20 July 2018, Friday
This morning, we went for breakfast at our inn at 7:45am. Breakfast was included in our booking but sadly, it wasn’t very appetising. It comprised of corn porridge, soup rice noodles, hard-boiled eggs, steamed mantou and unsweetened soya bean milk. Just give me a cup of hot coffee, bread with peanut butter/jam and I’ll be happy!
At about 10am, we checked out of our inn and the nine of us took three taxis to the Fenghuang General Bus Station (凤凰汽车客运总站), less than 10 minutes away. The taxi fare was CNY 20 (S$4.17). Note that there are two other smaller bus stations in Fenghuang –Tuotian Bus Station (沱田客运站) and Tuqiaolong Bus Station (土桥垅汽车站), so make sure you go to the correct one.
Once there, we bought our tickets to Changsha West Bus Station (长沙汽车西站) from the ticket office. The fare was CNY 140 (S$29.20) for the 435km journey and it would take 4½ hours, with the bus departing at 11am. As I write this post now, I just did some research and discovered that there is another bus service from Fenghuang to Changsha Railway Station (长沙火车站). It also costs CNY 140 but the journey is an hour longer at 5½ hours. There was a departure at 10am (which we just missed) and the next one is at 12pm.
It would have made more sense to buy this ticket instead as I would be going to Changsha Railway Station later anyway to collect my train ticket for my onward journey to Nanning tomorrow. Changsha Railway Station is also closer to Changsha Huanghua International Airport, which was where my family was heading to next. If I had done sufficient research beforehand, we could have caught the 10am bus to Changsha Railway Station and everything would have been perfect. This is why good planning is important, and for once, I failed.
In any case, we departed Fenghuang at 11am. There was a chaperone accompanying the bus driver throughout the journey. Before commencing, the chaperone made a pledge on behalf of the company that the driver will not drive while intoxicated or while having insufficient rest, and that he will not his mobile phone while driving. Basically, it was to assure us of our safety. I thought the pledge was quite interesting and responsible.
Along the way, the chaperone gave us detailed information about the connection links to various parts of Changsha city. He also gave us free samples of vacuum-sealed barbecued pork meat, which tasted like our local bak kua. We then had a short toilet break at Taohuayuan (桃花源) at about 2pm.
Strangely, the bus ride took much longer than expected and we only arrived at Changsha West Bus Station at 4:50pm, making it a 5-hour 50-minute journey instead of the expected 4½ hours. The air-conditioning on the bus was also weak so it was an uncomfortable ride. We were quite glad to get off the bus, to be honest.
From the bus station, I bade farewell to my family as they would all be flying home to Singapore tonight. As their flight was due to depart only at 12:20am, we originally considered dropping their luggage at my hotel so that they could explore Changsha city for a few hours. However, with the delay in our arrival, and the fact that they were all tired from the long bus ride, they decided to head directly to the airport from the bus station. At Changsha West Bus Station, they bought another bus ticket to Huanghua International Airport (CNY 30). The bus ride to the airport would take them another hour.
I hugged my parents and all my uncles and aunts as we said goodbye. It wasn’t as tearful as the last time my parents left me in Prague on 25 May because this time, they knew that I would be coming home soon. It was really wonderful spending the past 13 days in China with my family and I was grateful they were with me, taking good care of me. After waving them one last goodbye, we went our separate ways and I was on my own again. Thus, began Phase 4 of my trip, the final stretch as I slowly make my way back home from China.
From the bus station, I walked to the connected Wangchengpo (望城坡) Metro station and hopped on the train to South Railway Station (长沙火车南站). It was a 35-minute ride and it cost CNY 5. There, I proceeded to the ticket counter at basement 1 and collected my train ticket to Nanning, which I had pre-booked via Trip.com. It cost S$69.92 (CNY 306.50), inclusive of S$7 booking fee. With the most important bit of business settled, I hopped on the Metro again and made my way to my hotel.
When I alighted at Huangxing Square station (黄兴广场站) and emerged at the street level at 7pm, I found myself in the heart of the commercial district. My hotel was just a short walk away, located right in the thick of the action at the pedestrian shopping street.
My hotel is formally called Huiyou Maison Hotel Changsha Walker Street Huangxing Plaza Metro Branch (慧友美宿酒店) and its address is No. 296 South Huangxing Road, Tianxin District, Furong, Changsha 410000. For my one-night stay, I booked a deluxe double room via Agoda for CNY 289.03 (S$60.29).
The hotel was very nicely furnished with many cute cartoon characters, illustrations and plush toys. I would say it is geared more towards younger travellers. It felt more like a Taiwanese hotel than a Chinese one. I even had a big round bed in my room. First time I’ll be sleeping in a round bed!
As I only had one night here in Changsha, I was eager to explore so I quickly headed out after dropping my bags. Changsha is the capital and the most populous city of Hunan province, with seven million people here. It is also known as the place where Mao Zedong studied and lived before he began his political career.
The main commercial area of Changsha is at Huangxing Road and I was right smack in the middle of it. The pedestrian street in front of my hotel was lined with department stores and shops, and lots and lots of food. It was a pity that my family members didn’t get the chance to spend a few hours here. I think they would have liked the shopping and buzz here.
Being a solo traveller once more means that I won’t be having big meals with many dishes to feast on. But it also means I am free to pick whatever I like to eat. There were so many food options that I was spoiled for choice, but I managed to find a stall selling my favourite snacks – bubble tea, fried chicken cutlet and Hong Kong style egglets, or egg waffles. All for just CNY 33 (S$6.88). So yummy!
As it was a Friday night, the street was full of people and very lively. I didn’t want to venture too far so I just walked around the area near Huangxing Road to soak in the general atmosphere. I would have liked to try more street food but I was already full.
As I walked around, I inadvertently drifted into a quieter side street and came across a small hairdresser. I decided to go for a haircut because the summer heat was really getting to me. Even at night, it was still 34 degrees Celsius. My haircut cost only CNY 35 (S$7.30), and they even washed my hair twice – once before and once after. It’s been a long time since I had my hair washed at a hairdresser’s. You definitely can’t get this treatment in Singapore for this price.
After that, I walked around for a while more before calling it a night. I retreated to my comfortable hotel room, had a good long shower and plonked down on my circular bed. Time to slow it down and savour the last leg of my adventure…
