If there’s one thing that keeps me in awe about about China it’s simply the scale of things. As we drive from Shenzhen to Humen we pass factory after factory. I don’t often need much reminding that this is the worlds most populus country but I’m reminded again that it’s also the worlds…
So whats so special about Humen? Well, for one it’s probably where the shirt your wearing is made and it’s also where some of the major battles of the Opium Wars were fought. The town of Humen is part of the larger city Dongguan which is located about half way between…
UPDATE: The Minsk has now closed and is in process of relocating to Nantong, Jiangsu. So where do you go when you want to explore a second generation Soviet aircraft carrier? Shenzhen China of course. This floating behemoth was purchased from the Soviets by Korea just after the cold war…
In China there seems to be plenty of privately run bus services running here, there and everywhere but for a foreigner it’s usually much easier and simpler to just buy a train ticket. But in some cases the going via bus can provide huge time savings. This is especially the…
Less than a 20RMB taxi ride from the center of Xiamen is one of the areas popular beaches, which also features a wooden boardwalk which stretches along the beachfront. This wooden boardwalk, not in shot, winds its way along the beach and ocean front and goes for some way, but just…
I’m glad I left the Xiamen Huaqiao Hotel to come here, whilst the room is not quite as nice, the service at the V Inn makes all the difference. The staff are friendly, and some speak English, while at the four-star Xiamen Huaqiao Hotel, combined with a CTS travel agency, couldn’t…
Xiamen, or Amoy as some call it, is a small city by Chinese standards being home to only around 600,000 people but it can still get pretty busy being a popular tourist destination for many Chinese. It’s an attractive coastal city, clean and has a certain charm about it not…
I thought I’d have to travel back to Yongding to get a bus to Xiamen but lucky for me there’s a bus running direct from Hukeng. Just outside the main gate to ‘Yongding Hakka Earth Building Folk Cultural Village is a bus station, well, it’s a small shop on the…
After a full day tour of the tulou buildings it was back to the Fuyulou Changdi Inn just in time for a tea drinking session with the owner and guests. Here they grow there own tea, and it’s good gear, so good, I made sure to take some home. After…
The south-east region of Fujian Province in China is a quite picturesque green mountainous landscape that has long been a home to many of one of Chinas minority groups the Hakkas. The Hakkas are probably most well known for cuisine, culture but mostly for their very unique homes of which many still standing today…
Yongding is a rural county within Chinas Fujian Province, the city of Yongding itself is small, minute by Chinese terms in that it probably has a population of less than 10,000, but I’m only guessing. This is the place where I to go on and see the famous tulou buildings.…
I’d been working away in Shenzhen for a while now so it was time for a journey. But where too? I’d been to nearby Hong Kong, Macao and had a quick look at Guangzhou, so where to next? I wanted to find somewhere not to far away, reasonably simple to get…
Shenzhen is one of China’s more modern cities and it’s a place where there’s a strong focus on clean energy sources and on reducing pollution. It’s also where one of China’s more well known car makers resides, BYD. So what do you get when a bus company, a car company…
Some random photos from around Macau, Taipa, Cotai and Coloane.
While Las Vegas goes down the gurgler apparently Macau is becoming the new gambling mecca of the world, going by the number of veteran US casino developers who are spending big bucks here, it may be true. Here’s an incomplete list of Macau’s Casinos, there’s plenty more than this, but these are the…
Exploring the Historic Centre is one of the top things to do in Macau and the cities number one tourist attraction also being inscribed on the World Heritage List. It’s a collection of buildings and temples that reflect the history of Macau, in particular, the history of east meets west,…
The Fishermans Wharf is a feature packed area having over 70 stores and fun attractions in the one location. For me it was worth a wander just to see recreation of a roman amphitheatre, a volcano and a Portuguese style pedestrian street. There’s a hotel here on the waterfront and…
Joining the islands of Taipa and Coloane is Cotai. This little piece of reclaimed land is home to some of Macau’s newest and most opulent hotel-casino developments. This whole area is a landmark development primarily by the US Las Vegas Sands Corp. who originally planned for seven resort hotels and…
Initially, I’d only booked two nights at the Pousada Marina Infante Hotel and when I got around to asking to extend for another night, the price had doubled, bugger. So it was onto the online accommodation sites again and this time cTrip had the best deal. The Ole London Hotel was the cheapest…
Taipa Island is joined to Macau by three bridges being the Sai Van Bridge, Macau Taipa Bridge and the Friendship Bridge. Tapai and Coloane where once separate islands, but the two are have been joined as one land mass due to the land reclamation and formation of Cotai. Taipa features a university, ferry…
To get my bearings, and get a feel for Macau, I jumped on a local bus, Macau isn’t that big and after a quick look at the map either bus number 26 or 15 looks to cover a fair amount of area and buses are cheap! I caught bus number…
Accommodation in Macau is nowhere near as cheap as the mainland, and can even be on par with western hotel prices during busy periods. After searching Hotel Club, eLong and Ctrip to find the cheapest, most reasonable hotel in Macau, at the time, Hotel Club ended up having the best deal and I…
Macau is renowned for its casinos and its massive entertainment offerings, but the city offers a host of attractions, an insight into China’s colonial history, beautiful architecture, and villages by the beach that you won’t want to leave. Jump To: Map – Top Ten Things to do – Top Ten…
UPDATE: the ferry terminal has moved to a new, nearby building, see here for updated info. There are multiple ways to get from Shenzhen to Macau including via bus, ferry or even a helicopter. Being in Nanshan District of Shenzhen I chose to go via the ferry at the nearby…
Lots of tasty things, thats what! Theres a little bakery at the bottom of the Maple Leaf Nanshan hotel which I often visit to grab some lunch, the staff are friendly and the food is tasty. Even better is how amazingly cheap it is! All this cost about 28RMB (or…
After firing off an email to the organisers of the Canton Fair explaining how much I really enjoyed there entry process (see my previous visit to the Canton Fair), I got a fast response via email and an invite to return. This time I registered for the Canton Fair (also known as…
Kempinski is a European luxury hotel chain and they have a hotel in Nanshan District of Shenzhen, and it’s one of the citys leading 5 star hotels. I haven’t had the pleasure of staying except to say that its in a great spot close to the new Coastal City Shopping…
I was actually in Guangzhou to visit the Canton Fair, but ooops, I left my passport at the hotel. For some reason, seemingly unknown to anyone, you actually need to have a passport with a valid visa to gain entry to the Canton Fair, maybe they want to keep the…
Guangzhou has a modern subway system which services a large part of the city. For me, I wanted to get from Ghuangzhou East Railway Station to Pazhou where the Canton Fair complex is. It turned out to be pretty easy, just buy a ticket at the electronic vending machine which…
I was heading to the trade fairs that are held every year in Guangzhou, in particular, the Canton Fair and lucky for me there’s a regular fast train between Shenzhen Railway Station and Guangzhou East (Guangzhoudong). There are many trains running through the day on this route, about 24 trains…