My first experience of Chinese New Year in Asia was during my 3 month Asia-extravaganza-end-of-university holiday. I remember way back in 2006 we traveled to Shanghai and would be disappointed by the, well lack of Chinese. Coming from Sydney, we were cautioned about the sheer density of the Chinese Population, to our surprise, it was rather sparse and pretty lacklustre considering the enormous population. Unbeknown at the time, this would be my first experience of a major Asian city grinding to a halt during the Lunar New Year. A large percentage of the population comprises of expatriates either looking to return to their "hometowns" or to take advantage of an extended vocational stoppage period which accounts for the quietness.
This would be my second Chinese New Year in Hong Kong. The first one was interesting, that's an understatement. Hong Kong residents can be afforded up to 3 days public holiday (depending on the year) which can equate to up to 5 days off work! After 2 days it gets pretty quiet by the end of the second day. Heck, it gets so quiet that it becomes boring! Nobody is in town and the social scene doesn't have the legs to continue for more than 2 days straight. This predicament is exasperated by the fact that any flight out of Hong Kong during a public holiday period demands at least a 50% premium on regular flights. The bottom line is, pay extra or stay in Hong Kong. The frugal are left with the standard options of Macao or Shenzhen; the later being the break in our monotony.
With a train through to Lo Wu, some confusing border crossings and a friend's apartment we finally ended up in the southern Guangdong city of Shenzhen. The impetus was Phil's drive, he is due to leave Hong Kong soon and wanted a trip to China to show us the wonders of a city. I had been there before but the promise of seeing "a side of China that you normally wouldn't see" was the alluring factor. I interpreted this to be dodgy massages and Karaoke bars. Instead it was a on-the-spot visa, no massages, hanging out at the apartment, visiting cocopark and wandering into what can be best described as Shenzhen's equivalent to Sega World's Crush. The trip was short and punctuated by a disgraceful grasp of Cantonese and Mandarin, excellent Cantonese cuisine, the discovery of KFC's Peking Chicken Roll and the unanimous decision that we were glad to come back to Hong Kong.
This would be my second Chinese New Year in Hong Kong. The first one was interesting, that's an understatement. Hong Kong residents can be afforded up to 3 days public holiday (depending on the year) which can equate to up to 5 days off work! After 2 days it gets pretty quiet by the end of the second day. Heck, it gets so quiet that it becomes boring! Nobody is in town and the social scene doesn't have the legs to continue for more than 2 days straight. This predicament is exasperated by the fact that any flight out of Hong Kong during a public holiday period demands at least a 50% premium on regular flights. The bottom line is, pay extra or stay in Hong Kong. The frugal are left with the standard options of Macao or Shenzhen; the later being the break in our monotony.
With a train through to Lo Wu, some confusing border crossings and a friend's apartment we finally ended up in the southern Guangdong city of Shenzhen. The impetus was Phil's drive, he is due to leave Hong Kong soon and wanted a trip to China to show us the wonders of a city. I had been there before but the promise of seeing "a side of China that you normally wouldn't see" was the alluring factor. I interpreted this to be dodgy massages and Karaoke bars. Instead it was a on-the-spot visa, no massages, hanging out at the apartment, visiting cocopark and wandering into what can be best described as Shenzhen's equivalent to Sega World's Crush. The trip was short and punctuated by a disgraceful grasp of Cantonese and Mandarin, excellent Cantonese cuisine, the discovery of KFC's Peking Chicken Roll and the unanimous decision that we were glad to come back to Hong Kong.
