Shenzhen

Darling and I are easy travellers - we love and enjoy the sense of random roaming n exploring, without burden to sticking to a tour group. 

Shenzhen trip, like others, we take with us only our passports, water and camera, no google map, no itinery, just recommendations from friends where to head towards and off we went. No RMB even, had to change that morning at TST - this's how 'anything' traveller we are!

Lacking in planning and limited time at hand (all squandered in shopping), we din't manage to get around the city on its metro (we din't even know there was a metro in Shenzhen. I was expecting a tiny old village style packed with factories, bicycles and people squatting around spitting.). 

All we did were shopping, eat and massage! we completed all our goals that day. 

Let me start off with the basics of getting into China. 

Fact # 1 is RMB is no longer cheaper than HK. Gone were those days. So, to prevent being chopped by dodgy money exchange, do the mathes and money in Hk. 

Fact # 2 is Visa into China for those silly countries which need, e.g. Malaysia, can be applied in 5mins at the custom, costing RMB 160. 

Fact # 3 is getting into Shenzhen is like going into JB, if you know what i mean. In terms of the standard of everything just drop 2 scales downwards. 

 here's the Luo Wu station connecting HK and Mainland.

Shopping mall right next to custom. That's all my shopping were at. Done as told by my colleagues.

 the railway station - din't bothered to walk there. it just din't appeal to us.

Shangri La Hotel greeting visitors from afar once you step out of immigration.

I was so relieve to see an international brand in Shenzhen (cos i keep thinking it's a backward town) that i said to go Shangri La for Lunch if we can't find a decent eatery. - that's how 'inconfident' abt china.

Luckily, we managed to find some local food that's pretty clean and decent. No food poisoning nor diarrhoea after.

Frame 1:

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Frame 2: popping out!

no choice i have big head, bigger than the receipt!

i love herbal soup n how glad to find them on the menu. 

what tickled me was "long-gu'' - read the second dish. 

what's dragon bone???

By dinner time, i ordered dragon bone in another shop and it's actually Pork! 

creative chinese!

street view..

Snapped as i was crossing the road. Road is dual or triple carriage! it's huge!

it started raining and sky getting dark.

n we found a place for dinner..

make a guess..

it has franchise in Singapore Geyland. 

its started in Taiwan.

not found in HK at the moment, cos every eatery in HK serves their popular drink, 

which is

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did you get it right?

it's YONG HE!

i don't care if it's a replica since Shenzhen is a place for all replicates!

it's still YONG HE! 

I miss the soyabean in fried youtiao!

spot the1/2 bowl of something at the foreground this photo, 

it's cold peanut soup which goes so well with hot crispy youtiao!

The covered container on table is my 'dragon bone soup' which i anyhow point and order. 

it turns out to be lotus root soup! 

what a pleasant surprise!

I am not leaving China without seeing for myself the cheapness of labour! 

Recruitment poster work in Yong He as waiter shows monthly salary range from sgd220 - sgd 440!

Do a simple mathes, working 5 days week for 8hrs a day in Sg McD brings home at least sgd 800!

look at the salary in China! I believe I am here in the land of 1,324,655,000 people!

unfortunate to be borned in china to a working class family. 

The sales lady who's the sister of the owner who sold me my steal of the day works 353days a year!

She gets 1 day off a month!

If this is not hardworking, i don't know what is anymore!

She's only 20 years old, but looks like 25. She has been working for her elder sister in this shop for 5 years and counting.

That's her life in a tiny boutique. 

My loots that she dug out from the sea of clothes. 

Love the left white dress - it's Gucci inspired!

Darling vouched for the right piece. I like the print too! - BCBG inspired! 

They come in good material, soft and prints quality is even better than what's in hk.

I can't help but start to like Shenzhen, China. 

This being the first experience with Mainland was not that bad afterall. 

Not submitting myself to this advertisement we found in China metro.