Shenzhen: Camera battery dies in Splendid China

At this point of time, my camera battery died so I could not get any pics of Splendid China. The park has the same concept as Window of the World but only contains replicas of wonders from all over China.

But we were just too tired from walking all around Window of the World that we didn't have the energy to walk around Splendid China. Plus, the cold was getting to my feet (2 pairs of socks did not help). The skin on my feet had become so dry that it was cracking (no idea how the locals survive the weather).

As per the tour, we were supposed to watch the Cultural Show at the park in an hour so we just decided to chill out at one of the resting spots there. We did manage to catch the horse show though. These riders perform daredevil stunts on the horses in a make-believe 19th century battle scene.

The cultural show was also good - although a bit slow. But the show portrayed China's many cultures with the lavish costumes and folk dances. It was a good experience :)

After the show, our tour guide, Michelle took us to this shopping district about 10 mins away from Splendid China. Can't remember what was the street called though but it was pretty much like KL or downtown Hong Kong. Lots of designer brands. We were also warned (many times) about pickpockets in this area.

Once again, the fashion sense here is similiar to Hong Kong. Leather boots, fur boots, PVC boots, leggings, skirts with netting and fur coats. Since most of the stuff were the same thing we saw in Hong Kong, I decided to nip into Starbucks and indulge in a hot vanilla. No suprise that when we got back to the hotel after having dinner, we just crashed into bed :)

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Shenzhen: Window of the World

U'know the main reason why I even wanted to go to Shenzhen was to visit Window of the World. Over 100 replicas of the world's wonders, historicla heritages and famous scenic sites (scaled down of course) in a single theme park. I think I took over 100 pics just here alone so I'm just gonna show a few here and the rest you can check it out here.

Famous Statue of David

The Eiffel Tower, Paris

Not sure which part of the park is this from...

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Borobudur, Indonesia

Some Japanese Garden...

The Taj Mahal, India

Against the backdrop of St. Mark's Square, Italy

Holland

The Temple of Abu Simbel, Egypt

The Sphinx, Egypt

Yea, my friend thought this would be hilarious *roll eyes*

The Colosseum, Italy

We were given 2 1/2 hours to explore the park but I tell you, it's not enough. Walking from one replica to another takes a lot of energy, not to mention stamina. We had to miss the Grand Canyon and the Statue of Liberty - basically the whole of USA. But at least we got a whole load of Europe and Asia :)

Shenzhen: Herbs and Palm Reading

We started out early that morning and after some dim sum for b'fast, we headed to this Herbal Factory in Shenzhen. On the way there, I noticed how laidback Shenzhen looked - not as rushed and vibrant as Hong Kong.

Some scenic sights of Shenzhen

Herbal Factory - we were not allowed to snap pics inside but I must say that I saw enough ginseng and herbs to last me a lifetime!

Since we were the only non-Mandarin speaking people there, the management at the factory assigned us a guide that spoke Malay (picked up from the groups of Indonesians used to come there).

The guide told us of a how thousands of years ago, medicine men diagnose any symptoms by looking at one's palm and prescribed herbs based on the results. So he had a look at my palm and apparently I'm severely dehydrated (like duh! my lips were cracking already due to the cold!). My friend's palm on the other hand, showed that he had kidney (or was it liver?) problems. I cracked up at that point thinking, the amount of alcohol he's consumed in his life is probably showing on his palm!

A glimpse of lunch before heading to Window of the World and Splendid China.

Fried Pigeon - very tasty and much more easier to cut than duck meat

I'm not a fan of Lala but I did take the peppers ;)

Damn You Chris Brown

I mean really, what are the odds of Chris Brown (who has been known for his squeaky-clean image) assaulting Rihanna 1 week before she was due to perform in KL?

And I was soooo looking forward to seeing the concert - at least it gave me something to look forward to this Friday!

But I have a feeling the concert will be cancelled entirely. This morning, I heard on the radio that her bruises were apparently quite bad, although not confirmed entirely.

Sigh...I hope she recovers quickly :(

!@%#$* Traffic!!!!!

I just need to get this out of the way.

WARNING: This is a rant/whine/anything else you want to call it.

What is it with the f***ed up traffic jams around Subang?? It's bloody unbelievable! I've always been familiar with the jam around the Summit area, having taken the same road so many times. But lately, it seems like there more cars glued to the damn road.

Where the hell do all these cars come from???? It's like these cars are just springing up from the road - like daisies!!!!! (*ahem* except for my very tiny Kelisa, of course)

A 10-minute drive from my place to the LDP now takes me about 1 hour, after going through the jam. And that is also after I've tried cutting through housing areas and after leaving a 1/2 hour earlier. Aaaarrrgggghhhhh!!!!!!

OK. Great. I feel a whole lot better now. :)

Scrumptious Bacon Swiss Crispy Chicken Sandwich @ Carl's Jr

I've been to Carl's Jr at Sunway Pyramid a few times but I've always just had the fries coz the portions are HUGE (even for the salads). I'm not kidding.

Bacon Swiss Crispy Chicken Sandwhich (RM15.95) - yea I know it's not a good shot but it was the best I could get under the circumstances!

The ambience is quite nice - comfy stools and booths with hiphop/R&B music in the background.

The beverage bar is quite cool - all drinks (hot/cold) are refillable

Some of the selections on the menu

Think the next time I go there, I would have to starve myself for half a day first ;)

Next Stop: Shenzhen

After lunch, our tour guide showed us how to board the MTR to proceed to Shenzhen. It took 45 minutes to reach Shenzhen. But by the time we got through the China Imigration, it took us about an hour just to get out of the terminal. By the way, the first big difference I noticed when I got to China was that the people there were much more friendlier than those in Hong Kong. Even the imigration officer smiled at me and said "Welcome"!

Our tour guide Michelle, was this really cute thing. She was already waiting for us when we got out and her English was quite fluent for a Chinese. Best part is, our hotel was a 5-minute walk from the train terminal. It was at that time I remembered the tour guide in Hong Kong warning us about pickpockets all around the terminal (all around Shenzhen, to be honest).

As we were walking towards the hotel, this Chinese guy approached us and wanted to help carry my bag but I said no. And each time I said no, he would attempt to carry my bag. Finally, Michelle told him off and he went away sulking (if only I spoke Mandarin..sigh). Apparently, my friend noticed that guy following us as we exited the terminal - good thing I carried a sling bag.

Lobby of the Felicity Hotel (also known as Ambassador Hotel)

Our room!!! Looks way better than our first room in Hong Kong. I have to admit that Felicity Hotel seems quite grand for a 3-star hotel.

By this time, the temperature was 9 degrees (brrr!) and I was freezing to death. 2 pairs of socks and 2 layers of clothing, topped with my winter jacket was not enough. The area around the hotel was not much. There was a shopping mall and some stalls but not many people were out and about at night, so we decided to stay in and get a good night's rest. And indeed, it WAS a good night's rest. The bed was soooo comfy...hmm I actually feel like going back there again :P

Next morning was a jam packed day with visits to Window of the World and Spendid China, as well as some Herbal Factory - which will be continued soon. :)