You'll definitely get a different vibe once you step outside of the border. Immediately, the pace gets slower, really, no joke. And it seems that there are less people milling around; the place is almost sleepy. Well, it was 1:00 o'clock in the afternoon already, so, perhaps, the people were taking their siesta.
We, on the other hand, were feeling famished and started eating the bread we bought at the Lowu station while walking with our guide. She lead us across the Luo Hu Commercial Center, into the almost deserted parking lot, and then to an overpass going to the main street (see pic below). Apparently, our van was waiting for us there. The guide told us that she'll be taking us to lunch, which was included in the tour, but we had to stop by the Windows of the World for some picture taking. One shot would be free, and the others, optional for a fee (they'll print your photo onto a plate, like in the Hong Kong city tour).
Our guide was friendly and informative. She told us a brief history of Shenzhen, how the city differs from Hong Kong, why Hong Kong people are starting to buy condos in Shenzhen, about the border crossings, etc. Of course, she told us about the sights worth exploring in Shenzhen.
After some twenty minutes or so, with no traffic, we finally reached the spacious grounds of the Window of the World. We only took pictures outside. But what we saw was beautiful, and though the Eiffel tower's just a replica, it's still huge. We headed for lunch after taking pictures under the scorching sun. It's summer after all.
The lunch we had was a feast. There were four dishes, a soup, watermelon for dessert, and the hot tea was flowing (by the pitcher). It's definitely tasty. The restaurant services tourists by the busloads. Guess dining is part of the tours in Mainland China.
The tour guide told us that we're going to two factories, and since we opted to join the tour, going there is compulsory. Of course, we know why this tour was just for free and optional. You'll never get around to see anything at all. If you do, it'll be very little and the time it'll eat, a large chunk. You'll be ushered into factories whether you like it or not. Anyway, that's what tours usually do. When I go to Beijing and join a tour, it'll probably be the same. The tour companies need to earn money, right? Anyway, just don't buy at the jade or jewelry factory. Most likely, it'll be fake. Jade and gold jewelry at dirt cheap prices? Nah. Remember, real gold is never cheap; on the other hand, gold-plated and costume jewelry is cheap. Anyway, we asked our tour guide about the items inside the factories and she told us that they call it gold but it's not the gold that we know. She might be referring to gold-plated jewelry. So buyers beware.
