On the morning of November 10th, we had a quick Hong Kong Cafe Style breakfast next to the hotel lobby, and proceeded to pack and awaited for our pre-arranged ride into China.
If you are going to spend about 2 hours in the car, and have lots of luggage, then the best thing to do is to arrange this super comfortable van that was outfitted with business class style seating. Of all the transits up to this point, this was by far the best transit we have had. The driver is experienced in taking people like us across the border from Hong Kong into China. He provided us with the necessary forms and guided us through the custom and immigration process.
This is the very, very first time when I enter into China without being taken aside and await for some verdict. I was really, and pleasantly surprised!
Our final destination in China is Carol’s cousin’s home in 凤岗镇东莞市广东省 (Fenggang Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province). She has a condo unit in Fenggang Town, which a small town with a population of about 50,000. But don’t let the small size fool you. The town is bordered with other towns that together make up the Dongguan City (东莞市), and that city is connected to Guangzhou City (广州市), a tier one city in China. The whole area is like the Bay Area in Northern California. They even have similar names. The Chinese call this area the Greater Bay Area (大湾区), which encompasses all the major cities surrounding the Pearl River Delta. This includes the city of Hong Kong, and Guangzhou. This area contains a total population around 86 million people (more than 2 times the population of Canada).
Our remaining time of our Asia Trip will be exploring the Greater Bay Area. However, before we start our exploration there is some financial preparation we must do. In China, we are financially crippled until our iPhones and in particular our WeChat App is connected to a Chinese bank card. Without this, we will not be able to buy anything or pay for anything. “Everyone” uses WeChat Pay!
Our first weekend in Fenggang heavily relied on Carol’s cousin to eat and shop. Since we arrive on a Friday, and banks are closed over the weekend, we have to wait for Monday to embark on getting a Chinese bank account and connect it to WeChat on our phones.
The weekend was spent with family, which really means lots of eating. We are so grateful to have family in Fenggang, and one member who actually offered an entire condo unit for us during our stay here. We are living very comfortably as we explore the various restaurants here.
Below are Carol’s videos that we’ve recorded to so far, spanning three days.