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Shenzhen
The park I visited - really pretty Hi Everyone!
Well it went from overcast/rainy and humid, to bright blue skies and humid. It's not really that hot here, high 70's, but the humidity is a killer! I've resigned myself to the fact that my hair will be worn up everyday from now on.
I left Beijing two days ago, and flew to Shenzhen, China, just north of the Hong Kong border. Our flight was diverted to another city because of bad weather (what a shocker!), but when we finally flew in later that afternoon, the sky was blue, and it's been blue ever since. We came in about 3 hours later than scheduled, which was abummer, especially since we had to sit on the plane the entire time we were waiting. I was sitting next to a young kid who spoke decent enough English, so I taght hime to say "What a bummer," and "What a drag." I'm sure he'll be very popular at the next party he goes to. Actually, I found that the younger people, who know some English, liked to initiate conversations with me. The first couple of times, I was leary, but then I would feel bad, because they're just curious.
Shenzhen
The kids and I I only stayed overnight in Shenzhen, and saw a few things in the morning; it's a much prettier city than Beijing or Guangzhou. I wnt to a park that, apparently, tourists don't frequent, and when some young teens saw me, they all wanted a photo with me! They were so cute! Before I checked out of the hotel, I showered again while I could (my clothes were soaking!), and then I took the metro (subway) to the border crossing. Wondering where to go to from there to cross, well, I just followed the "To Hong Kong" signs, it was that easy! Then I hopped on a train & rolled my carry-on to the hotel!
I was super overwhelmed by the massive crowds (and really, that same yucky smell again), I thought I might just have to get out of this city fast! The hotel, or I should say 'guesthouse' where I'm staying is on the 14th floor of a high rise. I've never seen so many high-rises in one city. There seem to be two types of accomodation, these guesthouses located in the high-rises, and regular hotels. These gueshouses are actually inside apartments, but they're set up like a
Shenzhen
Some fruit growing in a tree near my hotel hotel. Most of the apartments are residences, some are even businesses. On the ground floor of my building, is kind of a mall, and each little shop has hundreds of cell phones and accessories. And the shops next door sell hundreds of cell phones and accessories. If you ever want to be pampered in Hong Kong, stay at a regular hotel, where the building is devoted to being a hotel.
I checked in and immediately went out to the outdoor night markets, then when it was dark,
I took the ferry across Victoria Harbour to see the famous Hong Kong Skyline. There were a couple hundred people with me, including a large group of singing French tourists. I took the ferry back and walked back to my hotel, yes it was dark, but the gazillion neon lights from all the shops lit up the streets. There's a metro I could have taken, it's like four stops from the station at the pier, but I wanted to explore more. You know, it was really the first time I went out at night, and I felt really safe.
Today, I was out by 9:00 am, late I thought, but when
Hong Kong Border
There are shops everywhere, even the border crossing! I went outside, all the street market streets were empty, and no businesses, for the most part, were open yet. I finally saw one shop's sign that said their business hours were 10:30 am to 10:00 pm. Anyway, I headed back down to the ferry to cross over to Hong Kong island and do the sites on that side (I'm staying on Kowloon peninsula just north of Hong Kong island). First I went up the 'Mid Levels Escalators," an outside 600 meter escalator system used to get people up & down the hill. From there I walked to the tram that takes you up to the peak, and I walked a circular path around the summit, then walked down another tiny road to get back to the escalators. Now, after all that walking I was looking forward to an easy "walk" down, but guess what, there are no escalators down, only stairs! I can't remember when I've walked so many miles or climbed so may stairs! But there were several neat little lanes to explore and outdoor markets to check out. Then, I headed back to my hotel to freshen up, and went back out for a last walk around
Hong Kong
It's 8:00 pm on a Sunday night, and the subway's packed; you'd think there was a festival going on! some other street markets in the area.
It was getting late, so I had my hair done again, but this time it was almost $5.00 - highway robbery! Actually, Hong Kong is more expensive than the rest of China. And, actually, it's safer to cross the street (they drive on the left side of the street, from the British days), they can't spit without a hefty fine (I don't miss that
noise), and they can't smoke in public places! And now I'm in am air conditioned internet place. Tomorrow, I only have to walk with my bags one block to catch the metro, which has a connection to the airport. I wish we had transport like this at home! The airport's supposedly been rated 'best airport' a bunch of times, so I'll leave a little time to check it out. I'll update in a couple of days from Thailand. I'm so excited!
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John
non-member comment
COOL!!!!
Hey! those are some hot chicks you're hangin around with. Those are some amazing gardens...sort of remind me of Buffalo (NOT REALLY!) Are you having a good time. How's the food. How do you know they're not giving you crap just to fuck with a tourist? That would be my biggest fear. Don't mess with Asian guys, they have tiny little weenies!! Ther night pics are cool, it's so crowded and lit it looks like it's indoors. When do you leave china? Going to any Major cities if you haven't already? Have a blast! John