Posted in Travel - China on 02/06/2012 09:02 pm by Claudine
When other cities in China lose their tourists during the winter months, Harbin is quite the opposite. The allure of Harbin during winter drives tourists to visit in droves. Foreign and local tourists flock this city during winter albeit the freezing weather to enjoy the Ice and Snow Festival which opens every year on January 5.
If you plan to head up north when the Ice and Snow Festival is on, here are some things that you should be aware of:
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Train tickets to and from Harbin are sold out within the first 10 minutes when it becomes available. Particularly train tickets for the Friday night sleeper train with return on Sunday night.
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You will more or less pay the full air ticket price during weekends.
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Airport buses to the city are available at RMB 20 per person.
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It is advisable to hire a car in advance than wing it by taking public buses or taxis if you plan to go around the city. Buses to the main tourist spots are infrequent and are always full. Taxis are limited and will most likely pick up passengers along the route.
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Posted in Starbucks on 11/28/2011 09:19 pm by Claudine
Christmas is just around the corner and what better way to warm yourself up than sip the Christmas beverages at Starbucks. Furthermore, to make it merrier, Starbucks is launching the 12 Days of Christmas promo.
12 Days of Gifting
For 12 days starting from December 1, Starbucks store in mainland China will have a daily promo for their customers. Here are some of the promos that they’re having based from conversations with the baristas.
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Posted in Travel - China on 09/11/2011 05:01 am by Claudine
In 2011, my dream of going to Harbin became a reality. I have been planning to go to this place for four years already but it never came to fruition. The best time to visit is during the Ice and Snow Festival which opens every year on the 5th of January.
The original plan was to go with a group of people from the US Embassy. We will be taking the train to Harbin and take the plane back. However, as January is considered their peak season and the Chinese New Year is just around the corner, tickets to Harbin sell in a blink of an eye. With no tickets in sight, the group dwindled down to 3 people (Shaady, Donny and I). Shaady and Donny flew on Friday night, while I flew on Saturday morning. I was lucky to be able to get a train ticket back to Beijing courtesy of my colleague’s parents who are based in Harbin.
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Posted in Travel - China on 02/03/2010 05:40 am by Claudine
After experiencing Chinese New Year in Beijing in 2006, I told myself that I don’t want to be stuck in the city with nothing to do and being bored. Ever since then, I’m usually out of town and either head back home or to a different location. This year, my friend and I will visit the elusive Harbin. I’ve been trying to visit this place for the past 3 years and I don’t want to mess it up this year.
Harbin (哈尔滨)
Harbin is the capital of Heilongjiang, which is the northernmost province of China. It is dubbed as “Ice City” for its long and cold winter. It is also famous for it’s winter ice sculptures which happens every year in January and February.
In the 1920s, it is recognized as China’s fashion capital as the newest fashion passed by this city before heading towards Shanghai. The city borders Russia and a lot of their architecture are influenced by their neighbor.
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