Posts Tagged ‘china’
Day 14 (29 Dec 2009): Turning Deaf-Mute [Nanning - Hanoi]
For your convenience, please refer to The Journey for the itinerary and the latest updates.
Weather: Cold and then rain in the morning; pleasant after
Distance covered today: 1,201km
Distance traveled from Guangzhou: 1,201km
Distance remaining to Singapore: 3,903km
From this post onwards, I would state the kilometers covered for the day as well as the remaining distance to Singapore. For overnight journeys, I would attribute the distance traveled to the day of arrival. Local travel would not be included in the distance traveled. I would also mark the important places with distances traveled from Guangzhou (KM 0). I would try to be as accurate as possible but some would be guesstimated due to the lack of information.
Back to the post itself.
The train attendant woke up the entire carriage about 15 minutes before the arrival into Nanning Station (KM 809). The train wasn’t late at all; in fact it arrived almost an hour ahead of schedule. It appeared that not only airlines pad their schedules; the trains do it too.
The train attendant had exchanged my ticket for my berth card when I boarded the train and she did the reverse when we reached the station. It was a good system in my opinion; the passengers would not miss their station as the attendant would need the berth card back. As at most train stations (some didn’t care), we were expected to surrender our train tickets on our way out of station.
Nanning Station
The temperature in Nanning was similar to Guangzhou’s considering they are almost located at the same latitude. Nanning is the capital of Guangxi Autonomous region and was an important transportation hub to Vietnam and other parts of Southwest China.
As the train had arrived early, I had to wait 45 minutes in the cold for the first bus to Langdong bus station (No. 52, 1RMB). From there there would be through service to Hanoi.
View Larger Map
Caught probably 20 winks on the bus before reaching Langdong bus staion. Apparently only one company, Yunde, operated there. It was easy to get a ticket (150RMB)from the counter since I could speak Mandarin and I was asked whether I had a Vietnamese visa in my passport. It wasn’t a problem for me as my Singaporean passport doesn’t require one to enter Vietnam.
Langdong Bus Station - I would board my bus from Gate 17
I couldn’t recall the exact timing of the bus; it was somewhere between 8.30 am and 9.00 am. The bus was quite new and there was a bus attendant (like all other buses in China). Most of the passengers were either Chinese or Vietnamese. The guy who sat next to me was a Vietnamese student in China returning home but he wasn’t in a chatty mode. Across the aisle was a Caucasian with his Chinese (girl)friend. He was the only visible foreigner around.
The bus went on the expressway once outside the bus station and remained on it throughout. The expressway looked new and was of Malaysia’s NS Highway standard. I believed that the expressway was built in anticipation for the increase in trade between China and Asean once the FTA kicks in 2010.
We would make two stops on the Chinese side; one would be a restroom stop (no idea where was it) and the other was a lunch stop near Pingxiang (KM 1024).
Misty mountains - the terrain from Nanning to the border was fairly mountainous
My ride
Lunch place - lunch included in the ticket
I also exchanged my remaining RMB with the multi-lingual money-changer (Vietnamese, Mandarin & Cantonese) at a slightly poorer exchange rate. The money-changers at the border would offer 2700 Vietnamese Dong (VND) per RMB compared to the 2600 VND that I got.
Remember the Caucasian man on the bus? Turned out that he’s Russian. His Chinese girlfriend (she spoke fluent Russian) thought that I was a Vietnamese and asked me about the exchange rate. We started to talk a little bit and they were heading to Vietnam for holidays. She was surprised to find out that I am Singaporean and was heading to Vietnam alone. I didn’t tell them about my entire plan (as not to scare them); I just said that I would be going to Laos after Vietnam.
A few kilometers before the actual border, some soldiers boarded bus to make sure everyone has a valid visa for Vietnam. Red Singaporean passport wasn’t common there but it wasn’t hard for me to convince them that I didn’t need a visa.
Reaching the border at Youyiguan (Hữu Nghị Quan in Vietnamese, KM 1036), the passengers were asked to disembark and those with tickets to Vietnamese destinations were ushered to a golf buggy which took us a short distance to the immigration building on the Chinese side. As it all happened so fast, I didn’t have time to take any photos at the border. I wouldn’t dare anyway considering the military presence around.
I realized that there was a HK girl on my bus as well; the border security wanted to see her Home Return Permit instead of her passport. It turned out that she was venturing into Vietnam alone on her backpacking trip. Very adventurous indeed.
Immigration on the Vietnamese side was a little chaotic. Nobody told us where to get arrival cards (to be filled in) and we had to ask for them. Then nobody told us to place our passports at the counter and wait for our names to be called. Somehow HK girl figured it out and I just followed her. We were among the first ones from our bus to be processed because we knew enough English to fill the immigration cards. The other Chinese passengers seemed to be struggling. We also had to pay 2 RMB for a piece of “medical paper” for reasons unknown.
There were also some other foreigners who were crossing the border. I didn’t think that they knew about the direct bus which I took from Nanning. Most probably they had followed the guidebooks and took a series of local transport to reach the border. I felt quite lucky to be on the bus as I didn’t have to go through the process of finding correct onward transportation and getting the fair price. It would be too much hassle in my opinion.
Vietnamese side - Roads were noticeably worse off
On the Vietnamese side, we boarded the buses from Yunde’s Vietnamese partner. They were two buses; mine was heading towards Hanoi while the other one was to somewhere else, possibly Haiphong. After all the passengers had been accounted for, we set off from the border town of Dong Dang for Hanoi. I adjusted the time on my iPod to the Vietnam time which was an hour behind China. I would stay in this timezone until Malaysia.
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The equally hilly northern Vietnam
The bus stopped only once for about half an hour for a break. There were local produce on sale and the salesperson could speak Mandarin. I chatted a little more with the Chinese-Russian couple and they were once again surprised that I had been to India as well (considering how kiddie I looked). Since the girl said that she had been to Singapore twice, I asked her whether she viewed Singaporeans in China as foreigners.
She said that she doesn’t see Singaporeans as foreigners because we (most Singaporeans) are ethnic Chinese. She also said that going to Singapore didn’t feel exactly like traveling overseas because of the large ethnic Chinese population here. I just nodded and smiled but plenty of thoughts were going through my head.
Unlike her, I don’t think that I will ever see Chinese nationals as one of ‘us’. Although we might share the same roots, I share more common values with non-Chinese Singaporeans than with other Chinese nationals. I remembered being asked by a Taiwanese what my primary identity was. Apparently she had identity issues regarding being ‘Chinese’ or “Taiwanese’. Singapore’s nation-building efforts are successful in the sense that I don’t have a problem with my primary identity. I am a Singaporean first and foremost who happens to be an ethnic Chinese. I’m also a believer in S. Rajaratnam’s vision of fostering a common Singaporean identity where “race, religion and language do not matter”.
Most Chinese from China were somewhat myopic and naive in their view of Overseas Chinese. As they live in a huge country, many have little knowledge of the world outside their own country (many Americans are guilty of it too) and simply assume that ethnic Chinese people are the same around the world. Socio-political factors have conditioned the Singaporean Chinese differently from the Mainland Chinese (other overseas Chinese communities shared similar experience). Ethnic Chinese Singaporeans no longer carry the same level of sentiment or any form of loyalty to China which our ancestors had decades or centuries ago. Being ethnic Chinese also doesn’t mean that I should tolerate PRC service staff who speak only thickly-accented Mandarin and expect the customers to suit their language ability. Singapore is not China and Chinese nationals in Singapore should learn to appreciate that.
Don’t misunderstand me; I’m no anti-immigrants bigot. In fact, I believe that Singaporeans should welcome immigrants as the most vibrant cities (i.e. London, New York, etc) are often the most cosmopolitan as well. However, Singapore should not indiscriminately allow new migrants into the country without concern for the impact on the state’s social fabric. Besides their contribution economically, would-be migrants should also be assessed by their willingness to adapt to the local way of life.
I’ve digressed enough. My bus rolled into Hanoi (KM 1201) at around 4.30pm local time, nine hours after departing from Nanning. The passengers were dropped off outside a travel company office (I had no idea exactly where) and a motorcycle taxi guy approached me. It seemed that I was becoming deaf-mute; I couldn’t understand a single word and nothing from my tongue would make sense to him. I showed him the address and haggled with him for a while; he wanted to be a sucker out of me and was unwilling to decrease from his 50,000 VND asking price.
After I started to talk away, he agreed to my 20,000 VND fare. I didn’t want him to have my business by then and started to walk towards a taxi parked slightly in front. It was a big vehicle (something like SUV) and the driver ran the meter. In the end the fare to the hostel was 22,000 VND; the driver even gave me a 2,000 VND discount because I only had two 10,000 notes and the rest 50,000 ones.
Boy was I glad to reach the hostel. The check-in place at Drift Backpackers was kinda crowded as travelers arriving from China were coming in but the staff remained friendly. I got to my room quickly after checking in and took my first shower in more than 24 hours. The price was reasonable at 100,000 VND for a dorm bed and breakfast. The place was nicely equipped with WiFi and numerous computer terminals and the TV room had dozens of DVD titles to choose from. I would recommend it to anyone who is going to Hanoi.
After shower, I headed out for ATM since I needed some cash.
Evening's Hanoi
Passed by this lake on my way to ATM
After getting some cash, I walked to the train station to sort out my train ticket to Lao Cai the following day. The language barrier proved surmountable and I managed to score hard sleeper for 250,000 VND from the ticket counters at the train station. I had expected to pay more from the information found online so I was glad with my purchase. After dinner, I went back to the hostel where I met Peter, my friend for the night.
Peter also just arrived from China, albeit from Yunnan, and was staying at the place for only one night as well. He’s an American doing his masters in Politics at Harvard and his fellowship gives him the chance to spend one year studying in Beijing. It’s kinda nice talking to someone from the States who actually know something about Singapore (Peter has several course-mates who are PSC scholars). He would be meeting his friend who was arriving the next day from Abidjan before starting their tour around Vietnam.
After having a second dinner and a nice chat with Peter, I made use of the WiFi at the hostel to research about the subsequent legs of the trip. The first leg was pretty straight-forward; being in China there wasn’t much of a language problem and it was quite easy to organize transportation. The real challenge would begin from here onwards.
Day 13 (28 Dec 2009): A Train Affair [Guangzhou - Nanning]
For your convenience, please refer to The Journey for the itinerary and the latest updates.
Weather: A little cloudy
With the laundry cleaned and my bags packed, the only thing missing from my list was some USD. Greenbacks almost always give the best exchange rates around the world. The Axis of Evil might hate the US government but they adore Benjamin Franklins. I didn’t have to go through any of them in my trip but dollar was still the currency to carry.
I began my quest for USD with a metro ride during the rush hour. Bad decision as I felt like squashed tuna inside a can. I was really glad when I got out of the cabin.
I first went to CITIC Bank’s branch at CITIC Plaza. They could exchange RMB to USD but I needed some in the first place. I asked for directions to the nearest Citibank ATM.
And I ended up being given the directions to a Citibank branch 15 minutes walk away. I mentally counted the approximate amount of RMB that I would need and withdrew them. Citibank was not able to change RMB to USD and the only place that would do it (according to them) was the Bank of China down the road. As the CITIC Bank was too far away, I went to Bank of China instead.
The guy serving me didn’t really want to change USD for me. Perhaps it was something about capital control in China. I somehow managed to convince him, saying that I would need USD in Vietnam and I couldn’t get them anywhere else. Reluctantly he made me fill up a form and went to photocopy my passport. Another form later (because I managed to screw up the first), I had my US$200. He was helpful enough to give me the 10 twenties that I requested.
I reached Alan’s apartment in time to say farewell. They were going out for their final classes and I would do more research before going to the train station.
Not before saying goodbye to someone familiar.
Bye Bye Chen Fala
I was early for my train so decided to take some pictures.
The obligatory train station shot
Reunification of Motherland
I couldn’t help but wonder whether that the words were meant for Singapore as well as for Taiwan.
Something less controversial on the other side:
Reinvigorate China
My train
Train no.:
Dep: Guangzhou 16:52
Arr: Nanning 06:23
Time taken: 13h31m
Distance traveled: 809km
Cost: 179 RMB (Hard Sleeper middle berth)
View Larger Map
Goods to be loaded on
The hard sleeper class that I was traveling in was organized in open plan configuration with six sleepers in each ‘compartment’. It’s similar to India’s 3AC class without the berths along the corridor. Mine was the middle berth which cost less than the lower berth but more expensive than the upper one.
Chinese Hard Sleepers
My bed for the night
Little boy in the next compartment
Rolling through the countryside
Where the term 'Samsui women' is derived from
All the berths in my compartment were taken up. Besides me, there were a group of three female friends heading home to Nanning, a traveling salesperson from either Zhejiang or Jiangsu and an older woman with Beijing accent. The Nanning girls spoke Mandarin with the same exact accent with Malaysian Chinese and that left me quite amused.
The salesman was quite surprised to find the group of friends were speaking Mandarin among themselves. He asked them why they weren’t speaking their dialect and their replies were that they each had their own dialect (despite all three being native to Nanning). The topic was then shifted to Vietnam. The three friends had been to Vietnam before for work. Both the salesman and the older woman were surprised to learn from them about the availability of luxury goods in Vietnam. I half-suspected that they still believe that the Vietnam War hasn’t ended and the Vietnamese are still living in tunnels.
The train attendants would walk around the aisle during dinner time to sell pre-packed meals (I saw boiled chicken and rice), peanuts and fruits. The most popular item had to be instant noodles. There was hot water at each end of the carriage and that was often the cheapest food around.
I went up to my berth shortly after dinner time (around 8pm) and thought about my trip ahead. It would be
an epic, I told myself before nodding off to the rumbling tracks underneath the carriage.
Day 12 (27 Dec 2009): Farewell [Guangzhou]
For your convenience, please refer to The Journey for the itinerary and the latest updates.
Weather: Rainy
The morning was spent doing laundry and I tagged along for Alan and Daniel’s farewell lunch with their buddies from SYSU.
Could you recall the shopping mall with an archaeological site in its basement (from day 3)? That was where we had lunch. Vietnamese food was the agenda and it was kinda coincidental for me as I would be in Vietnam in two days.
Picture with the buddies (sadly some had left earlier)
I also got the ticket for the next day’s train to Nanning at the Guangzhou Train Station. The buying process was pretty painless except for the queue. It’s amazing how China runs its train network so efficiently.
My last night in Guangzhou ended with yet another ice-cream at McDonald’s. I would miss this place!
Day 11 (26 Dec 2009): BOXIN’ DAY! [Shanghai - Guangzhou]
For your convenience, please refer to The Journey for the itinerary and the latest updates.
Weather: Sunny but cold
While checking out of the hostel, the helpful receptionist patiently answered all our queries regarding transportation. We would head to Yuyuan, located in the Chinese part of the city, by public bus.
To be honest, I was pretty impressed by the transport infrastructure of the Chinese cities that I’ve been to. Hangzhou especially because of the public bike rental system. Chinese cities also run their public bus system efficiently. The fleet is often very new and I couldn’t recall seeing anyone hanging by the bus doors (although they were often crowded). There are also televisions on the buses and trains (ahead of Singapore; there’s no more TV Mobile here anymore).
Old & New
Reaching there
Entrance to the shopping area - crowded as everywhere else
The main reason why we were here was to get plums. Apparently Alan’s mum visited Shanghai and liked them. Ever the filial son, Alan was going to bring 5kg back. Yup that’s right. 5kg. Nothing but packaged plums. He bought all the quantity available in the store and the next customer who came in couldn’t get any. Luckily for her, Alan was kind enough to let her have a 500g packet or else she would go home (wherever it is) disappointed.
Look at the crowd
Initially we were planning to meet our friend Michelle who was back in Shanghai during the holidays. However, she couldn’t make it last minute and both of us had the afternoon to while away. We were thinking of visiting Xintiandi or watching a movie. The cold weather and the movie trailers on the trains helped us to make the decision.
Watching movie in Shanghai is an expensive affair. A ticket cost 80 RMB (~16 SGD). No wonder everyone watches pirated movies instead.
The trailer which helped us to make our choice.
Before Bodyguards and Assassins began, we noticed a couple in the row in front of us.
They were eating bak kwa!
How interesting!
The movie was quite nice but you could drive a bus through the loopholes in the plot. This reminded me of a Hokkien saying: zou hee siao, kua hee gong. Literal translation will be actors are crazy and audience are silly. We have to be silly enough to appreciate the crazy performance.
We had an early dinner in the noodle place besides our hostel.
Spicy noodles
There was a direct bus to Hongqiao Airport (no. 806, 5 RMB) from our hostel and it took almost an hour. I was mad at the check-in staff who refused to acknowledge my existence and served another person who arrived later. The joy of traveling indeed.
Alan and I were both amazed by China’s productivity. I think the work maxim is: If the job can be done by one person, let at least two people do it. The lady at the boarding gate would scan our boarding pass and another man five meters away would tear the ticket and retain a portion. Somebody must have forgotten to tell them that the two tasks can be performed together. Alan said that it was necessary for creating employment.
Flight: China Southern CZ3504
Dep: SHA 19:45
Arr: CAN 22:05
Flight time: 2h20m
I was surprised to get a wide-body aircraft (757 I think) for a domestic flight. As both Shanghai and Guangzhou are first-tier cities, there should be quite a lot of demand for travel between them. Tickets weren’t too expensive (we paid 550 RMB one-way) and the load was probably around 50%. Alan and I could have rows for ourselves. We landed ahead of time again but nobody was complaining.
Returning back to Guangzhou, it was noticeably warmer than Shanghai. Alan showed me this incomprehensible sign at the shuttle bus waiting point.
It should be "Taxi Boarding Point"
Engrish FTW!
Day 10: Merry Christmas from Suzhou [Shanghai - Suzhou - Shanghai]
For your convenience, please refer to The Journey for the itinerary and the latest updates.
Weather: Cold and hazy
It was Christmas and we were heading to Suzhou on a train.
Train: CRH D5416
Depart: Shanghai Station 10:06
Arrive: Suzhou Station 10:42
Time taken: 36 min
Distance: 84km
Cost: 26 RMB
View Larger Map
We arrived on-time again but didn’t have any plan for the place.
Suzhou Station
Escaping the touts, we had our second breakfast at KFC (first was instant noodles at Shanghai Station) and planned our next move. Alan’s friend had recommended us to go to Shantang Street, a rather well-preserved historical street with canals running through it.
We got into one of those unlicensed cabs (bad mistake) and the driver brought us to a ticket counter. In order to enter the historic area, we would need to pay 45 RMB. Being gullible, we just paid up and didn’t realize that we did not need any ticket to visit the main street at all.
Overpriced at 45 RMB
Got our money's worth by taking more photos
James Soong was here
Fellow visitors
Chinese painting
Partition
Tint
Spelling FAIL
Old street
Venice of the East
Boats for hire
Fire station
Fire brigade
Cobbled street
Walking towards the less gentrified part
The less gentrified part felt more real as the people there were actual residents. After our lunch, we continued exploring the area.
Bridge
Steep
Across the bridge lied the underbelly of Suzhou.
Dire need for upgrading
From far we could see the old city gate.
Gate
Buildings by the canal
Exiting the historic area, we entered the more modern part of Suzhou. I could hardly believe my eyes. There were so many pretty girls. Especially the one at McDonald’s (I’m sure that Alan will know who I was talking about). The myth that Suzhou produces beauties is no urban legend. Too bad I’m too coward to take their photos. Feeling tired from all the walking (not legs going soft from all the beauties), we went inside to Holiday Inn’s lobby to rest. Little did we know that we would return there again.
Kee Yeh, Alan’s army friend who was doing an internship there, would meet us in Suzhou’s equivalent of Orchard Rd after work. Christmas is not a public holiday in China and since we were early, we waited for him at KFC (our second visit for the day).
We were fortunate enough to have the shift manager to entertain us.
Shift Manager/Entertainer
Sorry for the poor quality picture but trust me; she was one of those typical Suzhou beauties whom we were seeing all day. Silky hair + big eyes + porcelain skin + slim figure.
What got our attention was that she had a routine inside the restaurant. It was me who noticed it first. She would stand at the counter and observe her crew and help out if necessary. Then she would disappear inside the kitchen for quite a while. Then she would walk and check herself in the mirror right beside the counter. Then she would walk round the premise and she would never fail to remind the cleaning lady to clear the tables. Then she would walk to the washroom/washbasin are and check herself in the mirror. I estimated that she checked herself in the mirror at least once every minute when not behind the counter. Observing her kept Alan and I amused and before long his friend arrived.
After dinner he brought us to another historic/touristy area with canals lighted up in the evening (I forgot the name) where we chilled out and shared stories.
Canal by night
A lil fuzzy
We also drank tea at a tea tavern which was ran by a Hongkonger. Apparently he used to work in theater and was hired to join a theater group in Suzhou. The place grew on him and he decided to start his business there. We couldn’t help but notice that the lady running the shop with him was gorgeous as well. Perhaps that was the real reason.
Kee Yeh and us parted and we had to return to the Holiday Inn. Alan had misplaced his cap and mobile phone in the hotel’s washroom and I had to wait inside the cab for him. The cab driver was getting impatient and kept asking us to hurry up. As if I would. I thought that I might want to tip him for waiting but changed my mind because of his attitude.
We caught train D5449 to Shanghai and took metro and cab back to our hostel. I ended up chatting with a Mauritian guy who studied architecture in NUS. He took a year off from his studies and was learning Chinese in Beijing. He was in Shanghai on a holiday with his friends in language school and it was cool talking to him. He impressed me with his language ability; apparently he could speak like five languages fluently. That’s WOW.
Day 9 (24 Dec 2009): Paris of the East [Hangzhou - Shanghai]
For your convenience, please refer to The Journey for the itinerary and the latest updates.
Weather: Hazy
We left the hostel early for our train to Paris of the East: Shanghai.
My humble breakfast at Hangzhou train station (6.5 RMB)
Train number: CRH D5658
Depart: Hangzhou 10:07
Arrive: Shanghai South 11:25 (Non-stop)
Time taken: 1h18m
Distance traveled: 173km
Cost: 54RMB (2nd Class)
View Larger Map
I love sitting on trains. The train that we took was a China Railway High-speed (CRH) one between Hangzhou and Shanghai. There was no stop between the two stations and it took only 78 minutes to cover the 173km between them.
Hangzhou Train Station platform 1
To my amazement there were actually standing passengers for the train. Apparently you could just turn up at the station and buy standing tickets (no discount though).
Modern interior
Top speed reached was 160kph
I was kinda excited to take train in China. It would be the seventh country where I had traveled by rail (after Malaysia, Thailand, India, Turkey, Bulgaria and Britain). We reached Shanghai South station on time and soon were on our way to Blue Mountain Youth Hostel.
Shanghai was definitely more urbane and bustling. At the metro stations, everyone was pushing everybody else away to get to the ticket machines. Before passengers could alight from the train other passengers were rushing in. It’s the survival of the fittest in this urban jungle.
Metro ride between Shanghai South Station and Lu Ban Rd Station (where our hostel is located)
View Larger Map
On arrival we had some difficulties locating the hostel but we managed to sort that out. We were given 6 bed dorm instead of the 4 bed one which we booked; there weren’t any other vacancies and we had to make do with that. Turned out that two of our roommates were snorers and we were in for two long nights.
Alan had arranged to visit his friend Kee Yeh who was doing a job attachment in Suzhou the next day so we went to Shanghai station (different from the Shanghai South Station where we arrived from Hangzhou) to get our train tickets.
Shanghai Station - Full of people like everywhere else in China
During our long leisurely lunch and dessert, we took a train to People’s Square . We would walk from down Shanghai’s premier shopping street Nanjing East Road and then onwards to the Bund along Huangpu river.
People's Square Metro Station - Full of people again
Big rocket and small rocket
Church
People's Park
We decided to escape the cold by venturing inside Shanghai’s Raffles City. It is one of the top end malls in Shanghai and the prices attest to that. I realize that malls all over the world are identical; I might as well be at Singapore’s Raffles City:(.
However, we weren’t really disappointed as there were performances for the shoppers.
Trying to raise temperature in the cold weather
African drummer
Back outside…
Classic and modern style co-exist
..onto Nanjing East Road.
Nanjing East Rd
Pedestrianized Shopping Street
A piece of Taksim in Shanghai
Colonial Style Buildings
Kua simi?
Plaque at the eastern end of the street
Judas
We knew that we were reaching the Bund when we saw Peace Hotel (still under construction).
Peace Hotel - One of Shanghai's landmark
Visibility was BAD
The Bund was closed for renovation and it was difficult walking on the potholed pavement. It certainly wasn’t the best time to visit as there were many constructions going on in anticipation for the World Expo 2010.
The Bund closed (construction for World Expo 2010)
Customs House
European Lion
Then we decided to walk back to Nanjing Lu and take the metro to Lujiazui (in Pudong, the other side of Huangpu River).
Nanjing Lu by night
Once at Lujiazui, we tried to take the river cruise but it won’t be operating until 2010. Neither did we go up the Oriental Pearl Tower due to poor visibility.
Oriental Pearl Tower
View of Bund from Pudong
After failing in our numerous attempts to take good photos, we decided to have a good meal for Christmas Eve at a fancy shopping mall in Lujiazui . Most of the restaurants are packed and the one that we chose was quite crowded as well. We had to wait a while before being served and the staff actually ushered a couple who arrived after us to a table first. I wasn’t too pleased and told the staff about it. She could only offer a weak sorry and I was really thinking of taking my business elsewhere. Besides the incompetent staff, the couple who took the table was very rude. They knew that we were ahead of them but decided to treat us as invisible instead.
Over dinner Alan and I were ranting over what had happened. I didn’t want to bash China for sake of bashing it but everything in Shanghai culminated in our frustration. Most people were rude; it is a free-for-all in almost everything and no one is willing to concede any space. The huge population in China creates an intense amount of competition for everything; it isn’t surprising that everyone care only for themselves and to hell with the rest. The Chinese nationals in Singapore are also products of the same system and therefore behave accordingly.
It was cold on Christmas’ eve and we headed back to the hostel after dinner. Sadly our Christmas’ Eve was spent trying to sleep under loud snores of our roommates.
Day 8 (23 Dec 2009): Crazy Guys On Bikes [Hangzhou]
For your convenience, please refer to The Journey for the itinerary and the latest updates.
Weather: Great for cycling:)
The day was spent cycling around Hangzhou. First up was of course the West Lake.
West Lake in the morning
Leifeng Pagoda , the restored version, priced us out out. I didn’t think 40 RMB would be worth while. So just photos from the outside.
Pagoda obscured by the trees
A better angle (with zoom of course)
Pavilions - aren't they everywhere?
秀毓照夕 - What does it mean?
We then cycled further west to the southern end of the Su Causeway (苏堤). It was a series of bridges across West Lake and named after Su Dongpo, a famous poet/former governor of Hangzhou during the Song dynasty.
River cruise seen from Su Causeway
Idyllic
Mandarin ducks (Best show we could muster)
Entrance to a garden
Profile pic worthy
We saw many tourists on the Su Causeway. I could easily tell one group of them are Malaysians from their accents.
花港观鱼 - Fish-viewing at flower harbor (Literal translation)
FISHES!
Bridge over troubled water
Another panorama
We headed away from the city and into the mountains towards Longjing. Legend has it that Qianlong was so enamored with this place and visited it several times during his reign. Before the steep climb up, we visited the tea museum. Part of the museum was under renovation and no photography was allowed within the exhibition halls.
Welcome to the Tea Museum
'Tea is the national drink and Hangzhou is the capital of tea (production)'
Tea plantation besides the museum
Tea master Lu Yu 陆羽
'Tea'
Tea-grinding machine and us
The climb up to Longjing was tough but we were rewarded with fantastic views.
Into the hills
My eyes were open
Cycling into the hills
Longjing finally!
过溪亭 - Yet another pavilion
The story behind the name
Alan resting
Downhill's easy
Looking at the map, we decided that we could cycle to Lingyin Temple. We had to cycle through several tunnels along the way. Imagine the amount of pollution that we inhaled inside.
The real tunnel view
Lingyin Temple was another place that we decided to skip upon learning about the entrance fees. Oh well I wasn’t feeling particularly religious that day. We cycled in the general direction of the city and found a restaurant in one of the alleys. We had a plate of fried rice each, river fish and a vegetable dish. Total damage was less than 30 RMB (~6 SGD) for both of us and we couldn’t even finish the food. While eating, Alan mused about why fried rice taste the same around the world, be it in Singapore, Guilin or Hangzhou. Anyone can help us with this?
We decided that we should get back our deposits for the bike rental cards that day as our train to Shanghai was rather early the following day. As the kiosk for refunding would be closed before dark, we sorta had to race against time. It wasn’t quite easy navigating the roads with the map but we did make it in time.
Fate - we stopped near this tourist attraction for toilet break
Huanglongdong
Introduction
Going back to the main street
Upon returning our bikes, we got back the 200 RMB deposit plus whatever value that was left after the usage. As there were kiosks located near the various tourist attractions, we hardly exceeded the first hour of complimentary ride. I think that our two day bicycle rental cost us less than 10 RMB per person, an amount so insignificant that I forgot to record it down in my expenses.
We escaped indoors to the West Lake Museum after getting our refunds.
Worth a visit
We thought that the museum might be closed already considering that the sun was setting. It actually stayed open till 7pm. The exhibits was pretty informative but I was kind of suffering from information overload. The exhibits that stood out was the opera (recorded) which told the two famous Chinese legends: Butterfly Lovers and Legend of the White Snake.
Inside the museum:
Map showing the location of Hangzhou within China
Drinking tea
Mama Yue could have given Kat Von D a run for her money
It was still early for dinner so we headed to Starbucks to chill and relax. The Starbucks is located in Xihu Tiandi, an gentrified area along the lake with plenty of cafes and fancy restaurants which wouldn’t look out of place in Orchard Road at all. It was definitely modeled after Shanghai’s Xintiandi.
Xihu Tiandi
Alan and I then made a purposeful visit to the pharmacy where I got my lip balm and him his moisturizer. I was quite convinced that the salesperson took a liking to Alan and gave him her name and phone number (of course on the pretext of “just in care if you have any more queries on the product”). Alan didn’t seem to get the hint and I was quite bemused.
We realized that we had new roommates when we got back to our dorm room after dinner. It turned out that one of new roommates was a Turkish guy on business in China. I’m sorry to say that I forgot his name but it was really interesting chatting with him. He was born in Erzurum and his family was from Gumuşhane (I passed by both places during my travel in Turkey) and they had since relocated to Istanbul. They were in the automotive business and he was in China for some car expo.
More interestingly, he was the first AKP supporter whom I spoke to. Knowing that I spent some time in Turkey, he started to ask me what I thought about Turkey. Of course, I said all the niceties but I also told him about how I could not reconcile with the demigod status accorded to Ataturk. To my surprise he agreed with me and shared with me his opinion. Ataturk was a hero which kept Turkey free from foreign invaders but his method of top-down westernization was wrong.
I don’t know what’s the typical profile of an AKP supporter but he was definitely more cosmopolitan than most of them. He did his masters in the UK and was exposed to the different type of democracy there. He thought that AKP was doing a good job in trying to create a pluralistic society no longer dominated by the secular nationalists.
He disagreed with the nationalists (I know friends who are nationalists and despise the AKP government) over issue such as headscarf ban in universities and civil service. If Turkey were to become a true democracy like the west, the nationalists should allow citizens to exercise their freedom of choice and express differing views. He got more excited as he went on and his passion was contagious.
Honestly I could not disagree with him. The headscarf ban was ridiculous to me. Women are denied education because of a piece of garment which they wear. The reverse was happening in Iran. Women could not go outside of their homes without covering their heads. Where is the freedom of choice? However, being an outsider, I would probably not be able to grasp fully the actual reality behind the politics.
I could recall a story told by my International Marketing professor in Sabanci University. Although he’s a Turk, he has spent most of his adult life in the United States. Over a family dinner, he and his sister got into argument over the headscarf issue. He felt that everyone is entitled to choose his or her attire and that is none of the state’s business. She thought that allowing headscarves in state apparatus would be a slippery slope to a takeover by the Islamists and Turkey would be like Iran in no time. It appears that these two views are almost impossible to reconcile.
Sorry I should stop ranting. Mr Turkey excused himself because he needed to pack for his trip to Ningbo next morning. The other roommate was also a nameless Caucasian who came back only to sleep. The night was ended the same as the previous; Alan beat me in Chinese chess again.
Day 7 (22 Dec 2009): Jiangnan [Guangzhou - Hangzhou]
For your convenience, please refer to The Journey for the itinerary and the latest updates.
Weather: Excellent
I will write about the 5-day trip to Jiangnan (Hangzhou, Suzhou & Shanghai) from Day 7 to Day 11. I’ll try to be as detailed as possible regarding the travel arrangements and places that we visited in the report.
Alan and I woke up really early in order to catch the first shuttle bus to the airport at 5.30am. We would have to take a cab to New Pearl River Hotel (新珠江大酒店), the nearest shuttle stop. The shuttle would cost 23 RMB, not too expensive for covering almost 45km.
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We had some difficulties figuring out where our check in row was and queued up at the wrong counter. Luckily we managed to sort it out and even found the time to say good morning to Aaron.
Early start for him too
Our flight was Deer Jet flight JD5619 scheduled to depart CAN at 7.45am and arrive HGZ at 9.50am. To be honest I had no idea that this airline exists before booking the flight but the first impression wasn’t too bad. The aircraft cabin was clean and one of the cabin crews looked like some celebrity (exactly which Alan and I couldn’t agree on that).
Distance traveled CAN – HGZ: 1038 km
We arrived earlier than expected (proved that Chinese airlines pad their schedules) and found the shuttle bus to Wulin Square (武林小广场). The shuttle bus attendant pitched some travel products (hotels mainly) as soon as the bus started to move. Along the way:
Hangzhou is modern
People on the street
Upon reaching the bus station at Wulin Squre, we were swarmed by tour agents giving us their pamphlets. Escaping them, we managed to hail a cab to West Lake Youth Hostel, our abode for the next two days. I didn’t take a picture of the hostel entrance and I’ll post one that I found on sinohotel instead.
Picture taken from sinohotel website
Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport to Wulin Square (Shuttle bus 20 RMB) to West Lake Youth Hostel (Cab 16 RMB)
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We got a four-bed dorm (with attached bathroom) at 55 RMB per person per night. Luckily for us, we were the only occupants for the first night. After settling down and making the necessary research, we headed out to explore Hangzhou.
The first thing that we did was to find the kiosk where we could get a bike rental card (more information here). Hangzhou’s Municipal Government had installed many kiosks around the city where one would rental these public bikes. It costs nothing for the first hour, 2 RMB for the second one and 3 RMB per hour from the third hour onwards. It would be our main mode of transportation in the city.
Our rides in Hangzhou
Our hostel was by Hangzhou’s famous West Lake. Naturally we took photos there.
West Lake (southern shore)
Pavilion
I can't read the middle character
With our new ride we made our way to Qinghefang, a well-preserved (or well-restored?) historic street. The wares sold in the street were mainly Chinese crafts and aimed mainly at the tourists.
Arch
Not a bad crowd for a weekday
Lanterns = Chinese
One of the many medicinal shops on the street
Boy carrying water
Filming for some TV program
Chinese tuktuk
Guan Gong in Pavilion of Loyalty
The outdoors became too cold for us and we escaped into the Treasury Museum. The good thing about Hangzhou museums is that they charge no admission at all. Despite that, we were the only visitors.
Some of the exhibits:
I think it's some kind of license
The official trying to explain something to the emperor
Portrait of one of Qing’s greatest statesman
Li Hongzhang
Chinese bond
ROC founding father
Sun Yat-sen
Pasting notice in the town square
Proclaimation of the establishment of PRC, 1st Oct 1949
Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, Mao Zedong
Artpiece on wall
After touring the museum, we cycled to the train station to buy our train ticket to Shanghai. It was rather scary as I had no prior experience cycling on roads before. Furthermore, China drives on the opposite side of Singapore which only added to the confusion. The saving grace was that most main roads in Hangzhou had a lane for cyclists.
Dinner was at a restaurant near Hefang Street. The waitresses in every restaurant that we walked past would try to usher us into theirs. We decided that there were little differences between them and we settled for a random one.
Nice presentation
As the public bike rental system closed its operation by 8.30pm, we decided to walk back to our hostel to work away the calories. Along the way, taxi drivers would approach us and asked whether we would like to visit the bar street. We declined and Alan remarked that the taxi drivers had to resort to touting because of the less business brought about by the efficient bike rental system.
Instead of the bar street, Alan enjoyed himself by beating me in consecutive games of Chinese chess at the hostel.
Hostel lantern
Day 6 (21 Dec 2009): Research Day [Guangzhou]
For your convenience, please refer to The Journey for the itinerary and the latest updates.
Weather: I didn’t care because I was indoors almost the whole time.
It was the day after the Macau trip and before traveling to Hangzhou. There were things still to be done: booking of the accommodation, figuring out ground transportation, deciding where to visit etc.
A rather non-eventful day besides eating a fancy lunch at a western restaurant and bitching with Alan and Daniel about their exchange mate.
Day 5 (20 Dec 2009): Viva Macau [Guangzhou - Macau - Guangzhou]
For your convenience, please refer to The Journey for the itinerary and the latest updates.
Weather: Not too bad; warmer than the previous day
Distance travelled: Guangzhou – Zhuhai – Macau – Zhuhai – Guangzhou (2９6km)
Alan, Daniel and I went to Macau on the 10th anniversary of the handover from Portugal to China; a fact that I only realized on our way back to Guangzhou. Miha, their Slovenian friend, came with us as well.
Despite sleeping late, we were all awake and ready to go by 6 am in the morning. Grabbed a Sausage McMuffin before getting into a cab to the bus station.
Our bus left on the dot for Zhuhai and all of us almost immediately went back into sleep. On the few occasions where Ｉ woke up, farmlands were right beside the expressway. Within an hour and a half, we were already near SYSU Zhuhai Campus located on the outskirts of city. My impression of Zhuhai from my bus seat was pretty pleasant; it was a cleaner and more orderly city compared to Guangzhou.
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We reached Gongbei, Zhuhai’s border with Macau, at around half past nine. Despite being part of China, one has to go through immigration on both sides of the border (Similar to HK). There were many people doing the crossings despite (or because) it was a Sunday.
Giant Lotus celebrating 10th anniversary of Macau's handover
We were finally through to the Macau side at almost 11 and soon we were on the free shuttle service to Casino Grand Lisboa.
Portas do Cerco - Macau's border with Mainland China
Free ride to Grand Lisboa
Why Grand Lisboa? Because it was walking distance to Senado Square, our first destination of the day. Almost all the casinos in Macau run free shuttle services between their casinos and Macau’s points of entry (Border gate, ferry terminal and airport). In fact one is able to go around Macau by simply using the different free shuttle services.
We decided to make use of the clean washrooms at Grand Lisboa before starting our adventures. While waiting for the rest, Ｉ snapped some pictures to showcase the casino’s opulence.
Sculpture plated with gold
Giant chandelier
Jade sculpture
We went to grab some HKD from the ATM and made our way to Senado Square.
Street view along the way
Merry Christmas
Dan and I with our new friends
Post Office
St Dominic's Church
The street leading from Senado Square to St Paul’s Ruin was lined with shops selling almond cookies and bak kwa. While we already ate a pork chop bun each along the way, the free trial still enticed us to make a few more stops than planned. Miha ate his first piece of bak kwa as well.
Sifu making almond cookies
Finally we reached St Paul’s ruin, Macau’s most famous landmark. It used to be a cathedral but was since burnt down and all that was left was the facade. If one were able to get out of the casinos in Macau, this will be the place to visit.
Obligatory visit
We hiked up the fort besides the ruins and were treated to a good view of the city.
View from the fort
Cannon aiming at Grand Lisboa
Portuguese warning sign
It was a lucky day for us as the museum was open to visitors free of charge. We went in and took a look. Miha was rather intrigued by Asian tourists who liked to have their pictures taken besides the exhibits.
Some of the exhibits include:
Chinese puppet
Macanese spread
Western painting
Any readers who has seen the pictures can easily tell that Macau is swarmed with tourists. Make no mistake; it really is! It’s almost impossible to get a good portrait.
For instance, this auntie refused to get out of the picture.
No longer profile picture worthy
We sought to escape from the crowd to Macau Tower. It was less crowded there but the prices was kinda on the high side.
Macau Tower
Since we were not doing extreme activities, we didn’t linger long and went to take a walk along Fisherman’s Wharf instead. It is a touristy place full of gimmicky re-creations of other famous places.
Coliseum
Chinese fort
Dan in front of Potala Palace
With our time in Macau running out, we proceeded to our last stop: the Venetian.
Gondoliers singing
Empty Gondola
Miha was saying that Venetian is better than real Venice because it doesn’t have birds’ poo.
Casino floor
Dancers performing at the casino floor
Alan and I tried out the slot machines; neither of us had much luck and lost 30 SGD each. Well I just treat it as payment for the shuttles. The place was so huge that we almost got lost while trying to find our way back to the shuttle pick-up point. We caught the shuttle which left the Venetian at around 7.15pm; it left us plenty of time to pass through the immigrations and catch the 9pm bus back to Guangzhou.
So long Macau
On the way back the bus actually passed by Alan’s apartment and the driver kindly dropped us off. A few RMB cab fare saved and we were back by 10.40pm. Hooray!
I like Macau. Looking beyond the casinos, Macau is a charming place full of character. Hundreds of years under the Portuguese rule have made it an unique place unlike Hong Kong or any part of China. It’s where East meets West and Old meets New. I will say that it’s not a bad place to spend a couple of days (I won’t recommend casinos though; the odds are always more favorable to the house.)
I had watched a documentary about the effects of casinos on Macau. While the gaming industry in huge revenues, many locals leave school early to become croupiers (jobs reserved only for local Macanese residents) and forgo the chance of tertiary education. The residents had gone on the streets to protest against the rising costs brought about by the tourists as well as the foreign workers in the service industry (mainly Filipinos). I wonder whether Macau’s success is sustainable without inflicting a huge social cost on the local society in the long run. Likewise, Singapore should also monitor the social cost which the casinos bring to the society.
Macau’s fortune is also increasingly dependent on tourism and gaming which makes it vulnerable to Beijing’s decisions. Mainland Chinese tourists made up the biggest proportion of punters in Macau and the central authority in Beijing has considered limiting its citizens’ ease of access to Macau. Furthermore there will be more competition in the region. It exists namely in the form of Singapore’s IRs but that will be another story some other time.
