A whole day trip to Shenzhen, China was included in the Hong Kong package tour. Shenzhen is a sub-provincial city of Guangdong province in southern China, located on the border of Hong Kong.

I thought Shenzhen was a small province, but needless to say I was wrong. It's a big city with wide roads, busy streets and lots of high-rise buildings.

I can't believe that Shenzhen went from being a small fishing village to a metropolis for only a span of 20 years. What a great achievement!

But this was the worst tour that I ever had. Aside from Window of the World, the entire day was spent from factory to another factory outlet selling us jewelries and teas. I was expecting a visit to Lowu Commercial Center, known for small stores or 'tiangge' selling watches, handbags and clothes. But sad to say they didn't bring us there. I was super bored and it was really a waste of time and money!

Some tips:
Food Poisoning is common in mainland China, as food preparation may not be as clean as nearby Hong Kong or by western standards. If you want to be sure just stick to big companies like McDonalds, KFC etc.

Tap Water is not safe to drink in any part of China. You should boil it continously for 3 minutes in order to kill bacteria. If not have your own bottled water.

Be aware of pickpockets especially like bus and train stations.

Leave your passport in the Hotel's safe deposit.

Taxis - To avoid problems be wary of touts and drivers who quote a price instead of using the meter. At the train station (Luohu border) go directly to the taxi stand at the basement level. Never get in a cab that does not have the driver's taxi license displayed on the dashboard.