Two Countries in China

Last post, I know I mentioned "across the border to mainland China".  Even though Hong Kong became part of China in 1997, there is still an immigration border between Hong Kong and China.  I don't need a visa to enter Hong Kong but I do to enter China.  Accordingly, my passport gets stamped when I leave the Hong Kong airport and get in my taxi to China.  It then gets stamped as I leave Hong Kong and again when I enter China, and in reverse when I return to Hong Kong for my flight.  All together I end up with about five stamps each time I fly to Hong Kong and take the train or taxi to China.

The number of stamps isn't the only thing that differentiates Hong Kong from mainland China.  When visiting the two "countries", there are definitely developed and developing country differences.  In Hong Kong I can use my credit cards from the US, the city is cleaner, and it has the feel of a western city - at least most of it.  Perhaps Beijing and Shanghai have the same feel, but since I haven't visited them I can't say.  The amenities are more consistently western, especially the toilets.  English is all over.  Nearly every restaurant has English language menus, the signs are in Cantonese and English, and more people speak English.

However Guangzhou and Shenzhen (where I have spent most of my time) are definitely still building.  Construction is a constant sound throughout the city, there are still many people carrying construction supplies on bikes in the middle of the street, and the food isn't up to the same standard.  In the factories, the toilets are porcelain holes in the ground and a trash basket for the toilet paper.  In some factories there is a "VIP" toilet which is a western design.  Finally the language barrier is more significant.  Despite more people in China speaking English than in the US, the language barrier is still a big road block.  It takes a lot of gesturing, patience, and trying out synonyms until one word is understood (like soda, pop, cola, etc.)

It will be interesting to watch mainland China continue to develop over the next 10 years.  I hope I get to keep coming to watch the changes and explore more of the country.  At the rate I'm going with Bamko, I'll be here at least once every year.

China On Short Notice

My goal was to keep this blog going even after I returned from India.  Obviously that didn't happen.  So here is another attempt at blogging.  If you want to hear about trips since my last post let me know but I didn't want to back track so I'm starting off with my current trip: China.

Seventy-two hours to pack and organize for a four week trip to China sounds crazy right?  Well I thought so when I did that in October 2009 and August 2010.  But now I've got something to beat that - asked at 8:00am on Monday, June 4, booked ticket at 9:00am same day, and left at 1:00pm the next day.  Less than 30 hours notice this time.  If not for the first game of summer league for ultimate (we won) being Monday night I likely would have been on the Monday midnight flight (less than 24 hours notice if that happened).

Due to the last minute nature of my trip, no one from my office was able to make it to Hong Kong and meet me after my flight.  So, I was on my own to get from Hong Kong airport to my hotel in Shenzhen (across the border in mainland China).  I have traveled into Hong Kong by myself, but that was always on a direct train from Guangzhou so the difficult part of buying the tickets was already done for me.  This time I had to buy the ticket for the taxi to the border then get a taxi to the hotel.  The taxi to the border was easy, mainly because I was in Hong Kong so English is widely spoken.  However, once I got across the border and passed the illegal cabs trying to get my attention, it was not so easy.  The cab driver didn't know English and I don't know Mandarin.  So with emails from my colleagues and the use of my iPad I was able to show the driver where I wanted to go.  When it seemed like we were a bit lost, through the email on my iPad I was also able to communicate - "let's call for directions". 

Then once I got to the hotel I handed over my passport and got my registered for my room.  Again, no English spoken so thank goodness for my colleague, Leo, and our factory contact, Candy, for preparing the hotel for my arrival.  The hotel is small but comfortable, or will be comfortable once the AC starts working.  The bed is one of the better beds I've had in China, not quite like sleeping on a wooden board.  But, oh how good my bed is going to feel when I get back.

All in all the trek from Hong Kong to Shenzhen went smoothly.  I was definitely a bit nervous I would get completely ripped off as a white person, traveling alone in a cab, and not speaking Mandarin but I don't think I did too badly.  Traveling on my own, even just the short distance, has made me more confident I can get around China on my own.  Yes I had the help of my colleagues for the hotel but I think I could have found a hotel and the Mandarin information on it on my own if needed. One of these trips is going to happen with more notice and I'm going to be a tourist in China testing out my ability to find a hotel and travel by cab.