The Chronicles of Stacefly . . .: Shenzhen . . .

Wowser! Look what we woke up to today.

View from our bed. God's grace over Hong Kong.

Okay, so Shenzhen is China's Silicon Valley. It was one of the first major cities in China to become a successful economic zone. And it feels like it. This city is "brand new". Super urban and gentrified. Everything about it is all bright and shiny -- from the financial district, to the shopping, to the ultra modern artsy-fartsy neighborhood. People have money in all of Shenzhen's 6 districts, and they like to show it and live it by having fun at hip restaurants and bars... which close when the last customer leaves. There is no set time for "last call" in Shenzhen. If customers are still there at 4AM, the place will still serve drinks.

Postcard view of Futian, known as the "hub of living" in Shenzhen.

In Futian, there is a cute area called "Coco Park" that features a huge indoor/outdoor mall, and tree-lined streets packed with chic restaurants and bars. Seriously, it was like Miami meets Vegas.

This was Friday, 10pm. The mall and streets were PACKED like the Vegas strip on a fight night.

Another angle of Coco Park mall.

Shenzhen also has 6 amusement parks. SIX!!! We went to one called Happy Valley.

Happy Valley Amusement Park.
We arrived at 10AM and it was already 90degrees.

The grounds are HUGE. There are lots of rides and a lot to explore. We walked 5 miles in the park. Which is divided into themes, like Disneyland. And there is immense storytelling that includes specialized foods and gift shops. The amusement park also has a water park inside.

Although sometimes there are as many as 3 roller coaster carts for each ride, only ONE operates at a time. So bring a fan. Or some ice cream. And definitely sunscreen because you'll be waiting for a long while.

Lots of Chinese ladies were selling ponchos at the front of the park. We thought maybe for the unpredictable rain? Nope. For the water rides.

You shoot water at people; they shoot back at you, plus you ride under 3 waterfalls. Pretty much, you get SOAKED!

The Chinese have it right - when you get very close to the front of the ride you get to sit down under blowing fans.
This was a godsend as the heat was unbearable.

We got many stares and pointing in the theme park. Some people were very excited to see us and screamed, "Hi!" with pure delight. They were very warm and friendly, and I think mostly, they wanted to practice their English. Including one who greeted my husband with, "What's up, playa-playa?" And another who told me while in a roller coaster line that her friend was "black too." But when the friend vehemently shook his head, I put my elbow up to his -- to his surprise we were the same color!! Everyone got a good laugh at that one. :-)

There were some people who were staring at us as if they had never seen black Americans in all of their lives. But no one was ever rude or offensive. They are just curious.

The theme park only served Chinese food. They advertised KFC and Pizza Hut, but both were under construction. This spicy tofu dish with stir-fried cabbage and seaweed soup was the best meal I've had since I've been in China. In the kitchen were old ladies who looked like grandmas. Grandma's EVERYWHERE know how to throw down. #Yum

I let my husband talk me into getting on this ride. Do you see those people up by the tree, hanging UPSIDE DOWN? Yeah, that. #SuperCrazyScary.

And this one too. It spun around in circles as it swung on a pendulum.
Lots of screaming on this one. Somebody threw up when they got off.

Shenzhen has been very enjoyable! But the best part just might be introducing my husband to, and having dinner with, my dear friend Q! He and I went to high school and college together, and he has been living in Shenzhen for 10 years running his own successful business.