Great Wall of China Adventure

Our Beijing trip was mostly DIY as we were hesitant to go with a tour and also because we did not want to spend a lot. However, for our Great Wall of China adventure, we made an exception. Our lovely hostel, Peking Station Hostel, had this tour service displayed and it  offered a day trip to the Mutianyu Great Wall of China. We paid 300 RMB each and was given a receipt. We booked this a day prior to the trip.

Our lovely hostel 

The following day, we had to get up early to meet the tour guide at the Subway Station. We were worried that we will be mixed with Chinese tourists but we were happy to find out that we were mixed with foreigners (non-Chinese tourists). We boarded the bus and headed off to Mutianyu. During the 2 hour drive, our guide was happy to give the details of how this wall came to be. Also, he said there were 3 ways on how to climb the wall. First was to climb all the way to the top and it will lead you to station number 6. This had no extra fee. Second was to take the chair lift up and end up at station 10. One way fee was around 100 RMB but if taking the toboggan going down, the package will cost only 120 RMB. The last was taking the cable car and arrive at Station 14. This option costs 120 RMB for return and this option was what we chose. Then at the top, depending on which way the tourists came, they are then suggested to walk towards Station 20, the highest point of this wall.

After paying for the cable car, we hiked to where it was. There wasn't a long line yet because we were there early. Along the way, we saw the lush forest beneath us and the wall becoming closer and bigger.

It was the middle of summer and we braced ourselves for this hot hike. We made sure to put sunscreen lotion generously. Armed with our shades, umbrella and a couple of water bottles we started our hike.

The sun was beginning to be unforgiving. We had stops at some stations and found that there were small shops that sell refreshments and snacks as well as souvenirs. The shade at some stations proved to be really helpful. The last station was too steep, I was afraid that I would fall or have an accident.

Joel successfully reached the top while I just waited for him at the foot of it. There was too much people in there and my feet were aching already. The walk back to Station 14 was not too bad. Because it was already around 11am, there were already a lot of people coming up and the line to the cable car going down was getting long as well. We then went to the restaurant that our guide told us about and had our Chinese Style lunch which was good enough for our hungry tummies.

Our tips for Beijing and the Great Wall tour:

1. If using cash, exhange money at the airport because there are not much money changers outside the airport. Make sure to keep the receipt from this exchange just in case. Break down your paper bills to smaller notes. If possible, set up a we chat pay account.

2. If using the subway, not every exit has an escalator so prepare to carry your luggage through flights of steps. Otherwise, take time to find out which exit has an escalator.

3. When coming into China via Beijing Airport, they won't allow you to bring your aerosols thru the subway.

4. Purchase a Yikatong card from Beijing airport if you plan to stay in Beijing for a few days.

5. Download Google Translate for use in conversations and for text translations. This is very much handy!

6. Make sure to have your VPN ready when coming to China. Although hotels offer free wifi, we did not bother using it because we thought it would not allow us to access Facebook anyway.

7. Don't worry about not understanding train stations in Mandarin. They are well labeled in English as well.

8. Mutianyu is less crowded than the other parts of the Great Wall. There are 3 ways to go up:
a. walking trail and end up at station 10.
b. take the chairlift up and arrive at station 6. This is where you can take the Toboggan back down.
c. take the cable car and arrive at station 14.

9. Visit during spring or autumn. Summer is very hot and humid and not to mention Chinese school holidays which means more crowds.

10. If going to the Forbidden City, buy your ticket ahead online as they had limited their entries for the day. It might benefit more from taking a tour of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square instead of being lost in the subways and figuring out where the entrances are.

11. At the Summer Palace, allow 3-4 hours to get around the whole place and relax to appreciate the beauty of the place.

12. Don't forget to haggle when buying souvenirs! I bought mine at the Great Wall and it was pretty expensive because I forgot to haggle.

13. Drink bottled water and buy them from the many convenience stores. If buying inside the tourist sites, the prices are jacked up to at least thrice the normal price.

Thank you for reading and 'til next blog :)

Budget Travel Sydney - day 4

I did not do much on my 3^rd day in Sydney. I just walked the whole day exploring the areas near the Harbour Bridge, The Rocks Weekend Market and Opera House. I was planning to visit the Blue Mountains on my 4^th day but I did not want to join the usual tours. I have read online that it can be done by yourself. Thankfully I found a roommate in the backpackers dorm who was interested to do this too. By the way, the cheapest group tour we can find was around $85 and was beyond our budget.

The next day, we went out to Sydney Central Railway Station and caught the 7:21 train to Blue Mountains. The station was huge and there was a lot of people for the morning rush, so we had to run to get to the platform and we caught it just in time.  The travel time was 2 hours but it did not really feel tedious because of the smooth train ride. We even fell asleep and finally arrived at Katoomba Station at 9:23.

Upon exiting Katoomba station, we found that there were booths selling the Blue Mountain Tours. We chose the Blue Mountain Explorer which was just across the street because it was cheaper. We each paid 30 AUD and was given our ticket and and guide book. We then waited in front of a hotel which was about a minute walk from the store. At 9:45, our bus came to pick us up. I was particularly awed with the trees that were turning red. It was autumn when I went and it was so lovely for me.

There were only 4 of us for the first bus ride so the driver took his time to talk while driving us through the stops. This was my first time ever to ride a hop on hop off bus but I knew about it from my friends. The driver would stop at bus stop points and we can get off, explore the place  and wait for the bus to come back which probably was an hour later. Bus drop off and pick up points were not hard to find and looked like this.

Here's my friend, Connie, on the first stop that we hopped off the bus. We only spent a few minutes on this lookout because we were worried that there'd be a lot of people on Echo Point by the time we get there.

We went down from the bus again at Echo Point. It has the panoramic views of the Jamison Valley and the iconic Three Sisters.

It was especially freezing that day but it did not stop us from enjoying the view of the Three Sisters. According to Aboriginal legend they were sisters who were turned to stone. It was a bit early during the day, possibly around 11am and that is why a shadow has quite hidden the magnificence of the stone. But either way, I am happy to be there and see it for myself. 

It was also majestic to just look around and take in the entire view of the valley. I liked that there is a map to inform which particular mountain you are looking at. 

The place has 2 viewing  platforms and tourists can go to the lower one easily. There is also a clear sign that says Prince Henry Cliff Walk. This details how to go to Katoomba Falls or to Scenic World. 

Just a few feet from the Visitor Center is an archway where we saw people were either heading in or out. 

It led us to a walkway with a lot of trees and views of the Jamison Valley. 

Then we saw a short set of stairs which were very steep and only 1-2 persons at a time can pass by. We were very careful not to fall and definitely going down was easier by just holding on the railings and looking at where your foot lands. I didn't expect to hike but maybe because I did not do much research before coming. Either way, I am happy to get a bit of exercise. 

The stairs was connected to Honeymoon Bridge which then allowed us to be up close with the first sister. 

We stayed for a few minutes to take in the view and retraced our steps back to Echo Point. Since our bus was not scheduled to come yet, we decided to walk to the next bus stop which was only a few meters ahead. The next stop was near the Blue Mountains Chocolate Company.

Lots of chocolate options, cake and a coffee were available there. It is a quaint place to relax and fill yourself up after the hike and freezing temperature outside. 

We weren't able to catch the bus so what we did was have a bit of an adventure. We studied and followed the map to Scenic World. We did not plan to ride any rides of the Scenic World because we did not budget for it. So we just walked and walked until we saw a part of the Katoomba Falls. 

We were satisfied of how our day went and finally decided to run to the next bus stop. We caught the bus just in time! Connie and I decided to end our gallivanting in Katoomba by filling up our tummy with Fish and Chips at a local shop. 

It was a fun short time that we had in Katoomba. I found out that there is a local bus 686 that stops at Echo Point and other sites in Katoomba. Fares are paid thru Opal cards just like the one used to ride the train from the city. Nevertheless, me and Connie were happy with what we chose and did. 

It's been more than a month since I've been there. I've been pretty lazy at home and just found the strength to finish all this so that my friend, Mel, whose planning to come to Blue Mountains can get an idea of what I did there :)

Thank you for reading and 'til next blog :)

Mybus Experience in Cebu

Being in Thailand for quite a few years, I've known that most of the provinces have airport buses that take people from parts of the town/city to the airport and vice versa. This made travelling to and from the airport easy, convenient and cheap. I'm happy to know that Cebu, Philippines has its own bus like this and it's called Mybus.

image taken from amigongbisaya.blogspot.com

My sister has been raving about how she liked riding this bus as it saves her time, effort and money to drive to the airport. I had the chance to ride the Mybus when I went to Cebu last December 2016. Just a few meters walk from the airport arrival hall and there is a mybus sign. She already had a mybus card that she bought from SM City and so she just told the girl at the counter that there will be 2 passengers to pay for on the card. 

The seats were comfortable and the bus was clean. There were spaces for luggage to be stored and handles in case all seats are taken. Mybus departed the airport right on schedule.

I'm so proud of Cebu's initiative for this kind of bus. I think there will be less traffic in the airport now that this bus can serve the general public.

image taken from sunstar/ cebuchinese.com

I found this very helpful infographic. I hope this helps :)

Thank you for reading and 'til next blog! :)