Lost in China 5: The “Canton 7”

- September 05, 2019

The trip to the FIBA World Cup 2019 has been more than just basketball trip. After all, there’s more to Guangzhou and Foshan than just basketball. And the first to stick out is the relationship one builds with others on a trip like this. Coming from different parts of the country was the “Canton 7,” a band of basketball buffs who shared more than just passion for basketball. Our senior members were Gil Cortez (SBP Board member and regional director for Central Luzon) and Joey Guillermo (SBP Board member), Asila Malasarte (Joey’s partner), “Mayor” Peter Rey Bautista (SBP Board member and regional director for CAR), Paul Supan (SBP Board member and regional director for NCR North), Pong Dacoco (SBP Board member and regional director for Northern Mindanao), and this bleacher bum. Spending time together meant enjoying everything we did together as a bunch. Aside from the Gilas games, we went shopping, eating, shopping and eating. And I almost forgot, we walked a lot to see as much as we could of Guangzhou.

Spending time there meant getting to know more not only about the culture and traits about China, but also about our “Canton 7.” We meet each other often in formal meetings and workshops, but never on a trip like this. And despite the diversity of personalities age and home addresses, we actually clicked as if we knew each other for a long time; as if we were old classmates getting together for a reunion. Aside from the Canton 7, we also dealt a lot with others in the group tour, including the Cebuano pair of Gallardes, the Bisaya-speaking wife of Marcio Lassiter and their four kids, the wife of Gabe Norwood (from Davao; also speaks Bisaya), the media guys (Dodo Catacutan, Olmin Leyba, Jonas Terrado, Julius Manicad), and the group of businessmen. We even bumped into Msgr. Boy Alesna (another basketball fan) and Alex Lim of Bacolod after the Gilas-Serbia game. And how can I miss our bosses in the BEST Center, Monica Jorge and Veronica Jorge-Vinarao.

I’m very impressed with the “hugeness” of Guangzhou with a population of 25 million (Source: Wikipedia). Food was authentic Chinese and relatively affordable. We stayed away from the high-end restaurants and frequented the small places that were aplenty along the street. A favorite of ours was a 24-hour corner restaurant that also had an al fresco section facing the Pearl River. Only once did we eat in an American-based fastfood chain. I guess there had to be an exception.

If you were a fan of shopping, you wouldn’t be disappointed with Guangzhou unless your taste is up there with the LVs and Guccis of the world. Bejing Road or “Beijing Lu” was the shopping district nearest to us. It was around four to five blocks wide of stores and malls where vehicles were not allowed to enter. China’s biggest brands were all there along with the usual low-end stuff. It’s like a combination of Cubao, Divisoria and Binondo all rolled into five big blocks of shopping. Clothes, shoes, gadgets, souvenir items and a whole lot more were all there. They also had an “Outlets” Mall called Wanguo Outlets. The biggest brands were there and all outlets offered all sorts of offers and discounts.

Working out was a must and we also had a chance to jog along the Pearl River, go up one of the many bridges before working our way back to the hotel. This and the sheer amount of walking down all over did the trick for our dose of cardio. But there was so much more we could do. We could’ve list?: take the train, visit historical sights, take the ferry cruise, etc…..