Swan Castle Courier

Water Woes?

2011-12-13T13:30:00.000+08:00

In my last two visits to the Swan Castle the water has been turned off during the day. Do we have pipe issues or are there bigger issues with the water supply in the city? Who knows. And how would I find out?

Shenzhen Coffee Tour

2011-10-25T12:30:00.002+08:00

When I'm at the Swan Castle, I enjoy walking over to the Starbucks in the OCT Loft area. It's a very funky renovation of an old industrial warehouse that works great. Decent free WiFi and comfortable seats. Sure, the coffee is not quite as good as illy, but the environment is way better.

Even after 5 years, I still don't know exactly how to ask the cab driver for directions here. So I quiz the barista. He reckons it should be Dong Bu Gong Ye Chu (东部工业区）. I'll try this out next visit and see if it works.

The barista is a nice guy and hands me a brochure: Find Your Starbucks. Most brochures are a waste of time but this one is awesome: Bilingual, an excellent map of Shenzhen, a list of useful Chinese phrases (Muffin = Mai Fen = 麦芬）and the locations of all the 42 Starbucks in Shenzhen.

42 Starbucks in Shenzhen! Wow, these guys don't mess around. If one was so inclined, one could explore Shenzhen by visiting all 42 locations. You probably wouldn't sleep for weeks but you'd see plenty of this booming city.

Starbucks in Southern China is managed by a Hong Kong Company: Maxim's. So, you can be pretty sure it's well run and the food and drinks will contain no nasty surprises. Well done Maxim's: an oasis of relative clam in a crazy metropolis.

Shenzhen Hiking

2011-10-09T06:00:00.000+08:00

We used to have a nice green mountain view out the back of the Swan Castle. Unfortunately, that's been replaced by a massive shiny new glass and steel tower.

But I still wonder - there must be some decent hiking trails back up on those hills. I've never ventured over to check it out: just assuming the hiking was better, and easier, back in Hong Kong.

Reading the September 2011 issue of that's PRD (a must read for Shenzhen/Guangzhou newbies), I see Tom Bird has reviewed a Shenzhen hiking book: Shenzhen Hikes Vol. 1: Dapeng Peninsula compiled by Marco Loglio and published by Discovery Publisher.

Dapeng is a long way from the Swan Castle (about an hour away on the far eastern side of Shenzhen) but at least someone has started publishing hiking books in English about the region. I'll be crossing my fingers a Shenzhen, Nanshan edition is in the works.

Slippery Slope Down

2011-10-02T12:08:00.002+08:00

The Swan Castle seems to be getting a little tardy around the edges. Dirty lifts, unpainted lobbies, cracked pavements, etc. The building must be getting on 10 years old now. I wonder if the management office is getting the squeeze on funds?

In the five years that we've been here, the management fee has stayed the same: RMB3.05 per square metre. That's about the only thing that has remained static in China these last few years.

Wages must have doubled in the last five years (admittedly, from a very low base). Cost of materials will also have increased at least as much as the inflation rate (approx 10% a year).

I asked Mrs SCC why the management company doesn't just increase the management fee each year so they can keep the building well maintained. She just laughed. Of course, no one in the building wants to pay increased management fees and most people, she reckons, don't really care about the appearance/condition of the common areas. That's a shame as I thought it would help maintain the value of the building. Oh well - wacky western ideas I guess.

With a car park chock full of expensive imported European cars, I'm guessing any extra discretionary income is being channeled into items that can increase ones status. Who gives a shit if the lift is dirty?

And, how come we don't pay property taxes to the local government? I guess no one wants to talk about that but I've got a feeling it's on the way.

管理费 / guan li fei / management fee

本体維修金 / ben ti wei xiu jin / repair fund?

Shenzhen Bay Bus Timetable

2011-08-17T06:39:00.000+08:00

Like China, bus routes and timetables are constantly changing. This is the latest incarnation of the timetable for the bus from Times Square/Macau Ferry/Ocean Park heading towards Shenzhen Bay Port. Again, this port closes at midnight and doesn't have a visa office. You'll need to have your China Visa sorted out before you get there.

Access Control Card

2011-06-26T17:14:00.001+08:00

Looks like the security at Swan Castle is getting beefed up. Is it because of the looming Universiade (all those wild university students roaming around Shenzhen) or is there something going on that I don't now about (more likely)? Anyway, the main gate is chained shut, new outdoor cameras are being installed and now we need to swipe a card to get in. Nothing wrong with extra security but it can be a problem if, like us, you haven't received any access cards.

So it's off to the management office to get some access cards for the team. As usual, I can't find the management office and I've forgotten how to ask for directions. Eventually a roving security guard on a bicycle appears and leads me to the management office.

Note to self: relearn how to ask for directions to the management office;

qing wen, guan li fu wu zhong xin zai na li?
(May I ask, management service centre where?)

OK. I've arrived. A bit of hand waving and some rudimentary Mandarin and we work out what the card is called;

men jin ka
(Gate guard card)

They're RMB25 each and the staff reckon they'll deliver them tomorrow at 4PM.

As always in China, you'll need plenty of photo ID to get stuff done. Make sure you take your passport, ID card (if you have one) and plenty of utility bills with your name on them (hopefully matching your ID).

This full immersion Mandarin can be daunting but you might as well dive right in and learn as much as you can while you're here.

Parking Issues

2011-06-25T13:59:00.001+08:00

It must be an awful feeling? You've worked really hard and you've just bought a Rolls Royce Phantom or a spanking new black Bently. Now it's time - time to show off how important and successful you are. But, all of a sudden, the building management starts putting obstacles in the way, like these planter boxes pictured above, so you can't park and show off your magnificence.

The management office reckons all the private cars are blocking access for emergency service and delivery vehicles. But you know better - they're just jealous. What a bunch of losers. The estate would be more grand if we had dozens of super prestige cars randomly parked near the entrance. Sure there'd be massive chaos and the occasional pedestrian run over but should these trivial matters stand in the way of your stunning ascent? Surely not!

Prepaid Mobile Phone/Data Sim card for Shenzhen, China

2011-06-21T11:33:00.001+08:00

I'm only in China sporadically so I don't want to sign a monthly phone plan. Just a simple prepaid SIM will do the job for me. I've been using the China Unicom 688 (Zhong Gong Tong) prepaid SIM but I'm sick of it.

It constantly drops the signal. Even when there is a signal, I have lots of trouble getting connected. Plus, there's no data feature at all - not even a GPRS/Edge option.

I finally gave up on the Unicom card yesterday and purchased a China Mobile SIM: The easy own HKcard. I paid HK$195 and picked it up at the Macau Ferry terminal (Mobile One, Shop 285, Shun Tak Centre, 168-200 Connaught Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, 2177-8787 fax 2177 8838). The guy in the shop trimmed the card down to microsim size and also did the registration for me.

The English instructions that came with the card weren't too bad. It looks like China Mobile debits rmb25 each month. So much for the prepaid idea - it's virtually a monthly plan anyway. This rmb25 gives you unlimited answering in Guangdong province and Hong Kong. On the old Unicom I got charged an airtime fee for answering calls so I guess this is an OK deal.

Luckily I quizzed the guy in the shop about what APN to use. It doesn't seem to mention it at all in the instructions. He gave me two APNs to try, cmnet and cmwap. I plugged in cmnet and it connected to the Internet right away. If you access the Internet without setting up a plan using SMS, then you get charged rmb2 per day for a 5MB of GPRS usage and rmb1 per MB after that. Not cheap but OK for me to check emails and use Foursquare.

神州行 = shen zhou xing

Creative English Signage - Shenzhen OCT Golf Club

2011-02-25T12:02:00.001+08:00

Sometimes my putting is very "Supplies"-ing but I'm not sure this is what the Shenzhen OCT golf club translators meant.

Spotted this sign this morning while finishing up a round on the 9 Hole pitch-n-putt course. Which, by the way, is an excellent facility and only walking distance from The Swan Castle.

I see the Shenzhen Daily (local English language newspaper) mentioned recently that the government is campaigning for "Bad English signs to be removed." I hope they don't as I'd have nothing left to poke fun at.

Hong Kong Central/Macau Ferry to Shenzhen Bay

2011-02-24T23:02:00.001+08:00

You're having a few drinks after work in Soho but you need to catch the last direct bus back to Shenzhen Bay. So what time is the last bus from Macau Ferry? After getting stranded recently, I finally picked up the timetable and have posted it above. (The last bus is at 8:00PM, quite early)

What if you miss the last bus from the Macau Ferry terminal? I guess you could always backtrack to Times Square (Causeway Bay) and jump on the 20:30 or 21:30 bus. At least with these two you won't have to pull into the Macau Ferry terminal and wait ages while they try to fill all the seats.

What if you miss the 21:30 bus from Causeway Bay? You could always cab it to the border (around HK$330). Just be sure to get there before it closes at midnight.

Booze Cruise

2011-02-23T17:43:00.003+08:00

(looking east off the top deck of the beached Ming Hua ship in Shekou, Shenzhen)

Mrs. SCC rushed back to Hong Kong today to check the renovations. A good chance for me to slip down to Shekou for a quiet pint or two.

I see that the Shekou metro line has opened recently so this is a good chance to check it out. Everything is shiny and new and we quietly glide towards the bay. The trip from Windows of the World metro station to Sea World metro station takes about 25 minutes. Not bad! And a lot less stressful than sitting in peak-hour Shenzhen traffic.

I emerge from the subway only to see that the usually pleasant bar and restaurant area has morphed into a giant construction site. I weave my way through the mess towards the Ming Hua ship which seems to be marooned in a mountain of construction debris.

Thankfully Lowenburg, on the top deck, is still operating and happy hour is still the same (buy two get one free). I order a half litre of freshly brewed dark beer and sit down to survey the carnage. "Hotel and beautiful park" is what the waitress reckons is being built nearby. We'll see!

The Penthouse Lounge Bar at the Grand Hyatt Shenzhen

2011-02-21T15:42:00.014+08:00

Mrs. SCC was keen to try out the Chinese restaurant at the Shenzhen Grand Hyatt yesterday. Even though it's right across town from the Swan Castle (about rmb50 in a cab) I decided to make the effort - for a change. Arrived 6PM ish - slightly early for dinner but just about right for pre-dinner drinks.

Entering the hotel at street level, we struggled to find a bar or even the lobby. Eventually asked someone and found out that the lobby is on the 36th floor and a bar is on the 38th floor. I wonder if the designers were deliberately trying to make things confusing for guests? If so, it worked.

We navigated the maze of lifts and stairs and found The Penthouse Lounge on the 38th floor. Very impressively designed in a dark, clubby style with spectacular views south across the river into the Hong Kong New Territories. It was relatively quiet - probably normal for early on a Sunday evening.

I was keen for a dark beer, preferably draught and Mrs. SCC was more keen on her favorite cocktail - a Sea breeze. Found out that there were no draught beers available. Guinness in a bottle didn't appeal so I ended up ordering a bottle of Hoegarden (rmb50 + 15% tax). No Sea breeze on the cocktail list and we weren't able to translate it into Mandarin for our server. Ordered a Cosmopolitan (rmb75 + 15% tax) off the cocktail list instead. Beer was OK and the cocktail was excellent.

Our server was a bit indifferent and we had to call her back with some napkins and coasters. She did appear back a bit later with a bowl of spicy nuts, almost redeeming herself.

The men's toilet was pretty spectacular. Like a glass box suspended in the sky. Wrap around views included the neighbouring residential tower. Hope those windows were one-way only otherwise it's a clear view inwards.

A beautifully designed bar with spectacular views but with a limited beer selection. Probably a great place to impress guests but not a beer geeks dream destination.

(Grand Hyatt Shenzhen, 1881 Bao An Nan Road, Luohu District, Shenzhen 518001, Peoples Repulic of China, +86 755 2218 7338, fbreservation.shegh@hyatt.com)

Taxi Directions;

罗湖区 / luohu qu

宝安南路/ Baoan Nan Lu

君悦酒店 / jun yue jiu dian

Orange Buses Proliferating at Shenzhen OCT

2011-02-18T15:20:00.005+08:00

I blogged about the B603 Orange bus back in April 2009. I was pleased to have a new bus available to get around the area. But, it became so popular and so crowded, I had to stop using it. I just don't like overcrowding, especially on public transport.

So it was great to see today that another Orange Mini-Bus route seems to have appeared - route B795. I jumped on at the bus terminus behind the Holiday Plaza Mall / Windows of The World Metro Station. It wasn't crowded and it went almost directly to our front gate at Swan Castle. Winner and a good deal at just RMB1.00

I still prefer the public buses over the local taxis. The buses are a lot cleaner and better maintained. The bus drivers seem to have been trained and drive quite well. Taxi drivers can be a bit hit and miss. Some are almost suicidal and most are pretty aggressive.

I wonder who the company is that runs these Orange Mini-buses? If it was a publicly traded company and foreigners were allowed to buy shares (we're not) I'd take a closer look.

Belle Epoch Club

2011-02-16T12:26:00.000+08:00

Walking back from picking up a few "cheap" DVDs yesterday when I spotted this new piece of art outside the Swan Castle clubhouse. Chubby naked white boys - funky!

Then I realise a new restaurant had opened in the clubhouse opposite the statue. I stick my nose inside for a look - another exclusive, pretentious "European" style restaurant - the Belle Epoch Club. There's been a rash of these opening around the OCT Portofino area recently. Most empty and all way overpriced. I just wonder why people bother opening more of these? Build it and hope they come? Who knows?

I check out the menus and wine list. More of the same, I'm afraid, with wine priced into the stratosphere. Looks like my Hong Kong BYO strategy still has plenty of life in it.

As an aside, I see that IKEA is kicking ass over here. The place is packed all the time. Decent quality, good marketing and low prices looks like a killer combination. Why can't restaurants follow this strategy?

(Belle Epoch Club, OCT Swan Castle Club Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 8608 8278 / 8608 8279)

South Beauty

2010-01-01T09:53:00.002+08:00

Another new opening in the Holiday Plaza shopping mall and Mrs. SCC is keen to try it out. We show up around 1PM and the place is full. After a few minutes wait they find a table for us. We get stranded on a small table just outside the very noisy kitchen. Takes the staff a few minutes to realise we are there and a few more minutes to find us a menu. Probably just teething problems with the new team.

Menu is amazing - like a giant illustrated catalog of the best of Chinese cuisine. English translations read like it's been proofread by a native speaker so is very foreigner friendly. Boiled fish with pickled cabbage (rmb56) doesn't sound that exciting but turns out to be an excellent dish. I'm not a big fish fan but these tender slices of white fish together with the spicy broth were excellent. Rest of the food was also delicious.

Glanced at the wine list at the back of the menu and it doesn't look too over priced. A French Blanc de Blancs at rmb198 sounded nice as did the D'Arenberg Stump Jump GSM for rmb 238. Good Sichuan style food, a nice new modern and clean layout and reasonably priced drinks is a combo that suits me and we'll definitely be going back.

NEW BUS ROUTE AT OCT PORTOFINO SHENZHEN

2009-04-27T11:39:00.005+08:00

Overseas Chinese City (OCT) has a couple of free private shuttle buses that run around the suburb. Because they're free they're extremely popular. And, because they get used so much, they've fallen into a pretty poor state or repair - quite shabby in fact.

So good news this visit to see a new public bus route has been set up to service the residents. The funky orange bus is hard to miss as it zig zags its way from Sha He Lu all the way to Bin Hai Lu. Just rmb1.oo to ride this new and clean bus makes it a pretty good deal. No more taxi rides to the market for me - I'll be hopping on the B603 bus instead.

SHENZHEN SATURDAY

2009-04-25T22:41:00.003+08:00

Arriving at Shenzhen bay this evening with some time on my hands, I jump on the number 31 bus to Shekou. Right away we run into traffic on Dong Bin Lu. I curse my spur of the moment decision. Focusing on a cold beer at the Ming Wah keeps me on track. I miss the bus stop at Shekou Sea World, of course, and have to walk a few blocks back to the Ming Wah ship. Finally arrive at the Lowenburg brew pub on top of the Ming Wah.

Order a half a litre of dark beer (rmb 48) and grab the menu to peruse the German dishes on offer. I settle for Bratwurst with Sauerkraut and Kartoffelen - of course. Both the meal and the beer are excellent and now I'm patting myself on the back for making the spur of the moment decision to come over to Shekou.

More good vibes when my Hong Kong credit card works but get miffed when the waiter decides not to give me the receipts. I guess these have some value on the second hand market and he figures I'm a tourist who won't miss them. Wrong! I shame him into giving them to me and he gets all huffy - loser. Jump in a taxi and rmb45 later I arrive back at The Swan Castle.

CHEESE ZEE!

2009-04-13T19:13:00.002+08:00

Killing time over at the Ole supermarket today waiting for Mrs SCC to buy the groceries, I decide to check out the cheese selection. Wow, the whole world is here. Happy Cow from Austria, Kerrygold from Ireland, Bega from Australia, Landolakes from the US (with their very tempting hot pepper jack), Arla Danish Camembert, Anchor from NZ, Frico Smokey Dutch and so on.

The amazing thing is I've never seen anyone buy any cheese at Ole. I wonder what happens to all this cheese when it passes its sell by date? Does it end up in a landfill? Or does it end up on an obscure buffet somewhere? I guess we'll never find out.

And who is paying to have all this cheese sit around and look good on the shelf? Someone somewhere in the supply chain must be advancing credit for this stuff that never seems to be sold and I'm guessing it's not Ole. My guess - probably the export promotion councils of said countries funded as usual by unsuspecting tax payers. Something to ponder next time your nibbling on a chunk of crumbly cheddar.

NO NO SMOKING

2009-03-22T21:09:00.002+08:00

We like to eat in the Laurel Restaurant at Shenzhen Portofino - food's good, staff are pleasant and the setting is very nice. My only gripe is that they don't have a non-smoking area. When the bill is presented the staff always ask us to fill in a comment card. I always write the same thing -"Perhaps a non-smoking area would be nice for patrons who prefer not to dine on second hand smoke while eating". It always causes a bit of a stir as the staff are terrified I've written something bad about them.

Tonight the wait staff were even more attentive than usual. Turns out the boss was coming over. When he sat down at the table next to us I was curious to see if he was a smoker. This being China, it was almost a certainty. Sure enough, as soon as he sat down, he lit up one of those nasty smelling local cigarettes.

Chances of the Laurel Restaurant ever introducing a non-smoking area or policy? Pretty much next to nothing!

SHENZHEN IN SEVEN

2009-01-24T13:01:00.003+08:00

Seven plus minutes of great Shenzhen video accompanied by the classic Visage song - Fade To Grey. It's bloody amazing what you can find trolling around on YouTube!

IS THE WORLD REALLY WATCHING?

2009-01-18T12:52:00.003+08:00

According to this sign spotted on the roadside at Shenzhen Portofino today , the world is watching one more time and in the end will return to Chun Shui An. I like to translate these signs as I see them over and over again for a few months (repetition is the mother of learning, right?)

世界看遍 / shi jie kan bian: World is watching one more time.

终归回到 / zhong gui hui dao: In the end will return.

纯水岸 / chun shui an: Pure water side (name of the waterside/lakeside development at Shenzhen Portofino.

PLEASE SAY AGAIN

2009-01-18T09:17:00.003+08:00

再说一遍
zai shuo yi bian
say again

This has been eluding me until now. The forth character " 遍 / bian" means all over or once more. Ah

TAX RECEIPTS LOTTERY

2008-11-30T08:31:00.003+08:00

What a great idea. Give tax payers an incentive to ask for tax receipts. Put a lottery/scratchy on the receipts and give the tax payer a chance to get some of his money back.

Every time we eat out I'm given a bunch of these fapiao (receipt). But I've only just worked out how they work:

Scratch off the grey stuff on the stub on the right hand side only. Most will come up with a Xie Xie Nin (thank You) but if it comes up with a monetary amount then you're a winner. Take it in to the Bank of China to redeem your cash prize.

HONG KONG TO SHENZHEN BAY CTS BUS TIMETABLE

2008-11-24T01:11:00.003+08:00

If you're heading to the western side of Shenzhen (Shekou, Nanshan, OCT, Happy Valley theme park, Windows of the World theme park, etc.) the most direct way from Hong Kong Island is via the CTS direct bus service to the Shenzhen Bay Customs hall. Timetable shown above for reference.

WINE AND CHINESE

2008-11-22T18:43:00.004+08:00

A few weeks ago I noticed that a new wine shop had opened in Stage 4 of the Portofino complex (Romanee Conti). Of course I avoided it because I knew it would be overpriced. Walking past today I saw they had a promotion for Chilean Wines in the window. Being a fan I just had to stop in and ask the price. One for rmb96 or buy two and they'll give you a third bottle for free.

What did I have to lose. I picked up a Punta Nogal Chardonnay, a Cab Sauv. and a bottle of Carmenere. I figured I could try all three and see if any of them are OK

While I was there, the very helpful sales lady gave me a bit of a language lesson. I learnt that Chile in Chinese is Zhi Li - 智利. I also found out that Carmenere in Chinese is Jia Mei Nar - 佳美娜。

Buy a bottle or two and get a free Chinese lesson - sounds like a good idea to me.