Tianjin, China - Day 21 - 12 July 2016
Today is our second day in Tianjin and we have a private tour organised with Catherine from CG Tianjin Tours. Catherine comes highly rated on Trip Advisor.
Catherine was there to meet us at the cruise terminal at 8.15am. There were 10 of us on the tour which was predominantly a walking tour.
We left the port and headed for Yujiapu railway station to catch the bullet train into Tianjin. The train trip takes about 20 mins… a lot faster than the 50 mins to 2 hours road travel of yesterday.
The bullet train reached speeds up to 300kms which did not seem that fast at the time. The railway station was a architectural statement in it's own right with a very elaborate roofing structure.
From the station we headed by taxi to the Haihe River. At the river we saw the Tianjin Eye… similar to the London Eye then we strolled along the river promenade watching all the fisherman cleaning their fish and trying to sell turtles of all sizes apparently as pets…. not to eat!
We headed to the Ancient Cultural Street where we had coffee and a local pastry… a deep fried red bean cake! Yummo….
After our snack we walked to the street market area which had everything from street food to pearls to souvenirs to silk and much more.
By this time it was raining lightly which made it a bit cooler to walk to the local market (Nanshi food street) where the locals go to buy their food supplies. Catherine our guide walked us through the market explaining what all the different foods were and also buying samples for us to taste. The market was a wash of colour and an energy that only food lovers would appreciate.
After the market we headed for our lunch which Catherine had organised at the Astor Hotel. Once again our lunch was a banquet which we all shared sitting at a large table. More beers and shandies and we were all happy and relaxed with very full tummies and tired feet!
When we were fully rested, watered and fed we strolled down around the main financial area taking in all the large banks which were very impressive.
It was now time to make our way back to the train station for our bullet train back to Yujiapu and the dock area but not before stopping off at a local "supermarket" to pick up the usual supply of beers…. At $1 for a can the boys thought they were in heaven.
Another enjoyable day and a very successful tour.
Two days at sea then Busan, Korea our next port of call.
Yujiapu railway station
Inside the train station
Catherine our guide for the day.
Tianjin Eye and local fisherman
A concrete carved wall mural near the river.
An umbrella shop…. mainly for sun.
A red bean fried cake… a local delicacy.
The Ancient Market place
Iceblocks!
The gourd shop. These are used to ward off evil enemies by tying to the front verandahs on houses.
Fresh water pearls.
The local food market.
Our lunch.
In the finance sector with all the banks.
Inside one of the banks.
Beautiful European inspired buildings.
A vertical garden in the Finance sector.
An abacus sculptured from plants.
A bull outside a bank.
The river and esplanade near Tianjin's main train station.
Our tour group lead by local guide Catherine.
Tianjin Train Station
The bullet train.
All aboard.
We got up to speeds around 280kms.
Tianjin has a very large port made on reclaimed land with LOTS of containers.
