Our Fourth Day Exploit (Macau) - Hong Kong / Shenzhen / Macau Family Trip

On our fourth day we woke up early and after our daily Choco and Caffeine shots at McCafe we traveled to Shun Tak Center. From Sheung Wan MTR Exit D we raced to 3rd Floor of Shun Tak Center where the Sheung Wan Ferry Terminal is located.

The TurboJet economy class ticket to Macau Ferry Terminal costs 159 HKD each. If you are in a group better arrive early so you can select your seat as a group. From the ticket counters just follow the throng of people going to immigration area.

Prior to the trip, I was apprehensive because my wife and daughter can easily get giddy when travelling thus I asked them to take Bonamine earlier. Quite surprisingly, the entire trip was smooth except for few bumps. More so, to prevent delay at Macau Immigration, stay alert for the staff distributing arrival card inside the cabin since the staff will pass only once. The trip lasted for an hour.

Upon arrival at Macau Ferry Terminal, we simply followed the passengers racing towards the immigration counters. In no time at all we were at the exit of the terminal and searching for the toilet; a lady approached me as I was about to enter it. She asked if I am an Indonesian. I knew she wanted to be our guide thus I simply smiled and left her. After my "stint" inside and while waiting for the family to finish theirs a male "kabayan" approached me and started to ask where I came from and whether I arrived in group or not, etc. He then explained many things about Macau and inquired where we plan to go. I replied that we would visit Fisherman's Wharf first and we didn't need any guide. Sorry Dude! We did our research. Macau is a small place and you don't need a guide to explore it unless you are willing to spend extra bucks.

Fisherman's Wharf

Sands Hotel at the back

Back to our trip, we left the terminal from its left exit door then traveled along the sidewalk and in about 15 minutes we reached Fisherman's Wharf.  Trust me; you can easily hike up to Fisherman's Wharf from the Macau Ferry Terminal. In fact you can see it upon exiting the Ferry Terminal.

We roamed for about an hour at Fisherman's Wharf. The place was desolate at around 11 AM, luckily. Hence, we have the entire place for photo ops.

It is now time to go hotel hopping; we crossed the road to reach Sands Hotel. I knew that there were shuttle buses within the vicinity but I didn't know where they were parked so we just walked along the side of the building. The family being used to travelling and getting lost never complained. Upon reaching the middle part of the hotel, we saw several shuttle buses parked. Bingo! We hurriedly boarded the bus going to The Venetian Hotel. Perfect, since my wife was very excited to see their indoor canals and the false sky ceiling.

Macau is indeed a small place. In less than an hour our bus entered Taipa Island. The bus stopped near the West Lobby of The Venetian Hotel. Upon entering we started searching for their famous canals. We found the place on the second floor. We were all aghast from the moment we entered the place. The Grand Canal was like magical and romantic as well. I have seen Venice only in pictures and movies but I am sure that this place is somewhat similar to it.

Due to their eagerness to explore, my kids got separated from me and my wife. After noticing that our kids were not around, the wife got worried. I told her to relax and eventually after retracing their steps the kids found us or the other way around, lol. My kids getting lost was a blessing in disguise because they found the food court and it was already past 12 noon. All of us dashed for our lunch.

After a sumptuous meal, we had another set of photo ops before we decided to go to nearby Galaxy Hotel.

A nearby hotel means at least 10 minutes of leisurely paced stroll due to wide expanse of gardens and parking at both hotels.

Wishing Crystals

Entering the Galaxy Hotel was another kind of experience though we weren't able to explore the whole place. We spent most of our time at the Wishing Crystals area. Kids were excited upon learning that you can wish by waving your hands on top of the sensor then some Chinese character will be beamed on the Crystals. They also change color once you touched them and they produced sounds as well according to my kids.

I have never been to casino in my entire life and I won't let this opportunity pass thus I told my wife that we were running out of HKD. I dashed to nearby casino to exchange my USD into HKD. Once inside, I felt excited and nervous as well since I knew that I could easily lose my money if I would stay a minute longer, lol. Anyway, now I have an idea what a casino looks like.

By the way, upon reaching Galaxy Hotel coming from The Venetian Hotel I noticed several shuttle buses parked near the entrance. I saw the San Ma Lo route on the other side of the parking lot while the shuttle bus going to City Of Dreams was at the opposite side. I told my wife that we would go first to City Of Dreams to watch the Dragon Treasure then return here to catch the San Ma Lo shuttle.

THE DRAGONS AT CITY OF DREAMS

In short, we reached the City Of Dreams after taking the shuttle from Galaxy Hotel. We searched for the Bubble Theater and we were fortunate to arrive as the show was about to start. We paid 50 MOP/HKD per person for the show with free souvenir shot taken before you enter the theater.

The Dragon Treasure

The Dragon Treasure Show was truly awesome and fantastic. It was the first time we have watched that kind of show. Bubble Theater offers a 360 degrees view with superb lighting and sound system. I can't describe my feeling. I remember when we watched the Songs of the Seas at Sentosa Island. I felt the same rush and excitement.

The free souvenir shot

If my memory serves me right, the Dragon Treasure show lasted for around 20 minutes. Upon leaving the theater we raced for our free souvenir shot. The large framed shot was a rip off, as usual, so we didn't buy it; we asked for our free shot instead. To our surprise, the free souvenir shot looks like a passport size ID picture. You need a magnifying glass just to examine the souvenir shot. Upon seeing it, we all laughed while on our way to the shuttle bus parking.

We returned back to Galaxy Hotel and fell in line at San Ma Lo route. I knew this place was near Senado Square.

The shuttle to San Ma Lo was a mini bus and it arrived sparingly unlike the big and comfortable hotel buses. Due to number of passengers and size of the bus, we were accommodated on the third bus.

We alighted at San Ma Lo or the central part of Macau. This is where my problem has started. I didn't know the exact location of Senado Square. I checked my offline Google map and still couldn't find the correct street.

Another advice to first timer at Macau when searching for Senado Square from San Ma Lo, locate the pineapple shaped building of Grand Lisboa Hotel. When you see that building then don't go there but rather go to the opposite direction and stay at the main road until you reach Senado Square. You will know where the main road is due to countless pedestrians going to and fro Senado Square. We did that and after 5 minutes we reached Senado Square.

Due to crowds the place is better to be seen in pictures. Every corner and every street is full of people even on weekdays. Nonetheless, we were fortunate to find a seat at McDonald's.

"The Free Taste Street"

After a quick bite, we headed to Ruins of St. Paul. We followed the stream of people until we entered a narrow side street where you can have unlimited free taste of their stuff, except egg tarts. We loved the Almond biscuit of Koi Kei. We bought 1 box and another box of their peanut brittle as requested by my kid.

After emerging from this street, the ruins welcomed us.

We got another set of photo ops here and souvenir shopping; due to fatigue the ladies didn't bother to climb the ruins.

Ruins of St. Paul

From the top, the vantage view was not that spectacular obviously because of modern buildings dwarfing the Senado Square. In fact, we stayed here for less than an hour until we decided that it was time to go back to Hong Kong.

Going back to Hong Kong from here was tricky if you want to use the free shuttle. We searched for the pineapple building and this time we walked towards it.

Upon reaching the Grand Lisboa Hotel, several tour groups from mainland China were also loitering inside the lobby. We used the toilets inside the hotel lobby and we got a view of what luxury means inside the toilet, lol.

Having no idea where the ferry terminal shuttle parking is located, we asked the bell boy, concierge and a cop. We were directed to a place beside the GLH. There was a single parking area for the shuttle bus going to Ferry Terminal but the bus was exclusive for their casino visitors only since we need a coupon before the lady dispatcher would allow us to board.

I went inside and searched for the casino. Fortunately, the two casino security staffs were "kabayans" and showed me where the casino reception was. Shortly thereafter, I got 5 shuttle coupons plus a bottle of water not to mention my second visit to a casino. We missed the earlier shuttle and boarded the next one.

Upon arriving at the Macau Ferry Terminal shuttle buses parking we crossed the road through the underpass and emerged in front of the terminal building. Another tip for first timer, if you plan to go hotel hopping upon arrival at Macau Ferry Terminal cross the road using this underpass; you'll emerge at the hotel shuttle buses parking lot.

We paid 148 HKD each for an economy class TurboJet going back to Hong Kong. We left Macau at around 5:30 PM and arrived at Hong Kong an hour later. Immigration procedures for both sides were amazingly fast and easy.

Suffice to say, Macau is indeed a paradise for those who prefer hotel/casino hopping and a bit of Portuguese architecture but for nature lovers out there you might be disappointed due to lack of eco-tours, if I may say so. Likewise, I don't see any reason why you need a tour guide due to numerous info available on the net. Getting lost is a part of the adventure as long as the wife is in good mood, lol.

See our 5th Day Exploit: Nan Lian Garden & Ten Thousand Buddha

Dad's Review - Car Registration Renewal at LTO Main Office

If there is one job that a Dad can boast that exclusively his is the renewal of family car's registration.

I used to have a second-hand Mitsubishi Lancer box type sedan eons of years ago thus I don't exactly remember the procedure on how to renew its registration since I simply pay a "fixer" at LTO Laguna to do the job for me. I used to work in Cabuyao, Laguna before I sold my Lancer and worked abroad.

When I bought our family car in 2008, it came with 3-years registration thus I was saved from this daunting task of renewing its registration for 3 years.

After its 3-years registration has elapsed I had no choice but to renew its registration myself hence I searched the net and learned that I need to do the following procedures:

1. Emission Test
2. Buy a compulsory TPL (Third Party Liability) insurance
3. Stencils - to record on Motor Info Sheet the engine and chassis number
4. Inspection
5. Evaluation
6. Payment
7. Stickers and OR release

I drove my car to emission test center located opposite LTO Main Office at Quezon City and paid 400 pesos for the test. Aside from the emission result, the paper also showed the picture of the technician doing the test; my car's plate can also be seen on the picture.

Technician working at the emission test center

After the emission test, I proceeded directly to LTO Main Office and was perplexed since I didn't know the correct procedure. I was in this state when a "fixer" approached me since he knew that I was there for renewal due to my license plate number.

In short, we had a deal. I bought a TPL from his contact who was just standing beside a street vendor inside the LTO compound. After 15 minutes, the lady returned with the TPL for 980 pesos. Another 50 pesos went to another guy for stencil jobs while the fixer charged me another 350 for the inspector seating outside the car registration area/counters so there was no need for me to bring my car for inspection. The fixer asked 100 pesos as his service charge. Without any knowledge on how things were running at LTO and being told by the fixer that since I didn't have early warning devices (yellow and red triangles) at hand then my car wouldn't be able to pass the inspection test. I had no choice then but to pay them all though I had reservation about the authenticity of the TPL insurance. The inspector who didn't even bothered to check whether I was registering a military tank or a 3-wheeled car brought my documents inside their office and told me to wait at the cashier area. When my name was called by the cashier, I paid the necessary renewal charges including 100 pesos transfer fee. Shortly thereafter, I got my OR and stickers. The whole process lasted  in less than two hours. It was no sweat at all and that was in 2011.

Come 2012, after the emission test I drove to LTO main office. Surprisingly, upon reaching the car registration renewal area, I noticed that there were no more fixers lurking inside LTO compound; you would notice them flagging down vehicles entering the said area . Though I was happy that our president's "tuwid na daan" (straight path) motto was working on this government agency I was also confused at the same time since I had no idea where to go. Besides, I can't find anybody where I can buy TPL insurance. I approached the inspector seating in that area and asked him for guidance. He inspected my car documents and noticed that I didn't have any TPL and my car wasn't inspected yet; I asked him where I can buy TPL. He took my car documents and after a couple of minutes he returned back with a TPL insurance worth 1,550 pesos. I knew I was ripped off but I can't complain anymore; the TPL insurance documentation has been done. In fairness, he asked me to bring my car inside that area and conducted a visual inspection. He then asked one guy to do the stenciling for free. I paid the usual renewal charges at the cashier and collected my car stickers at the next window. It was obvious that my 2008 Nissan GL TPL insurance was costly.

Last month I renewed my car registration.

Once more, I visited my favorite emission test center nearby and paid 450 pesos for the test. Fortunately, the manager of the emission center offered me TPL insurance for 980 pesos which I gladly accepted since the emission test center carry a well known name thus I can't doubt the authenticity of their TPL insurance. In that area too, some boys were asking for stenciling job with "Motor Info Sheet" at hand. I gave the boy 50 pesos for the job. I felt great; I was able to complete several procedures in one place in short period of time and less expenses.

After this, I went directly to LTO main office car registration renewal area. Interestingly, beside the table of the inspector who previously charged me an expensive TPL was another table being manned by a lady. The table was marked "Public Assistance and Complain Desk." Bingo! This is what we need  in every government agency. I approached her and showed all my documents. She instructed me to go to next building for inspection. Not a big deal I told myself. I was confident that I am now following the correct procedure.

I drove to inspection building beside LTO main office near Chowking. I inquired at the window having a sign Evaluator/Complain Desk. The guy at that window explained to me the steps regarding vehicle inspection and collected my car documents except the TPL. He then asked me to wait for my name to be called from window E or cashier. I paid 50 pesos. Don't forget to check which lane you should enter; it is written on the receipt. Usually, for sedan and other small vehicles you will be asked to queue at lane 1. I showed my inspection receipt to the security guard, he ordered me to drive my car to the inspection area at the back. The inspector asked me to turn-on one-by-one my signal lights, wiper, horn and break lights and when he was satisfied that everything was working perfectly he signed my Motor Info Sheet; he never asked about the early warning devices. My car passed with flying colors, LOL.

I returned back to the car registration renewal area and showed my car's inspection and other documents to the lady at the Public Assistance Desk. She beckoned me to submit my documents to the evaluator windows behind her table. The evaluator took my documents and asked me to proceed to cashier area and wait for my name to be called. After a while the cashier called my name. I paid the renewal amount and received the OR. I went immediately to release section beside the cashier to claim my car stickers.

This time it took me more than 2 hours to finish the entire process. In short, I spent more time on my recent renewal of car registration compared with the previous years and obviously time was important for any Dad. Nonetheless, knowing that you have completed an arduous task through your own effort would make any Dad proud of himself especially when he has extra 600 pesos inside his wallet. Wow!

To sum it all, I have seen with my own eyes the improvement of government service at LTO main office and how corruption was minimized if not totally eradicated in this area. I wanted to commend the security guards  as well since they were very heplful and courteous unlike before. Likewise, I truly appreciate the new Public Assistance/Complain desk at LTO main office car registration renewal and licensing area. It is a welcome relief for new car owners who are not familiar to the procedures and steps to be followed in renewing their car registration.

There is no denying that I have been a part of a corrupt system but it is worth to mention that if we want to change our nation then we should start changing ourselves first. Next year, since I am now fully aware of the procedures it will be definitely easier and more convenient for me to renew our family car's registration.

May 2014

On my recent visit to LTO main office to renew my car registration, my OR was stamped with "NO STICKER AVAILABLE" hence I returned back a week later to collect the said stickers.

I called first the number given to me to confirm the availability of the sticker before coming back to LTO office. Moreover, I renewed my car registration several days late thus I was slapped with 200 pesos surcharge. What a waste of hard earned money.

starting from left, counters A, B & C while counter D or cashier is not shown on the picture.

At inspection lobby or reception, you have to submit your emission test and stencil form to counter A or B then wait for your name to be called by cashier at counter D. Once you have paid the 50 pesos inspection fee at the cashier then you may drive your car at the back of the building. Be aware though of the inspection lane where you need to drive your car. In my case, my inspection receipt showed lane 1. I was asked by the inspector to activate my car's horn, signal lights, wipers, break lights and reverse lights. My 6 year old family car passed the test without any effort at all. Again, there was no need for early warning devices.

Wait for your inspection report at the inspection area. Once you have received you stencil form with signature of the inspector then you may now proceed to LTO main office to renew your car registration.

By the way, there are plenty of "fixers" outside the LTO premises flagging you as if they know you; don't mind them.

By the way, sometimes you won't find any parking space inside the LTO compound, in this case you can park your car at nearby establishments like Jollibee then you can walk back to LTO to process your car registration.

Back to Moori of Siem Reap

It is so heart warming to know that in your own little way you were able to help a friend.

Few minutes back I received this email from Moori. He was my Tuk-Tuk (Remork) driver, tour guide and photographer as well while I was in Siem Reap, Cambodia visiting those majestic Angkor temples.

It seems he has gained additional friends from Philippines. This down-to-earth guy can be of great help in case you are a first timer in Siem Reap.

In case you want to know how this guy became my friend see my previous post: Moori of Siem Reap

Much better if you can visit his site: http://www.templetowntours.com/

Our Third Day Exploit - Ngong Ping & Citygate

On our third day, after a tiring trip at Shenzhen, it was time to go slow and savor nature. I consider Ngong Ping as the best place to have a relaxing sight-seeing in Hong Kong, far from the hustle and bustle of the city and the noisy and crowded theme parks.

Due to fatigue, we woke up a bit late and took our daily caffeine and choco shots at McCafe near Times Square. Family loves their daily steaming hot choco while I prefer the strong aroma of their hot coffee to awaken my senses.

We arrived at 10 AM at Lantau MTR station. Upon seeing Citygate Outlets, as if being magnetized my wife and daughter automatically proceeded inside this mall unmindful of the boys, lol. However, upon seeing that most of the shops were still closed we proceeded to nearby Ngong Ping 360 cable car station.

The famous and unused stair at NP 360

We fell in line and waited for the ticket counters to open. After 15 minutes we noticed that several groups of tourists were bypassing our queue. I approached an NP staff and showed to her our vouchers bought from CTS airport. We were directed to another counter without any queue to exchange our vouchers into tickets. We were elated since we knew that probably more than a hundred people were already ahead of us. Hence, if you plan to visit Ngong Ping, buy your voucher at CTS airport upon arrival. You will find them at counter A04. I paid 135 HKD for each round-trip ordinary cabin voucher.

On our way to NP village

It was a first time for both daughter and eldest to ride a cable car thus they were very eager and chirpy while waiting for our turn. Unfortunately, since there was a long queue, the staff were herding 8 people inside a normal cabin thus a female "kabayan" with her Caucasian friend were with us. Nonetheless, we got a thrilling and enjoyable 25 minutes cable car ride on our way to Ngong Ping village.

Stunning views greeted us on our way to the top of the mountain. The sea and lush mountain complimented each other and at the same time we got a glimpse of how huge Hong Kong International Airport is.

As usual, upon arrival at Ngong Ping, we saw our large family pic being paraded by NP staff. Since our shot inside the cable car was better than our cable car shot at Genting Highlands, Malaysia we decided to buy it.

Fortunately, it was a cloudy day thus we were able to enjoy Ngong Ping without suffering Hong Kong's summer temperature. It was a picturesque place due to Buddhist style structure at Ngong Ping village, the lush vegetation and absence of skyscrapers.

From the cable car station we walked for several hundred meters until we reached the base of the 34 meters tall Tian Tian Buddha, the largest outdoor bronze seated Buddha. You have to conquer 268 steps before reaching the pedestal where a 3-storey exhibition hall is located. Another tip, it is cheaper to buy bottled water from here than in NP village. Moreover, on our way we bought a medium size corn on the cob for 35 HKD and a stick of "siomai" for 15 HKD; food is quite expensive around here so better bring some snacks with you.

AT THE PEDESTAL

From this point, the view is really breathtaking due to panoramic outline of Lantau Island and the South China Sea.

These guys were having a free show

After spending an hour at the pedestal and lots of photo ops we decided to return back to the cable car station; we didn't try to visit Po Lin Monastery anymore. On our way back I got a free shot with these cool guys. Likewise, family searched for their Chinese Horoscope Generals statue and another set of photo ops.

Going back to Citygate Outlets was better because we had the entire cable car cabin for ourselves making our descend more fun and exciting.

After Ngong Ping, famished, we raced to Food Republic inside Citygate Outlets. We had a sumptuous and filling meal. The food here is affordable compared with NP village.

CITYGATE OUTLETS

As expected, wife and daughter got a sudden boost of adrenaline rush. We entered different shops like Esprit, Giordano, Guess, etc. Not to be outdone, my boys explored Adidas, Nike and other sports outlets as well. Fortunately, I was able to convince them that it was cheaper to shop at Mongkok. I was lucky that the wife was in good mood thus I was able to exercise my convincing prowess, lol.

We left Citygate Outlets at 2 PM and raced to a place which I can't divulge here since I consider it a trade secret, lol. We have found another great source of Japanese and Korean dresses that can rival the Platinum Mall of Bangkok, Thailand. In fact, in terms of variety and price this place could possibly outweigh Platinum Mall. In a matter of less than an hour, we have consumed our initial or trial budget for our online shop HappyStripes Hong Kong limited collection. Likewise, my daughter was thrilled to find a pair of trendy leather shoes for a measly 100 HKD.

Furthermore, we have booked our flight back to Hong Kong on the first week of June to further explore this place and with bigger shopping budget. This time our "fashionista" daughter would be coming with us.





Before returning back to our hotel, we took our dinner at Ngan Lung Restaurant at Jardine Bazaar Street at Causeway Bay. They have increased their price since our last visit on December 2011. I got billed more than 400 HKD for a dinner for 5 people with soda drinks. If you are in a budget, avoid this place even if  it offers  authentic local cuisine, trust me.

See our 4th Day Exploit: Macau

Our Second Day Exploit (Shenzhen) - Hong Kong / Shenzhen / Macau Family Trip

We closed a deal with Destiny Joy Travel & Tours located at 3rd floor of World Wide Plaza, Central for a day trip to Shenzhen, China. They sent a copy of our passports to their contact in Shenzhen for group visa preparation. The tour package cost was 350 HKD thus I paid 1,750 HKD for our family of five. Actually, at least 3 people are required before a group visa can be issued according to "Joy" the Managing Director. Since we were 5, she told us that our group could be lucky touring Shenzhen without joining other groups.

The tour includes transportation (inside Shenzhen), lunch and entrance fee to Window of the World theme park. We were instructed to be at Shenzhen immigration window no 8 from 9 AM to 9:30 AM where our tour guide would be waiting; at the other side of course. She then gave us several copies of our tour itinerary. Furthermore, Joy reminded us that our visa was valid inside Shenzhen only hence we were not allowed to travel outside Shenzhen.

Since we need to travel from Causeway Bay to Shenzhen border we woke up at 6 AM and left our hotel at 7 AM; we need to change train four times before reaching the border. Upon reaching Mongkok, we decided to go out and have our breakfast at McDonald's. At Kowloon Tong MTR station where we need to transfer to the fourth and final train going to the border we noticed that there were 3 final destinations being shown at several LED electronic billboard namely: Tai Po Market / Lok Ma Chau and Lo Wu. We waited for Lo Wu train.

We arrived at Lo Wu station at past 8 AM; after clearing Hong Kong immigration we walked for some time until we reached Shenzhen immigration arrival counters at around 9 AM. We saw a couple of ladies (kabayans) waiting near window 8 and it seemed they were also waiting for their tour guide. Moments later we were called by one lady at window no 8 and showed me a list of name on a group visa. Unfortunately, we were not included on that list. She then asked us to wait for our tour guide.

Shortly thereafter, a guy arrived and called me from the same window no 8 and showed a list of name. Aha! He was our tour guide. He asked us to fall in line in front of the immigration counter according to the sequence appearing on our group visa. Shenzhen immigration procedure was a breeze though our passports were scrutinized thoroughly. To add, another Filipino family of four on a separate group visa joined our group. It was a welcome relief to have another Filipino family joining our group while touring an unfamiliar place.

Our tour guide name was Bruce Wong. He spoke English well and a bit comical which we really appreciated. While traveling in our 15-seaters van he explained to us many things about Shenzhen and how the locals live before and after the hand-over of Hong Kong to China.

First in our itinerary was the usual Jade Shop.

A pair of Pixiu guarding the treasure

A large Chinese Sampan made of Jade

I was a bit disappointed initially but when I saw a pair (husband & wife) of jade Pixiu, they always come in pair, I told my wife that we need to have one. For Filipinos with Chinese blood or those who believe in Feng Shui (Pungsoy), Pixiu symbolizes wealth and fortune. You would see these Chinese mythological creatures normally at the entrance of the shop. If my recollection is correct, there is one pair of giant Pixiu outside Tangs Mall at Orchard Road, Singapore. You would see them also in many Chinese owned shops in Philippines. In short, we bought a pair of medium size jade Pixiu for 200 USD with free Moon (luminous) Ball; this ball absorbs light and it releases the light when it is dark. Aside from that, we were given a 50% discount for a jade Chinese Sampan that symbolizes Happy Family. Hence, from 2800 pesos the price of the Sampan went down to 1400 pesos. Yes, this jade shop accepts pesos. Moreover, all the items being sold here comes with certificate attesting the authenticity of the jade. This is one of the advantages in buying in a government accredited jade shop or factory unlike in Bangkok where selling of imitation and fake gems or jade is a norm. Our group spent an hour here and wife and kids and the other family in our tour group bought several jade bracelets and pendant. While inside, we tasted free sample of local tea. I loved its taste but considering that I am the only tea-drinker in our family, I decided to forego my plan of buying it.

Second in our itinerary was the Silk Shop.

That was definitely a let-down since Filipinos were not very fond of wearing silk though it was a very informative tour. Nobody from our group bought anything from here.

Third in our itinerary was the local costume shot at Splendid China.

daughter in Kung Fu pose

my youngest kid

In front of Splendid China

The Royal Family - I will treasure this shot

At the entrance of Splendid China were several souvenir shops and one of them was a local costume shop. You can rent a Chinese / Korean / Mongolian costume for 20 Yuan each; included on the price is a small free picture. The shop has its own lady photographer for some photo shoots. Hence, I paid 100 Yuan for five of us. The activity was unforgettable; we were laughing at each other and continuously taking photo shoots at the entrance of Splendid China. Sad to say, Splendid China was not included on our itinerary thus our shots were limited at the entrance. By the way, when we were asked by the photographer to pose for a group or family shot some tourists also took part in taking our shots.

LUNCH TIME

Inside the restaurant

Waiting for 'Pancit" and pork dish

After the local costume brouhaha we raced to nearby restaurant for our lunch. There were nine of us in our tour group thus we occupied a single round table for 10 people. Foods were plentiful though nothing spectacular or especial. We had fried scrambled egg, sweet and sour fish, roasted half-duck, noodles (pancit), vegetables, among others. Drinking water was free. However, to be on the safe side, we opted to buy a large bottle of 7-UP for 35 Yuan or 40 HKD for five of us while a small can or bottle of soft drink would cost a staggering 20 HKD. Quite pricey isn't it?

There were lots of left-over from our meal, I asked Bruce if I can bring them to Hong Kong, it was actually a joke; he laughed heartily.

We crossed the main road and visited another local shop which specialized in bamboo fibers. 

We learned that many products can be derived from bamboo fibers such as underwear, LOL. As expected, nobody from our group purchased anything from here. Another let-down.

The next place to visit in our itinerary was Window of the World. 

Window of the World

Yes! Everybody is excited because WOW is undoubtedly the main reason why tourists visit Shenzhen. Unfortunately, we are given only 2 hours to enjoy WOW. Nevertheless, it was quite an experience to visit this theme park especially upon seeing and conquering the one-third scale replica of Eiffel Tower. The whole park was sparkling clean and well manicured. Though we were not able to cover the entire park the adrenaline rush lasted for the whole 2 hours. Anyway, due to its sheer size, you would need to take rest after more than an hour of strolling.

Super Mario Brothers

The Grand Palace of Thailand

From U.S.

From Europe

I like this place

Climbing the Eiffel Tower

One of the two man made falls

Are we in Egypt?

After 2 hours we made sure that we would be at the KFC outlet outside WOW. Our tour guide together with the lady photographer was waiting for our group; the other group arrived earlier since the two ladies were on the chubby side thus we knew they won't last a couple of hours walking inside WOW. The photographer showed us several large framed pictures and picture plates. I expected this and I mentioned to my wife earlier that we would take only our family shots picture plate. In short, we received the free small pictures and purchased all our individual single shots with discount after haggling. For the picture plate, we bought the family shot only since we knew that they can easily remove our pictures from the remaining unsold plates thus no guilty feeling from our side.

Our last activity in our itinerary was Lo Wu (Louhu) Shopping Mall just outside Shenzhen border immigration office.

Inside Lo Wu Mall

Border immigration office beside Lo Wu Mall

Accordingly, our tour guide, Bruce Wong, beckoned us to buy class A imitation of signature brands from his friend's shop at Lo Wu Mall. Unfortunately for him, we didn't go to Shenzhen for this purpose hence we decided to explore Lo Wu Mall on our own. Eventually the kids got tired and hungry thus we grabbed a quick bite at Fairwood. There was nothing special at Lo Wu Mall either since most shops were merely selling cheap imitations and electronic items.

After an hour of exploring Lo Wu Mall it was time for us to go back to Hong Kong. Bruce Wong accompanied us to nearby immigration building and reminded us that in our itinerary we need to give at least 20 HKD tip per person if we were satisfied with our tour. I knew that he was trying his best to please us during the entire trip thus I gave him 100 HKD as family tip. Aside from that I gave another 20 HKD to our driver since we used to leave our bags inside the van. Again, we need to fall in line at immigration counter according to the sequence of our name as per our group visa.

We returned back to Causeway Bay by MTR. Each of us spent more than 70 HKD for round-trip MTR fare.

While nothing can be done about the compulsory visit to local shops when you avail a tour package, the entire trip nevertheless was an unforgettable experience for us since that was the first time we entered mainland China. I felt a bit nostalgic as well since I knew that I have set foot on the land of my ancestors.

My advice if you plan to visit Shenzhen from Hong Kong, better apply for China visa in your country (Philippines) first so as you would be able to avoid those "usual local shops" included on Shenzhen tour package and have plenty of time visiting Splendid China and Window of the World. It is likely also that it would be cheaper and trust me, you can make a DIY tour inside Shenzhen.

Right after dinner we called it a day and went back straight to our hotel to rest.

Stay tuned for our 3rd Day Exploit: Ngong Ping and Citygate