Shenzhen, Bus to Yangshuo

Sarah came into Hong Kong on a Monday, and by Tuesday we were headed to Yangshuo. First stop: the smoggy air of Shenzhen, the border-town between Hong Kong and China. It feels different the moment you exit the customs line. The sky is hazier. The floor is dirtier. The pace is a bit more frenzied. And though you're about 50 feet from Hong Kong, nobody speaks Cantonese. We spent a few hours in the crazed shopping center of Luohu (Lo Wu) splurging on DVDs and realizing how much we hate being called "Missy." Then onto the bus station, and onto the bus, which turned out to be 9 hours of dark and bumpy purgatory before reaching Yangshuo. When we woke up, though, the endless bone-rattling and sleep-preventing progress of the bus had been worth it. We were in a fairy tale.