Shenzhen is a really fresh, new city. Back in the early 1970s, it was just a small village of maybe 30,000 people. Today, over 17 million (!) people live here. The skyscrapers are all brand new, like they were built yesterday. Sometimes that's literally true – maps show "watch out, construction zone, don't go there," but by the time you get there, even the construction fence is almost gone and everything's already up and running.

The transportation is excellent. Drivers actually stop at traffic lights (this isn't Vietnam). The only real complaint I have is about the bikers who swarm across the sidewalks. They're basically silent, too. That made it a bit uncomfortable to walk around.

There aren't many foreigners in the city – on a good day, I'd spot maybe a couple of non-locals. Or maybe I just wasn't going to the right places.

Technically there's an old city, but all that's left of it is the gate. Everything else has been rebuilt, with a million restaurants opened up, mostly for local tourists. Honestly, there's barely anything historical here at all. But it was still interesting to spend a couple of days checking it out.