Gulangyu : Where do I even begin? Another UNESCO site CHECKED
Ok, this trip to Gulangyu happened without much planning as we have arrived from Guangzhou midday and decided to do a half day trip somewhere. Originally, we were thinking about going to Kinmen but apparently we ended up at the wrong terminal. Even though the terminal stated Taiwan and international. So this makes it a little confusing. And since we reached this port near the metro subway station named Cruise Center. Somehow we were told that this isn’t the ferry port to go to kinmen. Since we were already there, we decided to buy the ticket to go Gulangyu instead of Kinmen. The place is definitely beautiful and lots of history behind it. But one thing for sure. One needs to do the homework before going to this place. As this was an impromptu plan, we spent rmb80 for a so called VIP ticket to board the cruise which took about 20minutes to cross the straits. Little did we know, there is nothing vip about the ticket. We ended up having to look for a seat inside the ferry after having to squeeze thru the crowds just to get a seat. So I would say, plan in advance so you will have a better experience than mine. The cost for the ticket was much lower if you do plan ahead. Lesson 1: nothing vip about the ticket, lol. Lesson 2: Local Guide: need one or not, that depends on how much you really need to know about the history of this island. After all, this is a unesco site. I love visiting unesco sites. So I booked one. Not too much, it was about rmb150. Took about 2-3 hours to walk around some famous sites. In my opinion, one can just save the money if you are those type who likes to have freedom in your walks and love to explore the unknown just to feel the adventure in itself😀. So yes can skip it if you are. But definitely worth it if you are a history buff. Lesson 3: there will be many entrances that needs to buy tickets. So do prepare to pay for different buildings as you move along. But of course you can skip it if you want. There are plenty others that are free. Lesson 4: if you got invited to a have a drink at a tea house, my suggestion is to politely decline if you do not intend to buy anything. Although they told us it is free to have a drink, but let’s be real, no one can just walk away after having sampling some of the best local tea making at the scene. So, unless you really like to spend anywhere from rmb300 to infinity, I would suggest just buy a coke at a local sundry shop should suffice. We left the island at about 630pm, and that took us to a ferry that is jammed pack with loads of people. Although it is only a 10 minute ride, I felt truly unsafe with the amount of people on board. I would like to have timed it so I can leave the place with less amount of people. Just try to time your visit. There are plenty of ferry rides but just need to be aware of this. Overall, this place is a well run and well protected sites and it is nice to visit despite some hiccups. Just need to plan ahead of time. At last, one more unesco site, checked!