Assalamualaikum w.b.t (Peace be upon you)
Day 14 (March 16, 2011)
A new experience, a total disaster
Uh-uh, it was a total disaster. We were short of money so we decided to take the cheapest ticket from Beijing to Shanghai. There is sleeper tickets which costs around 400 yuan. A journey to Shanghai from Beijing took around 15 hours. At first we thought a standing ticket is OK. Just wait for any seat to clear, then we can sit. We also thought, after 12 a.m where everybody would usually sleep, we could sneak through to sleeper compartment and just sleep at any vacant bed. Well, we thought wrong. We had to stand for almost 3 hours before we decided to sit and squat on the floor. How bout that. To make things worse, one of the train attendants come inside the packed noisy coach and started selling foods, while yelling at those sitting on the floor. Seriously, can't they read the situation? It's already packed with people. Why don't they just stop selling all those stuffs? Around past 12:00 o'clock, people started to sleep. Still, some people are awake. There's one guy who don't have any seat initially. He looks cocky to me, really. He then asked one girl sitting behind me to give him some small spaces to sit. The girl had no choice. After sitting for an hour and having some chat with other passengers, he started to drink beer. Not long later, he got drunk and threw up, causing mess inside the sardine-packed coach. Eventually, I was able to get some sleep. It was really really uncomfortable to have to sit on the floor. Not to mention a bad flu I had for the whole day. duh....A good experience though. The point we had learned is, don't save your money even it's for your own comfortable. If we had bought the sleeper ticket beforehand, we might not have to went into such difficulties.
The damned train... our biggest mistake
Had a bad flu since yesterday. What a day...
Hello Shanghai!
Arrived in Shanghai in noon and we headed straight to our accommodation, Koala Hotel. Refer the hostelworld website here for more information. We started our day visiting one of the skyscrapers in Shanghai, The Oriental Pearl Tower. Take metro line 2 and get off at the Liujiazui station. Walk outside and you should be able to see the Oriental Tower nearby. The ticket price is 150 yuan to cover all exhibitions inside. If you're on a tight schedule, you may choose to visit the observation dock only for 120 yuan. It's worthy to buy the full ticket as you can get a free roller coaster ride (indoor) after descending from the tower.
The next attraction is the Shanghai urban museum at the lower ground of the tower. After descending the tower, you can see the entrance right in front. Inside are dioramas of shanghai since the colonization era by British and France. All the props are very detail, even the face of the props looks real. Allocate at least 30 minutes there to enjoy the exhibitions. Inside you can see and feel what Shanghai was more than 100 years ago. How was the life in Shanghai hundreds of years ago, how the Opium War started, and most of Shanghai's history. Don't be surprised to see other visitors ignoring the 'DO NOT TOUCH' or 'DO NOT STEP INSIDE' warning signs....
On the night, we went for a night stroll at Shanghai's famous landmark, The Bund. The Bund (simplified Chinese: 外滩; traditional Chinese: 外灘; Mandarin pinyin: Wàitān) is an area of Huangpu District in central Shanghai, People's Republic of China. The area centres on a section of Zhongshan Road (East-1 Zhongshan Road) within the former Shanghai International Settlement, which runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River, facing Pudong, in the eastern part of Huangpu District. The Bund usually refers to the buildings and wharves on this section of the road, as well as some adjacent areas. It is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Shanghai. Building heights are restricted in this area.
The Bund stretches one mile along the bank of the Huangpu River. Traditionally, the Bund begins at Yan'an Road (formerly Edward VII Avenue) in the south and ends at Waibaidu Bridge (formerly Garden Bridge) in the north, which crosses Suzhou Creek. The Bund centres on a stretch of the Zhongshan Road, named after Sun Yat-sen. Zhongshan Road is a largely circular road which formed the traditional conceptual boundary of Shanghai city "proper". To the west of this stretch of the road stands some 52 buildings of various Western classical and modern styles which is the main feature of the Bund (see Architecture and buildings below). To the east of the road was formerly a stretch of parkland culminating at Huangpu Park. (This park is the site of the infamous sign reported to have proclaimed "no dogs or Chinese", although this exact wording never existed. Further information, including an image of the sign, can be found at the article on Huangpu Park.) This area is now much reduced due to the expansion of Zhongshan Road. Further east is a tall levee, constructed in the 1990s to ward off flood waters. The construction of this high wall has dramatically changed the appearance of the Bund.
Near the Nanjing Road intersection stands what is currently the only bronze statue along the Bund. It is a statue of Chen Yi, the first Communist mayor of Shanghai. At the northern end of The Bund, along the riverfront, is Huangpu Park, in which is situated the Monument to the People's Heroes - a tall, abstract concrete tower which is a memorial for the those who died during the revolutionary struggle of Shanghai dating back to the Opium Wars.
On the night, we went for a night stroll at Shanghai's famous landmark, The Bund. The Bund (simplified Chinese: 外滩; traditional Chinese: 外灘; Mandarin pinyin: Wàitān) is an area of Huangpu District in central Shanghai, People's Republic of China. The area centres on a section of Zhongshan Road (East-1 Zhongshan Road) within the former Shanghai International Settlement, which runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River, facing Pudong, in the eastern part of Huangpu District. The Bund usually refers to the buildings and wharves on this section of the road, as well as some adjacent areas. It is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Shanghai. Building heights are restricted in this area.
Had this one of Shanghai's specialty, dumplings
The Bund stretches one mile along the bank of the Huangpu River. Traditionally, the Bund begins at Yan'an Road (formerly Edward VII Avenue) in the south and ends at Waibaidu Bridge (formerly Garden Bridge) in the north, which crosses Suzhou Creek. The Bund centres on a stretch of the Zhongshan Road, named after Sun Yat-sen. Zhongshan Road is a largely circular road which formed the traditional conceptual boundary of Shanghai city "proper". To the west of this stretch of the road stands some 52 buildings of various Western classical and modern styles which is the main feature of the Bund (see Architecture and buildings below). To the east of the road was formerly a stretch of parkland culminating at Huangpu Park. (This park is the site of the infamous sign reported to have proclaimed "no dogs or Chinese", although this exact wording never existed. Further information, including an image of the sign, can be found at the article on Huangpu Park.) This area is now much reduced due to the expansion of Zhongshan Road. Further east is a tall levee, constructed in the 1990s to ward off flood waters. The construction of this high wall has dramatically changed the appearance of the Bund.
The scenic spot from The Bund
Near the Nanjing Road intersection stands what is currently the only bronze statue along the Bund. It is a statue of Chen Yi, the first Communist mayor of Shanghai. At the northern end of The Bund, along the riverfront, is Huangpu Park, in which is situated the Monument to the People's Heroes - a tall, abstract concrete tower which is a memorial for the those who died during the revolutionary struggle of Shanghai dating back to the Opium Wars.
Day 15 (March 17, 2011)
The last visit in Shanghai which conclude our trip in mainland China is the Yuyuan Garden. Take metro line 10 to a station called 'Yuyuan Garden'. The garden which exists from the Qing dynasty is a must go if you come to Shanghai. For food lovers and shopping enthusiasts, this is the place you shouldn't miss. On our way to Yuyuan Garden, we came across a food-stall selling Halal food. It's called Lamian Noodle or pulled noodle. It's a famous food in Guilin, China. We had a bowl of lamian noodle each and had our meal inside a food court just in front of the stall. We then bought another meal to satisfy our appetite. We bought a plate of dried beancurd (tofu) and fried crab. The fried crab was so crunchy, we ate all parts of the crab. yep, all of it.
The Pulled Noodle, one of Guilin's specialty (Halal)
Stuffed beancurd. In Malaysia, we called it Tauhu Sumbat
Crunchy crab
We realized we spent too much time eating. It's time to hunt for souvenirs. Sadly, most of the stuffs sold at the bazaar are children oriented toys. We went back to our hostel empty handed but, with full stomach. We went to the Shanghai Railway Station and came across a shop selling Halal foods. Alhamdulillah, looking for Halal foods in China had been quite easy for us. We grabbed our chance and stock up with cups of instant noodles (we've been longing to try it since we came to China, a must try!!).
Halal shop at Shanghai Train Station (NOT Shanghai South Train Station). Carefully remember and recognize the two kanji (Chinese characters). If you face any problem looking for the Halal food, just write the word and show it to the shop assistant.
Important tips: Remember. If you take trains from any parts of mainland China to Hongkong (in our case from Shanghai), please make sure you go through customs and immigration procedure before boarding. The gate usually differs from other usual gate. If you're at loss, just head to the information center.
That's it from mainland China, see you next time. (Things went on so fast.........)
Day 16 (March 18, 2011)
Back to modern world
Hello Hong Kong!
Hello Hong Kong!
Arrived in Hong Kong from Shanghai at noon. Our ride, train no. T99 had been a pleasant one. First thing first. We settled down at Asoka guesthouse, near to the East Tsim Sha Tsui metro station. The place were crowded with people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, you could sometimes wonder, are you really in Hongkong?? Since the place we stayed at cater a lot of Indian and Pakistani, most of the food sold there originated from those countries as well.
We started our night by visiting the Kowloon Mosque and Islamic Center. Kowloon Masjid and Islamic Centre or Kowloon Mosque and Islamic Centre (traditional Chinese: 九龍清真寺暨伊斯蘭中心) is one of the four principal mosques in Hong Kong. Located at the corner of Nathan Road and Haiphong Road next to Kowloon Park, the Mosque is currently the largest Islamic house of worship in the city. The Mosque holds prayers daily and is capable of accommodating up to approximately 2000 people.
The building (Mosque), designed by architect I.M. Kadri, represents the unique identity of Muslim community in Hong Kong. Decorated and elaborated, the traditional Muslim architecture of the Mosque distinguished itself from the rational and modern architecture of the nearby commercial buildings. The most prominent features of the building are the four 11m high minarets which mark the corners of the upper terrace and the extensive use of white marble on both paving and the facade. In addition to three prayer halls and a community hall, there is a medical clinic and a library. The main prayer hall on the first floor can accommodate 1,000 people. A smaller, women's prayer hall is on the upper floor and is surrounded by a terrace. This upper hall is surmounted by a dome 5m in diameter and 9m in height.
Day 17 (March 19, 2011)
Hong Kong Disneyland
A cloudy day since morning. The weather forecast said there's gonna be 60% chance of rain today. Still we decided to go no matter what.
Hong Kong Disneyland. nuff said.
Day 18 (March 20, 2011)
Hong Kong Island one day excursion.
We started our excursion by visiting the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Center. Next to the building is the Golden Bauhinia. The Golden Bauhinia Square (traditional Chinese: 金紫荊廣場) is an open area in Wan Chai North, Hong Kong. The square was named after the giant statue of a golden Bauhinia blakeana at the centre of the area, situated outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where the ceremonies for the handover of Hong Kong and the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was held in July 1997. A flag-raising ceremony is held every day at 8:00am. It is considered a tourist attraction.
The sculpture, a gilded flower bauhinia, is 6 meters high. The major part is composed of a bauhinia on a base of red granite pillar on a pyramid. The sculpture is deemed an important symbol for the Hong Kong people after reunification. On the second day of Chinese New Year and National Day of the People's Republic of China, the square is lighted up by a firework show.
The next destination, a ride to The Peak along with visit to Madame Tussauds Museum. Victoria Peak (traditional Chinese: 太平山, or previously- 扯旗山) is a mountain in Hong Kong. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. The mountain is located in the western half of Hong Kong Island. With an altitude of 552 m (1,811 ft), it is the highest mountain on the island proper, but not in the entirety of Hong Kong, an honour which belongs to Tai Mo Shan. The actual summit of Victoria Peak is occupied by a radio telecommunications facility and is closed to the public. However, the surrounding area of public parks and high-value residential land is the area that is normally meant by the name The Peak. It is a major tourist attraction which offers views over central Hong Kong, Victoria Harbour, and the surrounding islands.
Before descends down back to the city, go take a look or grab some souvenirs from nearby shops inside the building where you got off earlier. No bargaining allowed.
A visit in Hongkong would not complete without going to the night market. Personally this is the perfect place to look for your souvenirs or any antiques lookalike. Just like in mainland, bargain for your price. Start with 25% off first. Look for the quality first before setting up your price. Don't expect genuine goods too much. As you approach the end of the market, you can see lots of stalls with covers. Let me get this straight, they sold 'adult items', openly. Wonder whether their regulations allows such trade.....Things that shocked me so much, some of the shop attendants were women. The most unacceptable thing was, it was an old women... (loooooong sigh!!!)
A lot of night markets available in Hong Kong. We chose the Temple Street night market (flea market). Take the metro and get off at Yau Ma Tei station. As soon as you exit from the station, look for the sign leading to the market (look upside). The place always crowded so just look where most of the crowds (foreigners especially) heading to.
The place is sometimes known as Men's Street as it is very popular for men's fashion. The market starts at 2 p.m. in the afternoon, but is lively at dusk daily. Traffic is closed on the street at that time, and visitors swarm into the street. There are more than a hundred stalls with colourful lights in the market. There are carts bulging with goods from clothing to mobile phones and watches. Stalls have items mainly for men, jeans, t-shirts, pants, lighters, shoes, condoms and men's accessories. Cheap merchandise is common in the night market. Cheap second hand goods such as cassettes, video tapes, old newspapers, antiques are also sold there. Like in other night markets in South East Asia, prices can always be negotiated by bargaining.
If one has to buy merchandise in Temple Street, one has to hunt for shops hidden in streets behind the stalls rather than looking in the stall themselves. This is one of the uniqueness of Temple Street Night Market.
Final Day (March 21, 2011)
It's been a long trip. The longest in a single country. 18 days together in foreign country taught us a lot of priceless knowledges and skills as a human basically. Living in a modern Japan, everything is easy. The service, the people, the system, everything in Japan. Backpacking to China really taught me to be independent. My two friends currently studying in India who joined the trip taught me to be heartless and merciless while bargaining in China. As long as they don't get the lowest price, they won't buy. In the other hand, I prefer a win-win situation while bargaining, enough reason to make me bug out when they were bargaining...
That was my first oversea backpacking trip in group. Before, I prefer backpacking alone, worrying other people may not able to pick up my pace of backpacking. Instead, I found it really helpful when moving in group. Everything were divided into three. Foods, travel expenses etc. If you fall sick, there's always someone who will look for you. Luckily those two are medical students. Still the flu got me in Beijing........
Traveling in group wasn't always pleasant. Of course there were some arguments.... still, they taught me how to tolerate with other people's attitude etc. Careless is inexcusable when backpacking, especially in a foreign country where you don't quite understand what they're talking about. The incident where I misplace the train ticket (from Guangzhou to Guilin) really gives a deep impact to me. Never again...
Well, looking forward for the next backpacking.
Sweets
We started our night by visiting the Kowloon Mosque and Islamic Center. Kowloon Masjid and Islamic Centre or Kowloon Mosque and Islamic Centre (traditional Chinese: 九龍清真寺暨伊斯蘭中心) is one of the four principal mosques in Hong Kong. Located at the corner of Nathan Road and Haiphong Road next to Kowloon Park, the Mosque is currently the largest Islamic house of worship in the city. The Mosque holds prayers daily and is capable of accommodating up to approximately 2000 people.
The building (Mosque), designed by architect I.M. Kadri, represents the unique identity of Muslim community in Hong Kong. Decorated and elaborated, the traditional Muslim architecture of the Mosque distinguished itself from the rational and modern architecture of the nearby commercial buildings. The most prominent features of the building are the four 11m high minarets which mark the corners of the upper terrace and the extensive use of white marble on both paving and the facade. In addition to three prayer halls and a community hall, there is a medical clinic and a library. The main prayer hall on the first floor can accommodate 1,000 people. A smaller, women's prayer hall is on the upper floor and is surrounded by a terrace. This upper hall is surmounted by a dome 5m in diameter and 9m in height.
The Kowloon Mosque and Islamic Center (main prayer hall)
Next, we headed to bay area, the same area with the Avenue of Stars to watch the Symphony of Lights show. Hong Kong's version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Avenue of Stars celebrates icons of Hong Kong cinema from the past century. The seaside promenade offers fantastic views, day and night, of Victoria Harbour and its iconic skyline. This is the place to have your picture taken by a professional photographer who is experienced in night photography. The Avenue can be reached from the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station or the Star Ferry. From our hotel, it's a 5 minutes walk through underpass.
The iconic hongkong red Junk with the background of Hongkong's skyscrapers.
Spectators watching the Symphony of Lights show (raining and foggy)
The Avenue of the Stars is also a great place to see A Symphony of Lights, a spectacular light and laser show synchronized to music and staged every night at 8:00PM. This is the world's "Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show" as recognised by the Guinness World Records. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the light show is in English. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday it is in Mandarin. On Sunday it is in Cantonese. While at the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, spectators can tune their radios to FM103.4 MHz for English narration, FM106.8 MHz for Cantonese or FM107.9 for Mandarin. The same soundtrack can be accessed via mobile phones at 35665665 for the English version where normal telephone rates apply. However, whilst the show is not such a big deal, during festival times the light show is supplemented by fireworks that are worth seeing.
Day 17 (March 19, 2011)
Hong Kong Disneyland
A cloudy day since morning. The weather forecast said there's gonna be 60% chance of rain today. Still we decided to go no matter what.
Day 18 (March 20, 2011)
Hong Kong Island one day excursion.
We started our excursion by visiting the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Center. Next to the building is the Golden Bauhinia. The Golden Bauhinia Square (traditional Chinese: 金紫荊廣場) is an open area in Wan Chai North, Hong Kong. The square was named after the giant statue of a golden Bauhinia blakeana at the centre of the area, situated outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where the ceremonies for the handover of Hong Kong and the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was held in July 1997. A flag-raising ceremony is held every day at 8:00am. It is considered a tourist attraction.
The sculpture, a gilded flower bauhinia, is 6 meters high. The major part is composed of a bauhinia on a base of red granite pillar on a pyramid. The sculpture is deemed an important symbol for the Hong Kong people after reunification. On the second day of Chinese New Year and National Day of the People's Republic of China, the square is lighted up by a firework show.
The Golden Bauhinia with the background the Hong Kong Convention Center
The next destination, a ride to The Peak along with visit to Madame Tussauds Museum. Victoria Peak (traditional Chinese: 太平山, or previously- 扯旗山) is a mountain in Hong Kong. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. The mountain is located in the western half of Hong Kong Island. With an altitude of 552 m (1,811 ft), it is the highest mountain on the island proper, but not in the entirety of Hong Kong, an honour which belongs to Tai Mo Shan. The actual summit of Victoria Peak is occupied by a radio telecommunications facility and is closed to the public. However, the surrounding area of public parks and high-value residential land is the area that is normally meant by the name The Peak. It is a major tourist attraction which offers views over central Hong Kong, Victoria Harbour, and the surrounding islands.
The tram to The Peak. Enjoy the scenery as it ascends to The Peak
The place where dreams come true.... only in Madame Tussauds Museum
(not only Disneyland OK)
Before descends down back to the city, go take a look or grab some souvenirs from nearby shops inside the building where you got off earlier. No bargaining allowed.
Just some unique design of one of Hongkong's skyscrapers
Trams in Hongkong
Perfect spot to enjoy the view of Hongkong (Overlooking the sea)
Avenue of Stars
Look for your favourite hongkong celebrities. (I chose jackie Chan and Stephen Chow)
Proud to see successful Malaysian actress's star, Datuk Michelle Yeoh
A visit in Hongkong would not complete without going to the night market. Personally this is the perfect place to look for your souvenirs or any antiques lookalike. Just like in mainland, bargain for your price. Start with 25% off first. Look for the quality first before setting up your price. Don't expect genuine goods too much. As you approach the end of the market, you can see lots of stalls with covers. Let me get this straight, they sold 'adult items', openly. Wonder whether their regulations allows such trade.....Things that shocked me so much, some of the shop attendants were women. The most unacceptable thing was, it was an old women... (loooooong sigh!!!)
A lot of night markets available in Hong Kong. We chose the Temple Street night market (flea market). Take the metro and get off at Yau Ma Tei station. As soon as you exit from the station, look for the sign leading to the market (look upside). The place always crowded so just look where most of the crowds (foreigners especially) heading to.
The place is sometimes known as Men's Street as it is very popular for men's fashion. The market starts at 2 p.m. in the afternoon, but is lively at dusk daily. Traffic is closed on the street at that time, and visitors swarm into the street. There are more than a hundred stalls with colourful lights in the market. There are carts bulging with goods from clothing to mobile phones and watches. Stalls have items mainly for men, jeans, t-shirts, pants, lighters, shoes, condoms and men's accessories. Cheap merchandise is common in the night market. Cheap second hand goods such as cassettes, video tapes, old newspapers, antiques are also sold there. Like in other night markets in South East Asia, prices can always be negotiated by bargaining.
If one has to buy merchandise in Temple Street, one has to hunt for shops hidden in streets behind the stalls rather than looking in the stall themselves. This is one of the uniqueness of Temple Street Night Market.
TheTemple Street flea cum night market
The adult shop. We overheard a conversation between a white couple with a local women. The white women said: "...... They never learn from the internet..."
Final Day (March 21, 2011)
It's been a long trip. The longest in a single country. 18 days together in foreign country taught us a lot of priceless knowledges and skills as a human basically. Living in a modern Japan, everything is easy. The service, the people, the system, everything in Japan. Backpacking to China really taught me to be independent. My two friends currently studying in India who joined the trip taught me to be heartless and merciless while bargaining in China. As long as they don't get the lowest price, they won't buy. In the other hand, I prefer a win-win situation while bargaining, enough reason to make me bug out when they were bargaining...
That was my first oversea backpacking trip in group. Before, I prefer backpacking alone, worrying other people may not able to pick up my pace of backpacking. Instead, I found it really helpful when moving in group. Everything were divided into three. Foods, travel expenses etc. If you fall sick, there's always someone who will look for you. Luckily those two are medical students. Still the flu got me in Beijing........
Traveling in group wasn't always pleasant. Of course there were some arguments.... still, they taught me how to tolerate with other people's attitude etc. Careless is inexcusable when backpacking, especially in a foreign country where you don't quite understand what they're talking about. The incident where I misplace the train ticket (from Guangzhou to Guilin) really gives a deep impact to me. Never again...
Well, looking forward for the next backpacking.
Farewell friends!!
