We Crossed the Border . . .

Left Hong Kong and took the metro train to Shenzhen, China.

Spotless. No eating or drinking allowed, and people follow the rules.

All smiles :-)

As the train approaches, people line up in single-file and wait calmly for passengers to exit, before they get on.  

Looks just like at home; everyone on their phones. 

Once the train landed in China, we had to go through immigration and customs, to show our special Chinese Visas and get our passports stamped.  We also had to walk through a temperature screening (did this at the HKG airport too).  

Your body lights up on a screen - think TSA body scan on steroids - and the workers can actually see if you have a fever.  A few people did get pulled to the side, but big signs say NO LINGERING, and they mean it.  So in other words, "Keep calm, carry on, and mind your own dang business”.

When you come out of the Luohu train station, it is a complete zoo.  LOUD noises, bright lights, hundreds of people shouting, rushing, pushing, and selling everything you can imagine.  

A friendly short man with great English was shouting the loudest at us; he could get us to our hotel.  We agreed. He grabbed our bags and started sprinting up 5 flights of steps.  FIVE FLIGHTS.  With our luggage.  He’s like 5’3, and 85lbs soaking wet.  

He rushes us up more steps, rounds a few corners, and finally we push through doors — we’re outside (muggy, overcast, hot rain sprinkles) on a roof.

WTH??? We're on a roof??

Then, we see there’s a mini-van waiting for us on the side of the road, parked illegally, with lots of cars dangerously ZOOMING past.  The nice man, still sprinting, wants us to get in the car now, before we get hit.  We want him to take a picture.  He hurriedly obliges, and then shouts, "Go, go!  Get in!" 

Our first picture in China

He practically pushes us in the van, and he almost gets hit.  This is all moving way too fast.  He says the car ride is $500 Chinese Yuan and we need to pay now.  Hubby and I shrug at each other and whip out our Chinese money envelope.  Quickly peel off five 100’s, hand it over.  He says a cheery THANK YOU and slams the door.  The driver takes off!

I immediately Google the exchange rate because my gut is telling me we’ve just been had.  And yep, we did.  $500 RMB converts to $80 USD. EIGHTY DOLLARS FOR A TAXI RIDE????  He better give us the damn scenic route. 

Then about 200 yards in, the driver pulls over and STOPS.  He doesn’t speak any English and has NO IDEA where our hotel is. 

Shit just got real.  Time to get out of this laissez-faire vacation mode.

After many failed attempts to understand each other, he finally grabs a hotel business card that someone else left behind in his van, and he calls that hotel.  Eventually, he hands his phone to me.  The hotel rep - who’s English is spotty at best - acts like she can’t help because weren't not staying at her hotel.  

"OMG!  Why am I in China?  Why did I agree to take on this film project?  Why did I do this to me and my husband?"

Then she giggles and says she found our hotel.  Lady, today ain’t the day for jokes.

We made it.  Our hotel is very cute.  A lot wiser and ready for the world, things are looking up.

~SS