Summary of My 6D5N Eastern China Trip - Hangzhou, Suzhou & Shanghai

Summary of My 6D5N Eastern China Trip
Day 1: Kota Kinabalu → Hangzhou
Day 2: Hangzhou
Day 3: Hangzhou → Suzhou
Day 4: Suzhou → Tongli Water Town → Suzhou → Shanghai
Day 5: Shanghai
Day 6: Shanghai → Kota Kinabalu

My Travelogues

• Hangzhou
• Suzhou
• Tongli Water Town
• Shanghai

My Travel Haul

Nothing much I shop from this trip. Probably due to the cold weather which causing us hard to do any shopping around and both of us are not fancy shopping at the mall. We prefer to venture and shop at street markets more, especially those night markets. But of course, souvenirs like magnets are hard to miss out from my shopping list. 

Besides magnets, I also bought luggage tag


Chinese New Year greeting cards 


Unhealthy snacks. My favourite flavour is the one in cucumber


TOTAL DAMAGE

NOTE: Unfortunately, I unable to trace most of the transportation as well as all the food and souvenirs I spent. I lost the note that I keep track all my expenses. So these are the few things I managed to keep and save in my list.    

PARTICULARS	AMOUNT
	CNY	RM
Airfare KK – Shanghai – KK via MAS KK – Hangzhou via AirAsia Accommodations Victoria Regal Hotel Zhejiang – 2 nights All Seasons Hotel Suzhou – 1 night Narada Boutique Hotel Shanghai – 2 nights Transportation High-speed train Suzhou to Shanghai Ground Transportation A Day Tour with Suzhou	- - - - - 39.50 288.00	999 179 196 100 309 20 144
TOTAL (RM)		1,947

My Trip Back To Kota Kinabalu From Shanghai Was A Disaster

Before I end this post, I would like to share something happened on the day we're about to fly from Shanghai to Kota Kinabalu. Just when my mom and I thought our trip are going to be smooth and manageable one, our trip ended with unfortunate events. Not one but two and it happened on the same day as well. Earlier on I did mention that I have two tickets departing from Kota Kinabalu - a round trip ticket with Malaysia Airlines to Shanghai but because we found the length of the trip was kind long, I booked another one-way ticket which was to Hangzhou with AirAsia. As for my return, we will stick with our first ticket which is to fly with Malaysia Airlines from Shanghai. Oh boy! It's totally wrong decision that we didn't fly with Malaysia Airlines at the first place. I wasn't aware that once you didn't show or fly, the whole ticket consider burn immediately. I only found out about this when I unable to do web check-in and called Malaysia Airlines call centre. They told me that my whole ticket was burnt and I need to book another new ticket. I have to be honest with you that this is the first time I experienced this in my life. I was absolutely confused and lost at the same time. What should we do now since we're no longer have any tickets back home? I was in state of shock when I search that one way ticket from Shanghai to Kota Kinabalu is about RM1,200. Just one-way! Another option which I could think of at that point of time is to take flight from Hangzhou but again, we need to take the train from Shanghai to Hangzhou in order to catch the flight.

After the long discussion with my mom, finally we agreed just to book another new flight with Malaysia Airlines. Luckily I brought along my credit cards to China. It was indeed pain in the ass to buy new tickets with such a hefty price but it's better than stranded at foreign place, right?

Now we have settled with our new tickets. What's next? Our flight was delayed for more than 2 hours. I bet none of you will enjoy the trip when experiencing any flight delay. Furthermore it's a red eye flight and we're stuck in the airport. Just when this morning I can't have peace of mind due to the airtickets thing, and right now I can't have adequate rest after long and tiring day. Maybe like what Twilight Man said, I should practice the floral bath ritual (mandi bunga) before going for any trip to avoid these unlucky things happen again in future.

On another note, finally I managed to complete all my 2014 travelogues. Now I need to speed up to complete the rest of my travelogues, especially those in 2015. 

Share:

Shanghai, The Paris of The East

I would love to cover cities like Wuxi and Nanjing but due to time constraint, I can only narrow down my choices to visit Hangzhou, Suzhou and Shanghai only. So after 2 nights in Hangzhou and 1 night in Suzhou, both of my mom and I took train from Suzhou to Shanghai.

HOW TO GET TO SHANGHAI FROM SUZHOU

#1: High-speed train from Suzhou to Shanghai

There are four major train stations in Suzhou: Suzhou Station, Suzhou North Station (Bei Zhan), Suzhou Industrial Park Station (Yuanqu), and Suzhou New Area Station (Xinqu). Suzhou Station is located just north of the downtown on the northern ring-road (Beihuan Lu) and is on the Shanghai-Nanjing mainline. There are frequent high-speed trains to Shanghai, Wuxi, Changzhou, Zhenjiang and Nanjing. A high-speed train ride to Shanghai takes 25 to 30 minutes and the fare is about CNY20 - 39.5. We prefer the high-speed train as it is the faster way to reach Shanghai from Suzhou.

In Shanghai, there are two railways if you are taking train from Suzhou; Shanghai Railway Station and Hongqiao Railway Station. We prefer to drop off at the first one cause our hotel is more closer than the latter. 

OUR HOTEL IN SHANGHAI
Upon reaching Shanghai Railway Station, we took taxi instead of metro to our hotel. Just when we thought it will be convenient of taking taxi than metro, oh boy the queue for waiting the taxi was pretty long and it took more than an hour for us just to get a taxi. And the ride to our hotel - less than 20 minutes only. Should opt for metro next time.  

#2


#3


#4

Narada Boutique Hotel Shanghai Yu Garden
Date Stayed: 24 to 26 December 2014 (2 nights)
Room Rate: RM309 for a deluxe twin bed room (Booked via Agoda)

PLACES OF INTEREST IN SHANGHAI

1) Yuyuan Garden
This is the first place we went as it's very close to our hotel. Not just went once, but we went twice cause there are plenty of souvenirs shops around. Located in the northeast of the Old City of Shanghai, Yuyuan Garden is an extensive and delicately designed garden loaded with classical Chinese architecture. Yu Garden might be small in size, but it contains all elements that a classical Chinese garden should have. The pavilions, halls, rockeries, ponds and cloisters all have unique characteristics.

#5: Yuyuan Garden - one of the highlights of Shanghai


#6


#7: Yuyuan Bazaar

Outside of Yuyuan Garden is the bustling Yuyuan Bazaar where it consists of countless of small streets and lanes filled with plenty of restaurants, tea houses and shops. No surprise this place is always crowded with tourists where they are enjoying sampling some local snacks and purchase all kinds of souvenirs such as handicrafts, craftworks and jewelries. Some shops allow you to bargain.


#8: NanXiang Steamed Bun - must try this popular local delicacy when visiting Yuyuan Garden

How To Get To Yuyuan Garden: Metro Line 10 and get off at Yuyuan Station. Leave from Exit 1.
Opening Hours: 8:45am to 4:45pm (Closed on Monday, except national holidays)

2) Nanjing Road
Shop until you drop on China's premier shopping street of Nanjing Road. It's one long street stretches from The Bund east towards Hongqiao, with Shanghai's centerpoint People's Square in the middle. This pedestrian street is always packed with people on weekend and holidays, so beware with your belongings when visiting here.


#9


#10


#11

How To Get To Nanjing Road: Metro Line 2 runs under Nanjing Road for much of the way, intersecting with Line 1 and line 8 at People's Square.

3) Xintiandi
Situated in the center of Shanghai City and south of Middle Huaihai Road, Xintiandi is a fashionable pedestrian street comprised of old-style Shikumen residences with modern architecture. It retains the antique walls, tiles and exterior of the Shikumen residences of old Shanghai while embodies a totally modern world in its interior. Wandering here, you will get experience and explore of both Shanghai in the 1920s and the modern lifestyle of urbanites of the 21st century. This is absolutely an ideal spot if you are looking for the sake of the "Gram".


#12


#13


#14

How To Get To Xintiandi:
1) Metro Line 10/ Line 13 to Xintiandi Station. Get out from Exit 6 to Madang Road, then walk a bit to the north; OR
2) Metro Line 1 and get off at South Huangpi Rd. Station. Get out from Exit 3 and walk southwards along South Huangpi Road.

4) The Bund
No introduction needed for this place. Like they said, if you haven't been to The Bund, then your trip to Shanghai is definitely incomplete. Whether it's day or night, I will recommend you to come here at least twice for different kind of experience and exposure.


#15


#16


#17: Western-style architectures along the Bund


#18

#19

How To Get To The Bund: Metro Line 2 or Line 10 to East Nanjing Road Station. Then walk along East Nanjing Road for about 10 minutes.

HOW TO TRAVEL AROUND SHANGHAI
Due to language barrier, I prefer to take the metro which is fast, cheap, air conditioned and most importantly, fairly user-friendly with most signs and station arrival announcements bilingual in Mandarin and English. The trains can get packed during rush hour and be mindful of pickpockets who may use this rush to their advantage. You can even catch metro on Line 2 to Shanghai Pudong International Airport.


#20: Shanghai Pudong International Airport 

Share:

Tongli Water Town

Apart from the classical freshwater lakes and beautiful gardens as well as amazing courtyard parks, another thing you shouldn't miss when visiting the eastern part of China is the ancient water towns. Among all the top 10 ancient water towns near Shanghai, we picked to visit Tongli Water Town which is very close to Suzhou. 

#1: Tongli Water Town

From Suzhou to Tongli Water Town
By Metro Line 4 (Highly recommended)

Take metro line 4 and get off at the terminal Tongli station. The metro journey will take approximately 50 minutes. Then continue by taking a bus either from;
1) Exit 10, where there will be tourist buses waiting between 8am to 5pm to transfer tourists to Tongli water town scenic area. The bus ride is free if you bought along the entrance ticket which costs CNY88; OR
2) Exit 2, where there are pubic buses there such as no.725 can take you to the Tongli water town scenic area. If you take a 725 bus, remember to get off at the Shi Pai Lou Station (石牌楼站) to reach the scenic area (725 bus station at Tongli station where tourist waiting for buses heading to Tongli water town scenic area).

By Bus
➤From Suzhou Railway Station to Tongli
There are tourism buses departing from the square in front of Suzhou Railway Station. The departure time is every an hour from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. every day. The journey takes about 1 and half hours. The ticket fare is about 9 yuan per person. If you take trains to get to the Suzhou Railway Station; you can take the bus here to get to Tongli Water Town. It is quite convenient.

➤From Bus Passenger Terminal in Wuzhong area to Tongli
There are many Tourist Special Line Buses departing from Bus Passenger Terminal in Wuzhong area (吴中区汽车站). The bus leaves for Tongli Water Town from here every 20 minutes from 7:50 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. every day. The journey takes about 1 and half hours. The ticket fare is about 9 yuan per person.

➤From Suzhou North Bus Station to Tongli
There are many shuttle buses leaving for Tongli from Suzhou North Bus Station (苏州汽车北站). The bus departs from 7:05 a.m. to 4:25 p.m. The journey takes about 1 and half hours. The ticket fare is about 9 yuan per person.

➤From Suzhou South Bus Station to Tongli
There are many shuttle buses leaving for Tongli from Suzhou South Bus Station (苏州汽车南站). The bus departs every 30 minutes from 7:30 a.m. to 5:50 p.m. in a day. The journey takes about 1 and half hours. The ticket fare is about 9 yuan per person.


#2: The map of a thousand-year water town of Tongli.

Although Tongli Water Town has a history for more than 1,000 years but the water town is still well-preserved and it's worth to explore and experience. True to its famed reputation, Tongli Water Town is indeed one wonderful travel destination where you can spend a marvelous holiday but at the same time, you can experience the traditional Chinese culture. Its rivers, streets, bridges, civil residences, and gardens are integrated perfectly as one, earning it the name of "the Oriental Venice" due to its unique water town scenery.


#3: The street preserves its original style in stone-paved and now, it lined with stores including specialty stores, handicraft stores and snack stores.

Tongli has been open to the public since 1986, and the architectures and cultural relics of the Ming (1368–1644) and the Qing (1644–1911) dynasties, such as pavilions, towers, temples, and gardens, can be spotted everywhere within the water town. Surrounded by five lakes, Tongli is lined with streets and lanes alongside rivers, and numerous ancient bridges built in various dynasties are available. Some bridges still stand as highlights in Tongli, silently telling the stories and legends of the ancient town.


#4: You rent these traditional Chinese costumes for photo opportunity.

I'm not sure whether cause we were there after the lunch time or probably due to the low season which is during the winter time, we hardly spot enormous crowd of tourists here. It's less crowded and not so commercialised which I personally think it's good time to visit where we can leisurely walked around the water town with relax and laid-back pace. Both my mom and I didn't dropby at any restaurants or cafe cause we prefer to shop at souvenir stores instead. And I got myself an embroidery painting with 9 koi fishes on it which believes to be auspicious.


#5: Tongli is rich in rivers and bridges; therefore, it is essential to take a cruise in order to appreciate its ancient beauty.


#6: Some locals took a boat ride along the canal.


#7

#8: One of the ancient bridges


#9: Arched roofs, stone bridges and green willows lining the banks can be found almost everywhere in the town.

We spent almost two hours in Tongli water town before making our way back to our hotel in Suzhou. Bear in mind as the journey from Suzhou to Tongli water town takes about an hour or sometimes more, hence it's best to spare at least half a day if you are interested to visit here.


#10: Goodbye Tongli Water Town! 

Share:

One Day Suzhou Ground Tour

<<Previous Post: 2D1N in Hangzhou - West Lake & Hefang Street>>

I hardly join or sign up for any private tours but since my mom requested for it, hence I booked "A Day Trip to Suzhou" from the hotel we stayed in Hangzhou. The tour package seems fairly reasonable which costs CNY288 per person and this including hotel pick-up and drop off, entrance fee, tour guide but excluding lunch and tips. And the best part, I don't have to worry about the transportation from Hangzhou to Suzhou cause they will drop us there. 

#1

When Hangzhou is well-known for its beauty classical lakes, Suzhou on the other hand famed for its beautiful gardens and courtyard parks as well as traditional waterside architecture. In order to get to Suzhou from Hangzhou, you can either take trains (both high-speed train and normal train) or bus. Unfortunately I unable to share more details cause all the logistic has been arranged by the private tour we signed with. 

The first attraction we went in Suzhou was the medieval Pan Gate Scenic Area. It's a historical landmark in Suzhou and known for the "three landmarks of Pan Gate". They are the Ruiguang Pagoda, the earliest pagoda in Suzhou, the Wu Gate Bridge which is the entrance to the gate at that time over the water passage and the highest bridge in Suzhou at the time, and Pan Gate. Pan Gate is part of the ancient city wall that surrounded and protected Suzhou. 

#2: Ruiguang Pagoda, the earliest pagoda in Suzhou. 


#3: Visiting Pan Men includes access to a large and rather lovely garden with ponds and pavilions


#4: Pan Gate - part of the ancient city wall that surrounded and protected Suzhou.

Next, we were brought for a boat ride along the ancient Grand Canal of Suzhou. The Grand Canal is the oldest and longest canal in the world and dubbed "Venice of the East". This is one interesting and fascinating way of overlooking the city low down in the network of canals and exploring the lifestyle of Suzhou locals. Most of the Suzhou's attractions are linked by the Grand Canal cruise and therefore, it is an ideal way to take a cruise along the canal.


#5: Boat ride along the ancient Grand Canal of Suzhou


#6: Spotted Journey To The West (JTTW) sculpture. JWWT is one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature.

Once we done with the canal ride, we then proceed to North Temple Pagoda. The pagoda was once eleven stories tall, but was damaged and reduced to nine stories. The peak of the pagoda is Suzhou's most famous and there is a garden and temples are on the grounds.


#7: North Temple Pagoda

A trip to Suzhou is incomplete without visiting any of their spectacular garden and courtyard parks. Our last stop in Suzhou is the Lion Forest Garden. It is one of the four great gardens of Suzhou and is admired for the incredible collection of pitted, eroded rocks that were greatly appreciated by classical Chinese scholars. It was originally part of a Buddhist monastery. The gardens are a reminder of the Buddhist story of the lions. The layout of the garden follows many twists and turns. It is easy to get quite lost in these winding paths.


#8: Lion Groove Garden, or Lion Forest Garden is one of the UNESCO-listed gardens.

#9


#10

As for our hotel in Suzhou, it is one of the best hotels I ever stay throughout my entire trips to China. Well, the hotel room actually looks pretty decent and average but what I like about this hotel is that there is a beautiful garden and grove within it. I felt like I was transported into the past. Too bad we're only staying in this hotel for a night. How I wish we could stay longer cause I really love the classical architecture. And the icing on the cake, there is a shopping and food street just nearby the hotel which my mom and I able to shop and eat at night.


All Seasons Hotel Suzhou Branch
Date Stayed: 23 to 24 December 2014 (1 night)
Room Rate: RM199 for a superior twin bed room (Booked via Agoda)




Before I end this post, I would like to take this opportunity to wish each and every of you,

"May the year of Rat brings you good luck & good fortune. Happy Chinese New Year!"

Share:

2N1D in Hangzhou - West Lake & Hefang Street

It's my aim to travel with my mom at least once every year. Or sometimes, twice. Most of the times, I like to tag along my mom for a trip during the Christmas time. And so, we chosen to go China for our mom-and-daughter Christmas holiday together. One of the reasons why we picked China is because there are few direct flights from Kota Kinabalu to big and well-known cities like Hangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou at that particular moment. Obviously, both of us were kinda lazy to transit in Kuala Lumpur. 

Our original flight tickets supposed to be KK-Shanghai-KK with Malaysia Airlines but because the duration of the trip takes about 8 days which my mom found it's kinda long for her, I booked another extra one-way ticket departing from KK to Hangzhou with AirAsia. It's not a bad idea given that I don't have to return to the same spot I arrive in China. Fly-in Hangzhou and fly-out from Shanghai, it looks like a perfect plan at the beginning, but turned out to be disaster towards the end of our trip (I will share more about this later).  

So we burned our one-way ticket from KK to Shanghai and catch our flight to Hangzhou instead. The flight departed around 3.30pm and arrived in Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (HGH) almost reaching to 8pm. I noticed that besides my mom and I, there were no other Malaysian departing to Hangzhou. Almost all the passengers were Chinese tourists. Once we done with the immigration clearance and claimed our luggage, we took taxi to our hotel. Normally I don't take taxi when travelling abroad but when travelling with my mom, I need to consider about her comfort and convenient as well. 

#1: Our stay in Hangzhou for two nights


#2

Victoria Regal Hotel Zhejiang
Date Stayed: 21 to 23 December 2014 (2 nights)
Room Rate: RM196 for a twin bed room with a city view (Booked via Agoda)

West Lake of Hangzhou

With only one full day in Hangzhou, I can only pick one or two top tourist attractions to visit in Hangzhou. And therefore, I chosen to stay the hotel that it's close to West Lake, regarded as one of the most beautiful sights in China. There's one thing I regret the most was I should book the room comes with breakfast cause we spent our time aimlessly looking for the breakfast outside the hotel before heading to West Lake. Not sure whether we're too early or too picky, it seems like so hard to search any shops that suit our tastebuds. 

#3: Xihu Tiandi, a recreation park in West Lake.

After done with our breakfast, we walked to the West Lakes which is approximately 10 minutes walk. The first spot we arrived is the Xihu Tiandi, where there's lush green recreation park with Starbucks within it. The place is undeniable peaceful, calm and tranquil and the best part, there weren't many visitors there. Maybe due to my mom and I were too early, or probably because it's freezing cold cause it's winter time when we're in China. Immediately both of us took the opportunity for phototaking at every nook and cranny without a miss. 

#4: Christmas set-up and decorations.

A quick introduction of West Lake. It is a freshwater lake in Hangzhou with countless temples, pagodas, gardens, and artificial islands within the lake. The classical beauty and outstanding natural landscape of West Lakes has made it to be featured in numerous poems and paintings in the past and currently, it has been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

#5


#6: Autumn tree with orange and red foliage even during winter time.


#7

In order to enjoy the beauty of West Lake, I suggested to take the cruise boat to visit some of West Lake's islands and luckily, my mom agreed with it despite she's freezing in the cold weather. There are many type of boats to choose from, including the large painted boats, small rowing boats, and even self-rowing boats. These cruises are available day and night. We took the large painted boat and it costs CNY55 for each of us, which I found it's pretty affordable. 

#8

One of the spots you shouldn't miss when taking the boat is definitely the Three Pools Mirroring The Moon. This specific spot has been featured on the one yuan bank note. Majority boats will dropby to this site. Once the boat docked here and when we stepped our feet at this small island, I have to claim it instantly took my breath away. I was literally blew away by its beauty and now I understood why it has been one of the genuine world class attraction. Until today, I still find West Lake is the most mesmerising place I've been among all the places I went around China. 

#9


#10

Talking about the cruise, there is no time limit for island sightseeing. Visitors are allowed to stay as long as they want, but make sure don't miss the last boat which is about 4pm. As much as I don't feel like want to leave this beautiful place, I know I have no choice cause I need to catch up with other places. West Lake, you will always in my heart and my mind too. 

Piers to Board for West Lake's Islands:

1. The First Park
2. Children’s Palace
3. Zhongshan Park
4. Hangzhou Restaurant
5. Yuefei Temple
6. Huagang
7. King Qian Temple (Qianwang Ci)

Opening Hours: 8am to 4pm

Ticket: CNY55

Right after we spent roughly around 3 hours exploring the West Lake, we walked off to other places. This time around, we decided to take public transport instead of taxi since we don't have any luggages to carry with. Hangzhou has an extensive bus networks but because I have difficulty in reading Chinese (bear in mind I can't read and write Chinese), I rather take subway than bus cause on-board announcements are all in Chinese for public buses. At least for subway, there is an English language for each station. 

#11: We bought the single journey ticket from automated vending machine which available in English language. 

#12: One of the stunning architecture I came across in Hangzhou

#13: Not sure what's the name of this pagoda but it does looks stunning especially during the night time with the lights on.

Hefang Street

Once known as Taiping Street, Hefang Street is the most popular street in Hangzhou. With heritage culture and long history, it is regarded as a iconic symbol of ancient Hangzhou. Visiting this bustling but fascinating street, you can catch a glimpse of antique buildings and well-preserved ancient stores as well as savor the beautiful artifacts. The shops in Hefang street are open all-day long but of course, the view is totally different depending on whether you are visiting during the day time or the night time. In day time, you can have a clearer sight of these old shops and museums while for the night time, the street offers you a better view with the red lanterns.

#14: We ended our night by visiting Hefang street, the most popular street in Hangzhou.

You can also satisfy your stomach with numerous of delicious and tasty local food in Hefang street. At far end of street, there are many stalls for street foods such as crabs, squids, stinky tofu, BBQ, cool noodles and the list goes on. There is a 140-year-old teahouse called Taiji Teaism where people like to have a cup of tea, listen to the popular tune and enjoy the performance of tea-brewing.

#15: At far end of street, there are many stalls for street foods and we had our dinner here. 

How To Get To Hefang Street: Metro Line 1 will have a stop in Dingan Road which is about 1 km from Hefang Street. With 10 min’s walk, you can get to Hefang Street.

And that's how we spent our short but fruitful day in Hangzhou. If I have the chance to return to Hangzhou again, I will definitely spend more days to cover beautiful places like Jiu Xi, Wushan Night Market and more.

Share: