MONGOL SERIES, DAY 10 & 11
GUANGZHOU – WUHAN
Wuhan’s wet market & China’s business class trains. The infrastructure in China needs to be seen to be believed. The country has over 60% of the worlds high speed rail network and that is expected to rise to 90% by 2035.
YOU WOULDN’T GET THIS IN QATAR AIRWAYS FIRST CLASS
Normally when I travel 1000km I fly but I knew after seeing the business class seats, I had to try them out.
WHERE IS WUHAN?
Wuhan
CHINESE TRAIN STATIONS
Train stations in China need internal public transport between gates. They are seriously huge. No wonder I missed my train in Hong Kong; I didn’t expect to walk so far to reach my platform.
I joke about this, but they are incredible, a sight to behold. They aren’t just in the big cities. New stations like this exist across the country.
After checking out the business class lounge, I arrived early at the train and tried counting platforms. I could only count as far as the eye could see. These stations aren’t just large in size. They are incredibly clean, modern, and spacious.
DAILY INFO….
- HOTEL – (+rating & price/night)
- RESTOS – (+rating)
- FOOD – (+rating)
- ATTRACTIONS – (+rating)
SEATS
The business class cabin has about six seats, each with its own door and private area. It allows you to relax unless another family makes a ton of noise. Second class turned out to be quieter!
I spent the next 5 hours amazed by the train and central China’s landscape. Even at 350kmh, the train stays smooth enough to balance a coin on its edge. In the UK, I can barely stand on a train without being thrown around.
When I travel, I usually try to sleep or work, but this time I just admired everything. The landscape made it easy, even though much of the journey passed through tunnels. I kept glimpsing the beauty of China outside the big cities.
WUHAN
After 4 hours and 30 minutes, we arrived in Wuhan, a city I thought would be run-down, but it wasn’t. Eleven million people live here! If I thought Guangzhou was hot, Wuhan was on another level, but the lower humidity helped.
We arrived at another massive train station, but this one was packed with people. There was barely space to stand, and I finally understood why China’s train stations are so big.
DORSETT HOTEL
China’s value for money was clear when we stayed in a central hotel for just $50. The room wasn’t fancy, and I didn’t even try the breakfast. Why would I, when I was in the country’s breakfast capital?
After checking in, I went for a quick walk around the city to get a glance. Some parts of the city looked oddly English.
RELATED READ: THE TRAIN RIDE OF A LIFETIME PT1 ADAM’S PEAK
DAY 11
When in Wuhan it is essential to try their amazing breakfast dishes, which are probably two of China’s most famous; Shaomai Pocket and Hot Dry Noodles (reganmian).
I can guarantee, Shaomai pocket is like nothing you will have ever tried. It’s fried pocket bread, a similar taste & texture to the outside of a doughnut filled with dumplings. As you can imagine there is a lot going on with this meal from the crispy texture of the bread to the soft dumplings inside, unreal!!
FACTS ABOUT WUHAN:
- Ground Zero of COVID-19: Wuhan gained global attention as the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, with the first known cases reported in December 2019, leading to a worldwide pandemic.
- Yangtze River Crossing: Wuhan is strategically located on the Yangtze River, boasting the famous Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge, which was the first bridge over the Yangtze and symbolized China’s engineering prowess in the 1950s.
- Historical Revolution Catalyst: Wuhan was the birthplace of the Wuchang Uprising in 1911, a pivotal event that triggered the Xinhai Revolution, leading to the fall of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China.
YELLOW CRANE TOWER
Because I am not an absolute fiend, I took a dander to the city’s gardens before sampling the famous Hot Dry Noodles. From the Yellow Crane Tower you have the best views of the city, and it was one of the best cityscapes I have ever seen. This park played an important role in the history of China and the establishment of the country as we know it now, the Republic of China. It was here the Wuchang Uprising began that successfully overthrew China’s last imperial dynasty.
Wuhan’s wet market & China’s business class trains
ABOUT THE COUNTRY:
- LANGUAGE – Mandarin
- HELLO – Nǐ hǎo
- HOW TO CHEERS – Gānbēi
- BEVERAGE OF CHOICE – Tea
- POPULAR SPORT – Table Tennis
- STAPLE DIET – Rice
After ringing the famous bell 9 times it was back down to the same stall to try the Hot Dry Noodles, Wuhan’s most famous dish. Reganmian, as they are also known as, has an 80 year history in Chinese food culture. They are unique in that they are not served in a broth like most other Chinese style noodle dishes but instead on their own, hence the name dry noodles.
Wuhan’s wet market & China’s business class trains
WUHAN UNIVERSITY
I was told several times that the city’s university was pretty impressive but I didn’t want to visit for the architecture but rather see first hand the virology campus. This was where many conspiracy theorists felt the Covid19 outbreak actually originated from and its not unreasonable to think so. Since the early 2000s this lab has been doing tests on different variants of the disease as well as creating a hybrid coronavirus that was capable of spreading between humans. I even came across the animal lab testing building…make of that what you will.
It was for sure risky walking about here with a camera and no doubt as the only westerner I looked hella suspicious, so before too long I bolted to exhibit A.
Wuhan’s wet market & China’s business class trains
WUHAN WET MARKET
There was just one place left to visit to complete my time at Wuhan and that was of course the wet market, where the bat was sold that had been infected with this virus. The market was incredibly close to the city centre and the ground floor completely closed off. The first floor however was made up of many shops selling just one thing…sunglasses. It was bizarre.
Unfortunately, there was no sign of the wet market as it had been closed for a number of years but it was a strange feeling to be standing inside the building where it all started!
Wuhan’s wet market & China’s business class trains
CITY
After buying a new set of sunglasses to replace those I had travelled the world with I made it back to the city for another ear clean (unreal btw), bubble tea (with some random local) and some more dumplings. The dumplings in the photo might not look like much but they were some of the best I’ve had and all for around $2!
FINAL THOUGHTS
This has to be the biggest shock of my trip so far, I was expecting to come here and not find much to do but in the end gutted I only stayed for two nights.
NEXT UP
China’s Cyberpunk capital, Chongqing!! Click to read.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
171/229
This post is part of the Mongol Series, for the entire series click here or for episode 1, click here.
To watch the video of my trip, head to my highlights on my Instagram.
