February 1st
New month, new country, new start! I’ve just arrived in China! After a long 48-hour journey to Hong Kong, it was time for the next leg of the trip—crossing the border into mainland China. I collected my luggage, exchanged some Chinese yuan, paid for a shuttle, and waited patiently for instructions. Finally, a woman came over and gestured for me to follow her, along with a Chinese family who’d be traveling with me. The six of us sat silently during the hour-long ride to the Shenzhen border checkpoint.
When we arrived, I struggled through with my bags, trailing the family ahead of me, apparently missing the sign pointing to immigration. Thanks to Google Translate and a couple of helpful border officers, I finally made my way to the right office. Unfortunately, the visa process wasn’t as quick or smooth as I’d hoped, but after a couple of hours, I finally made it through customs. Then, it was a scramble to find a cab and head to my hotel, which turned out to be a “mansion”—a Chinese building with apartments, stores, and businesses all mixed together.
Not entirely sure I was in the right place, I finally entered the building after circling it a couple times wondering where to go. I hopped on the elevator and arrived on the 8th floor where I breathed a sigh of relief as I found the reception desk. I was checked in and shown to my modern room, which had a stunning view of the city the north part of the city and a backdrop of forested rolling hills. Wow, I’m really in China!!
