[VISA] China (24-hr Transit)

I’ve transited in Beijing thrice this year so far, with the first two going smoothly with Air China. Both times they just gave me all the boarding passes upon check-in and my luggage went straight to my final destination. With Hainan Airlines, I took the risk. They began plying the Beijing – Las Vegas route a few days ago, and for just USD287 for a Las Vegas – Beijing – HK flight (via Hong Kong Airlines), it’s the cheapest trans-Pacific flight I could find for the holiday season. And so I booked it on Priceline at once.

[GUANGDONG] Budget and Itinerary

MONDAY: 13 May 2013

Shenzhen Metro (Shekou Port - Grand Theater) - 7.00

Convenience Store (Ganten + Lays) - 7.00

Grand Theater Hostel (1 Bunk in 4 Bed Dorm/2 Nights) - 150.00
CNY164.00

[SHENZHEN] Not So Happy Valley

Or "Creepy Valley" as I'd like to call it. It's my first time to experience a dimly-lit park in the afternoon with an ambiance prompting you to believe that some headless ghost or a deranged axe murderer would suddenly appear out of nowhere and chase you around. We're not saying that the park is not popular. In fact, it's one of the most visited attractions here, mostly in tandem with Window of the World. The sad reality is that people don't frequent the park on weekdays, hence, the creepy atmosphere.

HEBEI: Budget and Itinerary

SATURDAY: 6 April 2013

Shuttle (Beijing - Qinhuangdao) - 140.00

Snacks (Stopover) - 18.00

Taxi (Lost) - 100.00
Green Tree Inn Sun City Hotel (1 King Bed/1 Night) - 130.00

1 pc Chicken w/Mashed Potato & Coke + Fries (KFC) - 32.50

CNY420.50

[QINHUANGDAO] Where the Great Wall Meets the Bohai Sea

I've been to Beijing several times already but I haven't experienced the Great Wall just yet. Let's skip the I-know-I-Will-Be-Back-Anyway excuse and go straight to the point, now shall we? East of Beijing lies a portion of the province of Hebei by the Bohai Sea. It's called Qinhuangdao which is always compared to Maine because this is where government officials are said to spend their vacation in summer while drafting new laws. The place is littered with resorts and is popular with tourists both Chinese and Russian alike, if we base it on the written Russian visible almost everywhere.

[BEIJING] Budget and Itinerary (3)

SATURDAY: 30 March 2013

Taxi (Makati - NAIA 3) - 147.50

Travel Tax (NAIA 3) - 1,620.00

Terminal Fee (NAIA 3) - 550.00

Cebu Pacific (Manila - Beijing - Manila) - 5,821.36

Snacks (Cebu Pacific) - 300.00

PhP8,438.86

[CHAOYANG] Sanlitun

I have been to Sanlitun only once. Arriving late at night in Beijing, I roamed around that neighborhood with my luggage in tow, checked in at Sanlitun Youth Hostel, then left very early the next morning en route to Mongolia. I never really got to explore the place, which was ironic because Sanlitun is where everyone would want to be if you are part of the party party population. I am not, so that is probably another reason. In any case, it so happened that Koryo Tours office, where the North Korean pre-tour briefing would be held, is located on that side of Beijing.

[TIANJIN] Budget and Itinerary

TUESDAY: 2 April 2013

K606 (Datong - Tianjin) - 126.00

Line 3 (Tianjin Railway Station - Yingkoudao) - 2.00

Tianjin Cloudy Bay Hostel (1 Bunk 6 Bed Dorm/1 Night) - 60.00

Bus 901 (to Dongfenglizhan) - 2.00

Bus 901 (Dongfenglizhan - Beianqiao) - 2.00

Vanilla Frap Venti + Cinnamon Roll (Stabucks) - 48.00

Beef Gyudon + Pepsi (Yoshinoya) - 24.00

Bus 600 (Haihe River - Tianjin Railway Station Bus Parking) - 2.00

Line 3 (Tianjin Railway Station - Yingkoudao) - 2.00
Barbecue x2 (Street Food) - 10.00
Pepsi (Street Vendor) - 4.00

CNY282.00

[TIANJIN] The Little Italian Tourist Trap

Fine, let's not be unfair to Tianjin. I guess it was just wrong for me to imagine a romanticized afternoon enjoying pizza at a balcony in a make shift Venice. And so I suggest that you do not go to Little Italy with an empty stomach. You go there to take pictures of the place and yourself. You eat somewhere else. Plain and simple. Do not get me wrong though, as Tianjin, to me, is part of my cheat day. Hence, I did everything in a leisurely pace, because sometimes the best itinerary is not having one at all.

[SHANXI] Budget and Itinerary

SUNDAY: 31 March 2013

K1111 (Beijing - Datong) - 104.50

Taxi (Datong Train Station - Jinjiang Inn) - 20.00

Jinjiang Inn (1 Twin Aircon/1 Night) - 165.00

Taxi (Jinjiang Inn - Nine Dragon Screen) - 11.60

Admission (Nine Dragon Screen) - 10.00

Chicken Poppers + Mashed Potato + Coke + Egg Tart (KFC) - 28.50

Taxi (Red Flag Square) - 10.00

Taxi (Red Flag Square - Wrong Jinjiang Inn Branch) - 6.00

Taxi (Wrong Jinjiang Inn Branch - Jinjiang Inn) - 11.60
Taxi (Jinjiang Inn - Mcdo) - 6.00
5 pcs Chicken Nuggets w/Coke and Fries + Vanilla Shake (McDo) - 29.50

CNY402.70

[DATONG] One Whole Day for a 600 Year Old Screen

I had to find a destination that is not so far from Beijing. I wanted to go to Xi’an but the travel time is a joke as well as the domestic flight costs. So, no, Xi’an would have to wait. I settled for Datong. I have not been to Shanxi and the province is just Beijing’s neighbor, so I thought why not give it a shot? Googling Shanxi, the names of Datong and Taiyuan came up. I chose Datong because of the Hanging Monastery and the Yungang Grottoes.

[FUJIAN] Budget and Itinerary

FRIDAY: 22 February 2013

Taxi (Makati - NAIA 3) - 179.00

Travel Tax (NAIA 3) - 1,620.00

Terminal Fee (NAIA 3) - 550.00

Cebu Pacific (Manila - Xiamen - Manila) - 2,658.46

Rice Meal + Pepsi + Hot Choco + Dewberry (Cebu Pacific) - 500.00

PhP5,507.46

[XIAMEN] Fun Getting Lost at Gulangyu

Gulangyu should have been the first stop of this tour, as most itineraries would suggest. It seems like everyone would readily volunteer that island if you ask which one place in Xiamen should not be missed. It almost fell victim to that it’s-near-anyway-so-I’ll-just-go-there-later phenomenon, but at least I still got to go. I was getting out of the guest house to head to the island when I met my new Filipino friend. We said we would still go in the evening because his German roommate said it would probably be more enchanting sans the tourist infestation. As we stared at the night ferry that evening, however, we all just agreed that it would be better left for the next morning. And so they went the next day while I was exploring Hakka tulou. I could have gone with them but I could no longer cancel the tour I booked earlier. Oh well, alone time in a tourist island. Emo mood on!

[LONGYAN] Looks Like an Old Style Condo to Me

I think you shouldn't go, but then you have to balance the pros and the cons before deciding for yourself. They are UNESCO World Heritage Sites after all but that does not assure that they wouldn't bore the hell out of you. Or maybe I just prefer majestic ruins? Or not. In any case there are many of them spread out in a certain area of Longyan and booking a tour is your best option unless you have your own car. That is if you want to visit more than one. I specifically booked Nanjing Tulou. You know, that with a square one in the middle. I ended up at Hakka Tulou anyway which was not as bad. I guess. Fine! Rant later, directions for now.

[XIAMEN] Temple + University + Beach

To set the record straight, I only decided to go to Xiamen because that particular Cebu Pacific route is always on sale, and if you board one of their flights you are bound to know why. I wouldn't even be surprised if they end up cancelling it altogether, what with the plane almost empty on the way and coming back. To my surprise, though, I had fun in Xiamen. Loads of fun. Perhaps it's because of the new friends I met along the way or maybe the soothing weather that was just the right kind of cool depending on the material of the sweater you are wearing. The trip is also relatively shorter than Manila – Beijing or Manila – Shanghai, thanks to Fujian’s strategic location just across Taiwan. Arriving at Xiamen Gaoqi in the middle of the night, it was awesome to see that the airport was still busy and full of people. All of them were lining up for taxis. I couldn't find the bus indicated on the “Directions” part of the page of the hostel I booked on Hostelworld, not only because I am rather talented in getting lost, but also because those buses, as I discovered later, only run until 11 PM or so.

[BEIJING] Budget and Itinerary (2)

WEDNESDAY: 9 January 2013

China Eastern (Changchun - Beijing) - 370.00

Airport Express (Capital Airport - Dongzhimen) - 25.00

Metro (Dongzhimen – Yonghegong - Dongsi) - 2.00

Happy Dragon Hostel (1 Bunk in 4 Bed Dorm/night) - 70.00

Mineral Water x2 (Happy Dragon Hostel) - 4.00

CNY471.00

[CHONGWEN] The Temple of Heaven

There were two itinerary casualties no thanks to my laziness when I was in Beijing last year: the Great Wall and the Temple of Heaven. Wait, allow me to correct that. The first one was because of stupidity as I got lost despite following detailed instructions. For the latter, yes, we can say that it was due to laziness. When you arrive at a place at around half an hour before it closes, I guess that qualifies as laziness. This time around, I was able to visit the temple grounds. At last.

[HEILONGJIANG] Budget and Itinerary

SUNDAY: 6 January 2013

D1353 (Shenyang North – Harbin West) - 166.00

KFC (1 pc Chicken w/Fries & Coke + Egg Tart) - 37.00

Bus 21 (Wrong Side of the Road) - 1.00

Bus 21 (Right Side of the Road) - 1.00

Harbin Russia International Youth Hostel (1 Bunk in 4 Bed Dorm/3 Nights) - 180.00

CNY385.00

[HEILONGJIANG] Harbin is a Winter Wonderland

If Russia and China had a love child, Harbin would be its name. The people would be speaking Mandarin in general, but it wouldn't be uncommon to find Russian-speaking Caucasians roaming the streets. It would have buildings showcasing Russian architecture; a street with stores selling Russian chocolates; and lots of frozen spit on the pavement. Whether you come in by plane or by train and no matter what you decide to ride when you leave, remember that Harbin's winter is one of the harshest on the planet. You have been warned. Make sure that your layers are in place.

[HEILONGJIANG] Harbin Ice and Snow Festival

When someone tells you that he or she is going to Harbin, more or less the reason would be the annual Ice and Snow Festival held every January. Considered as one of the four big winter festivals on the planet, this is Harbin's biggest tourist draw. And so, the million dollar question: is it cold? To which my answer would be: Are you on drugs? Harbin is on the same latitude as Montreal. January, considered as the coldest month of the winter, experiences temperature drops of at least -20 degrees Celsius. Sculptures made from blocks of ice can be seen anywhere from the sidewalks to the parking lot in front of the train station, and they are not melting. Perhaps, that gives you a clear idea?