Tourist Bus at Hangzhou 杭州

Outside the train station of Hangzhou was some sort of bus station. A lot of city buses pass through this station but we were on the lookout for the tourist bus which will take us to our destination. It was actually not very user friendly here and they could really need to fix this place up. For a major tourist destination it is quite a mess. The signs were hard to find and we ended up having to ask people where the tourist bus was. Adding to the confusion were the numerous touts in the vicinity. The moment you step out of the train station, we were beseiged by numerous touts. Initially flustered by the touts, my friends finally heeded my advice. Simply speak English or pretend they don’t exist.

Going to Lingyin Temple 灵隐寺

Our destination was the Lingyin Temple 灵隐寺, I have never properly explored Hangzhou so this would be the first time I would visit it. The Lingyin Temple was the furthest one from town so we will be working our way back. Note that there are a few tourist bus lines so make sure you know where you are going. The tourist bus had wooden interiors and it wasn’t exactly very comfortable. It reminded me of those tourist buses that ply the streets of Singapore which pretend to be a tram. We passed through the city including some construction work for their brand new metro which will be done in a few years time. It would take us a while to get to the temple so it would just take it slow for now.

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Lingyin Temple 灵隐寺 Stele Pavillion

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View of Kuala Lumpur from the Air

I has been a year since I last travelled but I have talked about it so long in my blog that it only is just a couple of posts away. It was that time of the year again and I needed clear my leaves lest I forfeit them. I didn’t really have any idea where I should be spending my leaves on, South East Asia wasn’t really an option since it was monsoon season, I didn’t know any other place I would be comfortable going to other than China. For me, it is still one of the places which gives the most bang for your buck.

Not Sure Where This is Anymore

As usual, I took the Air Asia flight out of the Low Cost Carrier Terminal in Kuala Lumpur. The ride to Kuala Lumpur itself was uneventful but I seemed to have arrived there a bit too early. That was around two in the morning. Fortunately I found a cab who brought me to the KL Sentral, where I took the bus headed to the Low Cost Carrier Teriminal. There seemed to have been a renovation there as there seems to be a bit more space now. No doubt because they are growing by leaps and bounds. I couldn’t sleep at the terminal as it is also full of people.

I didn’t really prepare much for this trip, I only packed all my stuff the previous night. I was supposed to go to Tianjin and then explore the northeast portion of China but a friend of mine convinced me to meet up in Shanghai. So I will be needing to take another flight from Tianjin to Shanghai right after landing. Fortunately, the plane was on time and had time to rest a bit from the journey before embarking on yet another one.

It was very tiring to travel from Singapore to Malaysia then take another flight to where I needed to go. The other budget airlines to China have opened new routes to China, I will probably use them the next time I visit.

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From Tianjin 天津 to Shanghai 上海

Ampitheater Shaped Batad Rice Terraces

It has become a habit of mine whenever I visit the Philippines to go out of town for a short trip. It is primarily the only way to avoid the madness that is Manila and what comes with it. I took a bus ride from Autobus company, the only one I knew which went to the mountain town of Banaue. This was probably the third station they own that I have been to. I have been informed that this small waiting area of theirs is finally their own, the first two were only rented. I then noticed the huge fleet of bus that rival Florida bus company has. How much has this company grown in the recent years? Their buses seem to be very well maintained too. Anyway, I was going with Autobus because it wasn’t that bad anyway.

View of Small Village in Batad

I actually, booked a ride over the phone and I was told that the bus leaves at 6:30pm. I was quite puzzled since I remember the buses used to leave at ten in the evening. However, when I got there I was told that the schedule never changed. Oh well, went to a nearby mall where I waited until the time to depart. The bus station actually wasn’t that big so I wasn’t really very comfortable waiting there. Eating places weren’t really that common either. I got a nice seat in front with no seatmates making the trip a little more comfortable. I can’t wait to go back there as I have been craving for some mountain air for a while.

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Nice Terminal Building of the Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport 杭州萧山国际机场

Well, I could not delay no more and I needed to make haste back to the hostel. I hailed a cab near Jiang Jingguo’s old home and head back to the hostel. Interestingly, the cab went through a tunnel which goes under the lake, which was fascinating, probably because they don’t have much land in the area and the only way to go through the lake is under it. My stuff was already packed in the hostel and I was ready to leave the moment I get back to the hostel. I quickly checked out and got an airport bus which passes by the hostel, which was very convenient. I liked Hangzhou that they really think of the convenience of the tourists, local or foreign.

Outside the Terminal Building of the Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport 杭州萧山国际机场

As with all modern airports, most of them are located outside the city center. Hangzhou’s international airport is no different. Theirs is located in Xiaoshan district a bit of a distance from Hangzhou’s city center. I didn’t really pay attention to the trip when I was surprised to see us cross a massive river to get to Xiaoshan. This was the the mighty Yangtze River or Yangzi or Changjiang, whichever one you choose, this was certainly one wide river. Our arrival at the airport was uneventful otherwise.

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Waterways of Zhou Zhuang 周庄

The night before, when I met a friend of mine for dinner in Shanghai, I was asking him where I should be going here when in Shanghai. He knows my penchant for going to ancient places so he suggested this place to me – Zhou Zhuang. I never heard of the place. My research material was long lost somewhere in China and I didn’t know how to go there. Actually, not really, I knew how to go to the Shanghai stadium where there is bus terminal which can bring me there.

Boats By the River in Zhou Zhuang 周庄

The bus ride costs CNY 150, very expensive for a short 1 1/2 hour ride. It is actually in the province of Jiangsu in the outskirts of Shanghai. These are one of the few water villages in the area and I was interested to see them. I would picture something like ancient village like Xidi permeated by numerous waterways. I was quite excited to see them. The bus doesn’t really drop me off at the entrance but at the parking lot. This is not a tour group though as everyone was free to go around. Meeting time is at three in the afternoon at the parking lot.

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Zhou Zhuang Water Village 周庄水乡

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Idyllic Charm of Zhou Zhuang 周庄

Building Where the Bus Stop Was

Lujiazui is really one big construction site. There were numerous buildings under construction here, not the least would be the Shanghai Tower which will be the second tallest building in the world after the Burj Kalifa. It will be much taller than the Shanghai World Financial Tower which is king of the hill in China right now. It is very interesting to see them bunch up all these super tall buildings all in one location. The building will be completed in 2014, I want to be here when it opens to the public. I was walking around when I unexpectedly ran into the Shanghai Apple Store. I have never been to an official Apple Store and I was surprised to see one here. Obviously, China is very much in the mind of Apple for them to set up an official store.

Apple Store Shanghai

Unfortunately, the Apple Store was already closed at that time but at least I finally got to see that famed glass cube with the Apple logo. I was wandering around trying to find a way back to the hostel when I noticed a bus stop near the Oriental Pearl Tower. There were numerous bus stops there and I didn’t know what to take. I tried to look at the street names in the hope that I would recognize something. Which I did, I took that bus and got off somewhere near my hostel. If I didn’t know how to get back the only other option would be to take a cab since walking was not an option because of the river in between.

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Impressive Interiors of the Shanghai Captain Youth Hostel 上海船长青年酒店

From the provincial city of Tunxi, I then head out to the big city of Shanghai. To many, this is one of their introductions to China. My bus dropped me off at a bus station which was conveniently near a metro station. However, just like the Beijing subway system, the Shanghai subway system was just as extensive. It took me a while to get from the bus station to the train station since it was so huge. It didn’t really help that I was carrying a heavy backpack. Prior to leaving Huangshan Old Street International Youth Hostel, I asked the help of the staff to get me a bed at the Shanghai Captain Youth Hostel, fortunately, one was available.

Outside the Hostel

I took the metro to East Nanjing Road Station and from there it was on foot all the way. As usual, city blocks in China are huge and it was quite a long walk, from Nanjing Road to Fuzhou Road. The hostel was very near the Bund but I can’t appreciate it that much since I was tired from carrying my backpack. Eventually, I did get to the hostel and I promptly checked in. I immediately noted the infamous snobbishness that Shanghai is known for as best exemplified by the rather unhelpful staff at the counter at that time.

Letters to the Future at the Hostel Lobby

The interiors of the hostel were wonderful and they looked more like a hotel than as hostel. As it turned out, it was only the lobby that was nice. Upon going up the lift you would realized that you are actually in a decades old apartment building. The dorm rooms were huge and so were the beds. Once again, I had the misfortune to get the top bunk, although I eventually got a bottom bunk the following day. The toilets were common and a little run down. It looked like more of an old high school gym shower room but I wasn’t really complaining since they have western style toilets. They also have hot shower. I took a short rest before heading outside to explore Shanghai.

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Leaving Tunxi 屯溪

Mingtown Hiker International Youth Hostel 上海旅行者国际青年旅舍

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Dorm Area of the Shanghai Captain International Youth Hostel 上海船长国际青年旅社

Tunxi was a pleasant place to stay in. I especially loved staying at the Huangshan Old Street International Youth Hostel because of its great facilities and very helpful staff. However, it was time to leave, the previous night I purchased bus tickets out of Tunxi from the hostel. They would come to pick us up so I don’t have to worry about getting from one place to another. I don’t know if it will be any cheaper if I got the ticket myself. Hopefully, it won’t take me a very long time to get there.

Shower Area in Shanghai Captain International Youth Hostel 上海船长国际青年旅社

I was all alone again, since the British guy left the night before. However, was seated next to an elderly French gentleman who was quite talkative. Apparently, his son lives in China and he is on vacation to visit him. It would seem that he is actually much more fit than I was, as he described having seen prettier sunrises than the one I saw in Huangshan. He is fond of hiking and has been to a lot of places in China and has come back several times.

Urinals at the Shanghai Captain International Youth Hostel 上海船长国际青年旅社

Our trip would take us around six hours to complete. It was using the highway so we were moving very fast. We would stop once in a while for toilet breaks and one for lunch. It was probably one of the fastest meals I’ve ever had for fear of being left behind by the bus. Along the highway, I saw how the houses changed from Huizhou style to something more.. different. Only when we reached the city that we started seeing high rises and it is on to another new destination.

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See the Cable Way Up Front?

Probably the main reason why people come to Tunxi is because of its most famous mountain, Mount Huang or Huangshan 黄山。 Huangshan is arguably one of the most well known mountains in China. It is famed for its beauty such that it is said that once you have climbed Huangshan, you don’t need to climb any other mountains. Indeed for the impoverished province of Anhui 安徽, Huangshan has been their life saver as it has generated millions in revenues from tourism.

Misty Mountains of Huangshan 黄山

I inquired about going to Huangshan, and it turns out that it would be easier, I don’t know if it is cheaper, to book with hostel. The bus would come and pick visitors up at the hostel, so there is no problem of how to go there. Transportation back to Tunxi will be up to you. A few of the guests in my hostel already signed with the package and they will be going with me the next day. I have heard a lot about Huangshan and I am certainly looking forward to climbing it.

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Food at the Tunxi 屯溪 Bus Station

It was around nine in the morning and I was figured I need to make the most of my time here in Tunxi 屯溪. The main reason why people come to this city is to visit the famous Huangshan or Yellow Mountain 黄山. However, I figured this was best visited climbing up and it might be a little late to do that right now. So I thought to visit one of the sights within travelling distance of Tunxi. First, I needed to get there. I went to the main road to take a bus which will bring me to the bus station, most of the ones which pass by will go to the bus station but you can always ask.

Anything with Rice

When I got up, I took my seat, when I noticed that a someone from my hostel was talking to the driver. She didn’t speak Chinese and I asked her where she was going and it turns out she was going my way so I asked her to join me. I learned that she was a Japanese student on tour in China. She has some command of English and it was good enough for me to understand it, whereas all the Japanese I know was from watching all those anime, which despite years of watching still hasn’t taught me anything. She was very happy to learn that I know so much about that aspect of Japanese culture, at least she found someone who understands her.

The bus station wasn’t really very far, I was hungry so I decided to eat at a canteen there. There wasn’t much choice though just something to fill the stomach. My new found companion didn’t feel like eating yet but she joined me anyway. The bus station wasn’t ultramodern, but at least it was comfortable. I bought tickets to our destatination and we were on our way.

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