A Riverside Stroll Through the Old City

After a quick rest at the hotel, we decided to try taking a bus ride to the city. The bus stop was conveniently located just outside the hotel. We had to activate the Nantong City Bus feature on the AliPay application before we can use it to scan and pay for the bus ride. The bus ride cost 2 RMB one way and took about 20mins. We alight at the city’s TV station tower and decided to spend the day in the city area.

We took a calming walk along the city river, enjoying the charm of the old city. The river surrounds the old city and had once protected it like a natural moat. As we strolled, we saw a mix of old and new buildings, creating a unique blend of history and modernity. It was a peaceful and relaxing experience.

Our walk along the river lead then lead us to the Temple district, home to a Buddhist temple (Tianning Temple - 天宁寺） with a long history dating back to 863 A.D. Surrounded by clusters of traditional houses, the temple stands as a symbol of spiritual heritage and community. It's often said that towns and cities begin around such places of worship, growing outward from there.

We stopped for lunch at a quaint noodle and snack shop, offering traditional dishes. I order a bowl of prawn roe noodle while J got the pork noodle. We also ordered a couple of traditional snacks.

Next, we head to the City Clock Tower, it was a unique blend of Eastern and Western architecture. The tower combined a traditional Chinese building structure with a modern clock tower attached. As we admired the fusion of styles, the soothing melodies of an erhu player filled the air, adding to the ambiance of the scene. We couldn't help but wonder whether the musician was a busker or simply someone who enjoyed sharing their music with passersby.

Later, we strolled along a stretch of charming cafes and had tea break in one of the cafes. While the coffee and tea were enjoyable, prices were a bit steep, ranging from S$4 to $5 per cup.

A comforting simple meal of Fried Beehoon, fried Wanton, and Pork bone soup perfectly capped off the night.

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Flight to Rails: From Shanghai to Nantong

Checking in Juneyao Airline at Singapore Changi Airport, T4 was a breeze and we went to Blossoms Lounge with our free Priority Pass access to grab a bite and a quick rest before boarding the plane. The flight was on a smaller Airbus A320 with a 3x3 seat configuration and it lacked any in-flight entertainment. Nevertheless, the flight was rather uneventful and given its red-eye nature, spanning a tolerable 5-hour duration, we weren't particularly inclined towards movies anyway. Considering the price of our tickets, the journey remained quite worthwhile.

We arrived at Shanghai Pudong Airport at the scheduled time at 4:40AM. the customs clearance process unfolded smoothly, with our luggage retrieval taking no more than an hour. Once outside, we tried to make payment using WeChat pay for the first time and managed to purchase successfully 2 bottles of water from the Convenient store. However, I think we still need to figure out how to get around this for our future trips as there are restrictions for transactions exceeding 2,000 RMB.

Transitioning to the next leg of our journey required navigating the metro system from Pudong to Hongqiao train station, a journey spanning approximately an hour. . I think once they linked up the railway to Pudong, the whole journey will be more bearable. As it was early in the morning and we were at the terminal station, we were able to get seats on the metro. Otherwise, I think the 1-hr journey will be quite painful, especially since we were travelling with 2 big bags and didn’t really manage to sleep during the flight.

Once we arrived at Hong Qiao Train Station, we headed straight to purchase our high-speed train tickets bound for Nantong. Our original intention was to disembark at Nantong Station, considering its proximity to our hotel. However, to our surprise, the next available train to Nantong Station wasn't until 11 am. We had assumed that all trains departing from Shanghai would naturally make a stop at Nantong Station, but it turned out that wasn't the case. Without much choice, we opted for tickets to Nantong West Station instead.

Pausing for breakfast at the train station due to the early hour and chilly weather, we stumbled upon a restaurant offering piping hot dumpling soup, a comforting start to our day.

     

The ensuing train journey spanned approximately 2 hours, depositing us in Nantong around 10 am. Opting for a taxi to reach our hotel, we contemplated utilizing DiDi but ultimately decided on the convenience of the taxi stand. We arrived at the hotel at around 11 am. Despite the official check-in time being 2 pm, we took a chance and were pleasantly surprised to receive our room keys before noon.

We chose to stay at the Orange Crystal Hotel (桔子水晶酒店). Although it wasn't situated in the city center or adjacent to a metro station, we found convenience in the bus stop just outside the hotel. Within a mere 20 minutes, the bus transported us to the heart of the city center.

View from the Hotel Room

We have checked in!!

"Pre-Travel Musings: Our First Journey to Nantong, China together" (29 Nov - 05 Dec 2023)

Anticipating a year without travel, we unexpectedly found ourselves planning a trip when J had some leave to clear. While scouring airfare prices in the region, we stumbled upon a remarkably affordable flight to Shanghai with JuneYao Airlines (吉祥航空), costing around S$400. Without hesitation, we seized the opportunity and embarked on a spontaneous journey to Nantong, China.

Located approximately 105 km from Shanghai, Nantong lies in the eastern part of Jiangsu Province, on the northern bank of the Yangtze River. Our plan was to fly to Shanghai and then take a high-speed train to Nantong. J's connection to the city, having been stationed there for the past few years, fueled our excitement as he eagerly anticipated reconnecting with friends. For me, it presented a perfect chance to delve into the city's culture, while also putting various payment methods and China apps to the test. Additionally, we intended to secure a China SIM card through J's ex-colleagues to ensure seamless communication during our stay.

Despite my previous visits to China in the pre-COVID era, this journey felt like navigating uncharted territory. China's rapid development had transformed the landscape, leaving me somewhat disoriented amidst the modernization. The familiarity that once guided me felt outdated, and an unexpected sense of uncertainty lingered, even with our proficiency in the local language.

Navigating the digital landscape posed its own set of challenges.

GPS Navigation Apps: Firewall restrictions rendered Google Maps outdated since the establishment of the Great Firewall of China. The primary map app in China, Baidu (百度), required a local China +86 number for verification, making it inconvenient as we couldn’t save the locations of places of interest. Fortunately, we discovered another application, 高德地图 (Gaode Maps), which allowed us to register and enhanced our navigation experience by marking places of interest and enabling GPS tracking.

E-Payment Wallets: China's rapid development in this area meant that electronic payments were the most widely accepted method in the country. WeChat and Alipay were the two main E-Wallet service providers. However, as foreigners, we faced difficulties verifying our identity through WeChat, so we opted for the more internationally used Alipay app. Surprisingly, this was a much easier process as we only had to upload a copy of our passport for registration and identity verification. With this E-Wallet, we were able to have J’s friend (from China) transfer some money, and we paid them back in cash.

Hotel Booking: Despite the rise of Airbnb, we discovered that foreigners in China are unable to check into Airbnb housing due to security issues. We could only opt for hotels that had systems allowing us to register with the local authorities. We found affordable hotels via the Trip.com App.

Researching Nantong's attractions became an intriguing prelude to our journey. As a non-touristy city, it promised a unique experience, devoid of the usual crowds. Despite this, we uncovered some appealing sites that ignited our excitement. Opting for a less touristy destination seemed like a wise choice, promising a more affordable and serene experience, allowing us to immerse ourselves in the local way of life—a prospect that we are eager to explore and contemplate further.

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