Name:Eric Gonzalez
From:USA
Occupation:Global Adventurer & Writer
Introduction: Eric Gonzalez read Marco Polo’s adventures as a child, which made him curious about the world. Before moving to Guangzhou, he traveled the world as a backpacker, hitchhiking across the world and visiting more than 20 countries, starting from Cambodia, then going through Thailand, to India, Turkey, France, the USA and everything In-between until he finally arrived in China and stopped In Guangzhou, the starting point of the ancient maritime silk road.
Stories of the old Silk Road fill my childhood memories: Marco Polo and his adventure from Italy to China and back. Pictures of great ships crossing the oceans and great caravans crossing the world in search of new
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I grew up in America so the gleaming skyscrapers were as familiar to me as rice stalks are for the Cantonese. Because such tall modern buildings were something that I have come to expect, so I didn’t want to live in that kind of building, instead I wanted something old, something traditional, something that breathed out the essence of Chinese culture and architecture.
We tried to find a place on our own, we explored the tiny old villages within Guangzhou. Finally we settled on a magnificent place in a tiny village just near the heart of the city. The house was old, the walls were 20kg stones smoothed by the Pearl River and stacked two stories high. Thick logs held up the clay tiled roof that curved and showed off its beautiful traditional Chinese architecture. We were happy with this house, happy with the culture and history that it held, and even more happy to invite our friends to
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If you ever have the chance, visit the locals, enjoy their culture and their hospitality. Even if a person’s home may be small and simple with no decorations, they will wholeheartedly invite you in for a drink and a meal. The people you meet in the villages will always treat you like an old friend, even If it is the first time you have met. Enjoy their hospitality, and get ready for the amazing stories that they will share with you.
When I came to Guangzhou, it was only for a visit, two years later and I am still here. I will travel again someday, but for now I am enjoying the flavors of Cantonese culture and watching the city evolve into the true international metropolis that has been for many millennia. Hopefully the new Silk Road will revive the old stories and create new ones as well. Stories of economic, intellectual, and cultural growth for all people all over the