Showing posts with label ferry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ferry. Show all posts
Sunday, 25 February 2007
Incheon (korea) To 天津 (China)
I had a good time on the ferry. It cost 120,000W (200Sing), approximately 170sing cheaper by flight. I never regretted taking the ferry though it takes 25hrs to get to TianJin and another 2hrs or so to Beijing.
Well, there are 3 level for passenger to explore. My cabin is on the 3rd. It is communal. But it's fine for me. I don't like to stay in the room. I like to walk around.
Well, you've got everything you need. Communal toilet, restaurant (Chinese and Korean), karaoke, playstation, jackpot, viewing gallery, large screen TV, lounge, Cafe...
Weather was a disappointment. It was mostly cloudy. I couldn't get any good pictures in the day nor can I find a sea of stars at night.
I spend my time writing my stories. I like singing to jay chow songs on my mp3, totally ignoring the fact that others can hear me. I don't care. I think I sounded good. I met 2 Australia guys, one of them I met in a youth hostel in Seoul. The other guys is a student studying in Beijing. He can speak Mandarin.
We arrived at Tanggu International Ferry Terminal at 2030hrs but it took us 2 hrs to get tot eh immigration and clear the custom. I was a little worried about my Visa situation. According the the China Immigration website, Singaporean can enter China WITHOUT a visa for a period of 15days. I told the officer upfront that I don't have a Visa and reminded him that I can enter China without a Visa. He was a little hesitate. I believe I am the first Singaporean he met without a visa. I didn't get a visa because I didn't plan to stay long in China. I wanted to get to Nepal asap. Enough of China for me. By God's grace, he let me thru. I wonder what will happen to me if I overstay.
At the ferry terminal, there is a bus that can bring us to Beijing for 60yuan. By 1am, we arrive at the terminal station. It was besides a university. We stop a cab, ask for direction to the nearest 24hrs MacDonald's. 3 mins in the cab, we saw the familiar M logo. I felt conned. Sigh. this is China.
After our meal, we decided to check into the hostel that was highly recommended by a hostel website. We grab a cab to a place near the hostel. We didn't know the exact address, neither do we have the contact no. We are trying out luck.
Well, we spent 1 hours walking around. Until we found this motel that has an internet access. From there, we are on the right track. By 0300hrs, we were at the counter of Lama Temple youth hostel checking in to our rooms.
When I was brushing my teeth, i saw a familiar Chinese. I was too tired to confirm if we knew each other.
Saturday, 24 February 2007
Not this time, Japan
No this time, Japan
Originally uploaded by Jerry Tok.
The past 10 days has been really colorful and exciting for me. 25 hrs ferry from Incheon to Tianjin. I walked (or trekked) The Great Wall of China. Took the world's highest train from Beijing to Lhasa. Set foot for the first time on the rooftop of the world.
The last 2 days of my stay in Seoul was a big dilemma for me. I've been thinking about going to Japan by ferry.
From Pusan(south of Korea), there are ferry to 4 ports in Japan- Shimonoseki, Hakata, Hiroshima and Tsushima with Shimonoseki being the nearest to Pusan.
From Japan, one can take ferry from Kobe to Shanghai, Tianjin and Qingdao.
Here's my plan-travel to Pusan, take ferry to Shimonoseki, bullet train to Tokyo. My return journey would be- Tokyo to Kobe by train, Kobe to Tianjin by ferry, Tianjin to Beijing by land, then Beijing to Lhasa by train.
Unfortunately, Japan is not a backpackers friendly place. Just on transport alone, I'll cost 1000 sing. I was drawn to the uncommon mode of transport to cross country's borders. Would I go for it at the expense of bursting my budget? I decide on a "no". As I told Charmaine and Raymond that I don't want to return to Singapore broke and jobless.
I'm keeping the ferry itinerary in mind. I might do it some time in the future,
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