Manzhouli 满洲里

Posted on October 4, 2026 by The Traveller

My arrival in Manzhouli was certainly an interesting one. On the day I arrived, the city was experiencing a temporary water restriction. When I checked into my hotel in the afternoon, there was no water supply. Fortunately, the hotel staff were very kind and considerate. They brought me a large 5-litre bottle of drinking water for my personal use, which was very much appreciated. By the time I returned to the hotel in the evening, the water supply had thankfully been restored.

I stayed at the Metal Hotel, which is in an excellent location along the China-Russia Golden Walking Street. The area is lively and colorful, with plenty of shops and interesting architecture that reflects Manzhouli’s unique blend of Chinese and Russian influences.

One of the highlights of the area is Matryoshka Square 满洲里套娃广场, famous for its giant Russian-style nesting doll and colorful buildings. It is only a few minutes away from the hotel by taxi, although I decided to walk there instead. The walk gave me a chance to take in the sights and atmosphere of this fascinating border city at a more leisurely pace.

There are free rides and shows in the Matryoshka Square.

From Matryoshka Square, the Guomen Scenic Area 国门景区 is just about five minutes away by taxi. Guomen, meaning “National Gate,” is located near the China-Russia border and is one of Manzhouli’s important landmarks. Although foreigners are not permitted to enter certain parts of the Guomen area, we are allowed to go up to the top of the tower. From there, I could enjoy a fascinating aerial view of the surrounding border region, where China, Mongolia and Russia meet.

The location of the hotel was also very convenient for getting around. Manzhouli Railway Station is located at the end of the street and is within walking distance, making it easy to travel to and from the city.

Despite the little surprise of arriving during a water restriction, I had a very pleasant stay in Manzhouli. The friendly service at the hotel, its convenient location, and the unique atmosphere of this border city made my visit a memorable part of my journey through Inner Mongolia

Baotou 包头

Posted on September 30, 2026 by The Traveller

In Baotou, I stayed in a smart hotel equipped with AI technology. It was quite an interesting experience when almost everything in the room could be controlled by voice commands through a virtual assistant. I could switch the lights on and off, turn the TV on and off, and even open and close the curtains simply by speaking to the AI.

The AI assistant could do more than just control things in the room. I could ask it to give me an early morning wake-up call, and it could even recommend places to visit and attractions to explore in Baotou. I felt a little like having a personal assistant right in the hotel room!

The following day turned out to be a long and busy one. I took a taxi out to the grassland and later took another taxi to Northern Weaponry City 北方兵器城.

Along the way, I chatted with the taxi driver, who kindly recommended a few more places for me to visit. Taking his advice, I continued on to Baotou Ancient City 包头古城, followed by Baotou Golden Street 包头金街 and Flower Dance World 花舞人间.

Unfortunately, Flower Dance World was closed when I arrived. There was nothing much I could do except taking a few photographs at the entrance before moving on. It was a little disappointing, but these unexpected moments are also part of travelling.

It had been a hot and tiring day, and I finally returned to the hotel in the late afternoon. I found that there is a night market near the hotel, so I headed there in the evening to look for something to eat.

While browsing the stalls, something suddenly caught my attention, a stall selling Singapore-style ice cream. What a surprise! Seeing something so familiar in Baotou. It was one of those small and unexpected moments that made the day memorable.

Overall, I really enjoyed my stay in the smart hotel. The AI features were fun and surprisingly useful, and the hotel was comfortable and convenient. If I return to Baotou in the future, I think I might just stay there again.

Hailar 海拉尔

Posted on September 26, 2026 by The Traveller

I arrived in Hailar 海拉尔 from Baotou 包头 by plane. As the taxi drove me towards the city, the driver casually remarked that Hailar is a small place. “If I just keep driving straight,” he said, “we’ll soon reach the end of the road.” His words gave me my first impression of Hailar is a small, quiet city surrounded by the vastness of Inner Mongolia.

I stayed in a large 4-star hotel with a nice window view. Although the hotel was somewhat old, it was comfortable enough. My booking did not include breakfast but I was given free breakfast for the 2 nights stay.

The hotel is located outside the city centre, but getting to Genghis Khan Square 成吉思汗广场 was easy. A taxi ride took less than ten minutes and cost 8 yuan (S$1.44).

From Genghis Khan Square, I continued on foot and eventually reached Hulunbuir Ancient City 呼伦贝尔古城. The walk gave me a chance to see the city at a slower pace, rather than simply passing through it in the taxi. Later that afternoon, instead of taking the taxi, I decided to walk all the way back to the hotel from Genghis Khan Square. It was a long and pleasure walk, roughly the distance of 10 bus stops.

Not far from the hotel, there is a small square where local people gathered in the evening to sing and dance. As I walked past, the music caught my attention. Groups of people were dancing together, seemingly without much concern for the cold evening air. Their energy and enthusiasm were infectious. I stopped to watch, intending to stay only for a few minutes, but ended up spending more than an hour.

It was one of those unexpected travel moments that cannot be found in the travel guidebook. There was nothing particularly spectacular about the square, just music, dancing, and ordinary people enjoying their evening. Yet somehow, it became one of those memories I carried away from Hailar.

I took the public bus for one yuan (S$0.18) to the train station to check on the train schedule. I took another bus to visit the museum.

Hailar does not have many attractions, and after 2 days, I felt that I had seen enough of the city. Following the advice of the hotel staff, I decided to take a coach rather than the train for my next journey to Manzhouli 满洲里.

Qiqihar 齐齐哈尔

Posted on September 25, 2026 by The Traveller

The hotel I stayed in Qiqihar is in a very convenient location, just a few minutes’ walk from the train station. The room I stayed offered a lovely view, which added to the comfort of the stay.

Although breakfast was not included in my booking, I decided to pay an additional S$4.71 and I found the money well spent. The breakfast spread was surprisingly impressive, with a good variety of choices ranging from fresh salad and noodles to toast and yoghurt. What made it even more enjoyable was the pleasant aerial view from the dining area, allowing me to have breakfast while looking out over the city.

I visited the Longsha Park 龙沙公园, where I enjoyed a peaceful walk and had a chance to slow down and take in the surroundings. Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to visit Zhalong Nature Reserve, which is famous for its red-crowned cranes. The reserve is located quite far from the city, so I decided to give it a miss on this trip.

Overall, I spent 2 days in Qiqihar and had an enjoyable and relaxing stay. Although the city may not have as many attractions as some of the other destinations on my journey, it provided a pleasant break and a chance to experience a quieter side of Heilongjiang 黑龙江.

Floating Market 水上市场

Posted on February 16, 2026 by The Traveller

There are a few floating markets in Bangkok. The floating markets offer unique, culturally immersive experience, featuring vendors selling fresh fruits and vegetables, authentic Thai street food, local handicrafts and others. I have visited the floating markets for at least 3 times but I did not buy any items or try any of the food. I was just busy taking photographs as the floating markets are the photographers’ paradise.

Phuket 普吉岛

Posted on January 16, 2026 by The Traveller

Phuket is famous for its stunning tropical beaches with clear waters and vibrant nightlife, though I seldom go out at night. Patong beach is a very interesting place as there are many water activities, though I never take the Parasailig nor Jey Ski. I have visited Phuket 3 times and each time I found there are something new. Worth visiting again

Initially, I was thinking of taking the bus from Johor to Hat Yai and than take another bus to Phuket. When the KKK bus reached the Malaysia-Thai border, we were told that Hat Yai was flooded and the bus was unable to move further. I had to take the train to Penang and took a flight to Phuket.

I took the bus and went for a tour of the Phuket town.

Saw this stall of street food “A Pong Mae Sunee” that has the Michelin award from 2022 to 2025. They are selling coconut crepes cooked in mini woks over charcoal at S$1 for 6 pieces.

I took the guided tour and visited 3 islands

After staying 6 days and 5 nights in Phuket, I took the premium VIP sleeper bus from Phuket Bus Terminal 2 to Bangkok. This is a 16 hours ride with food and drinks provided.

**Tap to see the pictures taken in other trips to Phuket.**

Songkhla 宋拉

Posted on January 10, 2026 by The Traveller

Songkhla is in southern Thailand, near the border with Malaysia. It is about 30 minutes drive to Hat Yai.

Ayutthaya 大城府

Posted on January 9, 2026 by The Traveller

This is my second trip to Ayutthaya. The first trip was a quick few hours tuk-tuk tour of the place during a raining day. For this trip, I stayed for 3 days and 2 nights in Ayutthaya. I even took a boat ride to view the temples that are along the river.

I stayed in this Zleepinezz Hostel which fits in well with my needs, activities and plans. Breakfast is included in the room rate and there is a special dish each day for Asian people. There is a night market about 400 meters walk from the hostel. The banana waffle was extraordinarily good. There are also fried silkworms and crispy crickets in the market but these are not for me.

Ayutthaya is a city full of interesting ruins of Buddhist temples. The center is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. If you ask me which temples are worth seeing? My answer is “I do not know”. I bought the ticket to visit 7 temples. Just walk out of the hostel and I could see the 2 famous historical temples. Walk another 20 minutes down, I see another 2 more historical temples. The other 3 temples are a bit far, need to take transport. I will suggest that you get the ticket that allows you to visit all the 7 temples at 300 baht instead of paying 80 baht per temple visit.

I booked the afternoon boat ride with the hostel. Despite the bad weather, with a little of bit rain, we managed to get off the boat twice to visit the temples. I was curious to know how do the people live along the river when the water occasionally came into the house when it rains.

Beijing 北京

Posted on October 16, 2025 by The Traveller

在北京看到了长城的雄气,
颐和园的秀气,
故宫的霸气,
寺庙的灵气,
果然名不虚传!

印象深刻

多年之后再度到访
仍然看到那些熟悉的地方
但是心里有一种感觉
北京已经不一样了

以前必须携带现金
现在使用手机一扫
吃饭坐车和买东西
一个码全都搞定了

想要去天安門廣場走走
得上网预约日期和时间
地铁路线变得更加便捷
站告牌也跟随会说话了

高楼快要剪破天边的云
霓虹灯在夜色中聚跳舞
我仍然站在路边轻感叹
北京啊我快认不出你了

但是那熟悉的暖风, 还是从胡同里吹边来

无法进入宫殿，只能留在宫外寻找格格拍照

上次错过了这个遺址公園. 这次一定要去看看这个被英法联军烧毁的圆明园.

綠草蒼蒼, 白霧茫茫
有位佳人, 在水一方
綠草萋萋, 白霧迷離
有位佳人, 靠水而居

– 瓊瑤

北京国家体育场 – 鸟巢

北京奥运会国家游泳中心 – 水立方

北京环球度假区

美食齐聚在北京

Harbin 哈尔滨

Posted on October 5, 2025 by The Traveller

夏天的哈尔滨阳光明媚.
太阳没有那么热, 风还有点凉,
走在中央大街上,心也跟着放松了.

夏天的哈尔滨啊,
我不赶时间,也不装模作样,
来这里探索旅游区,一边陪你看夜景.

夏天的哈尔滨你可真是美,
站在圣索菲亚教堂静静看着,
公主笑得像城市的阳光.

夏天的哈尔滨冰城有人情暖,
提供外套和靴子进入城堡,
室内冰灯万盏照天涯,不惧严寒心自暖.

夏天的哈尔滨啊,
像遇见个有故事的老朋友,
当我们再次相见, 可要好好的喝上一杯.

I took the ferry to the Sun Island. Instead of taking the ferry back, I walked across the bridge to the Polar Park 哈尔滨极地公园, which is near to the train station.