Going around the World in Shenzhen

thank God it's holiday time (YAY!).. so on April, I had the chance to visit Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macau on a 6-day trip.. arriving through Hong Kong International airport, we were transferred to Shenzhen by bus through the Luohu border.. we were staying at Best Western Felicity Hotel in Shenzhen, and to be honest, I was not impressed about this hotel.. the hotel was kinda old, with small room.. the room actually was quite clean, but the carpet was really humid that I was not comfortable walking around without any slippers on..

as we arrived at Shenzhen in the late afternoon, we only had the chance to visit Luohu Commercial City on our first day.. Luohu Commercial City is a shopping mall, where you can find all the "KW" stuffs haha.. imagine Glodok or Mangga Dua.. all goods available here are not original, but in a quite good quality.. people said that the goods used to be better but since it was very famous now, the sellers try to gain more by reducing the quality.. tips for you who want want to visit Luohu Commercial City is bargain, bargain and bargain.. so you may find a thing or two that you like, but I suggest you to go around first, as you may found similar things around just for price comparison.. now, when you start bargaining, start from a 10% of the price offered then it all depends on your bargaining skill.. a fellow traveler had a 90% discount of the original price offered.. that's just how much the price mark-ups are done around here.. however, once you start to bargain and finally agreed a price level, you HAVE to buy it, otherwise, the seller might get angry and you won't like it..

our second day was spent going around Window of the World and watching a night show at China Folk Culture Villages.. Window of the World is a theme park of the world's most famous landmarks replica.. so basically the idea was to allow visitor to go around the world in one day.. the park's admission fee is CNY140 with opening hours from 09:00 to 22:30.. you can also choose to walk around the park or take a mini train which will cost you another CNY30, if I'm not mistaken.. the park is mainly divided into 6 sections, including Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, America and other regions.. well, I guessed pictures talk louder than words, so please do enjoy :)

welcoming you to Window of the World

Europe

Asia (there's a replica of Borobudur temple!)

America - the Niagara falls

well, as we are talking about Shenzhen, why don't we take a look at some interesting facts.. Shenzhen is a rapid growing city located in the south of Guangdong province, China.. its strategic location of neighboring Hong Kong gives Shenzhen a massive advantage, especially for economic development.. in just thirty years, Shenzhen has developed from a small fishing village to the first Special Economic Zone in China.. skyscrapers are now emerging in every corner of Shenzhen, an obvious evidence of city growth..

People

Shenzhen now has become a destination for people around China to find jobs which resulted in diverse population.. most Shenzhen residents speak Cantonese and Hakka.. personally, I found that Shenzhen is such a clean, modern city and friendly traffic.. what wows me the most is that motorcycles are not allowed in Shenzhen.. I'm sorry but I think Jakarta is overpopulated by motorcycle riders who are not aware of the traffic regulations.. no offense, it's just my personal opinion :)

Attractions

in Shenzhen, you may not be able to find historical attractions as you may expect to find in other parts of China.. instead, Shenzhen entertains its visitors with shopping experience and theme parks.. let me make a list.. Splendid China, China Folk Culture Villages, Window of the World, Happy Valley, Dameisha & Xiaomeisha Scenic Area, Meridian View Center, Minsk World, Overseas Chinese Town East, Shenzhen Safari Park, Xiaomeisha Sea World and Xili Lake Resort.. I got tired just by typing those theme park names haha..

Weather

Shenzhen's weather is quite nice with average yearly temperature from 20°C to 25°C.. however, since its location in estuary of Pearl River, Shenzhen may experience typhoons, which generally occur from July to September..

Currency

currency received here is Chinese Yen with exchange rate CNY 1 = around Rp1,400..

Visa

a single entry five-day tourist visa is available on arrival (details can be found here)..

Electricity

in Shenzhen, you'll find a 3-pin plug for electricity.. I would suggest you to bring converter from Indonesia's 2-pin plug, though we can still trick by inserting pen to the one pin haha..


Shenzhen travel details: www.travelchinaguide.com