Silk Route Day 5: Highlight of Lanzhou: Bingling Grottoe

The bus station is very near the Love Youth hostel within a walking distance. It is a local bus to a town called Liujiaxia which we alight before we reach the town. The distance is around 1.5 hours.

We drop off at the roadside entrance to the attraction and it is advisable to let the bus driver know that you need to go Bingling and inform when reach.

All tourist need to take a boat (12pax) to Bingling. The journey around 45 minutes where we reach Bingling at 11:45am and the boat will depart back to the entrance at 1pm and we just had an hour to visit the grottoes.

Since we don’t have much time and we purchase the minimum ticket RMB50 to see the basic Big Buddha only. The boat depart and we reach back the entrance at around 1:45pm, then we continue with the lunch at a café near the entrance for Lanzhou beef La mien.

Attached photos is the scenery at Bingling Grottoes

There are some local transfer at the entrance of the Bingling boat center to the town Liuxiajia where we can take the local bus back to Lanzhou.












After refresh at the hostel, then we check out and head on to the train station to continue our journey to Jiayuguan. We took the 9pm train.


-Next Day-

Silk Route Day 4: Journey to Lanzhou

Today is a relax day with train journey to Lanzhou. We have a late wake up and follow by a street breakfast like Kebab and walk toward the road end of muslim quarter where it is very near the Ancient International Youth Hostel within a short walking distance. We took the metro back to Wulukou station which is the nearest station for the Railway.

We reached 2 hour ahead as there are double screening on the bags and it look easy and not that complicated. There are waiting areas for hard seat and soft sleeper section and the soft sleeper consider like different section for the train. Our train depart at 1:30pm and reach Lanzhou at 8:30pm.

Attached photos is the sample train sleeper and seater for China Railway.

We took a local bus number 1 to the Love Youth Hostel where the hostel surprise us as it actually located at a normal residence apartments where is almost occupied by locals and the cleanliness is not up to standard. Anyway it is just a night before we heading out and it is a good experience with the locals. Atleast the host is quite reasonable and guide us on the tour to Bingling Grottoes.





-Next Day-

Silk Route Day 3: Highlight of Xi’an: Terracotta warrior & Emperor Qin Mausoleum

Our main attraction start from today as we have our breakfast at 8am then we took the metro to Wulokou station which is the nearest station to Xi’an Railway station where there is a tourist bus 306 to the Terracotta Warriors Heritage site with just RMB 7 straight to the bus station of the site. The entrance of terracotta is on the left of the station (facing the main road). The combine entrance ticket is cost RMB 150.

There are 3 pit sites at the Terracotta warrior site where the main pit is the largest excavation site of terracotta warriors follow by pit 3 where the command post with high rank officers.

The pit 2 is the site where the infantry like kneeling archers is found. There is a believes at this sites where we need to follow the flow and never walk backward which impact feng shui. Interesting theory that shared by the guide which personally believe it is a business and marketing strategy to force consumer to purchase the souvenir after Pit 1 & 3 before going to pit 2. Just beware and take note !!!

We reached back Xi’an at 3:30pm and went to Bank of China for the money exchange for US dollar and in China we only can change at the bank. After settled the money exchange then we rush to the small goose pagoda at 5:30pm and it closed. So we just manage to snap the entrance and a little glimpse of the pagoda peak at the car park. We quickly head to the Big goose pagoda for the 8:30pm fountain light show which is reasonable basic with no hooha. After the show we continue to the Bell tower by tuk tuk. We head on to the Muslim Quarter night markets which quite worth it and it has all the local muslim delight along the night markets. There goes our second tiring day at Xi’an.


-Next Day-

Silk Route Day 2: Exploring Xi’an to Daming & Xi’an Ancient Wall

We start our day tour at 10am with a local food Bieng Bieng mee along the road of the ancient international youth hostel. Then we took the metro to Daming palace. The excavation palace is situated at the huge park where it is advisable to take the RMB20 tram which included inside & outside the Daming palace entrance. There is a nice museum air conditional where you can take a break before heading to the hot sunny palace site. The favourite attraction at Daming is the miniature version of the palace where we can imagine how real the whole palace in reality.

Then we took a light walk to the Xi’an Railway station to get all our 3 railway tickets before heading to our late lunch.

After lunch we took a train from Wulokou to Yongninmen to view the Xi’an City wall at sunset. Then we walk to Shuyuenmen for the cultural street but the street almost close because it is too late after the sunset.

-Next Day-

Silk Route Day 1: Arrival to Xi’an & beginning of Silk Route

Arrived at midnight to Xi’an airport from KL to start our 2 weeks Silk Route journey to the west. As usual we have none access to Google, Facebook etc. Online map wasn’t help to those that don’t read Chinese even translator sometimes totally translate to a different meaning. Internet WIFI was not that smooth as well at airport and Welcome to China!!!

We took 2 cab to Ancient International Youth Hostel and we got a room that have 7 beds and the shared bathroom & toilet is really clean and the hostel is a good stay. Along the road there are few nice restaurant with famous bieng bieng mee and there are a KFC opposite the hostel where it serve porridge and soya bean at supper, something really different from Malaysia KFC. Metro train is just a stone away from the hostel.

-Next Day-

Nature retreat at Singapore blended with Coastal Broadwalk, Changi Village & Pulau Ubin

We spend 3 day 2 night at Changi Cove where the hotel is simple and cozy located at Changi greenery area with some old historical trees which previously is an army old barrack converted into a modern hotel where some locals like to host their wedding and company event here.

The room has a bean bag for reading and watching TV with a touch of Nespresso coffee maker adding the cozy to the room. Beside that the room also filled with l'occitane toiletry that make the stay more fulfilled. There are a written wall that just right for company or individual planning.

Lets have some great adventure the next day with a morning short walk to the Coastal Broadwalk which is just 300m from Changi Cove next to the Changi Beach Club. Then there are 4 sections of the broadwalk where we start off with sunset walk, then follow by Kelong walk, Cliff Walk and final section which is the Sailing Point Walk which take approximately 45 minutes reaching Changi Village where the jetty located.

There is a Changi hawker food juncture where we can have a great famous Nasi Lemak before depart for Pulau Ubin. Take a bum boat ride for S$3 about 20 minutes to reach Pulau Ubin. This little tiny island can be fully visit with bicycle. Walking tour can cover Chek Java Wetland which I did. Walking from the jetty to Chek Java take approximately 45 minutes to an hour per way.

Before reaching the Chek Java entrance and there are a jungle trek section where there are some monkeys and wild boar still exist around the nature trekking. All bicycles need to park outside the entrance and only walking are allow at Chek Java Wetland.

There are 3 walking tour at Chek Java Wetland. There are a viewing jetty walk, then follow by the Chek Java coastal broadwalk and follow by the final Mangrove walk with the viewing tower.Whole walking journey took about 3 to 4 hours but a half day would be more relax.