First stop

Clean and modern and... big! Guangzhou airport reflects the obsession with size in the rest of the city.
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The day began as usual with a mad scramble to get get ready. We had to leave the hotel about 05:30 in order to catch a 08:00 flight as the trip to the airport takes about an hour.

Guangzhou is the first stop on our trip - a staging post where we change from the train from Hong Kong to the flight to Lhasa. This city defines urban sprawl and the (new?) Chinese obsession with size - took us a lot of time to get to the airport (which is huge) from the hotel (which is huge). A curious mixture of modern steel and glass, mid-century prefab block housing, curiously European cottages and futuristic freeways wrapping themselves around all of the above. All flew past in the predawn gloom in our relentless drive to the airport.

This city defines urban sprawl

Getting the heck out at 5:30am - the airport is a long haul from the city.
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We stayed at the China hotel - a beautiful - though faceless establishment run by the Marriott. Didn't get a chance to enjoy any of the facilities but did try out our first McDonald's in China before hopping onto the subway for our obligatory ride. For the biggest hotel in a city epitomising China's export-oriented economic boom, the staff could have been more fluent in English. We know this is their country and their English is better that our Chinese but it should not take 5 minutes to explain "internet service" to the reception staff.