Right up the street from the hostel is a dumpling shop.  Now although you can get dumplings anywhere in China, these dumplings are different.  They are unbelievably fresh!  As you wait, you can watch the three woman making your dumplings as a man stirs them in a big metal pot for them to steam in.  A few days ago I was waiting for my dumplings when I felt someone poke my shoulder.  It was a Russian girl named Valerie who also lived in the hostel.  We talked about our future plans in Guangzhou and decided to explore the city together. 

The next day we woke up early and visited many places.  It was a little cold and rainy but we first visited a garden dedicated to 72 martyrs in Guangzhou.

We then went to the Guangzhou Public Library.  It was amazing.  It seemed like thousands of floors!  The inside was all glass- simply beautiful.  We visited the children’s section. Even with about 50 children and their parents it was shockingly quiet and relaxing!

Valerie and I ended up going to the Guangdong Art Museum.  However, it was pretty bad.  The museum layout was quite strange.  We kept asking where the calligraphy section was since it was on all the signs but NO ONE knew where it was it.  So strange but we had a great day together.  Plus, the museum building itself was neat!