K M Cheng-Travel Journal: China ( North East ) Aug 2015

Travel solo, backpack, strange places
free & easy, go as far as you can

About Warmth &
Hope in this world

A breakfast menu
in Old Beijing

" Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world "

" Better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times "

" Chances are, other people you meet travelling alone are going to be incredibly interesting people "

" My 28 days traveling solo to North Eastern China (provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Shandong & Beijing) from 31/7- 28/8/2015 - focusing on my visits to towns bordering Russia (ie Heihe & Suifenhe) & North Korea (ie Tumen & Dandong) and the coastal cities of Liaoning & Shandong (ie Dalian, Yantai & Qingdao) - a total of 13 cities/towns "

Travel Itinerary: Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) > Beijing > Harbin > Heihe > Wudalian Chi > Harbin > Mudanjiang > Suifenhe > Mudanjiang > Yanji > Tumen > Yanji > Changchun > Dandong > Dalian > Yantai > Qiangdao > Beijing > Kuala Lumpur

Total expenses incurred (28 days): CNY5,370 + Rm954 = Rm4,256 (US$1,105)

Air Asia Ticket (KL>Beijing>KL): Rm775
Airport bus & Taxi : Rm75
Airport shuttle bus + train express: CNY50
Visa fee: RM104
Hostels (dorm/single): CNY1,550 (25.5 days)
Food: CNY994
Entrance fee (total): CNY270 (senior)
- Forbidden City : CNY30
- Summer Palace : CNY30
- Wudalian Chi : CNY 40 x 2
- Jing Po Lake : CNY40
- Imperial palace of Manchu state : CNY40
- Bang Chui Dao Island : CNY20
- Yantai Shan : CNY30
Ferry: CNY180 + CNY10 (Dalian>Yantai)
Speed Boat: CNY200 (Wudalian Chi & Jing Po Lake)
Long Distance Bus (total): CNY976
- Haerbin>Heihe : CNY166
- Heihe>Wudalian Chi : CNY83
- Wudalian Chi>Haerbin : CNY103
- Herbin>Mudanjiang : CNY96
- Mudanjiang > Suifenhe > Mudanjiang : CNY39 x 2
- Mudanjiang > Jing Po Lake > Mudanjiang : CNY50
- Mudanjiang > Yanji : CNY74
- Yanji > Tumen>Yanji : CNY15 x 2
- Ynaji > Changchun : CNY117
- Dandong>Dalian : CNY99
- Yantai > Qingdao : CNY80
Train (total): CNY698
- Beijing > Harbin = CNY306 (high speed)
- Changchun > Dandong = CNY78
- Qingdao > Beijing = CNY314 (high speed)
Shuttle bus (scenic area): CNY186
Taxi: CNY15
Metro: CNY38
Day Tour: CNY100 (Dandong)
City bus: CNY88

Exchange Rates (23/7/2015): CNY1=Rm0.615 (Ringgit Malaysia); US1=Rm3.85

North Eastern China Map

Map of Heilongjiang

Map of Jilin

Map of Liaoning

Map of Shandong

When I booked my Air Asia promotional ticket for this China trip in Nov 2014, I was aiming at visiting Russia via Beijing to Harbin and then by train to Vladivostok. From Vladivostok I will then travel north east by train all the way to Khabarovsk, Ulan Ude, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk and then return to Beijing via Manzhouli. But getting a Russian visa is bureaucratic unless you are prepared to pay Rm480 (US$125) using an accredited agency in Kuala Lumpur to apply the visa on your behalf !

With a change in my travel plan, I then focused my north eastern China trip to visit cities & towns bordering Russia & North Korea. Now that I had done the trip, I must confess that the outcome was fabulous and rewarding !

The 13 cities/towns I visited in north eastern China were:

Beijing

Heilongjiang Province
- Harbin
- Heihe
- Wudalian Chi
- Mudanjiang
- Suifenhe
Jilin Province

- Changchun

- Yanji

- Tumen
Liaoning Province
- Dandong

- Dalian

Shandong Province
- Yantai
- Qingdao

For public transport, I used high speed trains for my travelling to bigger cities like Beijing to Harbin and Qingdao to Beijing. As for the smaller towns along the Russian & North Korean borders, I relied mainly on long distance buses instead of normal trains as it was difficult to buy a sleeper train ticket during the summer month of August when millions of students were on vacations. Everything worked well except I missed visiting Mohe & the Arctic Village (northern tip of Heilongjiang) as most sleeper train tickets were sold out well in advance !

Most of my hostel accommodations in bigger cities like Beijing, Harbin, Qingdao, Dalian & Yantai, were booked on line via Hostelworld website. A number of the youth hostels I stayed in these cities were within walking distance to Metro, bus stations & the old towns so I saved considerable time moving around the touristy places. As for the smaller towns like Wudalian Chi, Heihe, Mudanjiang, Yanji, Dandong etc, I put up in smaller hotels located 50-100m from the long distance bus terminals upon arrivals - no advance booking !

Due to their close proximity, I was able to visit Suifenhe on a day trip from Mudanjiang. Likewise, I did a day trip to Tumen from Yanji.

It was far more economical & convenient to sign up a day tour package eg Mudanjiang & Dandong as their major tourist sites are located far away from the city centre.

As for my visits to coastal cities like Dalian & Yantai, the six hour ferry crossing between both cities was an interesting experience ! The bus ride from Yantai to Qingdao took slightly over 3.5 hrs via a new express way.

All in all, a very fruitful visit for me to see the greater region of the north east China. In every free & easy travelling, one has to walk extra mile to see with your own eyes the many wonderful places around you, whether it is natural or man made ! Travelling does enhance your knowledge in geography, history, culture & customs of a nation !

Early autumn is still the best time for visiting north eastern China as the weather is much cooler unlike the late summer month of August - rather warm during the day !

Beijing