Mr. & Mrs. Vandebilt + kids

I wrote a post earlier about setting up this part of the trip but for those of you trying to do something similar here is the rest of the story.

We had already purchased our tickets on the overnight bus from Shenzhen to Pingxiang so all that remained was to complete the trip. We left Hong Kong around noon and simply reversed the subway trip we took in. It seemed to be much quicker and easier, oddly enough, to get into China than into HK and we arrived in Shenzhen around 2.

We grabbed a bite to eat at the only restaurant in the bus terminal with our HK roommate Ollie. He arrived the second day we were in HK en route to becoming an english teacher in China. It’s always nice to meet up with new people even if it is only for a short time. He took off for the airport and we boarded our bus with our other new friend Oyea. Oyea lives in Pingxiang and was more than happy to show us the ropes.

We boarded the bus at 640pm and were more than pleasantly surprised. The bunks were definitely small but clean. There are three rows of beds two high for the length of the bus. I’d highly recommend getting a top bunk as people will eventually be sleeping in the aisles so you may end up sleeping much closer to someone than you’d want to be. Also if it’s possible ask to get the top bunks at the very front of the bus as you’ll gets bit of extra room. There’ll be enough space to store your bag if it’s just a backpack which is probably a good idea.

The bus took off from the station at 640 but it didn’t actually hit the highway until about 9. The bus stopped a lot. People got on about every 15 minutes or so which is why I think it’s a good idea to keep your bag on the bus with you. The belly of the bus is opened ad shut at every stop so it’s not unbelievable that your bag may get “lost” in the shuffle.

At around 930 we pulled into the station in Pingxiang. I think it may have been possible to get dropped at the border or close to it as they made quite a few stops before the station but we didn’t ask. The minute you get off the bus you’ll be asked if you want a ride to the border. Go through the station and grab a cab. Our friend Oyea put is in a taxi and said we should pay 25RMB for the ride. It seems reasonable as it’s about a 20 minute ride.

You’ll be dropped at something that looks like a tourist attraction. There’s a booth on the left selling tickets but this is not for the border. Do not buy a ticket just head through on the left. First you’ll go through Chinese immigration then through Vietnamese immigration. Both are pretty straight forward.

As soon as you exit Vietnamese immigration there will be golf carts waiting to take you to where you catch the minibuses to Hanoi. They charge 1USD per person but it’s completely unnecessary to take these as the bus stop is only about 1km down the road.

The minibus drivers will be all over you when you enter the little parking lot. We only as the one but there may be other options. They will wait for the bus to be full and they will also pick people up along the way. Ours even stopped for lunch en route. Remember there is a time change when you cross the border so you gain an hour. We left the border around 1015 and arrived in Hanoi at about 330. The trip was 5USD each.

Read Full Post »

Disclaimer: this post is boring. I’m only writing it for other travelers trying to do the same thing or similar to us as it was not east finding this info online.

We unfortunately had to fly from Shanghai to Shenzhen because all of the trains from Shanghai to Hong Kong were booked. Shenzhen is the city on mainland China closest to Hong Kong. The flight took just over two hours and cost us 1450RMB for two people. We landed at the airport and took a shuttle to Futian Station. I think the bus was 330 but you can find them just outside the arrivals gate. Tickets were 20RMB each.

Futian bus station is also connected to the Shenzhen metro. After Hong Kong we are traveling to Hanoi Vietnam and we had read that there is an ovenight bus leaving from Shenzhen to Pingxiang (the border city on the Chinese side). We booked our tickets at the station ourselves. The lady at the information desk spoke english and it was very easy. The tickets are 250RMB one way per person and the bus leaves at 18:40. We booked the tickets 4 days in advance but I’m not sure how far in advance you can do this. We will add a note later to tell how this goes.

After stopping briefly to book the tickets we hopped on the subway to Luoho station at the end of the line, 4RMB for a ticket. After arriving at Luoho you should take exit A and follow the signs to Hong Kong. You will go through Chinese customs and immigration then the same for Hong Kong.

Then get back on the metro this time in Hong Kong and continue your journey. Our hostel was in Tsim Sha Tsui so we traveled to that station. Tickets were 73HKD for two people. The whole trip from airport to hostel took about 4.5 hours. We will follow the same route in reverse to get back to the bus station on Saturday to head to Vietnam.

We also secured our Vietnamese visas in Hong Kong. Rather painless aside from the price. You fill out the application at the Vietnamese Consulate and submit your application along with one photo. They can process them in 5 business days including the day you submit and they are also open on Saturdays for 300HKD or have it ready in about 10 minutes for 500HKD.

Read Full Post »