Lotus Hill Park 莲花山公园 – Shenzhen, China

         On my second day in Shenzhen after we visited the Honey Lake Resort, Farida and I continued our exploration of the city to a new site called Lotus Hill Park or also referred to as Lian Hua Shan Park. We knew the site from the tourist map. However, we did not understand how to reach there by MTR or bus so we took a cab. The cab fee from the Honey Lake Resort to the park cost around RMB 45, quite expensive compared to cab fee in Guangzhou. The admission to the park is free so everyone can enjoy the natural beauty of it.

        As I strolled around the park, I did not really find something special there and I felt more like walking than climbing the mountain. As far as my eyes could see, there were only trees, green plantations, and bushes. Maybe it was because I visited the park in the winter. I just noticed that the best time to visit it is summer when hundreds of phoenix flowers come to their full bloom adorning the park with red cloak. Some also say that it is best to visit the park in the late afternoon and early evening.   

 

The tourist map of Lian Hua Shan Park

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Window of the World 世界之窗 – Shenzhen, China

        Shenzhen is well known for its industries and economic development. Due to the strong influence from its neighbor, Hong Kong, the city ranks the third place of the three most developed cities in China after Shanghai and Guangzhou. As the Special Economic Zone of China, Shenzhen now has grown into a thriving big city with many skyscrapers. It is also an industrial city where countless of items are manufactured here. Besides that, it also has some fabulous theme parks and tourist attractions which one of them is Window of the World.

         In January 2010, I visited Window of the World with my friend Farida. We took express train from Guangzhou. The journey lasted for two hours. The express train that connects Guangzhou-Shenzhen is a clean and air-conditioned train with cozy seats. Two hours sitting inside the train were only a short time. We then got off the train and took the MTR to go to the hotel located near the famous Window of the World. After looking for some directions, we finally found the hotel. I forgot the name but it was quite cheap, only 100 RMB per night. Though the hotel was not as clean as a five-star hotel, we found it quite comfortable. After putting down our baggage, we quickly went to the Window of the World. It was winter and there were not many people. The ticket cost around 140 RMB per person.

 

 

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Xiaomeisha Beach 小梅沙海滩 – Shenzhen, China

         My friends, I have finished talking about places I have visited in Hong Kong. Now, let’s follow me to explore Shenzhen, one of the busiest port cities in China that is located on the Pearl River Delta. The first time I visited Shenzhen was summer 2009 when my church friends asked me to join them in a tour to a beach in Shenzhen called Xiaomeisha. Initially, they decided to have this trip to gather Indonesian students who stayed in Guangzhou during summer holiday. I also invited my brother, who at that time was spending his holiday in Guangzhou, to join us. We then joyfully headed to the beach by a rented van.  Along the journey, we sang Christian songs happily, talked to each other and laughed together. 

Hanny, Farida, Fanny, Fali, Ci Lily and I in the van. Girls power… hahaha

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Hong Kong Disneyland 香港迪士尼乐园 – Hong Kong, China

        Hong Kong is almost identical with Disneyland. Almost everyone who visits Hong Kong will always put it on the first list of their travel plan. Is Disneyland that attractive? What does it have that people would love going there despite the pricey entrance fee? Mmh... I was trying to figure it out during my second visit to Hong Kong. This time I went with my mom and boyfriend. My mom always heard from her friends that she must visit Disneyland because it is the icon of Hong Kong. My boyfriend who has visited Disneyland several times also said the same thing. However, when we wanted to go there he could not join because he had a church ministry. So, finally only mom and I set off for the park.

        It was Saturday afternoon, and the sun was very sunny. Before we went there, we had expected that the Disneyland would be very crowded as it was summer holiday. Of course, many parents would bring their children to the park. Therefore, if you want to visit the park you’d better avoid weekends and peak seasons unless you want to end up having a time-consuming and tiring holiday. Actually, I dislike visiting too crowded places, but this time I had no choice because I had to accompany my mom since it was her first time at Hong Kong. I recklessly tidied up and then together with my mom rushed to the MTR. It was already 1 pm. and we did not want to waste our time.
 

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Golden Bauhinia Square 金紫荆广场 – Hong Kong, China

        Every time I visited Hong Kong, I always grabbed the free travel guides provided at the immigration entrance. The book mentioned that one of the tourist attractions in Hong Kong is the Golden Bauhinia Square. Since I had not visited the site during my first visit there, I was determined to go there on my second visit. I asked my mom and boyfriend to go there. We asked for directions and took the MTR to Wan Chai station. We then walked across a bridge and kept walking for about 15 minutes until we reached there.

        Located next to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center across the Wan Chai Star Ferry Pier that operates ferries to Tsim Sha Tsui, the Golden Bauhinia Square or also known as the Expo Promenade is an open area that has become a popular tourist destination in Hong Kong. The golden sculpture has a shape of Hong Kong’s very own bauhinia flower or known as the Hong Kong orchid that becomes the national emblem of the HKSAR and can be found all over Hong Kong as well as on the Hong Kong flag and on the back of Hong Kong coins.

 

   

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