[Sleuth]

I saw where the Gold Coast offers shuttles to Shenzen and Shenzen is only 20 minuites away. Where in Shenzen do you end up after traveling 20 minutes from the Gold Coast?

[Skyhook]

It takes exactly 20 minutes on the 44 public light mini bus from Tuen Mun bus terminus to Sheung Shui KCR station. Then you grab the train across the Luohu border.

Doesn't take long. Coming home ( we live near the Gold Coast ) took less than 45 minutes all up, from the moment we passed through China Customs.

We did this trip last Thursday, as we just ordered an apartment lot worth of timber venetian blinds for our home, made to measure in Shenzhen.

[MovingIn07]

(or are you a local who speaks the language!)

We are thinking of hopping over to go shopping - also live in Gold Coast, but are not sure how much it costs for a visa (Aussie passport) or if we will be able to work out what's what when we get there!

[Skyhook]

G'day Moving07,


I am not local, I am from Victoria, as per the state flag i used in my avatar next to my id..



Back to the task at hand.


Providing you enter Luohu via the Sheung Shui KCRC ( One station stop after Sheung Shui is Luohu ).

Visa's are Y150.00RMB which you can get at the China Immd in the same building once you clear HK's immd. Its all very well sign posted, and self explanatory. You'll see an overhead sign that says VISA's, with an arrow marked left in a downward motion, which is actually a dog leg to an escalator to the next floor where the Visa office is.



Once you finally exit the China Customs dept on your way out of the Luohu side of the building exit, turn right and then walk up the first escalator on your left which is outside. There on your right hand side is the luowu commercial building. its 5 floors of shopping centre, selling all manner of stuff, copy watches, paintings, clothing, things like curtains and made to your spec timber venetians.

Every body understands calculator numbers, most shop staff inside that shopping complex understand enough English for you to get by. You're not the first round eye that they've ever encountered .

We ordered our venetian blinds in predominantly English, only using Cantonese ( which they also understand ) on very technical things like what installation brackets were included and arranging delivery instructions etc etc... If you have managed to shop in Tuen Mun town at the wet markets etc and got by, Luohu Shenzhen is intuitive enough.

You won't have any trouble there... Nanshan or Dong Min, sure, thats a little deeper into the Shenzhen neighbourhood which will require more experience, but Luohu is fine for the newly acquainted.

[MovingIn07]

We'll have to give it a try.....

[Sleuth]

Originally Posted by Skyhook

It takes exactly 20 minutes on the 44 public light mini bus from Tuen Mun bus terminus to Sheung Shui KCR station. Then you grab the train across the Luohu border.

Doesn't take long. Coming home ( we live near the Gold Coast ) took less than 45 minutes all up, from the moment we passed through China Customs.

We did this trip last Thursday, as we just ordered an apartment lot worth of timber venetian blinds for our home, made to measure in Shenzhen.

Didn't realize it was that close, thanks!

We did the same for our silk curtains (ordering in SZ).

[Skyhook]

Originally Posted by Sleuth

Didn't realize it was that close, thanks!

We did the same for our silk curtains (ordering in SZ).

Yeah Sleuth, very close by.

We had a set of curtains already made for our 15.5 ft high palladium lounge room window 6 months ago, and they coppied the pre-existing curtains that we had spot on, but also following a very detailed drawing I had included, with curvature, width and floor relationships listed. To avoid any chance of them not being level in relationship to the floor..

Shenzhen rocks for curtains, saving us $6000HKD off the Hong Kong price quoted last time.

We saved about $2000 - $2500 on the timber venetians this time.

Well worth the trip.

[Sleuth]

Especially since a large percentage of curtain places in HK (as well as the tailors) just farm the work out to SZ anyway.

[Skyhook]

Originally Posted by Sleuth

Especially since a large percentage of curtain places in HK (as well as the tailors) just farm the work out to SZ anyway.

Exactomundo !

Sleuth, we learnt that very early on, too.