Quick trip to....China

Who goes to China for only a couple days....crazy people like me! I had a workshop to host in Shenzhen and things were a little hectic at work so the original plan was to fly in, do a workshop for two days and then fly out - stupid plan, and thankfully I didn't stick to it.

Two coworkers and I flew into Hong Kong, which is a fabulous airport, one of the best I have ever been in. We hired a car to drive us from the airport to Shenzhen, about a 40min drive which included crossing the border into China. When we got to the border there was a toll booth-like setup (similar to crossing the border in Mexico) where our driver gave the immigration person our documents and passports and then we headed on through. I was shocked at how easy it was....well, that was just step 1. Step 2 started with us stopping at a run down building which was the real border inspection/immigration. We made it through to the otherside, but found ourselves without a car or driver and in the midst of hundreds of Chinese people. Later I found out that this was the "plan" all along as the drivers don't have lisences to go between Hong Kong and China. Two bus rides later and we had made it to our hotel, the Shangri-La, which was quite nice.

Shenzhen is a former fishing village that is now one of the fastest growing cities in China. It is a financial and port city. I didn't have any time for sightseeing so I really can't comment on it, but my impression was that it was extremely busy and very population dense. We went to the same restaurant both days for lunch for dim sum which was an aventure! You know how in some Mexican restaurants they have a guy making fresh tortilla (mmm Rio!)...well, here they had a guy making rice noodles! We had some interesting dishes, including spicy jellyfish, pork knuckles and chicken feet. I'll all about tasting the local cuisine...and I did taste the jellyfish...but pork knuckles and chicken feet were out of the question.
I decided to stay 4 days in Hong Kong with my friend Monica. She was attending the meeting also and we headed back to Hong Kong together via the train that runs between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Over 150,000 people cross the border every DAY! Crazy! First you go through Chinese immigration, then you walk across the Shenzhen River which means you are crossing from mainland China to Hong Kong, and then go through Hong Kong immigration. Finally you get on the train and about 30min later you are in downtown Hong Kong.
Monica and her husband Rich live (or should I say lived, they just moved to a new apartment last week) in an apartment on Hong Kong island with a fantastic balcony that overlooks the ocean. I tegged along and went into work with them on Thursday and Friday at theMaersk office which is in Kowloon which is a penninsula that is part of mainland China across from Hong Kong island. Each night we went out to explore different parts of the city...

One night we hit Lan Kwai Fong which is a collection of small streets lined with bars and restaurants. Given that the weather is gererally pretty warm in Hong Kong, most of the places have open store fronts and people pour out into the streets. The later it gets, the harder it is to make your way around as it is absolutely packed with people, lots of them being expats.

I highly reccomend a chicken gyro from Ebaneezers (an infamous kabob place in Lan Kwai Fong)!

Every night at 8 there is a light show, set to music, over the Victoria Harbor. There are huge, modern skyscrapers on each side of the harbor (Kowloon and Hong Kong island) and they've got lasers and lights alternating between the sides. They announce the buildings as they go along and even the harbor boats get into the show with multiple flashing lights. Quite a show!

I was in town for a typhoon!There are 4 levels of danger: 1 is a lot of rain and wind. 3 is rain and wind and you're advised not to go outside. 7 is seek shelter immediately and 10 is get to the emergency areas. It got up to level 3...which was more than enough wind and rain for me.

Monica and me on the Star Ferry, the famous ferry service that crosses Victoria Harbor, connecting Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.

Hong Kong Airport does a really cool (and quite efficient I might add) service where they have a couple different train stations on Hong Kong Island where you can fully check in up to 24hr before your flight - super convienent for tourists as many of the flights leave late at night. It looks just like an airport terminal and their are airport employees who check your bags and give you your bording passes. Then you just hop on the train and head to your gate once you get to the airport. And with that is was back to Denmark after a great week in China and Hong Kong!