We got an early morning start on Friday in hopes of not missing our train like we did on the morning we went to Korea. On the fifteen minute walk to the school gate we about froze because of the lack of clothes we were wearing - it's hard to pack light for ninety degree weather and spend a day in transit in 30 degree temps. In the taxi, the driver chatted with us a bit and was particularly interested in why we were spending seven weeks traveling outside of China instead of exploring such "a big and beautiful country." I explained that while we like traveling in China, we didn't want to be there during the crazy, crowded and expensive New Year Spring Festival Holiday. He seemed ok with that. We made it to the station in plenty of time and enjoyed a smooth and calm two-hour train ride to Hangzhou. During the ride my seat partners changed several times and all were very friendly and chatty. I repeated close to the same conversation with all of them since my Chinese is limited at best. Sean's highlight was when his seat partner (male) shyly asked for a photo together at the end of the ride and promptly pulled out his phone and snapped one of the two of them together. ($5 taxi, $46 train tickets, $5 coffee and rolls)

Once we reached Hangzhou we had to take another taxi to the airport since we were short on time and really didn't want to miss our flight to Malaysia. Our airline, Air Asia, is one of those cheap ones where you have to pay for everything - bags, food . . . I'm surprised you didn't have to pay to use the restroom. We met Daniel in line and after checking in headed to Mcdonalds for lunch. It was a ton of fun to see him again and we enjoyed catching up and sharing stories. The flight went great and after 6 hours we were deposited on the runway and had to walk to the terminal. The weather was heavenly; after freezing in Changzhou, never taking my jacket off and huddling next to my heater, I was totally psyched to exit the plane into a hot, balmy and breezy evening. Vacation has begun. ($14 taxi and $10 Mcdonalds)

After we stood in line and were granted our free 90-day visas we were funneled out into a really nice and modern open-air airport. We walked around the chaos a bit and then figured out that the best way to get into the city (about an hour ride) was to take a budget taxi. Malaysia's system was unique; you approach the counter, tell them where you want to go, they ask the number of people and bags and then give you a fixed price. Then you have to find the taxi company and give them the receipt and they take you where you want to go. I appreciated this system because it seemed to avoid some of the scams/traps we have fallen into before. Who knew? In Malaysia, they drive on the left.

Fortunately, Daniel had used some of his frequent flier miles that were about to expire to reserve us a triple deluxe hotel room that we all enjoyed immensely (thanks Daniel!). After about an hour in the taxi and a day of traveling, we all crashed pretty hard. People always ask me how much it costs to travel around SE Asia so I'll try to include some prices of the things that we do and the places that we stay. The goal of me and Sean is $100/day and if it's one thing I've learned is that money goes FAST when traveling. ($16 taxi to city, $90- how much the hotel would have cost w/o the miles) Budget Day 1: $96

1 Comment

1. Mrs. Lisa Douglas on January 8, 2011 at 12:37 PM

   Malaysia sounds WONDERFUL, especially after all the snow that we've just gotten in Michigan.