Day 107: Shenzhen, Guangdong Province

Today started off rather slow! I was kinda stuck in a state of limbo at the hostel, not enough time to go out and see anything and a little too much time to just sit in the hostel and wait for my passport to return. 

When my passport finally arrived, I headed out for China. I took a bus to the main metro line that leads to Shenzhen, China. As I crossed the river to China, it was what I pictured entering a Communist country would be like. Dark grey sky's, light rain, and large buildings. Once I got to the boarder crossing, it was not as hectic as I thought. Everything was in an orderly fashion, with officials going out of there way to help me because I couldn't read anything... Not much was written in English and I was the only non-Asian crossing the border. While I was waiting in line, I could hear a mass of children's voices across the building. From what I could gather, up until the age of 11 Chinese kids in Shenzhen have the opportunity to go to school in Hong Kong. I am sure they can go to school after the age of 11, but there were signs for students who are under the age of 11 to line up on the other side of the building. 

The public transportation was extremely nice and easy to use. All I had to do was go up to an electronic map, press my destination and pay according to my distance, similar to Hong Kong. Once I got on the train, they had TVs lined up on the wall in the subway line so you got a continuously picture the entire ride, pretty cool. 

Trying to find the hostel in the rain when you can't even read the road signs was a hassle. The directions that the hostel gave me were not easy. They said, take a left out of the train station and we are in the large Mansion Building on the left. First off, every building in Shenzhen is huge, second I don't know what Mansion Building is in mandarin, third I didn't have a phone. After about an hour of paseing up and down the road, getting angry that I am getting soaking wet and can't follow these directions, I finally came across someone that spoke reasonable English and let me use her cell phone to call the hostel. Wow, the directions could have been so much easier, I was one block from the station on the back side of the building on the corner...

The hostel was not really a hostel. It was on the 28th floor of an apartment complex with bunk beds in the bedrooms; however, the people we really nice. They helped me arrange my bus ride from Kunming to Dali tomorrow and wrote everything down in Mandarin so I could show it to a local and they didn't have to be able to speak English. Afterwards, the guy that was left to watch over the hostel and I hung out and ordered Chinese takeout. He was so interested in me and my previous travels, he was glued to my photos.

Hong Kong Wrap Up

I know that Hong Kong is a part of China; however, since it used to be a territory of Great Britain and its rules and regulations are so different from mainland China, I feel it deserves its own wrap up.

Hong Kong is really cool, you could say it is like the New York of Asia. There is a large international business culture with plenty of expats; it can be hard to tell who exactly is a tourist. Hong Kong is also expensive! I kept to that one restaurant, Giant Foot, except for the time I ate with all the guys from the hostel, because it was so cheap. I didn't really get to do too much here because I wanted to make sure that I got everything squared away for my next stent in China. Up until a couple days ago, I knew nothing about traveling in the country; turns out the country does cater to tourists, so it will not be as difficult as I imagined.

I was rather upset that the weather was not good while I was in Hong Kong. Many of the cool things to do require you to be outside, like the Peak, so I that is another reason why I didn't get to see much. Regardless, I made a great contact in China and Brazil that would be great to meet up with again one day.

Not really much else to say, like I said, I didn't really get to see much. Hong Kong would be another great place to be a young professional. Not only does it have a strong global business presence, it also is located in the heart of Asia; a quick and cheap flight can land you in places you can only dream about regularly visiting back in the US. It was interesting to see all the construction/refurbishing going on in the area. They don't use typical safe scaffoldings like you see in the US; they you large pieces of bamboo strung together. I feel like I could easily deliver a swift kick and bring the whole thing down; what if a worker was smoking and caught the thing aflame? On a side note, the currency is pretty cool; the 10 HK dollar bill looks like Monopoly money!

Day 106: Hong Kong

I started off the day by hanging out in the hostel's lounge again. There I spent the morning finishing up some research and went ahead and book a hostel in Shenzhen, China. I am excited to see what China has to offer outside of the big cities and I will get out of Shenzhen as quick as possible. This morning I was wearing my The Backpacker shirt, a local outdoor apparel outfitter in South Carolina, and some guy asked me where I got that shirt from. It turns out he is from Greenville, SC and went to J.L. Mann; he has also been living in China for the past four years and is going back to China tomorrow. He lives in western China so hopefully we will be able to meet back up in China down the road.

That afternoon, the guy from Greenville, Matt; a Brazilian guy; an Indian guy; and me ate lunch at a restaurant nearby. It was great to talk with a young person from India about my experiences of India; he thought I was crazy for swimming in the Ganges, he wouldn't even do that. It was an interesting meal that allowed me to learn more about the Indian and Chinese cultures.

After lunch, the Brazilian and the Indian had to leave to catch their flights back home. I stayed in the lounge and caught up with my other friend, Joseph, who had lived in China. We are planning to meet up in the next couple of days so we had to get a few things, logistically, straightened out before we both lost internet.

Later that afternoon, I headed out for the Peak. The Peak is a the peak of the mountain in Hong Kong where you have probably seen all of the beautiful pictures of Hong Kong's skyline during the day and night with water separating the island from the mainland. Of course, getting there was much more difficult than the lady at the hostel described it to be. The roads were not that easy to follow and the massive flow of pedestrians didn't make it any easier. I finally found the tram that takes you to the Peak. Unfortunately, by the time I made it to the mountain so serious fog was settling in and I was already unable to see the top of the mountain. Not a good start. As I made my way up the tram, I was already regretting buying my ticket. When I got to the top, I could barely see anything off the porch; buying another ticket and going all the way up to the top was not even an option. I was pretty upset that I didn't get to see the view, especially because today is my last day in Hong Kong and I wont have the time to come back up here tomorrow.

I headed back to the hostel, dropped off my stuff, and went back out in search of the restaurant where I ate the first night here. I couldn't find it, I was walking around my hostel for over an hour in search of it; and then, I finally found it. It was the most rewarding dinner I have had in a long time. Can't go wrong with cheap noodles and steak.

That night, I spent the time get my clothes all packed up and ready for tomorrow as well as write the rest of these blog posts. Tomorrow, I am off to China. Not really sure what the Communist country has in store for me. Only time will tell and anything is possible. 

Day 105: Hong Kong

Today I started off by getting my Chinese vise process going. It is going to take about three days, but luckily my hostel can do it for me, so I don't have to spend the time waiting and filling out paperwork at the Chinese Embassy.

After I got all of that squared away, I headed out of the metro station to see another area of Hong Kong. I walked into the metro and just picked a spot at random on the map and bought a ticket to there with no clue of what I was going to see. The metro system is really nice, LCD TVs displaying ads and TV commercials throughout the station and even big TVs to watch as you wait on the next train. Each entry and exit is strategically placed so that the foot traffic doesn't cross and each terminal is easily accessible. I quickly felt like a local because of the ease of use, aside from the fact that I had a camera in one hand and a map in the other.

There wasn't too much to be impressed about where I got off, still just a bunch of skyscrapers. I spent the afternoon walking around and ducked into a local place to grab some food. If you don't know where to go, it can be hard to find a place to eat with an English menu, most of the time it is written in Cantonese, which I still can't read.

I then caught the train back to the hostel and hung out in the lounge. I spent the rest of the day planning out what to do and where to even start. Between researching about China and catching up with friends, I had little time to do anything else. I called it a night.

Day 104: Hong Kong

With little time to spare in the morning, I got my bags packed and headed to the Chiang Mai airport to catch a flight to Bangkok for my connector to Hong Kong. As I waited in the airport, I ran into the Australian guy from our trek. It was good to catch up and have someone to talk with while I waited.

When we got to Bangkok, he had the whole afternoon to spend in Bangkok before his night flight back to Melbourne, while I had about an hour to wait before my flight. We gave our goodbyes, maybe one day our paths will cross again. 

I got into Hong Kong during the night time (my flight also moved me forward an hour). I took the bus to the Causeway Bay Area of Hong Kong, which is a big bustling area that also has a lot of shopping. I actually got off in the wrong area and had to walk for about thirty minutes to find my hostel; finding a small hostel in a big part of town is not easy. Once I checked in, I went right back out to see the town at night. While it is late, it doesn't look like night time at all because of all the light pollution. You can easily lose track of time if you are used to it being dark outside when it's night time. Hong Kong reminds me of New York, packed sidewalks, public transportation everywhere, and tall buildings that block out the sky; the sides of the buildings are also littered with neon signs and advertisements above the sidewalks. It is also a little hard to get around because I can't read anything. In Hong Kong they speak Cantonese, which is different from Mandarine but is written in characters like Mandarine... I sure cant tell a difference. Since Hong Kong used to be a British province there are some sign that have English written below them, which makes it a little easier. Hong Kongers are nice and are always willing to help; if I ask someone for directions and they speak very poor English, usually a person who can speak English will come up and help. 

While I was out, I looked for a good place to eat that was cheap. The word cheap and Hong Kong don't go hand in hand, this place is expensive! Luckily, I stumbled across a place that was cheap, about $3 for a dish. I got a bowl of barbecue pork with noodles, it was so good I had to order another bowl. The employees were surprised at how much I was eating, the delivery guy even came in laughing and rubbing his belly, "ooh haha." 

Seeing the city at night was quite a change from the jungles of Chiang Mai, but traveling on a budget doesn't really allow me to do much in Hong Kong. I am just here to get my Chinese visa and move on, a small pit stop that is costing me more than a week or so in Thailand.

Thailand Wrap Up

So, I have just spent the past three weeks or so in Thailand and I have enjoyed everyday of it. Aside from the sex tourism, Thailand is a great country. You can be in a big city with clubs and girls, on some of the world's most beautiful beaches, watch an intense form of martial arts, and be in some old amazing jungles surrounding massive mountains all in Thailand.

Our introduction to Thailand was wild, Thai New Year and my 24th birthday got the best of my friends and I. Bangkok is a pretty nasty place crawling with tourists. Unless you want to see a ping pong show, I would suggest seeing another part of Thailand. The traffic is not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be, India is still the worst I have witnessed! While the city can make you want to leave, the people are amazingly nice. Thai people are the nicest I have come across since I have been traveling; everyone is willing to help you.

Thailand is INCREDIBLY cheap and Bangkok was the cheapest place I visited in Thailand. Nowhere else could I walk out of my hostel and grab some of the best Pad Thai I have ever had for $1. Thailand has definitely skewed my view on how much things should cost. I often turn down a hamburger if it costs more than $4... It will be hard to adjust when I get back home... A good hamburger for $12?? Also, many prices are negotiable. I love to negotiate a price; it feels great to work down the price and its even better when you hear someone talk about how much they got something for and you know you got it for cheaper. Thailand truly does cater to tourists. Every hostel can help you get to your next destination, whether its by ferry, train, plane, or bus. The country even has a nationwide wifi service called Happy Tourist, so you can always have wifi almost anywhere in Thailand; found that out in the airport before I flew out to Hong Kong.

Thailand does have a prominent sex tourism industry. It is pretty nasty to see all of the westerners with a nasty Thai lady under their arm. In Bangkok, there are complete areas of town that are dedicated to the industry. You can do everything that you could imagine, and then some... As I went further south the sex tourism got worse and the women/ladyboys nastier looking. I am not sure why there are so many ladyboys in Thailand, but it is always interesting to try and pick them out of the crowd; unless you are Thai it can often be hard to tell them apart just on looks because plastic surgery is like magic.

The south part of Thailand is amazing. The beaches are famous for a reason; clear water, white sand, and a view that deserves to be a computer's screensaver. If you want to you can escape the tourist areas and find yourself a deserted beaches with a few bungalows to hide away in. The Ban Kai Beach in Koh Pha-ngan was just what I was hoping for. Quiet, empty, blue water, islands out in the distance, and sandbars to keep the horizon of water knee deep; so different from any beach I have come across. While I was in Thailand the tourist season had just ended and it was HOT. Even though the tourist season was over, it was still packed with people.

If you hadn't noticed, we rented mopeds in almost every city in Thailand. That made the trip so much more enjoyable and allowed us to see much more of the city. Not only did we get to see a lot, it was also cheap, way cheaper than any one way taxi. It also allowed us to feel like a local, whizzing through traffic and passing stopped traffic.

Chiang Mai was unlike the rest of Thailand. One day I was on an amazing beach and the next I was chasing waterfalls in a jungle surrounded by mountains. If you enjoy the outdoors than Chiang Mai is for you. Ziplines, trekking, elephants, whitewater rafting (when it rains), or off-roading with an ATV, bicycle, or buggy; the list goes on and on.

Thailand is one of my favorite places I have been to thus far. I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did. I would want to come back to Thailand and explore some of the areas I did not have time to visit. 

Day 103: Chiang Mai

The last day of roughing it in the jungles has finally arrived. We had a short hike after breakfast to the river where we would begin our white water rafting experience. We split into two boats: the French family in one and the Americans and German in the other. I can't tell you how relieved we all were that we got separated from them. I can only imagine how much BS I would have to put up with them on board, arguing about every stroke they had to take or rock we bumped into.

We started off with our river guide teaching a little something about how to paddle and what to do on the boat. He was quick to skip over all the safety tips that you should abide by while on the boat or in the river should you fall overboard. Luckily, there was nothing to worry about, the water level was extremely low. Unfortunately, I didn't take my waterproof camera, thinking it was going to be an intense ride, so I don't have any good action shots while on the river. Every time, we came to some fast looking rapids, we would get stuck or bounce around on the rocks below us. We didn't make it down one fast rapid without getting stuck. Now I see why they skipped the safety part. We eventually came to a bunch of bamboo huts on the side of the river where people were getting into the river and floating it with inter tubes. I couldn't imagine doing this; you would definitely have a sore butt. Further down the river, we saw a small snake catch and eat a fish, it was pretty impressive; another reason why I am glad that I wasn't on an inter tube. Right after that, we switched over to a long bamboo raft. The raft was really cool, we were floating on long bamboo poles about a half inch above the water. We got to pass a bunch of elephants bathing in the river; we were right next to them as they were blowing water all over themselves with their trunks. The bamboo ride was very short and we landed right by where we were to have lunch.

We all gathered round for our final moment together as we ate our meal. It was great to learn about my new friends and I can't wait to hear their progress in traveling and in their profession. We all got in a truck to be dropped off our at hostels and hotels and I would be taken back to the Palong Tribe to see the long necks.

The hour and a half long ride couldn't have ended any sooner, with the French family arguing and the little kid jumping around the whole time. I just wanted some piece and quiet! The family then started to complain about their hotel and how they were going to switch because the pool was out of service; they were staying in the nicest hotel in Chiang Mai and for only one more night.... They like to complain!

After we dropped them off, we arrived at my hostel. "I thought we were going to see the long necks?" "No, you get refund from hostel." Unsure of why there was an immediate change, I made our guide walk with me into the hostel and explain the situation and why I should be getting the refund, rather than just having me tell them. He said something to them in Thai, then walked out. I still don't really know why I couldn't be taken there; I think it was because he was drunk and just wanted to go home. Regardless, my hostel helped me straighten it out and had the guide come back and personally apologize and give me the refund. I got my refund, but I am still upset I didn't get to see them!

That night, I RESTED and booked my flight to Hong Kong. The next chapter of my travels are leading me to China. It's a big country and I have no clue what to expect. Only time will tell and anything is possible.