Donnie, you are entering a World of Pain!

China is crowded full

Initially, when planning this trip, I considered journeying through China and then decided against it.  But as random chance surrounds us always, and after being invited in by an acquaintance I met while exploring Taiwan, I decided to take him up on his offer of a home-stay in Shenzhen pending approval from the Hong Kong-China visa relations office in Kowloon.  A 2"x2" facial photo, a lengthy paper application, a modest sum of money and a 4-day surrender of your passport gets you permission to enter China for two separate visits not to exceed 30 days each, the second visit to be used within six months of the initial entry which must be exercised within 12 months of visa delivery. Get all that?  I had to ask twice.

My experience with China thus far has been that it is the craziest and most maddening place I have ever been.  Relatively safe but not always clean, China is loud. Immediately upon passing the guards at the LoWu border crossing North of Hong Kong, the decibel level suddenly jumps to a steady, constant roar. It's the masses.  And these masses are Chinese. And Chinese are not Japanese.  The Japanese are quiet, reserved, orderly, and they conduct their social manners in a highly sophisticated way.  The Chinese are a seething mass of beings 1.3 Billion strong, each looking out for himself first and last.