My friend Carrie and I planned to cross the border at Shenzhen Wan (about 10 minutes from my apartment) and take a local bus into the city. Our first destination would be the LDS Hong Kong Temple, followed by a little shopping and lunch. The best case time scenario would be 10 min to the border, 30 min through immigration, and then 45 min on the bus into HK. I had anticipated that it might take a little longer since it was Chinese New Year. It turned out to be a much longer day...
We got to the border crossing at 10:30am. This is what we saw...
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| Purple hair! |
There was a huge crowd and we were all smooshed in like sardines. Bodies pushing against bodies inching to the border. I was quickly glad that I hadn't tried to take my boys this way. Children pretty much needed to be carried to avoid being crushed. Although it was a long wait I was generally okay with it - I'd been parenting on my own for a week and it was nice to be off duty, even if it was standing in a line. Along the way we saw someone try to cut through three rows of weaving lines - only to cause an altercation from someone not willing to let them in and police hauling all of them off. It took two hours to get through the Shenzhen and China sides. Carrie and I were entering the HK side about the same time, but she ended up getting held up at the HK entry point. She told me I could go on to the temple without her, but I didn't know which bus and was fine to wait. As it turned out it took another 45 minutes for her to emerge. Thanks to modern technology and my iphone I was able to keep entertained til we could get on the bus.
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| Waiting for Carrie on the HK side |
The bus ride wasn't bad at all. It cost about $8 and was on a coach style bus. We arrived at the temple around 2:30pm instead of the originally anticipated 12, but that was fine. It is always great to be in the house of the Lord. As I went in I realized that the last time I'd been in the HK temple was with my mom in 2007 when she came to visit us while we were living in Guangzhou. As it turns out, that would be the last time she and I were in the temple together before she died. It made this trip especially poignant. She really loved being in that temple and amongst her Chinese brothers and sisters. I had a thought - maybe she is working with some of those Chinese people on the otherside and I can be a bridge to her work on this side...
After the temple we went to the Festival Walk Mall. Again a bit surreal - 6 years later - had I ever left? There was a See's Candy Store. Carrie told me it was very expensive - boy was she right. A box of peanut brittle would put you back about $50. We ate some yummy Thai food at the Greyhound Cafe and got a smoothie after from Edible Arrangements. Yes, Edible Arrangements has a kiosk here where you can order a basket or get a smoothie. Next was a quick trip into Taste supermarket for some treats and food items we can't get on the other side of the border. Amongst some crackers and snacks for the boys, I also carried back to cartons of Florida orange juice - oh the things you miss. They have orange juice here, but it is typically quite sour unless you add a lot of sugar - which I don't like to do.
By the time we got out of there and to the bus station we had just missed the bus back to the border and the next one wasn't coming for an hour. It was now about 6pm so we taxi'd to the border instead - more expensive, but saved us an hour.
That saved hour was a big deal - the border crossing returning was seemingly even more packed with people. The air was stifling and I kept thinking - thank goodness I'm not short and it would really suck to be in a trampling stampeded situation. There was a lady behind me who was all over me pushing and trying to get a leg up or ahead of me. It was ridiculous. I made it my mission to cut her off as much as possible just because she was so out of control. In the end I let her pass - tiring of being touched all over as she fought her way forward. Over the hour we stood in that part of the line she made it about 8 people ahead when all was said and done. Because there were so many people Carrie got her husband to come get us in a taxi since we thought the taxi cue might be really long as well. The crazy thing about the time we spent was that I could literally see my apartment, but physically could only inch along in the packed lines - so close and yet so far.
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| Crazy pushy lady over my left shoulder... |
We ended up getting home about 8:30pm. Fortunately Rachel and Alejandro were all good with the boys. Bless their hearts - they had a 1.5 hr bus ride to the village they are teaching English in and insisted they could make it home although I offered to let them stay. Stan brought back some Mexican food supplies from the grocery store in the USA as a thank you to them the next week.
It was a long day, but a good day. I learned that I will definitely pay the extra for the ferry instead of taking that route if there is a holiday and may not ever take the boys that way. I really don't know what I would have done if I had them. There were just so many people. The ferry at least has a limited number of seats so there is a maximum number of people who can go through that way at once.
