, at 1100hrs, we boarded the tour bus and began our itinerary. After 45 minutes of travelling, at 1200hrs, we had lunch before visiting tourist attraction. 14 of us seated in 2 tables. We were served with 8 dishes, a bowl of soup and rice, The dishes were very substantial amount. In addition, Chinese tea,  a bottle of Coke and  2 bottle of beer were provided. We could not finish the food, a lot of leftovers.

8菜1汤吃不完, 剩下很多食物, 太浪费了. 第二天我听到Wang Khim对导游建议, 把8菜1汤改为6菜1汤, 不过把食物的水准提高. 我没有插嘴, 心想, 我们新加坡人真是老实和天真, 当8菜1汤改为6菜1汤后, 将会为旅行社节省了两道菜的开销, 而食物的水准不一定提高和无法评估. 还好,  导游没有用心听Wang Khim的建议. 5天来的菜单还是8菜1汤. 过后我对Wang Khim和各人说出我的看法, 大家同意, 不再提出更改菜单的建议.

We Singaporean were kind and naïve.  The menu of 8 dishes and 1 soup was indeed too much for us, a lot of leftovers and wastage. Next day I overheard Wang Khim suggested to our tour guide Ms Wang to cut down to 6 dishes and 1 soup but request to raise the quality of food. I did not interfere their conversation. However, I disagreed to reduce the number of dishes because it would save the cost of 2 dishes for the travel company, but the quality of food was uncertain and subjective.  Later, without the presence of the tour guide, I expressed my view to Wang Khim and the rest. They agreed and the idea of cutting down to 6 dishes and 1 soup for better food had been dropped.  

因为我们的人数是14人, 在5天旅途中, 导游多次的告诉我们,一桌最多只能坐12人, 14人坐不下,  她不得不开两桌给我们用餐, 是要付1桌8人的付费.

Ms Wang kept mentioned to us that as we were 14 people, she had to book 2 tables for our meals because maximum 12 people for 1 table, and she had to pay the cost of 8 people for a table of a set meal/menu meal.   

5 days in Guangzhou ( 广州5日游) 2

广州5日游, 5 days guided Tour in Guangzhou (8 Sep 2011 – 14 Sep 2011)

早餐 / Breakfast  (09 Sep 2011)

我们只有14人, 旅游巴士可乘载30位乘客, 所以我们很舒服. 从机场到旅店车程大约一个半小时. 在凌晨0200hrs我们下榻某某酒店 (地址：广州 白云区 XX路XXX号) , 是一间四星级酒店.

We were only 14 but the tour bus sitting capacity could take 30 passengers, so it was spacious luxury. It took one and a half hour travel from airport to hotel, at 0200hrs we checked in at XYZ Hotel, a 4 stars hotel.

导游说她和司机是广州居民, 所以旅行社没有提供酒店房间給她们, 在我们入住酒店后, 她们只好回家休息, 这样折腾要在0300hrs才到家, 所以明天旅游节目1100hrs出发.

The tour guide, Ms Wang, said as she and the tour bus driver both were resided in Guangzhou City, according to their company rules, the travel company would not provide them lodging in Guangzhou City, and they had to go home to rest, in such a case, probably they would reach home at 0300hrs and the next day sightseeing programme had to be started at 1100hrs.

酒店早餐从0700hrs到1000hrs. 我们在0830 hrs去用早餐, 这是一间四星级酒店. 早餐差强人意, 鸡蛋只有一款, 煮熟蛋, 没有厨师值班为顾客当场准备煎蛋或洋葱煎蛋. 中式早餐没有豆浆, 西式早餐没有熏肉(bacon), 不设沙律柜台. 水果只有香蕉一款. 如果要我称赞他们的食物, 炒馃条还炒得不错, 可是, 没有保温, 食物冷冰冰的.

Hotel breakfast served from 0700hrs to 1000hrs. We took breakfast at 0830hrs. The standard of breakfast was unsatisfactory, only hard boiled eggs were prepared, no chef on duty for customers to prepare omelette or to fry eggs with onions. Chinese-style breakfast without soyabean. Western-style breakfast without bacon, salad bar was not available, only banana for fruit.  If you want me to praise the food, I would say the fried noodle was good, but it was cold, they did not keep food steam warm.