Fiction: Group 4
Finally, one of the must-see sights in Macau is the Macau Tower, the tenth tallest tower in the
world. 336 meters above sea level, the Tower offers breathtaking views of the city, and sometimes even
some islands of HK. There is also a revolving restaurant at the top, which goes at 60 minutes per revolution.
I went there with a couple friends of mine who lived in Macau, and the experience was absolutely
spectacular. You could see the entire city of Macau, with cars driving like little ants for you to stomp on,
getting smaller and smaller as you slowly reach the top. The restaurant at the top was even better. The food
was pretty good, and the rotating of the restaurant gives you a complete 360º view of the city if you stay at
the restaurant long enough.
After one long day, I was ready for some sleep, peace and quiet. And the next day, I was out of the
Venetian, and headed on to my final destination: Shenzhen.
To get to Shenzhen, I went back to HK and took the subway there. I know, the ferry ride to
Macau was a waste of money, but it was worth it. The ride to Shenzhen was smooth, and after a while, I
found myself crossing the border into China. Since Shenzhen and HK were right next to each other, you
might’ve thought that the buildings, excitement, and the surroundings would be similar, if not completely
the same. Well, you would be delighted. With a population of 7 million, Shenzhen’s skyline mimics that of
HK, and the streets aren’t as bad as you might think. They were looked after, and most of the buildings are
new or refurbished.
On my last day of the trip, I decided to go to two places my friends always told me to go to: the
Shenzhen Safari Park and Kingkey 100. Since the Safari Park closes earlier, I decided to visit there first,
before visiting the tallest tower in Shenzhen.
Located in the north of Shenzhen, one can visit the Park from 8:30 - 18:30. The entrance fee,
CNY 150, is a teeny bit pricey, but believe me, it’s worth it. With over 300 breeds of animals, including
pandas, tigers, and flamingos, and an area of 120 hectares, the Park is one of the best zoos you will ever
come across. The park is divided into four zones: the adventurous beasts’ zone, the vegetarian zone, the
animal performance zone, and the Zoological Centre.
The adventurous beasts’ zone contains the cheetahs, bears, tigers, lions, and other animals usually
seen in the rainforests, caves and mountains. Here, you can also find the only tiglon in the world, and also
some rare ligers. The vegetarian zone is inhabited by the giraffes, zebras, kangaroos, flamingos, and plenty
other herbivores from around the globe. With the largest swan lake in China, visitors can float in the lake
and admire the swans. It was such a nice swim…
The animal performance zone is for, obviously, animal performances. This isn’t just a random
animal performance from your local theme park; in this one, red orangutans from India work with parrots to
work as cashiers, and the elephants are the porters. There are around ten shows a day, in four different halls,
namely the Circus Hall, the Elephants and Tigers Show Hall, the Sea Lion Performance Hall and the Birds
Performance Hall. A performance containing hundreds of magnificent birds can’t be seen anywhere else in
the world, and the final performance containing around 300 actors and over 1000 animals, with elephants as
leaders, and other animals either walking alongside them, hovering above them (birds), or following them
from behind, is also a sight to behold. The Zoological Centre, located in the northwest section of the Park,
contains no animals, but introduces plenty of facts and details about various animals from anywhere in the
Park, and in the world.
Within the Safari Park is a section called Ocean World, where visitors like you and I can see sea
animals, like sea horses, sea lions, dolphins, and various types of sharks. Although it costs another CNY 60,
the musical drama “Happy Ocean”, which features acrobatics in mid-air, sea animal performances and fancy
high diving, is spectacular, and is definitely worth having a look at.
After the Safari Park comes my final destination for my trip: the Kingkey 100, also known as
KK100. At 442m above sea level, it is the tallest building in Shenzhen, and is ranked eleventh globally. The
entry fee is RMB 200, but shaped like a pen, and with 100 floors in total, the top of KK100 offers a
breathtaking 360º view to the rest of the city, and even a view into HK, which consists mainly of the
mountains in the New Territories. It’s like being on a mountain with AC and soft, fluffy couches in case
you feel tired.You can also get a drink and a snack from the cafe in the St Regis Lobby hotel area; it’s
included in the ticket. The view during daytime is wonderful, but the view at night is even better still. Since
Shenzhen’s skyline is like HK’s, the nighttime view is also similar, although Shenzhen has more open space
than HK does. The buildings’ lights and the cars’ headlights below flashing make for an amazing view of the
city, and although they may become slightly blinding after a while, it is still something marvellous to behold.
