Shenzhen. At Night

Exhaustion set in on my third day. I was supposed to go to Hong Kong in the afternoon, but I guess those sleepless nights finally caught up with me. So I had no choice but to stay in Shenzhen another night. I had already checked out of the luxurious Huaan hotel so I set off to find another. I needed to save some money because I was running over budget. I found the Hubei down the street. The room was small, spartan but efficient. I didn't care. I just wanted the bed. Those 6 hours I slept there were the most I have slept in a night since I arrived in China. The mosquitoes woke me up at midnight. And then another type of bug bit me. It was time to go creepin'. So at 12 o'clock at night I leave my room and enter Shenzhen. Shenzhen is very active at night. Street vendors are still cooking foods, youngsters, even teenagers were out enjoying the cool air. McDonald's is open 24 hours in Shenzhen and it was half full. I'm not interested in McDonald's or any of the activity along the main drag. I am interested in what was behind it. There are so many back alleys and byways here, one could get lost in the maze. I decided to try and get lost in one.

There are many stories and pictures about the poverty in China and I can tell you that most of them are not exaggerated. There are miles and miles of high rise apartments as far as the eye can see. The high-rises in Shenzhen remind me of the ones on the Florida coast, if they were neglected for 50 years. The dogs and cats are skeletons. And the smell of China is strong. But the spirit of China is also strong and these people are proud. I will not take pictures of the squalor I see. I have too much respect for these people. There is garbage in the streets just off the main road. As I walk along, I try to reconcile the beauty I see in so many places in the city with this. It is sad, but interesting. As I walk along, people call out to me. Woman giggle. The Chinese are more open at night.

I pass a friendly lady cooking stir fry. I decide to give the local cuisine another try. More vegetables. A group of youngsters in the next bench seat share their beer and laughs with me. They offer to toast. I let them. It is the rare communication we can have between us. A man comes out of the shadows to shake my hand and smile. As I return to my room, it is 2:15 a.m. and for a moment, I feel like a part of China.