From Hong Kong (and Shen Zhen) With Love

Well I escaped from the freezing cold weather in Beijing - to the relative warmth of Hong Kong and Shen Zhen.

For those of you that don't know, Shen Zhen is a little town on the border of Hong Kong that literally sprang up overnight when it became a special economic zone about 20 odd years ago. It's huge... it's crazy!!! There's not a lot of history or culture to bask in there (as there is in Beijing) but there is a lot of shopping and R&R to be had. I basically spent my time there wandering around markets and getting manicures and pedicures. I am proud to report that I now have uber cute pink toenails (and cuticles that don't scream washer woman) :p

There are also awesome theme parks in Shen Zhen which, as the Lonely Planet describes, are "naff in the extreme" :p But still so much fun to gawk at. If you look at the photo top left in here you will see Window to the World which basically has minatures of random monuments of the world including the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China and yes, even the Sydney Opera House. I think the funniest thing though is Sarah and I standing in front of the gate discussing whether the really bad copy of a statue was Babylonian or Persian before finally deciding it is early Byzantine... so sad and so Xin and Sarah. :p

The other cool theme park in Shen Zhen is Happy Valley which is rather like Dreamworld or Movieland on the Gold Coast but bigger - waaaaay bigger than both. It has giant water slides, 4D adventures and most importantly BUMPER CARS!!!! Xin loves her bumper cars... she even loves waiting in the queue for bumper cars because she can make fun of the girls who can't drive bumper cars - phhbt, women can't drive! :p But yes... top right photo you will see Sarah and Xin sitting on cute bronze cows at Happy Valley (Xin likes cows). My vote for the best ride there is the Typhoon - I cannot describe it to you other than it is simply a giant tsunami (ask to watch my video when I get back).

Hong Kong itself I've very indifferent to. Which is strange, cause I suppose it really is a shopper's paradise. Hong Kong is basically one big shopping mall. Anywhere you go is shopping. When we went to see the giant buddah on Lantou island (see photo bottom left) we found a street of tourist stores and the 700th 7-eleven opened in Hong Kong as well as a factory outlet shopping complex! :p When I went to the peak to get a bird's eye view of HK city I came down with a pair of shoes... I think I dislike it mainly because as a crazy shopaholic I can't get anywhere in the city because I have to keep dropping into the boutiques (I think there are more Gucci's in HK then there are in the entire Southern Hemisphere - I think there are more Gucci's then 7-elevens, very scary...)

I think I will like HK more when I marry well and have nothing better to do then spend my husband's money. And note that this is not me being stupid and vain, the fortune teller on Temple St told me that I would marry well :p (she also told me that I would live to be 87 and that I would donate lots of my husband's money to charity :p)

Further on the subject of fortune telling on Temple Street - Xin and Sarah are bitterly disappointed that none of the fortune teller's had those prophetic birds that the travel guide described so vividly. So sad :(Oh the last photo in the four spread above is of Sarah and I in the park in HK on Hollywood Road. That park and the area around it is one of the last vestiges of 'old' Hong Kong - ie not crazy shopping malls EVERYWHERE. It has some beautiful streets, antique stores and markets as well as a very interesting Sun Yat Sen historical walk. (You can see real places where people was murdered...)

Well that was my random trip around Shen Zhen and HK.

I realise that was really random and probably nonsensical but I'm attempting to watch Gilmore Girls and write at the same time - I think the randomness of the show is rubbing off on my writing. :p But I think my photos should make up for the lack of entries recently :p

In other news Xin's mobile was stolen by an evil, evil person. May the curse of a thousand badnesses be on them. Grrr....