Friendship Tour to Mainland China Part 1

The route we took...

​Travel with friends resumed, this time with Annette and Jea from Singapore.

The triplet: Me, Gea and Anneth

Considering that we, Filipinos, have to apply for Tourist Visa. So on my part, I booked my own flight and my hotel reservation. I availed of promo rates from Cebu Pacific Air for Manila-Shanghai flight, and from AirAsia Philippines for the return flight. To avoid complications in my application, I initially reserved a guesthouse in Shanghai for five nights, the whole duration of my trip to China. When my visa was approved, I canceled that booking and looked for room accommodations from the targeted destinations based on actual itinerary.

As I was assigned to do this for the group, I booked 3 nights at FantasyLand Hotel in Zhangjiaje and 2 nights in Shanghai Chi Chen Boutique Hotel. Then I made reservations for the train tickets from Zhangjiaje to Changsa and bullet train from Changsa to Shanghai. Anneth on the other hand took care of buying the plane ticket for Shanghai-Zhangjiaje route on November 1.

October 31 - Departure Day

I was fortunate that today, Philippine government declared a halfday work. So my family was able to drop me at the airport on their way to spend a long weekend at my cousins place in Cavite. My flight departed on time and arrived at Shanghai airport a little past midnight. I settled at one corner of the fullyloaded waiting lounge to wait for Annette and Jea who were expected to arrive at 6 o’clock in the morning. Facebook and Google are not accessible in China without VPN, so connection is my problem; I have no contact with Anneth. And it was past 6am already. Fortunately I noticed that Yahoo can be accessed. When I messaged Anneth via Yahoo Mail, she replied and they're already at the Domestic Departure area. It took us a while to reunite because these girls were at the Terminal 1's departure check in counters and I was waiting at Terminal 2, which is the correct departure area for Juneyao Airlines.

Expenses of the day: PHP8,864 (Plane Fare (Manila-Shanghai) - PHP2,114 + Plane Fare (Shanghai-Zhangjiaje) - PHP6,500 + Dinner - PHP250)

 

November 1 - High Afternoon

After check in, our next flight departed on time at 10 o’clock in the morning and before noon we were at Zhangjiaje airport already. The picked up car from the FantasyLand hotel was outside waiting for us. At check in, we were immediately given our room.

 

This was the first stop on the way up. Get to the loading area for another car transfer.

 

We are so fortunate to have found the Floral Hotel-FantasyLand Hotel within Zhangjiaje City. It’s residential look is homey and the interiors are trendy, bright and boutique. Our room was spacious, complete with usual amenities, decorated with simple fusion of old and modern Chinese stuff. It has affordable rates with good breakfast included. Here we found a broader and higher-level definition of hospitality. We were greeted at the airport with free pick up. We were oriented by “Ching” about where to go, what to do, and what to ride. But the hotel is centrally located, just a walking distance to Cable Car Station, Bus Station, and Railway Station. A send off even was offered for free. They take and support adventures seriously. When we asked for the packaged tours, Ching said, “You go by yourself, it’s super easy!” So she pointed us to the Cable Car Station to get to the Tianmen Mountain; the Bus Station to get to the Grand Canyon and Avatar Mountains. We realized our DIY tour with their help.

At the dropoff area before the stairs to heaven

The view from the Gate of Heaven

After washing up and washing off our sleep, armed with map and notes from Ching, we immediately headed to our first tour of the day. That very afternoon we decided to go to the Tianmen mountain. We walked our way to the cable car station only to find out that it was under maintenance. The green cars were utilized instead. We bought entry tickets for CNY235 each and hopped on the green car which later was cruising and turning 99 times up to the dropoff point where the stairs to the Gate to Heaven, so they say, started. To reach the karsts forming a huge hole into the solid rocky mountain and beyond was through two available options: one is to climb the 999 steps or two to take the series of escalators. We chose the former on the way up until the Gate of Heaven, then the latter on the way up the garden at the summit. At that giant opening it felt surreal. I only saw it on TV. It was was really marvelous and fulfilling. Then we took the escalators all the way down on our return.

The 99 curves below

Back to the town proper, we each grabbed a bowl of Chinese noodles as dinner. As soon as my back touched my bed, Anneth and Jea noticed that I dozed off right away.

Photo Ops at the Summit of Tianmen Mountain

Expenses of the day: CNY454 (Breakfast - CNY79 + Tianmen Ticket - CNY235 + Dinner - CNY15 + Hotel - CNY125)

November 2 - Acrophilia

The walk on the Glass Bridge

On our second day, we decided to go to the farthest destination, the Grand Canyon. We followed the instructions from our hotelier, we traced our way to the bus station, which was basically adjacent to the FantasyLand Hotel. We showed to the clerk at the ticket counter the Chinese characters Ching scribbled on the map, and then we were issued the bus tickets. We showed the same to the driver and he just nodded. There were other tourists taking the same route with us so we felt safe.

True enough, the bus stopped at the junction and we were pointed to walk up the hill. As first timers, we were confused and reluctant but some of the local women confirmed and pointed us the same direction to where the shuttle bus to Grand Canyon awaits.

 

The catwalk

After few twists and turns up the mountains, we found ourselves at the jump off to the Grand Canyon and the famous Glass Bridge. At the security check, I was held up because of my SLR camera. There I learnt that big cameras with flash features are not allowed at the Glass Bridge. The guard pointed me to the Self-Storage facility. My problem however was the absence of WIFI connections and no application like WeChat, which they used to close and open the storage locker. The security guy brought out his cellphone and activated the translator. We chatted through it and he finally agreed to store my camera for me using his account. I paid him the CNY5 and then he gave me his contact with instructions to claim it later on our way out.

So in we went. We found the ticket counter inside the circular lobby and paid CNY219 each. There was slight confusion when the lady clerk asked us about Glass Bridge and Grand Canyon tickets. I asked her if tickets are separate and she answered, "no separate!" But they were actually separate. We confirmed it when we reached the elevator to the Grand Canyon. The admitting machine just turned red when we swiped our ticket. A separate CNY30 needs to be paid for it. We decided to forego the Grand Canyon tour through the elevator because: one, we have to make a round trip because we need to exit the way we got in to claim back my camera; two, Glass Bridge is too much to enjoy the heights; and three, CNY30 is costly, anyway we can enjoy Grand Canyon by viewing it from the Glass Bridge. The rain showers made the tour challenging. It was little past noontime that we decided to come down.

Lying on the glass above the ridge

The Glass Bridge at the Grand Canyon

Again as suggested by Ching, we could drop by Wulingyuan to check on the old Chinese Town by the river. Upon the dropoff, I heard two women standing beside the color-coded coasters and barking Wulingyuan. We hopped on without hesitation and paid CNY11 each. The rain dissipated when we arrived at the bus station. I saw traffic signs indicating the "Scenic Area Ticket Station" which refer the entry point for the Avatar Mountains. But we reserved that for the next day, so we strolled down the riverbend to tour around the preserved Chinese old community. We found a spot for lunch. Despite language barrier, we ordered food through pointing pictures and our host served us good food. We strolled the river village downstream, took several photos before heading back to the bus station. We were back to Zhangjiaje before sundown.

At the Wulingyuan Old Town

 

Expenses of the day: CNY440 (Bus Fare - CNY22 + Glass Bridge Ticket - CNY219 + Bus to Wulingyuan - CNY11 + Lunch - CNY20 + Bus to Zhangjiaje CNY13 + Dinner - CNY30 + Hotel - CNY125)

November 3 - Reaching Heights

 

The landscape right in front of the Bailong Elevator

Our third day was the most exciting one --- to reach and see the Avatar Mountains. We already knew our way back to Wulingyuan. After that hearty breakfast at FantasyLand Hotel, we headed to the bus station and bought tickets. In less than an hour, we were already strolling the cool midmorning towards the Scenic Area Ticket Station. There were already crowd of tourists, mostly locals, so I squeezed myself in one of the queues and obtained three tickets after a little while. We paid CNY228 for each.

One area of the Avatar Mountains

Here, queues are everywhere in every bus loading and unloading bays. We followed the queue to the Bailong River and Elevator. We joined the group at the first dropoff and realized we were wrong, so we hopped on the next bus. We were the last 3 people left in the bus when we reached the Bailong River stop. We noticed an arrow with the sign Elevator and the driver confirmed that it would be at the next stop, so we stayed. Few elderly locals joined in.

I wasn't lost in direction; just lost in translation

Taking the high-speed elevator entailed additional cost of CNY65 per person. The way in was already a treat; saw Jake Sully standing by one of the souvenir shops. Squeezing in one box, we made sure that our cameras were above the rest to capture that one moment in time that we shoot up in a blink of an eye, so to speak. Up the landing was another battle of finding the best spot for a souvenir photo. Quick snap is necessary before people took over or photo-bombed you.

Guess what this is... Trash Bins

By the way, riding the bus here and there was tricky. We lost here and there; asking Chinese only speaking people. Especially on this side of the National Park, we queued and hopped on the next bus, only to find out that it stopped at the Sky Terrace station and dropped all the tourists there. Well, we did not have much of a choice, so we joined the crowd to the terrace view decks. After a couple of good shots, we followed the arrows directing to the next bus loading area... And we found one good spot for the yellow autumn leaves.

The Avatar Mountains from Terrace area

The next station we found was actually the Jianjiaje Cable Car station. Since we were told to rather take the Tianzi Cable Car, we looked for the right bus that would take us there. This time we were cautious, and after asking from one driver to another, we confirmed that it will be the other coasters that ply there; not the usual purple bus you would find. And there's more, that coaster only dropped us at Tianzi Station, we still walked a little further following more arrows of directions, and hopped on the parked purple bus that finally took us to the Cableway.

Taking the cable car cost us another CNY72 each. But the price of viewing the Avatar Mountains from the way up and above them was priceless. This was where I enjoyed the Zhangjiaje National Forest Park. It was awesome, one-of-a-kind, natural wonder. No wonder the Avatar's Hallelujah Mountains was inspired by it. This was the right stop to conclude our journey of the day. We were already heading back to the city, so inspired and fulfilled, before dusk. Bucketlist checked.

The Avatar Mountains from Tianzi Cableway

Then we were on the way to the train station, which was a walking distance from the hotel. And off for another adventures in another Chinese cities.

Expenses of the day: CNY590 (Bus Fare - CNY13 + National Park Ticket - CNY228 + High-speed Elevator Ride - CNY65 + Cable Car Ride - CNY72 + Bus to Zhangjiaje CNY13 + Lunch&Dinner - CNY52 + Sleeper Train (Zhangjiaje-Changsa) - CNY147)

November 4 - Modern China

Our fourth day was basically spent in the railways. We took the sleeper train from Zhangjiaje to Changsa. At midnight of November 3, we reached Changsa Railway Station and in search for the best way to get to the Changsa South Station. We initially plan of taking the metro subway to get to Changsha South railway station. But it will open its gates at 6:30 in the morning. So we have 2 other options, either take the city bus or taxi. The bus however will start plying around at 4am. After some bites at the nearby McDonalds, we decided to ride a taxi to the other destination. We can't risk the time because our ticket for the early bullet train to Shanghai was scheduled at 7am. We reached the station few hours before it opened. So we found a spot at the arrival area to doze off, a bit warmer than the chilling dawn outside. There were just few of us until 6am when crowds came and the station suddenly came alive.

 

The famous Bund at dusk

The experience of taking a bullet train was another tick off the bucketlist. It was time efficient, we arrived at Shanghai city exactly at 12:15pm as programmed. We then transferred to the Metro train Lines 4 and 10 for only CNY5 to get to our hotel. I forgot that Line 9 was supposedly the nearest station to the Shanghai Chi Chen Boutique Hotel. So, we took a taxi to ferry us right in front of the hotel.

The famous Bund at night

Just what and how I imagined it

After checking in and napping a bit, we started our quick tour of Shanghai's famous skyline of prosperity and modernity. We concentrated our stroll at the Bund. But we ended up trapped by the tight security implemented that night. Most shortcut roads to get back to our hotel were closed. It was a blessing in disguise however to find our way to the Old Chinese Street and the Yuyuan Garden.

The Shanghai Old Street next to Yuyuan Garden

Expenses of the day: CNY922 (Taxi Fare - CNY13 + Bullet Train Fare - CNY517 + Breakfast - CNY50 + Metro Train - CNY5 + Taxi Fare - CNY20 + Lunch&Dinner - CNY50 + Hotel - CNY267)

One of the Three Bridges in Tongli Ancient Town

November 5 - Ancient China

Our last day was all discovering the ancient heritage of China.

Inside the Secret Garden of Tongli Ancient Town

We made our way that early morning to Suzhou City, a 40-minute ride via the bullet train. We made our research early on so our day went smoothly. Right upon arriving at Suzhou Railway Station, we boarded the Metro Rail Line 4 to get to Tongli Town, which is the last station. Upon disembarking, we found the kiosk offering the day tour for CNY88. The ticket price included the bus ride to and from the Tongli Ancient Town and entry to all tour destinations.

We settled at the nearest cafe to the entrance and grabbed some lunch while studying the map. We started strolling along the canal where the Three Bridges are located, then kept walking willy-nilly until we reached the Secret Garden. Without knowing it, we already covered the whole small water town, ending our route at the Jiayin Hall where a song and dance performances were happening.

We then headed to the Humble Administration Garden by mid-afternoon. We rode the same Metro Rail Line 4 and stopped at Beisita Station. We just walked the 950-meter distance from the station because the autumn weather was cool. This garden is one of the gardens in the ancient times which is still in existence and maintained and thus landed in the UNESCO Heritage sites. It is actually the largest among the oldest gardens in Suzhou. We entered at a cost of CNY70 per person, and joined the crowd to get plenty of snapshots.

Inside the Humble Administrator Garden

Then we were already back at the Suzhou Railway Station before 6pm to catch the next bullet train back to Shanghai.

Expenses of the day: CNY1,361 (Metro Train - CNY5 + Bullet Train Fare - CNY40 + Metro Train - CNY7 + Tour Ticket - CNY88 + Lunch - CNY42 + Metro Train - CNY7 + Garden Ticket - CNY70 + Bullet Train - CNY40 + Dinner - CNY20 + Hotel - CNY267 + Taxi Fare - CNY75 + Plane Fare (Shanghai-Manila) - CNY700)

What we missed in our research was the chances of rides back to Shanghai. We found out that the next trip with available tickets was at 834pm. This was unacceptable for us because Anneth and Gea have 11pm flight out. We tried to weigh in our situations and initially thought of taking the bus. Fortunately, all transport terminals are in the same place as the railways. At the bus station, we were informed that there are no bus to Shanghai that night. When we asked for a hired taxi, we felt CNY800 was too pricey. So we queued back to the bullet train ticket counter and got our tickets for the 834pm trip. When Anneth and Gea calculated the chances of chasing their 11pm flights, if we wait for the bullet train, we felt it would be a long wait and the chance of missing their flights. So they decided to take the metered taxi. The ride cost them CNY560, including the roundtrip toll fees.

The sight of Pagoda within Beisita Metro Station

We were riding the taxi so smoothly until we reached Shanghai where most thoroughfares were closed by authorities for some security reasons we did not understand. So the traffic was worse and our taxi was redirected to gridlocked streets. In the end, we arrived at the hotel past 10pm which understandably a no show already for these two ladies' flights. The takeaway lesson from this experience was to purchase roundtrip train tickets.

They each got new tickets and we three headed to the airport that following dawn.

So for me alone, this 6N5D trip to two cities in Mainland China cost me a total of 36,120 in Philippine Peso, not counting the taxi fare from Suzhou to Shanghai because it was an isolated case, plus some miscellaneous items. But my experience of China was priceless which gave me that new impression that the country is technologically advanced and that they don't have plan to study and learn to speak English.