8 Days Wuhan Adventure
04 - 07 Apr 2018 & 14 - 17 Apr 2018
Wuhan is the beginning of our longest ever trip to China. We departed Kuala Lumpur on the 4th April and departed Chengdu on 1st May and arriving back to Kuala Lumpur on 2nd May morning. Over a period of 28 days we covered places like Wuhan, Zhangjiajie, Chongqing, Chengdu, Leshan and Emeishan.
We only joined the group tour in Zhangjiajie. The rest of the places we venture on our own even though both myself and my wife speak very limited Chinese language or Pu Tong Hua (Literally common language).
We took the Air Asia flight D7878 from Kuala Lumpur KLIA2 at 6:20pm and arrived at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport at 11:20pm. Due to late booking the tickets cost us RM1,260 for both of us.
Day 2 - 5th April 2018
We waited at the airport until 6am before taking the subway to Hankou Railway Station where we checked into Jiashiting Hotel, which is just next to the railway station.
Later we took the subway to the Jianghan pedestrian street. It was drizzling and the street was quite deserted.
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| Jianghan Street |
Jianghan Street is a famous commercial walking street in
Wuhan with buildings in various styles of architecture that housed old banks,
stores & restaurants
.
We tried the Portuguese tarts (1 RMB each only) and had our late lunch of fried rice and noodles in one of the side cafes.
Later we took the local bus to Hubu Alley which is also famous for all kinds of street food. It was still drizzling and we had to walk with our umbrella.
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| Street food in Hubu Alley |
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| Street food in Hubu Alley |
Day 3 - 6th April 2018
Weather today was good for us to walk in front of Hankou Railway Station which is one of the busiest station in Wuhan. Here you can board the inter-city train, subway and high-speed train.
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| Jiashiting Hotel is at the background |
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| Hankou Railway Station |
Later we walked to Wuhan Museum which is about 500m from Hankou Railway Station, but unfortunately is was closed for renovation. We then spent some time at the nearby Houxianghe Park to watch people dancing.
Later we took the subway from Hankou Railway Station to Pangxiejia Station and walked to Tan Hua Lin Ancient Street. It is a street that is frequented by young people.
A kind of traditional street food that is very popular with the young people. All of them pay using their handphone. All street vendors have their own QR code for payment.
Since we don't have the payment system on our phone we paid cash for our bubble tea drink.
We visited a museum that displays miniature metal figurines that depict the occupations of olden days China.
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| The crowd at Tan Hua Lin Street |
Day 4 - 7th April 2018
Today we checked out from Jiashiting Hotel and took the subway to Grace Hotel near Hanyang Railway Station. We will join my church group from Kuala Lumpur for the Zhangjiajie ground tour till14th April 2018.
After checking into Grace Hotel we had lunch at nearby restaurant before taking the subway to Hubei Province Museum at Donting. Entrance to museum is free.
Hubei Province Museum is the largest national comprehensive museum with the most extensive collections and strongest scientific research in Hubei Province. It houses the province's most important heritage collections, research and display
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| View from the museum top |
Some of the numerous exhibits
On the way back to the subway we tried some street food, a kind of thin bread baked inside a clay jar with charcoal underneath it (5 RMB per piece)
We then took the subway to Chu River Han Street for a walk along the busy street.
Han Street runs along the south bank of the Chu River. Stretching 1500 meters and covers 210,000 square meters, Han Street houses shopping malls, restaurants, cultural and recreational sites
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| The crowd at Han Street |
I tried the sticky rice dumpling from one of the street stalls. It was tasty and cost only RMB 5 each.
On the way back to the subway we stopped by a small bakery shop and bought the freshly baked bread RMB 8 per loaf). It was delicious and worth the queuing up. Waited 15 minutes for the bread to be baked. Literally fresh from the oven!
Day 5 to 11 - 8th to 14th April 2018
From 8th to 14th April 2018 we joined the Zhangjiajie tour with my church's group from Kuala Lumpur.
Do click on the Zhangjiajie link to view our Zhangjiajie adventures.
Day 11 - 14th April 2018.
At the end of the tour we left the group at Jianghan Street and took the subway to Jinjiang Inn at Fuxing Road Station where we stayed for three more nights.
After dinner we walked to nearby Souyi Square where the Revolution of 1911 Museum is located. It is a favorite place for dance exercises to be held nightly and in the morning.
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| Revolution of 1911 Museum at night |
Day 12 - 15th April 2018
After breakfast we went to a few travel agents to look for our Yangtze Cruise. Unfortunately the ships were fully booked during the days that we wanted. So we decided to skip the Yangtze Cruise this time.
We then took the subway to Baotong Temple. The Temple can be easily accessed by Metro Line 2, station is Baotong Temple. Entry is RMB 10 per person. Temple has a calm and peaceful environment. One can take a tour of the main temple. Most attractive are the temple and tower located above, from where one can get a great view of the city
We then took the subway to Baotong Temple. The Temple can be easily accessed by Metro Line 2, station is Baotong Temple. Entry is RMB 10 per person. Temple has a calm and peaceful environment. One can take a tour of the main temple. Most attractive are the temple and tower located above, from where one can get a great view of the city
The front of the temple is a wide open space where people can relax and enjoy the calm environment.
Outside the temple you can find many fortune tellers offering their services. Strangely most of the customers are ladies.
We saw a group of ladies selling puppies at the entrance to the subway station.
We then took the subway to Hankou Railway Station to buy the high speed train tickets to Chongqing. On the way back to the hotel from Fuxing Station we visited the Ziyang Park which is just opposite Jinjiang Inn
Day 13 - 16th April 2018
Today we decided to visit the Wuhan Botanical Garden. We walked from Jinjiang Inn to the Yellow Crane Tower to board the bus. Later we found out the actual bus stop was at another location.
The Wuhan Botanical Garden (WBG) is one of three research-oriented botanical gardens in China, WBG’s mission is to develop and maintain plant collections for display, conservation, education and research.
As one of the primary ex-situ conservation institutions in China, WBG now boasts more than 10,000 plant species and varieties and has 16 specialty gardens. The Kiwifruit Garden and the National Kiwifruit Germplasm Repository conserve more than 70 percent of the kiwifruit species in the world, and the Aquatic Plant Garden is the largest of its kind in the world. Likewise, the Wild Fruit Garden, the Rare and Endangered Plant Garden, and the Medicinal Herb Garden are among the largest in China and primarily conserve respective species from central China.
Entrance fee is RMB 40 for foreigners. We spent about 4 hours walking through the various gardens. We missed the Sakura and Peach flowering season by a few weeks. Was told the best time to visit was early March.
Entrance fee is RMB 40 for foreigners. We spent about 4 hours walking through the various gardens. We missed the Sakura and Peach flowering season by a few weeks. Was told the best time to visit was early March.
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| Peaches at the Botanical Garden |
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| Red Peach |
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| Green Peach |
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| Lotus Pond |
From the Wuhan Botanical Garden we took the bus to Mo Hill (Mo Shan) which is part of Wuhan East Lake Scenic Area.
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| East Lake Scenic Area |
From Mo Hill we took the bus back to the city. We had our first foot massage at a massage centre near the bus stop. Later we had our dinner at a local restaurant just a few doors away.
After dinner we walked to the Souyi Square to watch the people dancing for the last time.
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| Our dinner that cost only RMB 33 |
Street calligraphy at Souyi Square
Day 14 - 17th April 2018
Today is the our last day in Wuhan. After breakfast we took the subway to Hankou Railway Station to board the 10:25am high speed train to Chongqing arriving at 4:40pm. Ticket price was RMB 495 for both of us, which is cheaper than domestic flight
We had our breakfast at this small café. Around Jinjiang Inn are many such small cafés where we can have breakfast, though usually very crowded in the morning
Jinjiang Inn, where we stayed for 4 nights. It is very near to Fuxing Road Subway Station. This is a chain hotel in China. Very pleasant and affordable. Our 3 nights stays cost us RM287.
Please click on the Zhangjiajie link for our Zhangjiajie tour adventures
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