Round the world trip

[Aventador]

Damn jealous of you... cb

[Tohto]

@philipkee from Tianjin to Beijing is 30mins HSR. The traffic on highway is bad.

 

Every 30mins got 1 service.

 

If you miss Sg food, go to Vanda room in Parkson Grand.

 

Look for William, 1 of the bosses there.

I think for rmb140 @philipkee paid for the tour bus hitch, can get a one way ticket for HSR from Tianjin. Am I right?

[Philipkee]

@philipkee from Tianjin to Beijing is 30mins HSR. The traffic on highway is bad.

 

Every 30mins got 1 service.

 

If you miss Sg food, go to Vanda room in Parkson Grand.

 

Look for William, 1 of the bosses there.

Not true for HSR.

 

1) my ferry docked at the port at 2000 hrs and by the time we debarked and crossed customs it was close to 2130. So no public transportation and the HSR does not go to the port itself but to the city of tianjin. So if I were to take HSR I still need to find transportation to tianjin city then take the HSR to Beijing and will still need to take cab cos the subway closes by then (can't remember if it's 2130 or 2230).

 

Even if I could get a ride to tianjin then take HSR then take subway/cab, from what I understand it will cost more than "tips" to a tour guide that bring me to Beijing plus a cheap taxi fare from the bus drop off point to my hostel.

 

Also note that I do things on the fly. Meaning that when I boarded the ferry i did not know I will eventually have to hitch with a tour group for transportation to Beijing. By the way I think I was the only solo traveller there. Everyone was with a tour group.

 

Actually no one expected traffic to be bad cos we left the harbour at 2150 and encountered the jam at 2330 plus. We expected traffic to be light by then. I can remember cos there was a clock on the bus and everyone was calling their family members to wait a bit more with updated ETA.

[inlinesix]

I think for rmb140 @philipkee paid for the tour bus hitch, can get a one way ticket for HSR from Tianjin. Am I right?

I rem it's about RMB 60 for class 2 to Beijing South station

[Philipkee]

I think for rmb140 @philipkee paid for the tour bus hitch, can get a one way ticket for HSR from Tianjin. Am I right?

Rmb 140 is for transportation from the harbour to Beijing plus taxi fare.

 

Not sure how much it costs for harbour to tianjin HSR station, the HSR itself plus taxi fare.

 

Note the time I docked. There would be no more subway services by the time I reached Beijing.

 

As edited info, from my assessment on the bus, the time taken to travel from the port of tianjin to the sign (welcome to tianjin) is about 10-15 minutes with no traffic (but stopped for a few traffic lights).

Edited June 24, 2018 by Philipkee

[inlinesix]

Not true for HSR.

 

1) my ferry docked at the port at 2000 hrs and by the time we debarked and crossed customs it was close to 2130. So no public transportation and the HSR does not go to the port itself but to the city of tianjin. So if I were to take HSR I still need to find transportation to tianjin city then take the HSR to Beijing and will still need to take cab cos the subway closes by then (can't remember if it's 2130 or 2230).

 

Even if I could get a ride to tianjin then take HSR then take subway/cab, from what I understand it will cost more than "tips" to a tour guide that bring me to Beijing plus a cheap taxi fare from the bus drop off point to my hostel.

 

Also note that I do things on the fly. Meaning that when I boarded the ferry i did not know I will eventually have to hitch with a tour group for transportation to Beijing. By the way I think I was the only solo traveller there. Everyone was with a tour group.

 

Actually no one expected traffic to be bad cos we left the harbour at 2150 and encountered the jam at 2330 plus. We expected traffic to be light by then. I can remember cos there was a clock on the bus and everyone was calling their family members to wait a bit more with updated ETA.

The nearest HSR station to Tianjin Port is Tianjin South. Most probably takes you 30mins to hit that station.

 

China HSR operates till midnight. Some more, most line from South will need to go through Tianjin or Tianjin South before Beijing.

 

Very likely save you up to 2hrs in time.

[Philipkee]

The nearest HSR station to Tianjin Port is Tianjin South. Most probably takes you 30mins to hit that station.

 

China HSR operates till midnight. Some more, most line from South will need to go through Tianjin or Tianjin South before Beijing.

 

Very likely save you up to 2hrs in time.

True. That was what the crew roughly told me also.

 

They then added the cost of getting transportation to the hsr and all that and they told me much cheaper to hitch a ride with a tour group. In fact they strongly encouraged me to hitch with the tour group since its late at night. Hahaha.

 

But I agree. I could have saved time but then again, now I am on this trip, time is something I have. It's like an adventure. In fact, this trip is something like a "mini gap year" that westerners take before going to uni. So time is not the issue. Getting the experience and adventure is.

 

Cos in all likelihood after this trip I will stop backpacking. Getting too old to sleep on double decker dorms and travel with uncertainty liao.

 

I took off the mask and could smell the fog. I wore the mask and nearly died. So hot now. But it's fun because it's things like this that brings memories as opposed to going to Melaka to eat.

Edited June 24, 2018 by Philipkee

[inlinesix]

True. That was what the crew roughly told me also.

 

They then added the cost of getting transportation to the hsr and all that and they told me much cheaper to hitch a ride with a tour group. In fact they strongly encouraged me to hitch with the tour group since its late at night. Hahaha.

 

But I agree. I could have saved time but then again, now I am on this trip, time is something I have. It's like an adventure. In fact, this trip is something like a "mini gap year" that westerners take before going to uni. So time is not the issue. Getting the experience and adventure is.

 

Cos in all likelihood after this trip I will stop backpacking. Getting too old to sleep on double decker dorms and travel with uncertainty liao.

I guess because your Mandarin CMI. That's why they ask you to hitch ride lo.

 

No point waste time on road when you can get more sleep or night stroll in sanlitun.

 

Beijing is very nice late night.

 

AQI 107 ok la

 

http://aqicn.org/city/beijing/us-embassy/m/

Edited June 24, 2018 by Davidtch

[Philipkee]

A few more pictures from yesterday. Including the national museum of China. Apparently to take the shortcut back to my hostel I had to go through the museum. "Had to" because the shortcut meant I had to go through a security check before I could enter the museum and exit at an exit that was nearer to the hostel. Walking around the museum would take longer.

 

And museum was air conditioned so cooled down there a well.

[Mkl22]

True. That was what the crew roughly told me also.

 

They then added the cost of getting transportation to the hsr and all that and they told me much cheaper to hitch a ride with a tour group. In fact they strongly encouraged me to hitch with the tour group since its late at night. Hahaha.

 

But I agree. I could have saved time but then again, now I am on this trip, time is something I have. It's like an adventure. In fact, this trip is something like a "mini gap year" that westerners take before going to uni. So time is not the issue. Getting the experience and adventure is.

 

Cos in all likelihood after this trip I will stop backpacking. Getting too old to sleep on double decker dorms and travel with uncertainty liao.

 

I took off the mask and could smell the fog. I wore the mask and nearly died. So hot now. But it's fun because it's things like this that brings memories as opposed to going to Melaka to eat.

Go with your feel and with help from the ground. Us keyboard warriors here won’t know the exact conditions. It’s your holiday anyway. Why waste time back and forth with someone who isn’t there and telling you what to do.

 

You are on a holiday, so what if you made a wrong decision and cost you a little more time. Just go with the flow which is your intention anyway.

 

Enjoy your trip and take many pictures to share with us.

Edited June 24, 2018 by Mkl22

[inlinesix]

Go with your feel and with help from the ground. Us keyboard warriors here won’t know the exact conditions. It’s your holiday anyway. Why waste time back and forth with someone who isn’t there and telling you what to do.

 

You are on a holiday, so what if you made a wrong decision and cost you a little more time. Just go with the flow which is your intention anyway.

 

Enjoy your trip and take many pictures to share with us.

Well, I took HSR from Tianjin to Beijing after 10pm.

 

They are a number of MCFer familiar with China

[inlinesix]

@philipkee go to Peking Uni. It is very beautiful.

 

Not forgetting temple of heaven.

[Mercury1]

The Hutong around the Drum tower area were really interesting as well, but this was back many years ago not sure if they tore it down already?

 

@philipkee go to Peking Uni. It is very beautiful.

Not forgetting temple of heaven.

 

[inlinesix]

The Hutong around the Drum tower area were really interesting as well, but this was back many years ago not sure if they tore it down already?

Hutong is better protected now than before.

[Philipkee]

Hahaha. Too many things to see. Anyway, today I went to take the subway to recce the route to the train station. Cos my train is at 0747 in the morning so I can't afford to be lost on the way to the station.

 

Oh I went to peking university. Not allowed to go in. Tried to sneak in but hahaha security on the ball.

 

And just realised there is a tram near my place actually.

 

Tomorrow I plan to go to the mao tze dong memorial (it is opened in the morning only say on I missed it yesterday) and change my money to the Russian rouble. Then pack up and get ready to move on.

[Fitvip]

The sensitive period before and after the day is over so they should be more lax. If you go there on the actual day and try talking to the cops about it, there can be more fun await you. 

I visited in June 94 during the anniversary. No happening, no markings whatsoever. It was just a big space where people moved about!

[Mockngbrd]

Remember take picture of atb and amdl

[Philipkee]

OK. So could not go to Mao tze dong memorial today as there were road blocks for some kind of event. No biggie. I just shop and change my money.

 

Another mini adventure. When changing money in Beijing itself, you have to change it at the bank. I did not know you had to make arrangents 24 hours in advance. So the bank called up other branches and they managed to locate a bank with the currency I require.

 

For information purposes, I confirmed the following with the bank.

 

1) in Beijing itself, changing of money can only be done in the banks. Or airport but I did not enter Beijing via the airport and am also not leaving via airport. Did not ask regarding train station cos i could not enter the train station yesterday (you need valid ticket to enter) and as my train ride is early in the morning, the info is irrelevant to me cos I need to change money before I enter the train station.

 

2) I was changing Chinese Yuan to Russian Ruble. Hence the need for reservations. If I was changing Chinese Yuan to let's say USD, no issues regarding reservations. Cos Russian ruble is not a "common currency ".

 

3) If I was using any currency to buy Chinese Yuan, no issues. Just change at bank.

 

In short, the reason for the need to make reservations for changing money is only because I was changing Chinese Yuan to Russian Ruble and am not doing so at places like the airport. So if anyone wants to try my route next time it's useful info to have.

 

Why didn't I change earlier in let's say seoul is cos I am not too sure how much Yuan I need in China. I try to change the balance of this country's currency only just before I leave.

 

Another thing I learned. Regarding my trip from tianjin port to my hostel, actually it can cost only 40 Yuan cos that's the taxi fare.

 

What happened was that on the ferry, the crew said just give "tips" to the tour bus driver and it's OK. So when I was boarding the bus, I asked the tour guide how much and he said 100 Yuan which I paid. The point is, he did not ask me to pay. I was the one who asked how much.

 

When I reached Beijing and stayed in the hostel, someone told me actually if the tour guide did not ask for payment, there was actually no need to pay since giving "tips" for such services is actually not a must. If it was really needed, they would have asked. Perhaps those familiar with China can comment.

 

But I remarked I better initiate payment lest people say this Singaporean so stingy.....

 

On an unrelated note, by walking here and there from bank to bank and from hostel to forbidden city and so on, I start to feel healthier from all this enforced walking.

 

Meals here are between 20 Yuan to 40 Yuan a meal. Depends on what you eat. A macdonalds set meal cost about 27 Yuan (big breakfast set ) while a bowl of of beef noodles with a bottle of orange juice cost about 23 Yuan. A plate of dumplings (I think it's xiao long bao) costs between 12 Yuan to 23 Yuan a plate. I know the 12 Yuan plate of dumplings have about 12 pieces inside. Not sure how many pieces are in the 23 Yuan plate (looked like it will be too filling so not sure if it's worth buying it).

 

Subway tickets are relatively cheap.

 

Thinks that's all for China. Now going to look at souvenirs (small ones cos I still need to lug any souvenir through Russia, France, USA. ...) and tomorrow morning I leave China.

Edited June 26, 2018 by Philipkee