When you thought visiting Shenzen is going to be a whole new experience, unlike what you expect, it is something familiar.
To be honest, I was kinda disappointed in Shenzen. It looks similar to some of the places in Manila. There are even places in Manila (such as Ayala, BGC, and Quezon City) which looks more exciting and more modern than Shenzen. It’s your usual cityscape that people like to visit because, why not? Shopping for pasalubong and visiting their malls is a good experience, too.
Even so, we still enjoyed our hotel and the monorail ride at The Wonders of the World, and we had so much fun in the bus especially when my son would get the microphone and introduce Cindy, our tour guide to other passengers. It was extremely hilarious!
On our way to the train..
We were surprised to learn that our tour mates in Hong Kong will also be going to Shenzen and they’re also Filipinos! Talk about coincidence!
They’re a family of 5 with 3 young kids. Their middle child, Sam (a 7-year old boy) was Mikko’s playmate throughout the trip. To save time, we decided to do the tour first before going to our hotel.
This is where we had lunch…
Of course, you wouldn’t miss the chance to try the best food Shenzen has to offer! We had a tasty lunch of their scallops and it is mouthwatering.
Mikko’s new found friends!
After the half-day tour, we finally went to our hotel to unpack our things. We took a rest for a while and went out to have coffee and buy some souvenirs. While looking for a coffee shop, we saw these people dancing outside the mall. It was fun and interesting to witness, especially because it has been a tiring day for me and my family. Dancing in this wide area also seemed fun and wonderful experience you can only witness here. This is probably their way of unwinding after a hard day’s work.
Finally, we saw a coffee shop called ‘Bliss Cake’.
Their pastries and cakes looks really yummy!
We transferred to Starbucks and stayed outside to feel the cold weather.
Shenzen is a great additional sidetrip in our trip Hong Kong since it’s near and there are still places you go to despite being so familiar. I think it’s great to have Filipino companions as well because Mikko really looked like he enjoyed the trip. He gained new friends and they were not bored when we toured around all day. It’s fun to be young.
I said that Shenzen is disappointing, but the sense of familiarity is not a bad thing. I just expected more but I’m glad it feels familiar. It’s easier to tour and it’s easier to navigate. Plus, we’re here to just visit and buy some pasalubong and a quick side trip won’t hurt.