My 2019 year end trip: An update

I'm getting excited now that my trip nears. Since my previous post on this upcoming trip, I have managed to include two more countries that I will be visiting for the first time, Czech Republic and Luxembourg, making the total a whopping ten new countries for me!

In terms of airlines, in addition to those listed in the previous post, I have also since booked myself a seat on Indigo Airline on an India domestic flight from Kochi to Mumbai, and Aeroflot from Madrid via Moscow to Hong Kong on both its A321 and B777 aircrafts.

I have still one more flight to book, that is, from a choice of Hong Kong or Guangzhou or Macau or Shenzhen back to Singapore. These cities are all well-connected and easily reached. So my choice will solely depend on the air ticket cost haha!

Now that almost all my flights are ticketed, I'm currently looking at my train journeys. Not all the sectors shown on my travel map are flown. Some are taken on trains. For example, from Prague, Czech Republic to Munich, Germany and then onward to Geneva, Switzerland. Another train sector is between Tbilisi, Georgia and Yerevan, Armenia then returning by coach.

During my research, I chanced upon the Trans-Asia Express. A little too late, I guess. This particular train only restarted just months earlier. It connects Turkey and Iran and boasts great scenery enroute.

One more train route that I'll be taking is between Frankfurt, Germany and Luxembourg, both ways.

Meanwhile, in Iran, initially I thought of travelling on trains between cities. However, after research, I realized that most, if not all, of the train stations, other than Tehran, are located far away from the city centre, and taxi is the only way to get there. For me, I try not to depend on taxi overseas as that usually involves haggling over the taxi cost. Something which I actively avoid.

Domestic flights within Iran isn't that cheap. So that leaves only coach travel within Iran. Within the same city, there are quite a few bus terminals with buses departing to various cities. So I will need to do more research so I don't get lost. 😀

In addition, in some cities, local transport may not be convenient for me so I will be depending on local tour guides to bring me around in cities such as Mumbai, India and Beirut, Lebanon and Cairo, Egypt. More research is necessary to ensure that I get a reliable and trusted tour guide.

Yup, so these will keep me occupied in the days leading to my trip!

Guangzhou and Changsha '19

After a day tour of Haikou, I took the overnight train towards Guangzhou. As Hainan Island is located off the mainland, this train journey involves the train carriages being loaded onto the ferry to cross the sea and enter the Chinese mainland. Unfortunately, this part of the journey occurs at night so I wasn't able to see it happening.

Guangzhou railway station. It's easy to get around Guangzhou myself, or in fact, most cities in China, since the city metro is usually connected to the railway station.

I have previously been to Guangzhou. So this time I opted to see the Shamian Island in Guangzhou. This is not really an island as there is a pedestrian bridge from the nearest metro station.

Shamian Island provides a laidback vibe to hectic city life of Guangzhou. Pleasant strolls can be had in among the tree-lined boulevards. There are ancient architectures to be admired as well!

Soon after, I went to the railway station to board my bullet train bound for Changsha. I ought to have purchased the train tickets earlier, as the train seats do sell out on this popular route.

First class in the bullet train 😀

Unlike the shorter first class train route from Sanya to Haikou, this longer train route does offer complimentary snack box and bottle of water.

I also purchased a model of the train for keepsake.

As it was getting late in Changsha, I headed straight to the airport from the train station, on the Changsha maglev. On hindsight, the maglev runs late into the night, so I could have used the metro to explore the city before getting to the airport.

Currently, Changsha airport is showcasing an aviation exhibition, with life-sized planes.

There is even a flight simulation centre for the aviation enthusiast!

A mock-up of the first class cabin

 At the front is the cabin simulator. I didn't ask about the price of the experience though.

With that, this is the end of my short but fulfilling tour of China 😀

Tour of Hainan Island, China

After coming back from a trip to Russia, I was soon off to China for a couple of days. Hainan Island, dubbed the Hawaii of China, is similar to Hawaii in the West due to it being promoted as a beach destination.

I was fortunate to snag a return airfare at just under S$$80 with Jetstar Asia, a budget airline based in Singapore. I travelled light, so need not pay for additional baggages or other amenities that usually comes with budget airlines.

The joys of flying !

At Sanya airport

Taking the public bus from Sanya airport to the city. Little or no information is available online. Fortunately, the bus route and stops are prominently displayed at the side of the bus.

Staying at this guesthouse. There are hardly any other visitors.

The equivalent of KFC

At Sanya's main tourist attraction

It's 2019 !

From the top, it offers a scenic view of the city below.

The beautiful crescent-shaped coastline

Reading a book cast in stone

Some beautiful works of art on the staircase

This attraction covers a big area and one can easily spends a day up here.

The next attraction I went is to see the famous statue of the Chinese goddess in Sanya.

Visitors are allowed to ascend to higher ground at the statue. From there, a great view of the surrounding sea.

Some semblance to Hawaii 😀

From Sanya, I took the high speed train to Haikou, another city on Hainan Island, a short ride in first class!

By now, I have rode a number of times on this model of the Chinese bullet train. Clean, comfortable and pretty much on schedule.

Relaxing by the beach in Haikou

At Haikou railway station

Hainan Island is definitely a destination worth visiting in China. It is less crowded in June, has a pleasant environment and is free from pollution.

Though I booked a roundtrip airfare to Sanya, Hainan Island, I didn't travel back on Jetstar. Instead, I rode on an overnight train, departing Haikou, and arriving in Guangzhou in the morning. This is because after I booked this airfare, I purchased a cheap one-way fare on Scoot airline from Changsha back to Singapore. My original intention was to explore Changsha as I didn't get to explore much I was there previously. Unfortunately, this time around I wasn't able to explore again due to time constraints. Another time perhaps.