Singapore to Seoul without Flying - 21 to 30 Dec 2024

Back in June 2022, I travelled from Singapore to Laos by land but was stopped from continuing further by China’s closed border. Two and a half years later, I would try again and see how far I could go without flying.

Day 1 (Sat 21 Dec 2024) – Singapore to JB to Gemas to Kuala Lumpur 

A journey of a thousand miles began with a single step; mine started with the day’s first public bus at 5.50am to catch the cross-border service Causeway Link CW2 (4.80 SGD or 3.53 USD) between Bugis in Singapore and Johor Bahru in Malaysia.

Let’s see if anyone could identify where this is…

In the earlier edition, I took the express bus between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur; this time round I wanted to do everything on trains. Unfortunately, KTM Shuttle Tebrau between Woodlands and Johor Bahru was completely sold out by the time I began my planning in August. It’s also impossible to do the same day connection as the first train from Woodlands only departs at 8.30am.

Despite the early hours, there was heavy car traffic leaving Singapore. Thankfully, the buses could use the dedicated bus lane and I cleared both Singaporean and Malaysian immigration within an hour of leaving Bugis.

Too early

Railway in Peninsular Malaysia is mostly operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) and their tickets can be easily purchased online or through their app.

Passengers were only allowed on the platform 10 minutes before departure and long lines had formed before that.

Train 01
Train name: KTM Intercity ES42
Depart: Johor Bahru
Arrive: Gemas
Type: ASC (Seats Superior Class)
Seat: Coach B Seat 7B
STD: 0830
STA: 1314
Duration: 4h44m
Distance: 192km
Average speed: ~41 km/h
Cost: 21 MYR (4.7 USD)

Going down to the platform

Coach B

Good leg space

This KTM train would be the slowest train en-route. In less than a year’s time, these diesel-hauled trains will no longer run on this route when the long-delayed electrification and double-tracking project between JB and Gemas is finally complete. I am actually quite excited for the completion as the train travel time between Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur will be reduced to 4.5 hours.

After a middling ride through central Johor, I was happy that our train arrived into Gemas 11 minutes ahead of schedule.

Distance travelled so far: 192km

Gemas is probably best known for being where the East Coast Jungle Line branches off from the West Coast main line. Otherwise it’s just a sleepy town of approximately 30,000 located on the border between the Malaysian states of Johor and Negeri Sembilan.

The connecting train to Kuala Lumpur wouldn’t depart until 2.5 hours later and I needed to find some lunch.

KFC lunch

With lunch out of the way, I checked out the old Gemas railway station which was converted into a train museum by KTM.

Part of it is now a cafe

The old sign with the elevated electrified tracks in the background

Locomotive 22131 (Limau Kasturi)

Interior – not really well-maintained

Older than me

To be honest, the things weren’t that interesting and it took me no more than 15 minutes.

Walking back to the new Gemas station

Similar to the earlier KTM train, we could only board 10 minutes before departure.

Train 02
Train name: KTM ETS EG9322
Depart: Gemas
Arrive: KL Sentral
Type: Standard
Seat: Coach B 10D
STD: 1552
STA: 1817
Duration: 2h25m
Distance: 199km
Average speed: ~82 km/h
Cost: 32 MYR (7.2 USD)

Coach B again

Cabin shot

KTM Electric Train Service (ETS) EG9322 runs the entire length of Malaysian electrified track between Gemas and Padang Besar. The ETS Class 93 trains reaches a top speed of 160 km/h, which is one of the fastest service on meter-gauge railway.

Substantially faster than earlier train

Monetizing every space

Stopping at Bandar Tasik Selatan station with Terminal Bersepadu Selatan, KL’s main bus station in the background

This train was the shortest ride of the trip at around 2.5 hours and it was over in no time. We arrived in KL Sentral around 3 minutes late at 6.20pm.

Distance travelled so far: 391km

Continuing onward to Padang Besar

I quickly ordered myself a Grab to Fairfield Chow Kit and was checked into hotel by 6.45pm.

Why did I choose this hotel? I was two nights away from hitting Marriott Bonvoy Gold and it was fairly affordable at 267 MYR (~60 USD).

Typical Fairfield room

View from the window

I searched nearby for dinner option and came across Loong Kee.

I went for their signature KL Hokkien Mee. It was just alright; its only saving grace was the fried pork lard.

No visit to KL was complete without a shot of its iconic landmark Petronas Towers.

Day 2 (Sun 22 Dec 2024) – Kuala Lumpur to Padang Besar to Bangkok

During the booking process, I bought the ticket departing from the original Kuala Lumpur station instead of KL Sentral by mistake. It’s no big deal though as they are less than 1 km away from each other.

A short Grab ride the next morning brought me to the station. Completed in 1910, it was the city’s major railway station until 2001.

Opposite it is KTM’s equally impressive headquarters, completed in 1917.

Besides the commuter trains, the ETS trains also make a short stop here.

The platforms

With Southeast Asia’s tallest building Merdeka 118 in the background

Train 03
Train name: KTM ETS EP9274
Depart: Kuala Lumpur
Arrive: Padang Besar
Type: Business
Seat: Coach A 9A
STD: 1001
STA: 1516
Duration: 5h15m
Distance: 556km
Average speed: ~106 km/h
Cost: 178 MYR (40 USD)

I opted for business class seat again as I thought that it was pretty good value. With the 50% premium over standard seats, I could get a nicer seat with meals and in-train entertainment thrown in.

The entertainment unit which wasn’t working in my previous ETS train was surprisingly smooth. I could watch YouTube videos on it for most of the journey.

After the train passed Sungei Buloh, the crew began to serve the first meal.

Sandwich for breakfast

Content of snack box – peanuts, orange juice and earpiece

There were 13 stops en-route between KL Sentral and Padang Besar

The second meal was served just before Parit Buntar. The KTM catering delivered once again.

I thought that there was some cost rationalisation for the food quantity compared to my last journey in 2022. Despite that, KTM ETS business class was still very good value in my opinion.

ETS EP9274 rolled into Padang Besar station right on time. It also meant that I had almost 3 hours of wait before the next train to Bangkok.

Our KTM journey came to an end

Distance travelled so far: ~ 947km

Padang Besar station was heaving with both departing and arriving passengers.

There are transport operators providing transfers to Hat Yai for passengers (30 MYR) as well as SIM card sellers.

The ticket counters for both KTM and State Railway of Thailand (SRT) operate side by side at Padang Besar. The SRT shuttle between Padang Besar and Hat Yai costs only 50 THB or 8 MYR.

KTM departures – those connecting from SRT trains should leave a healthy buffer

The link bridge to the Padang Besar ICQS is now open.

Padang Besar’s Malaysian checkpoint in a distance

It’s Thailand beyond the blue signs.

SRT 949, the afternoon shuttle from Hat Yai, arrived at Padang Besar at around 3.45pm

The passengers disembarking before going through Thai and Malaysian immigration checks

The immigration process took so long that the return shuttle SRT 950 would be delayed for one hour, departing at 5.45pm instead of 4.45pm.

The resident cat eyeing potential target; thankfully no crime took place

It also had an impact on my train which was the last one towards Thailand for the day.

Long queue

The Malaysian immigration officer stamped me out after verifying that I used the e-gate to enter Malaysia through Johor Bahru the day before. He also wrote the information on my passport.

Handwritten info that I used e-gate to enter Malaysia

The Thai immigration officer was much faster and I didn’t even need to scan my fingerprints.

I ended up among the last few passengers to board the train. I would be in one of the two sleeper carriages that would go all the way from Padang Besar to Bangkok.

Train 04
Train name: SRT Special Express 46
Depart: Padang Besar
Arrive: Krung Thep Aphiwat
Type: AC 2nd Class Sleeper
Seat: Car 11 Berth 16 (Lower)
STD: 1700 (Thai Time; GMT+7)
STA: 0905 (+1)
Duration: 16h5m
Distance: 991km
Average Speed: ~61 km/h
Cost: 918 THB (27 USD)

In the previous trip, my journeys on Thai trains were all in the newer CNR carriages. This time round, I would be on the older carriage, similar to the one which I first travelled between Bangkok and Butterworth back in 2010.

I’ve booked both of my Thai train tickets on State Railway of Thailand’s Dticket app. It’s very easy to use and accepts my VISA card as payment.

Despite the slow immigration clearance, my train SRT 46 departed only 12 minutes late out of Padang Besar.

Most passengers in my carriage seemed to be Malaysian families heading to Bangkok for vacation with a few Thais returning from vacation in Malaysia. The ticket check took place after the train was on the move and the SRT staff checking the tickets made sure to record where we would be getting off.

Trainee station master controlling train traffic at Khlong Ngae station

At Hat Yai Junction, we had a longer stop as the 3rd class carriages were separated from our sleeper coaches that in turn would be attached to SRT Special Express 38 which had arrived earlier from Sungai Kolok. SRT 38 and SRT 46 would make the trip to Bangkok together. During this period, many food vendors came up the carriages to sell food and snacks to the travelers.

Soon after the train left Hat Yai, the cafe staff also came around and took order for dinner and next day’s breakfast.

I splurged 190THB (~5.5 USD) on one of the fried rice sets. While the orders took a while to be fulfilled, it turned out to be fairly decent and very filling.

Not pictured were vegetable soup and orange juice

After dinner, the train attendant took less than two minutes to turn the seats into bed mode and I soon fall asleep to the train’s rocking motion.

Day 3 (Mon 23 Dec 2024) – Bangkok to Vientiane

Cocooned in my sleeper berth

Sunrise in the Gulf

I woke up a couple of times through the night but were generally well-rested. With around two hours out, the train attendant came around to convert the sleeper berths back to seats. Those who wanted breakfast could also either go to the restaurant car or order with the cafe staff who was roaming the carriages.

Previously, the same trip would take more than 20 hours but it is shortened to 16 hours due to the completion of double-tracking project between Nakhon Pathom and Chumphon back in August 2024. Trains traveling in opposite directions on this stretch travel on dedicated tracks and no longer need to wait to pass each other.

Despite the late departure from Padang Besar, we managed to catch up and roll into Krung Thep Aphiwat station on time at 9.05am.

Since January 2023, Krung Thep Aphiwat became the terminus of long distance trains in Thailand (except for Eastern line), replacing this historic and iconic Hua Lamphong station. It’s now the largest train terminal in Southeast Asia with 26 platforms and plans for high-speed rail links in the future.

Sleeper carriage originating from Sungai Kolok

Long distance train arrivals

Distance travelled so far: ~ 1,921km

The next train wouldn’t be until later in the evening; while traveling, I realised that it’s actually possible to take the earlier Rapid 172 from Hat Yai to Bangkok arriving at 7.30am and connect to DRC 75 departing at 8.45am for Nong Khai. It means that I would need an earlier start from Kuala Lumpur and make my own way between Padang Besar and Hat Yai. Both of which are easily doable.

Since it’s not my first time in Bangkok, I decided to book myself a day room to rest and charge my electronic items for another overnight journey ahead.

Due to Bangkok’s notorious traffic, I decided to look for hotel along its MRT line and found Modena by Fraser at Queen Sirikit Convention Center.

I paid 1500 THB (~44 USD) for use between 10am and 5pm.

Almost forgot my Scrabble set

With the help of Google Maps, I managed to find a local shop nearby and had a yummy bowl of yentafo (60 THB).

After checking out at 5pm, I took MRT to Thai Cultural Center and I had my dinner inside one of the malls.

Yummy crab fried rice

Thai fish cake with squid

The total bill came up to be 420 THB (~12 USD).

I walked around the mall for a bit before venturing out. There was a night market behind the mall but it was really quiet on a Monday evening.

Felt like there were more vendors than customers

Another short MRT ride brought me back to Krung Thep Aphiwat Station.

Not boarding yet

Queue has formed up

Train 05
Train name: SRT Rapid 133
Depart: Krung Thep Aphiwat
Arrive: Vientiane Khamsavath
Type: AC 2nd Class Sleeper (JR)
Seat: Car 2 Berth 8 (Lower)
STD: 2125
STA: 0905 (+1)
Duration: 11h40m
Distance: 638km
Average speed: ~54km/h
Cost: 874 THB (26 USD)

Google Maps hasn’t update SRT’s extension to Vientiane yet

Uniquely, I got to take JR West Red Sleeper carriage which is used on Rapid 133. Unlike the other sleeper trains in Thailand where the sleeping berths are oriented in the direction of travel, those here are across the cabin instead.

Since we were leaving past dinner time, the sleepers were already set up by the time we boarded. I fall asleep in no time again.

Day 4 (Tue 24 Dec 2024) – Vientiane

Another sunrise on Thai train

We were slightly late arriving into Nong Khai, the final stop in Thailand. For those of us heading towards Laos, we would need to go through Thai exit immigration there. A Thai immigration official went around asking foreign tourists if they’ve applied for Lao eVisas. Apparently, visitors with Lao eVisas couldn’t take the train and have to cross using the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge instead. They were led back to their carriages to collect the bags before making their own way to Laos by road.

Next stop: Laos

After the passengers were done with the immigration process, the train began its way to cross Mekong into Laos. The Thai trains shared the same Thai-Lao Friendship bridge with vehicular traffic and these vehicles had to wait while the train was traversing the bridge.

Until July 2024, the terminus in Laos was at Thanaleng. It’s now the freight terminal.

Lao National Railway locomotive responsible for train travel between Vientiane and Nong Khai

Slightly late arrival into Vientiane

Distance travelled so far: ~ 2,549km

Since July 2024, Khamsavath station is the terminus in Laos. There are two daily arrivals and two daily departures; one to/from Bangkok and the other to/from Udon Thani.

I quickly filled up the arrival form and got in queue for immigration. There was a stamping fee of 20 THB and I ended up being one of the first few to clear the immigration.

There is a counter to purchase Lao-China Railway ticket. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to exchange my online ticket for a physical one there.

I was also the first passenger on bus 12. It wouldn’t depart until 10.10am. The ride to Vientiane  central bus station (Talat Sao) costs 20,000 LAK (~1 USD).

Laotian way of stacking luggages

I was seated beside a Chinese man who was traveling with his Thai girlfriend and he pointed out to her the Chinese development when we drove past it.

Quite surreal to see high-rises like these in Laos

Thai investment countering the Chinese

The trip took around 30 minutes. Vientiane’s central bus station definitely looked better than two years ago.

Ticket office for bus to Udon Thani

Thai bus in Laos

Vientiane’s bus network

As it was too early for me to check in, I went back to the same Vietnamese restaurant which I visited 2.5 years ago.

Breakfast for champion – Bun Cha

It was as good as I recalled it to be. As I didn’t have any local money, I exchanged 500 THB with the cashier at a relatively poor rate of 600 LAK to 1 THB.

I booked myself one night at Landmark Vientiane Life Center (~42 USD) which was less than five minutes’ walk from the bus station.

I was able to check in at 2pm, one hour earlier than usual.

Lucky to have a Mekong view

After resting for a while, I set out for Vientiane’s landmark.

Patuxai was built in the 1960s in honour of those who fought against the French for Lao independence. It was financed with aid money from United States meant for building airport, thus earning itself the nickname “vertical runway”.

The Prime Minister’s office is nearby

I retraced my step towards the waterfront and saw a giant maneki-neko.

My wife warned me not to drink any alcohol in Laos but I couldn’t resist a Beer Lao to go with my burger.

Before returning to the hotel room, I went to the supermarket to finish what’s remaining of my kips.

Mekong view at night

Day 5 (Wed 25 Dec 2024) – Vientiane to Kunming

As the first bus 28 would depart Vientiane’s central bus station at 6.10am, it meant that I had an early start on Christmas morning. There were only three other passengers beside me and I wondered how our measly fare of 25,000 LAK (~1.15 USD)  could cover this 30-minute trip.

It’s now possible to book Lao-China Railway ticket on its app. However, only users with Lao, Thai or Chinese phone numbers are able to register and I needed assistance from my Chinese friend to get the verification code in order to be registered.

I secured my international train ticket between Vientiane and Kunming as soon as they were available for booking two weeks before my trip; for domestic journeys within Laos, the booking horizon is only three days ahead.

Those who booked the cross-border train online were required to exchange for a physical ticket at the station. I spent some time figuring out which line I should join and it turned out to be counter 6. The same counter also served group bookings and I ended up having to wait around half an hour before I got the physical ticket.

With the ticket in hand, I cleared the security and headed into the departure hall.

CR200J trainset which would take me to Kunming

Train 06
Train name: LCR D88
Depart: Vientiane LCR
Arrive: Kunming South
Type: 2nd Class
Seat: Car 2 Berth 8 (Lower)
STD: 0808
STA: 1834
Duration: 9h26m
Distance: 1037km
Average speed: ~110km/h
Cost: 1636000 LAK (~75 USD)

The carriage was only half-filled when we departed Vientiane.

The crew came around and checked who weren’t holding Lao and Chinese passports. She offered both Lao departure card and China’s arrival card and copied my passport information onto her manifest.

My seat neighbour boarded in the next station Vang Vieng and coincidentally he’s also a Singaporean. What are the chances!

The carriage was filled up after Luang Prabang, Laos’ premier tourist city.

Glimpses of the beautiful northern Lao landscape when the train wasn’t in tunnels

The train arrived in Boten 15 minutes behind schedule and all passengers had to disembark.

For those of us heading to China, we had to get our tickets checked and bags scanned again before clearing Lao exit immigration.

Waiting to leave Laos

The train to Mohan only took 12 minutes and I was among the first to clear Chinese immigration.

Visiting China for the first time since 2018

I ended up chatting with two European travellers; one’s heading to Portugal all the way by train and the other was visiting friends in Kunming.

Holding area

One noticeable difference after crossing border was that the mobile internet is working much better in China when compared to Laos.

Around 4.5 hours later, our train rolled into Kunming for an on-time arrival. Sun had already set by then.

I had to show my physical ticket again in order to get out of the station.

Distance travelled so far: ~3,586km

An 9-hour train ride wasn’t most people’s ideal way to spend Christmas but it’s amazing to reach China without flying.

I also got to witness first hand how obnoxious some of the Chinese boomer travellers could be; I won’t go into details but their reputation is thoroughly deserved.

My accommodation for the night was YSSS Hotel through Trip.com (~27 USD). It was only two metro stops away from Kunming South Station and occupied the entire level 24 of a commercial and residential building. The instructions to locate it was unclear and I had to call the hotel reception.

Room 8828

As I had been subsisting on only biscuits the entire day, I headed downstairs for dinner after check-in. There were quite a few options to choose from and I just picked an eatery which seemed popular.

Figuring out my options

Fried rice (13 CNY) and wonton (10 CNY)

After dinner, I spent the rest of the evening doing laundry (free for guests) at the hotel.

Day 6 (Thu 26 Dec 2024) – Kunming to Zhengzhou to Qingdao

This was my last train day and I would also be covering the longest distance, starting from Kunming in the China’s southwest corner to Qingdao on the Yellow Sea.

I failed to see the sign the previous night

Although I was staying only two stops from the station, I decided to play safe and set off more than an hour before departure time.

My phone’s mobile internet suddenly went wonky just before the metro gantry and I had to seek assistance from the security personnel. They were really helpful and one of them even switched on her hotspot for me to connect. However, it seemed to be my phone’s issue and  I couldn’t connect to her WiFi hotspot as well. Luckily, the mobile internet returned to my phone after I walked to a different spot and I managed to purchase the metro token from a machine.

The name of the metro station is Lianda Street; it is related to a rather obscure piece of World War 2 history. Lianda actually refers to National Southwestern Associated University, the amalgamation of three top Chinese universities (Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nankai University) which was forcibly relocated away from the Japanese-occupied area to Yunnan from 1938 to 1946. Despite its relative short existence, the two first ethnic Chinese Nobel Prize winners Yang Chen-Ning and Lee Tsung-Dao both studied there. After the war, the schools returned to their original locations and only the teacher training college remained in Kunming. It evolved later into Yunnan Normal University, whose current-day campus is in the vicinity.

One of the reasons behind me reaching early was to take pictures of the station’s exterior.

Kunming South Station – peacock-inspired design

After going through the security check, I scanned through the departure screen to see which platform my train would depart from. It wasn’t there yet and I had to ask the staff at the counter.

Departing from Gate 2B/3B

I went to level 2 where the restaurants are and tried my best to take a picture of the entire station.

Kunming South 

Unlike the Chinese locals who could use their ID cards to go through the gantries, foreigners had to go through the manned lane. The staff would usually attempt to scan the passport first but often ended up having to key in the details manually.

G72 Kunming South to Beijing West operated by CR400BF

Train 07
Train name: CRH G72
Depart: Kunming South
Arrive: Zhengzhou East
Type: 2nd Class
Seat: Car 3 Seat 1F
STD: 0855
STA: 1713
Duration: 8h18m
Distance: 2067km
Average speed: ~249km/h
Cost: 970.5 CNY + 29.12 CNY (3% foreign card fee) – ~137 USD

Approximate route on map
Car 3 was the quiet car and there were signs reminding passengers to stay quiet.

The crew would go through the carriage reminding anyone talking on the phone to have their calls outside of quiet car.

The train departed Kunming right on time.

Starting a cross-country train ride with good weather

Passing through Yunnan’s rice fields at 300km/h

Next stop would be in the next province Guizhou

Due to the hilly terrain of southwestern China, we spent quite a fair bit of the journey inside tunnels.

Glimpses of Yunnan’s villages when we were out of tunnels

Probably the best shot of the journey

When the train rolled into Guiyang North station, there was a group of men who boarded my carriage. What caught my attention were the two men dressed in blue jumpers with the words “市看” (I am guessing that it’s short for City Detention Center) and their heads hooded. Upon closer inspection, I realised that their hands and legs were chained together.

Clearly it wasn’t everyday that we were sharing the same space with fugitives or suspects; my seatmate also couldn’t help but take some pictures discretely.

After the initial excitement wore off, I decided to order my lunch. Besides the rather unappetising food offered on pushcarts,  China Railways also allows travellers to order food from restaurants located in the stations en-route on its mini app.

It took me a while to realize that the system couldn’t accept my name typed in English and the order went through without a hitch once I wrote in Chinese instead.

Entering Huaihua, the second stop and third province of the day

Lots of cranes

My lunch was delivered after leaving Huaihua station. By then it was just past my half-way point on this train journey. The crew verified my identity by requesting for the last 4 digits of my mobile phone number.

I’ve ordered a chicken dish (双椒鸡丁); it wasn’t cheap at 49 CNY (~6.7 USD) but the portion was huge and it was quite good taste-wise.

We left the hills of southwestern China behind as we rolled across Hunan and then into Hubei.

Three minute stop in Wuhan

We crossed Yangtze River (world’s third longest river) shortly after leaving Wuhan. The sun was setting as we continued our journey north. The flat North China Plain in Henan was in stark contrast to the morning hills of Southwest China.

It was my first time traveling through Henan and I suddenly had the realisation that this area was where the Chinese civilisation started thousands of years ago. Despite its glorious past, Henan now lags behind economically when compared to the coastal Chinese provinces and Henan locals are still subjected to many unkind stereotypes from rest of the country.

We arrived into Zhengzhou East 16 minutes late but thankfully I still had more than an hour to transfer to the next train. The announcer apologised for the delay and the train would continue onwards towards Shijiazhuang before ending the journey in Beijing, China’s capital.

Distance travelled so far: ~5,653km

The suspects also alighted at the same station and were then led away to exit. Meanwhile I followed the transfer signs and took the elevator back to the departure level.

Yet another huge Chinese station

There was plenty of time before my next train so I walked around checking out the shops.

Train model

Standing by for ticket check

Train 08
Train name: CRH G1834
Depart: Zhengzhou East
Arrive: Qingdao North
Type: 2nd Class
Seat: Car 4 Seat 5F
STD: 1840
STA: 2228
Duration: 3h48m
Distance: 730km
Average Speed: ~192km/h
Cost: 339 CNY + 10.17 CNY (3% foreign card fee) – ~48 USD

Approximate route on Google Map

My train was operated by a Kweichou Moutai-branded CR400AF with both exterior and interior covered with the alcohol company’s branding.

Honestly I didn’t think that Kweichow Moutai needs any extra advertising in China; it’s the second-most valuable company in China by valuation (just behind Tencent) and their 53%-proof alcohol are commonly found in Chinese state banquets as well as business meetings. However, its popularity seems to be limited to within China, perhaps due to its image as the “national spirt”.

Moving at over 300km/h

The train passed through places which most foreigners have never heard of before: Lankao, Heze, Linyi, Rizhao.

Stopping at Heze

This train was operated by China Railway Chengdu Group and it had an impressive menu.

Milking the panda theme for everything Sichuan-related

Cold rabbit anyone?

No luck for me as the page refused to load after scanning the QR code. I only learned after that I needed to use WeChat app to scan the QR code for it to work properly.

The 4-hour journey to Qingdao felt like a breeze after the 8.5-hour jaunt from Kunming to Zhengzhou. With G1834 rolling into Qingdao North for an on-time arrival, it meant that I had completed the eighth and last train journey of the trip.

In all, I spent almost 62 hours on 8 different trains over 6 days and traveled around 6,400km across 5 countries. To be honest, the journey wasn’t difficult at all; the trains were mostly on time and I made sure that there are always sufficient buffer for delays.

Distance travelled so far: ~6,383km

Qingdao was below freezing at half past ten at night and I quickly ordered a Didi to Le Meridien Qingdao. It took me a while to get to the pick-up area and locate the car; the 15km ride came up to be around 30 CNY.

For ~480 CNY (~66 USD), I got a huge room. While it showed a bit of age, it was still very comfortable.

There was even a bathtub

Day 7 (Fri 27 Dec 2024) – Qingdao to Incheon

My room rate included buffet breakfast (just extra 40 CNY or 5.5 USD over room-only rate) and I was impressed with the spread.

Part of the spread

Carbs and more carbs

I first knew the existence of Qingdao through its namesake beer so it made perfect sense to make visiting Tsingtao Beer Museum my only agenda here. Tsingtao was the old Wade-Giles spelling for the city; Qingdao is the Pinyin version used from 1958 onwards.

With the help of the local staff, I paid 80 CNY (~11 USD) for the museum entrance with 1-hour guided tour.

Waiting for the tour to start

Beside me, there were two middle-aged couples from Dongbei in the guided tour.

Tsingtao mascot Hajoyaa (“let’s drink” in local Qingdao dialect and “ya” is the synonym for duck)

The original well which supplied Laoshan spring water to brew the first Tsingtao

Sculptures

There were two buildings with exhibits; building A was all about the brand’s history.

Its logo featured the city landmark Huilan Pavilion, located at the end of Zhanqiao Pier, Qingdao’s first wharf

Over 100 years between the two photographs

Map of early 20th century Qingdao

Soon after the Germans acquired this piece of territory in 1898, they decided that they would want to bring their beers to this part of the world as well. Together with British investors based in Hong Kong, the brewery began operation in 1903.

Blueprint of the factory

Began to win awards within a few years’ of its existence

With the onset of World War I, Japan military took over Qingdao from the Germans and the brewery was eventually sold to the predecessor of Asahi Brewery and Sapporo Brewery in 1916. The Japanese were in control until end of World War II when the brewery became under Chinese state control.

Advertisements in the 1920s

Singapore was the first export market; letter from the distributor was dated in 1947

Tsingtao’s advertisement in Singapore – appealing to overseas Chinese to support beer from the “motherland”

Chinese customs document for beers exported to Singapore

Back when China was still under command economy, workers were issued coupons for beer purchase

The guide was sharing the products produced by each factory; there are five alone in Qingdao

Tsingtao was the only corporate sponsor from Shandong for both Summer Olympics 2008 and Winter Olympics 2022

Qingdao locals buying draft Tsingtao beer in plastic bags

Beer-drinking ingrained in local culture

Walls showcasing Tsingtao products

We finished with Building A and stopped by the 100th anniversary sculpture for some photo-taking before proceeding to Building B.

Building B has some of the original brewing equipments as exhibits. The brewery was built with the equipments installed first and the exterior added afterwards.

The original Siemens motor from 1903

Beer brewing process

Hops, a key ingredient for brewing beers – Tsingtao uses mostly hops grown in Xinjiang now 

“Alcohol from sky”

Original cask to store beers

Coming to the best part of the tour – tasting! It’s already 5pm somewhere.

Mock-up of Qingdao’s International Beer Festival

The building’s still an active factory

Singapore’s one of the export markets

Old bottling machine

Different labels over the year

The tour ended at the shop with Tsingtao-related merchandise.

Tsingtao-flavoured ice-cream anyone?

All sorts of merchandise

One more complimentary grapefruit-flavoured beer for the road

The attraction’s pretty touristy but not a bad way to spend a few hours.

I didn’t need to check out of the hotel until 2pm; it gave me plenty of time to charge all my devices as well as downloading videos and podcasts for the upcoming journey. After checking out, I went to have lunch at the mall next door.

Noodles topped with meat sauce

I also went to the supermarket to buy some snacks for the journey ahead.

Sauerkraut fish-flavoured chips

I gave myself plenty of time and headed to Qingdao Port three hours ahead.

On DiDi

Only passenger ship in sight

It took a while for Weidong Ferry’s staff to figure out what to do with a passport that’s neither Chinese nor Korean; once they confirmed that I had booked my ticket through WeChat and I didn’t need a visa or K-ETA, I was issued my boarding pass.

Weidong Ferry counter on the left; the Qingdao tourist information counter wasn’t manned for departing ferry

First time seeing core socialist values this trip

I went up the departure level and had to wait a while for immigration counters to be open at 3.30pm.

I had an interesting exchange with the Chinese immigration officer who asked for the Chinese characters of my name (which I declined to provide citing that they weren’t on my passport) and if I was a former Chinese citizen (no). I guessed that they don’t see that many Singaporeans traveling through here.

Despite the short distance, we had to take the shuttle bus between the terminal and the ship. It’s probably faster for the passengers to walk instead.

Ferry name: Weidong Ferry New Golden Bridge V
Depart: Qingdao Cruise Home Port
Arrive: Incheon Port International Passenger Terminal
Type: Economy Bunk
Room / Bunk: 305-37
STD: 1730 (GMT+8)
STA: 1150 (GMT+9)
Duration: 17h20m
Distance: 328nm (~607km)
Cost: 420 CNY + 12.6 CNY (3% foreign card fee) – ~59 USD

Going up to the escalator

Lobby

The route

Weidong Ferry operates two routes between China and South Korea; beside our ferry from Qingdao, there’s also service from Weihai.

The receptionist gave me a South Korean arrival card for visitors as well as the customs form and requested me to fill them up immediately. She would check and even complimented me that it was rare for someone to fill up everything correctly the first time.

There weren’t too many passengers; I overheard that there was only around 100 travellers that day.

There were also two distinct groups on the ferry:-

The first group was made up of South Korean tourists who were returning home after their group tour of Qingdao. They were staying in the private cabins and had their meals included.

The second group were Chinese travellers heading to South Korea and most of them were assigned the same room as me. When I booked my ticket, only bunk beds were available and I was assigned to the biggest room 305 on 5F. I reckoned that it could hold over 70 passengers.

Bunk 37

There was a weird vibe as it seemed that most of them knew one another and they were distributing boxes of beauty products between themselves. One of them even came up to me and said that travellers into South Korea have duty-free alcohol and tobacco allowance and offered to pay me if I could help bring duty-free goods into Korea for them. Of course I declined immediately.

Sunset in Qingdao

Basking in the winter sunset

We set sail at 5.30pm sharp and there was mobile internet connection for at least the first hour or so.

Qingdao by night

Soon after we set sail, the duty-free shop and convenience stall both opened.

I spent the rest of the evening listening to downloaded podcasts and fall asleep by 10pm.

Day 8 (28 Dec 2024) – Seoul

I woke up the next morning around 4 hours out of Incheon. There was already light outside and my fellow passengers were also waking up.

The room began to smell as the other passengers started to prepare breakfast so I decided to sit at the lobby instead.

Expected arrival time of 11.50am (GMT+9)

Around two hours out of Incheon, the coast of Korean Peninsula became visible and I could connect to mobile internet.

Korean Peninsula in a distance

We got into Incheon port at close to noon. Unlike in Qingdao where the ship was docked right by the building, the terminal in Incheon was much further from the berth. While on the shuttle bus, I spotted some other ships which are operating between China and South Korea.

New Golden Bridge VII – the newer Weidong Ferry ship operating between Weihai and Incheon

Zhong Han Ferry operating between Yantai and Incheon

Distance travelled so far: ~6,990km

After passing through the South Korean immigration and customs, I exchanged 100 CNY for 20,000 KRW at the moneychanger and used 10,000 KRW to top up the transport card Cashbee at the convenience store CU.

I followed the sign to the bus stop and waited a while for bus 82. It would bring me to Songdo Moonlight Festival Park Station, the current western terminus of Incheon Subway Line 1.

It takes around 2 hours to get to central Seoul regardless of route

A shot of the ferry terminal from the bus

Incheon suburb

Like in China, South Korea has its own navigation apps due to national security issues. I had to download Naver Map instead. It guided me to take Incheon Subway Line 1 to Bupyeong, transferring to Seoul Subway Line 1. I would then need to alight at Sindorim and change to Seoul Subway Line 2 for Euljiro 1-ga.

Crossing Han River

Seoul wasn’t the cheapest city in terms of accommodation. Since I was traveling alone, I decided to choose convenience over comfort and book myself a capsule hotel in Myeongdong for ~42 USD.

Hotel Drip&Drop

The rooms were spread across level 7 and 8 of a commercial building and I could check in on arrival.

Hotel Drip&Drop lounge area

Bunk 717

View from my capsule

Shared shower

My late lunch was grilled meat and cold noodles at a nearby restaurant.

Seat for single diner

With lunch out of the way, I began to walk to the Gyeongbuk Palace for the signature Scrabble photo.

Walking past Cheonggyecheon

I ended up encountering the protest organised by pro-Yoon Suk Yeol supporters.

There were huge police presence; few streets down and I ran into the opposing camp.

Pretty amazing that so many turned up despite the near freezing temperature

I had to abort the mission as there was no way for me to get near to the palace area.

I returned to Myeongdong instead, heading towards Olive Young, as per Mrs’ instructions.

Probably the best Asian footballer at the moment

After spending nearly an hour trying to find every item on Mrs’ list, it was already dark by the time I exited the shop.

The street stalls were out in action

Christmas Tree

I went back to rest for a while before heading out again for some Korean-style fried chicken at Mom’s Touch.

Quite decent

Day 9 (29 Dec 2024) – ICN to PVG

Another early start due to the failed mission the day before; after checking out and placing my bags in the locker, I walked towards Gyeongbuk Palace again.

Statue of Korean national hero Yi Sun-sin

Netflix going all out to market Squid Game 2

King Sejong, inventor of Hangul alphabet

Very empty compared to the day before

Didn’t realise O was upside down

I stopped at a local 24-hour diner for some grub on my way back.

Almost all meals in South Korea come with banchan

Tofu stew – yums

I set off for Incheon Airport immediately after breakfast.

I would take Seoul Subway Line 2 to Hongik University where I transferred to AREX.

Crossing Han River again

Showing flight schedule

Arrived at ICN Terminal 1 just past 11am

I was shopping for the flight back from Seoul to Singapore around five weeks before travel and China Eastern (MU) is one of the cheapest options. The one-way ticket via Shanghai cost around 250 SGD (~180 USD) and it’s no brainer to buy purchase the return for an extra 120 SGD (~88 USD).

There was already a long queue formed at MU counters and there were ground staff actively looking for passengers whose flights were leaving earlier to go to the express counters.

ICN is a virtual hub of China Eastern group with 22 daily flights

I spent an hour in line before being able to check my bag and get my boarding pass. It was quite strange that the passengers were asked to wait for another 15 minutes for their bags to be scanned before they could proceed to security.

When I last visited Seoul back in 2012, the airport security queue was very slow and I had to run to catch my flight. It probably got worse over the years and I waited for nearly an hour before clearing security. Important tip: always arrive at least 3 hours early when departing ICN!

Same old after twelve years

Exit immigration was a breeze in contrast as visitors could use the e-Gates.

Gate 128 in satelite terminal

B-6476

Flight 01
Flight number: MU5062
Depart: Incheon International Airport T1 (ICN)
Arrive: Shanghai Pudong Airport T1 (PVG)
Class: Economy
Seat: 43C
Aircraft type: Airbus A319
Aircraft registration: B-6476
STD: 1430 (1454)
STA: 1600 (1610)
Duration: 2h30m
Distance: 511 miles
Cost: 366.24 SGD (~268 USD) for round-trip fare

Maps generated by the Great Circle Mapper – copyright © Karl L. Swartz

It would be a full flight to Shanghai.

Decent leg space

There were only safety card and barf bag in the seat pocket

The flight departed 24 minutes late and a snack was soon served.

Cold salad – quite decent

It was a quick flight and soon we were landing at Pudong International Airport.

Since my connecting flight home wasn’t until the next day, I made my way through the immigration and bag collection.

I ordered a DiDi to Fairfield Pudong Center, my accommodation for the night. I paid 470 CNY (~65 USD) for the night.

Driving into the beautiful Shanghai sunset

Shortly after checking in, my Shanghainese friends picked me up at the hotel and brought me to sample some pretty delicious local cuisine.

Another night at a typical Fairfield

Gifts from friends

Day 10 (30 Dec 2024) – PVG to SIN 

Breakfast was included in my room rate and it was again a fairly impressive spread.

After checking out, I took DiDi back to Pudong Airport.

Unlike at Incheon Airport, there wasn’t much of a queue at check-in.

It didn’t take too long for both security check and immigration and had time to use up my last Plaza Premium voucher at pretty busy No. 39 VIP Lounge.

Airbus A320neo

Flight 02
Flight number: MU6017
Depart: Shanghai Pudong Airport T1 (ICN)
Arrive: Changi International Airport (SIN)
Class: Economy
Seat: 47J
Aircraft type: Airbus A320neo
Aircraft registration: B-1211
STD: 1040 (1034)
STA: 1710 (1623)
Duration: 6h30m
Distance: 2357 miles

Maps generated by the Great Circle Mapper – copyright © Karl L. Swartz.

It would be another full flight. I am guessing that China Eastern’s cheap fares helped to fill up these seats.

Compared to previous day’s flight, there was an additional item inside the seat pocket – inflight magazine.

The flight actually pushed back ahead of time and we were soon on our way.

Lunch was served about an hour or so into the flight and there was a choice between two mains – rice with pork or noodles with chicken.

China Eastern economy-class meal

There was no in-flight entertainment for a flight which was almost six hours long; I had more than enough time to reflect on this trip.

The stamps (including one to Phuket in September)

And a sticker for South Korea 

10 Random Thoughts

1. Singapore is very expensive when compared to the places that I passed through this trip. Seoul was probably the only close contender.
2. Will KTM begin ETS operation between Johor Bahru and Gemas in 2025? It is anybody’s guess.
3. Krung Thep Aphiwat is a major upgrade over Hua Lamphong infrastructure-wise but it doesn’t quite match up in terms of charm.
4. It’s actually possible to reach Vientiane overland within 48 hours of departing Singapore (and 72 hours for Kunming).
5. It feels like there are a lot more Chinese in Laos now.
6. It’s annoying that my mobile phone couldn’t connect to WiFi in China. Is it because it’s a Google phone?
7. China is not an easy country to travel in. There’s a fair amount of research required to overcome the Great Firewall and navigate their payment system.
8. The traveller’s experience at Incheon Airport is simply not good.
9. Podcasts are very good ways to keep one entertained on long journeys.
10. The journey is not hard at all. Let’s see how far I could go next time…

Day 1 (Sat 21 Dec 2024) – Singapore to JB to Gemas to Kuala Lumpur

Day 2 (Sun 22 Dec 2024) – Kuala Lumpur to Padang Besar to Bangkok

Day 3 (Mon 23 Dec 2024) – Bangkok to Vientiane

Day 4 (Tue 24 Dec 2024) – Vientiane

Day 5 (Wed 25 Dec 2024) – Vientiane to Kunming

Day 6 (Thu 26 Dec 2024) – Kunming to Zhengzhou to Qingdao

Day 7 (Fri 27 Dec 2024) – Qingdao to Incheon

Day 8 (28 Dec 2024) – Incheon to Seoul

Day 9 (29 Dec 2024) – ICN to PVG

Day 10 (30 Dec 2024) – PVG to SIN

Epilogue – 10 Random Thoughts