Afternoon in Shenzhen

This weekend I made my final voyage to Mainland China, crossing over the border to nearby Shenzhen, a city of 10 million and the source of much of the pollution wreaking havoc in Hong Kong. I wish I could tell you something interesting about Shenzhen, but in fact I didn't see any of it. My visit was limited to a shopping mall about 100 meters away from the train. This wasn't a scenic trip you see, but rather a very specific opportunity to cash in on China's cheap labor for some conspicuous consumption.


The first stop was the tailor, where, for US$230 I am having a suit custom made for me as well as two shirts, all of which will be mailed to me in a few days. Fingers crossed that they are nice. Who knew that picking out fabrics could be such a agonizing decision?!?


Here I am getting measured by the tailor....

From there it was on to the spa, where the greenback really goes a long way. For less than US$30 I got treated like a king, getting worked on by three different women at the same time while briefly attracting a crowd of onlookers apparently interested in seeing a white guy at the spa (though there were plenty of other men). I got an hour-long reflexology treatment on my feet, a pedicure, a manicure, a facial and a back and shoulder massage, plus a soda and a small meal. What a deal!


I'm not proud of these pictures, but I share them for the sake of documentation on this blog. It sure was nice, though somewhat painful....reflexology hurts!