Shenzhen
Shenzhen was my last stop in China. Shenzhen was one of the first Special Economic Zones (SEZs) established under the liberalisation of the Chinese economy in the 80s. It basically provided tax havens and incentives for multinationals to operate in China. These were very successful and there were quite a large number established. Some thrived, Shenzhen was one of these. Although, these days most of the companies are Chinese owned and operated. It does show you how far economic liberalisation has extended into the Chinese psyche.
The flight from Kunming was only eventful in that there were at least 25 screaming individuals on board during the take off, landing and when we experienced the tiniest bit of turbulence. It would have been funny if I wasn’t in Chinese airspace.
My first impression of Shenzhen was that it was just another big, polluted Chinese city. I was greeted by the Eiffel tower as I passed the ‘Windows of the World’ theme park which forms part of three theme parks in the area. It was quite out of place, much like the pyramids and the Sphinx I saw on the way to the Terracotta warriors.
My bus stop was easy to find as it was located where the KONKA company is headquartered. The KONKA company logo can be found everywhere and the compound is on a number of acres. The Youth Hostel was located at the back of the estate, amongst a number of very cutting edge art galleries.
The people of Shenzhen walk differently to those in other parts of China. I believe the way people carry themselves says a lot about them. In Shenzhen, they walked with a certain pride and purpose, one may even say an air of arrogance. In the Western provinces, they seemed to shuffle rather than walk. They did not stride and held their heads low. In Beijing, they were stern but held their shoulders in, withdrawn from the world, almost scared. Shanghai was the free, easygoing crowd, almost happy. It was interesting to observe these contrasts… If only I could make a living out of people watching!
Any which way, my stay in Shenzhen was brief as it was the closest port to HK. I visited the galleries and found a very very nice supermarket within two minutes walk of my hostel. My last Chinese meal costs me less than 7 Yuan, a little over a dollar…. And I was trying to get rid of all my Chinese money at this stage!
I can’t say much more about Shenzhen as all I saw of it was the Overseas Chinese Town where I was staying, the metro and parts of the city. The LP doesn’t rate it, and I understand why…. It is after all a place to do business and not much else, unless of course, you are into theme parks. However, the most interesting aspect of the city lays in the cultural contrasts. It was almost Western but not quite, yet where the line of differentiation lay seemed vary quite significantly from one individual to the next.
HK
Well, I posted on my first night in HK. The highlight of HK was Lantau Island and the visit to the Buddha and the adjoining Po Lin monastery. It was a truly magnificent sight.
It was great to see David (He and I worked together years ago back in Sydney). I was getting used to Mandarin and by the time I was in HK, the whole idea of even trying to speak Cantonese did not appeal. The place is chaotic and absolutely crazy, so many people, so little space. We visited the various markets around town, ate at street stalls (some of the most delicious seafood I have ever eaten!) checked out various tourist spots. It was great to see it through David’s eyes. For all of those who know him, he is doing very well over there and is busy with his business. He seemed to have found a real groove over there.
I found out that HK does not have taxes and duties on goods and services. This resulted in me purchasing so much moisturiser that I don’t think I will be visiting a Clinique counter for the next three years!!! This certainly wasn’t on the cards, but when I figured that everything was approximately half price, I couldn’t resist!
Trip: Post mortem
I had a great time! There was not one moment where I felt threatened for my safety. Travelling solo has never been a huge issue for me, but after the India trip I did go into this trip with a certain level of trepidation. I think it’s important to note that China is a relatively easy country to travel in, and if you put some effort in with the locals then that always goes a long way. I suppose attitude has a lot to do with it, and for the most part I was pretty open to just about anything.
The highlight was Chengdu on a number of levels. It was the first time during the trip where I did not have any must do places to visit. It was after the Great wall and the warriors etc… It was a very laidback city, with a nice vibe. I loved the Wenshu temple and monastery. If they’d accepted me as a monk I’d be there in a jiffy! The people’s park where I participated in morning tai chi, and had a dude clean my ears for a good half hour were absolutely fantastic experiences. Riding around town made me feel like a local as was the trip to the fresh food markets in the early hours of the morning where people were at their boisterous best. The hot pots were great, and the company I kept, the best I encountered in my time over there.
Gang Shan was also fantastic. It provided the peace and the serenity I needed towards the end. A time where I was left to my thoughts, it was made all the more easier as the setting was ideal.
I had no issues maintaining my vegetarian stance throughout the trip. I particularly enjoyed going to restaurants with no English menu and telling them I was vegetarian and seeing what they would offer. It was always great and delicious food. It was pretty much only in HK that I ate meat again.
The hygiene side of things was, at times, interesting but not altogether bad. The need to carry toilet paper with you quickly becomes part of the norm. It is imperative that bottled water is drunk, as the local water does actually taste as though there is some dirt in it (I made a mistake once! Never again!!!).
All means of transport used proved relatively comfortable and easy to access. The metro and local buses were clean, efficient and on time. For longer distances, the trains, planes and long distance buses were of a class seen in just about any western nation…. But maybe I was just lucky, who knows?
Language wasn’t a major barrier, the LP phrasebook came in very handy. The ability to read some of the characters made things a tad easier. The LP was great to have, although there are components of it which weren’t quite right. However, without that the trip wouldn’t have been half as interesting!
Budget wise, I have yet to work it out, however, with meals and accommodation costing so little, I think I managed to get away with spending as little as A$20 a day. The dorms in most hostels were great, the cleanliness level was comparable to any other hostel I have stayed at in Europe and Australia. It was pretty easy to self cater as most supermarkets provide very good ready made meals. Most hostels did not have kitchens, so these came in very handy. Fruits and vegetables were readily available. Breakfasts were mostly western for me, as I couldn’t stomach the high grease content of most Chinese breakfasts. Cereal, bananas and yoghurt are easily found and most cafés affiliated with the hostels provided a decent western style brekky.
I read ‘Riding the Red Rooster’ by Paul Theroux during the trip. Although, it was written in the 80s it is still makes for a great read and enticed me to explore more of China. I would recommend it to anyone thinking of travelling over. I also found another book written by Simon Winchester about a trip down the Yangtze. I have yet to read it, but having read his previous works I am sure it would make for a good read.
The great firewall of China does indeed exist and sites such as CNN and the BBC aren’t accessible. There are others which seem to be temperamental. However, overall communication seems easy. I used IP cards to call home and they proved to be cheap and relatively good. I think most of the postcards I sent have arrived, too.
I met many wonderful people who enriched my journey so much. Without these open, warm and considerate souls my trip would have been a very lonely experience. I know that I have made some friends along the way as well, and that is something that I hope to hold onto for many years to come.
Finally, all the emails and other means of correspondence from home and elsewhere ensured that the smile on my face did not dissipate once. Thanks!
…and just I was trying to figure out what to do next, my cousin, Renaud has asked me to be his daughter’s godmother. So in June/ July next year, I will be heading to Paris for the christening. I am hoping for 6 weeks, and will include trips to Rome to visit Aunt Marlene and Zio Lino, Danielle at Oxford, Blumie in London and anyone else who may be about. I may include a trip to Greece as I have yet to make my way there, Turkey also? Who knows?
Signing off, for now….P
