To the Snake’s Mouth

The new Shekou port facility there in Shenzhen is all rather modern and grand, but don’t head there without cash.  I notice the “She” in Shekou 蛇 has the insect radical and assume it is the same character as the one for “snake.” “Snake port” in my mind, but it’s one better than that, upon confirmation its more properly translated as ‘snake’s mouth’.   A colleague and I were heading over to the snake’s mouth. He was heading on to the Hong Kong airport.  I don’t suppose I’ve been to this port in years and I’m beginning to wonder if the driver was heading the right way.  Check your map on your phone and yes, this is precisely the right place and soon our driver has dropped us down under the facility in a special lane for , for “social” vehicles, which I took to mean Di Di driven cars.  We made our way up the escalator and into the building.  Tickets were to be had on the second floor. 

Signs point us towards a row of kiosks.  We fuddled along with a touch screen for a while, which was available in English and Chinese.  After entering a considerable amount of detail the message informed us that we could only pay with Union Pay, Ali Pay or Wechat.  No cash.  No cards.  Off to the human-manned windows then.

The line wasn’t long but everyone seemed to need to produce lots of things and stand for a while, in order to get their tickets.  The guy before us with an American accent, didn’t have cash.  Someone had told him that this line took credit cards.  “Would you take Hong Kong Dollar?”  He asked?  That's a reasonable request, I thought.  I saw Japanese Yen, and Korean Won in his wallet.  "No."  Came the reply.  They did not.  He stormed off in a huff.  Fortunately we had some cash and got my chum his ticket.  

I saw him off and got a DiDi onward for my trip out to NanSha, “southern sand” the district beyond Shenzhen city en route to Guangzhou.  Some friends live out there and I intended to catch some sleep on the ride but instead I got on to one call and then another.  We drove along the Guangshen Expressway, which seemed to be one long, low bridge for over the sand and the bay. We passed the Shenzhen airport with its huge, vacuum cleaner-like nozzle thrust out towards the water.  Later I returned to the airport along the same way.  Spent that whole ride on a call as well, tried, drowsy, wishing I could sleep.  I noticed my driver was sleepy too.  

Friday, 01/18/19