Month: July 2010

Guangzhou Baiyun Airport to Shenzen by bus

On July 10, 2010

June 2010:

If you are in Guangzhou, you should not miss Shenzen, the youngest city in China. There are many ways to get to Shenzen from Guangzhou. The most common advice is by train from Guangzhou East Railway Station. But Last June 2010, we took a bus ride from Baiyun Airport, a service provided by Baiyun Airport Express. The coach is spacious and clean. En route you can enjoy many Chinese cities, towns and villages along the highway. You can buy a ticket at the ticket counter at Baiyun Airport and wait for the bus outside the airport terminal (I think at Gate 7 Arrival Hall). There many buses from the same company going to different destinations, so make sure you go the right boarding place. You must buy a ticket prior to boarding. The fare was 88 Yuan one way. The journey took about 3 hours with one quick stop at Shekou, just before entering Shenzen city limit. In Shenzen, the bus made a final stop at Bagualing Road. From here we took a taxi to our hotel near Louhu. A the final stop, beware of many touts waiting for the bus to arrive. When we got down the bus, they rushed to assist us with the luggage. TIPS: Hold your things to yourself and just pretend you know the way even though you do not know. Stay cool and pretend talking to somebody on your mobile as if there is somebody is coming to pick you up even though nobody is coming. After a while these touts will go away and you can find a real taxi — colored red and silver. The place the bus finally stops is in fact a small decent hotel operated by the same Baiyun Airport Express. The hotel lobby serves both as a ticketing office for the same bus going back to Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, and the entrance to the hotel. To get to the lobby, go around the building and enter through the main entrance. There was a clean toilet at the lobby if you need to ease yourself. You can hail a metered city taxi from the main road right in front of the hotel lobby to anywhere in Shenzen. Again don’t forget to add fuel surcharge to the amount listed on the meter. Welcome to Shenzen everybody!

: Pullman hotel at Baiyun Airport, Guangzhou, CHINA

: The bus made a quick stop at Sheikou en route Shenzen

: Left luggage station in Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, CHINA

: The bus makes the final stop here at Shenzen.

: Wait for the bus to Shenzen here!

: Flight FD3649 departing at 11:55pm to BKK

: Toll booth on Guangzhou-Shenzen highway

: Airport bus to Shenzen from Guangzhou Baiyun Airport leaves hourly

: Spacious and clean interior of Airport bus to Shenzen

Halal restaurant in Shenzen, CHINA

By abuadam

On July 10, 2010

In Travel

June 2010:

Mencari masjid dan makanan halal di negara asing seperti China bukanlah sesuatu yang mudah. Satu cabaran berat bagi pengembara poket nipis (budget traveler) yang tidak datang dengan pakej. Yang penting ialah persiapan awal atau groundwork. Sebaiknya, tanya kawan-kawan yang pernah sampai ke sana. Atau buat carian di internet — cari laman web yang mempromosi hal ehwal Islam di negara tersebut. Antaranya zabihah.com yang mempromosi restoran halal di seluruh dunia. Masukkan nama bandar yang anda akan lawati dan insyallah laman web ini akan menyenaraikan semua restoran halal di bandar itu. Anda perlu sokong laman web seperti ini dengan memberi feedback jika anda ke sana. Mereka memudahkan umat Islam membuat kebaikan semasa musafir.

Perlu diingat di China walaupun restoran terdapat tanda halal, kadang-kadang minuman keras juga di jual sama. Makanan dan minumam ringan sahaja halal, tetapi yang berat-berat tidak halal. Jadi kena hati-hati.

Berikut beberapa restoran makanan halal yg sempat saya jumpa sepanjang lawatan saya ke Shenzen pd June 2010, mudah-mudahan memberi manafaat kepada semua pelancong muslim.

Restoran KFY dekat Louhu, Shenzen, CHINA

: Restoran muslim KFY di Shenzen, CHINA

: Kuayteow goreng di restoran KFY di Shenzen, CHINA

: Days Hotel sangat dekat dengan restoran KFY di Shenzen, CHINA

: Sayur kailan dan cendawan di restoran KFY di Shenzen, CHINA

: Coke buatan China di restoran KFY di Shenzen, CHINA

: Nasi bubur daging kambing di restoran KFY di Shenzen, CHINA

: Mee kari cair, tapi sedap. di restoran KFY di Shenzen, CHINA

: Nasi padprit di restoran KFY di Shenzen, CHINA

Restoran muslim KFY ini pakar dalam masakan dari Xinjiang (muslim di northwest China). Daging lembu dan kambing menjadi menu utama. Kebab dan dimsum pun ada. Nasi goreng dan mee goreng pun ada. Anda kena cuba. Restoran sangat bersih dan dekor luaran seperti KFC outlet sebab merah menjadi warna pilihan. Harga berpatutan. Ada tandas sekali. Servis baik sekali. Buku menu diberi bila anda sampai, siap dengan gambar dan harga. Waiter lengkap beruniform akan mengambil pesanan dengan menggunakan alat canggih sebesar telefon bimbit. Pilih sahaja menu yang berkenan. Teh Cina diberi percuma.

Restoran ini berdekatan dengan Days Hotel, Louhu metro station dan juga Louhu Commercial Center.

Selain Louhu, ada beberapa restoran halal di sekitar Masjid Meilin di Shenzen. Pada hari Jumaat, banyak gerai-gerai makanan beroperasi di hadapan Masjid dan suasana sangat sibuk sebaik sahaja selesai solat Jumaah.

Klik di sini: Masjid Meilin Shenzen.

Juga terdapat sebuah hotel Muslim di Shenzen dan di tingkat atas hotel tersebut terdapat sebuah masjid. Cuba google “muslim hotel in Shenzen” untuk dapatkan maklumat hotel ini. Saya tak sempat ke sini sepanjang lawatan ini.

“It happened so fast.”

By abuadam

On July 9, 2010

In Uncategorized

July 6th 2010:

One of our contractor passed away yesterday while we were busy with work and meetings and doing other worldly things.

I got the message late while in one of the KPI-setting meeting which was supposed to set key performance indicators to measure individual performance for the next financial year. While we can plan how much sales and revenue the Company can make, or how many leaders we want to develop, we never can plan when and how we will die.

Unable to catch the funeral ceremony at Yuwey cemetery in Mingalardon, we visited the bereaved family members today at their house at University Avenue in Yangon. Our car was stopped by the security guarding this stretch of University Avenue which is the home for the most famous lady in Myanmar — Daw Aung San Su Kyi. We were made to walk some 800 meters along University Crest to the house no 71A.

We met the wife, a widow now. A petite pretty lady, who spoke English better than most of my local staff in my office.

“It happened so fast. ” The wife started the story. There were many relatives and friends in the house, which served as his husband’s office. So she took us to the verandah.

“He complained about slight chest pain in the morning. Then he visited a doctor at nearby clinic, have ECG taken. ECG was no good and the doctor gave him a bundle of medication, to be taken after meal.”

Her eyes were wet with tears but she managed it well not to drop the tears. She tried to put up a brave front but sometimes she broke down and simply buried her face into her hands, while we were waiting for this damsel in distress to complete her sentence.

“I quit working and started becoming a fulltime housewife last year. Now I don’t know… It seems I have to return to work.”

“I am spoilt by by him, everything I wanted I got it, just like a baby.” She is a young mother with 2 boys — aged 6 month and 2.5 years old. She said her late husband said he had 3 kids, and she is the third one.

“This house is my husband’s office, somebody new will come. I have to leave and find a new place.”

I did not say much. I was not good at comforting others in pain save some words rather direct like life is test, be patient, Allah loves him more.

Anyway I did hand over my business card before I left just in case she wanted to try her luck in my organization.

A flower girl in Yangon (Part 2)

By abuadam

On July 3, 2010

In Rambling

July 2, 2010:

Met her again at the Shwegondaing intersection.

She was as innocent as ever, wearing the same sweet smile, very natural indeed. She rushed to my car knocking at the window gently, as what she did last time. She waved a string of jasmine flower for sale, as what she did last time. Unlike what I did last time, this time I rushed to get some kyats from my work pant deep inside the sport bag, as I just returned from a badminton game at the university sport complex. But alas I could not control the traffic light. The light turned green so fast, and the car had to move. I missed her again. May be next time. I forgot her name but I could never forget her smile.

It was an interesting sight at the Shwegonedain intersection in Yangon, Myanmar. In this city, everyone has a story. Every face tells a story.

Mosque in Guangzhou, CHINA (Abi Waqas Mosque)

By abuadam

On July 3, 2010

In Travel

June 2010:

Sejarah kedatangan Islam di China bermula pada zaman Khalifah Uthman Al Affan (RA) di mana bapa saudara Nabi (SAW), Saad abi Waqas telah diutuskan ke China melalui jalan sutera laut kepada Maharaja Dinasti Tang. Utusan ini pertama mendarat di Canton, ketika itu pelabuhan perdagangan utama di China, selepas itu menuju ke ibukota dinasti Tang di Xian dan diterima baik dan Maharaja memerintahkan sebuah masjid dibina di Canton (sekarang Guangzhou) buat mengingati peristiwa bersejarah ini. Inilah Masjid Huai-sheng, masjid yang pertama dan tertua di China. Saad abi Waqas kemudian kembali ke Guangzhou dan meninggal di sana. Sebuah monumen dibina dan dikenali sebagai maqam Saad Abi Waqas di kota Guangzhou. Saya berkesempatan melawat masjid ini baru-baru ini.

Alamat / Address:

Assahabi Abi Waqas Mosque (Muslim Sage’s Tomb)
No.901, North Jiefang Road
Tel: 020-86692743

Bagaimana untuk sampai ke sini? / How to get here?

Access to this mosque is quite tricky as the entrance is located at the edge of crowded intersections. The mosque is located inside the small park (there was a construction work at the entrance to the park during my visit). For adventurous, you can take Guangzhou metro and stop at Yuexiu station. In the metro underpass, exit toward Li Hua Hu park (opposite side of Yuexiu Park). NOTE: There are many parks around this area. When you come to street level, turn right and walk ahead along North Jiefing Road (not toward China Hotel). You will see a small park at your left, and of course the famous Yuexiu Park to your right across the street. Keep on walking and the road will curve to the left. The entrance to this mosque is to your left at the curve. If you walk more than 15 minutes from the Yuexiu metro station and still cannot find the mosque, you are lost already. For conventional people, you can take taxi to this place, but make sure the address of the mosque is written in Chinese. Ask your hotel’s concierge to do this. Some taxi drivers will just dump you in front of the entrance to Yuexiu Park and tell you that the mosque is just across the road, pointing to the direction of the small park. (Thats what happened to me. In this case you must cross the road via metro underpass.)