Another taste of Xiamen summer

[AIRwin]

Now that China is visa free, I thought of taking this opportunity for a side trip while I was travelling to Singapore/Thailand/Malaysia. I've already been to the major cities of Beijing and Shanghai, as well as Shenzhen, and narrowed my choice of destination down to Chengdu, Chongqing and Xiamen. I heard that summer in Sichuan is unbearable so decided on Xiamen in the end. I came across a brief trip report by @NSun as part of my planning:

A taste of Xiamen summer & Qantas First and several bites of the Pier - 2018

In light of the travel restrictions right now I've been looking back on some of the trips I've taken in years gone by. For my first AFF trip report here is one of the more intriguing I took - to Hong Kong and Xiamen in July 2018. I fell in love with Hong Kong visiting in July 2016 and this was...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

So here's a spinoff and my own taste of Xiamen summer.

 

[AIRwin]

For some reason, reward seats on CX's twice daily HKG-XMN flights were available even right until the day of departure. I used my QF points to make a redemption booking on the morning flight departing 9:30 am.

I arrived at HKG early and waited for the Pier First class lounge to open at 5:30 am so that I can book a massage. Bookings open at 5:45 am and I managed to get a spot at 6 am. I opted for a neck and shoulder massage before heading for the showers and breakfast in the Dining Room (nothing in the Pantry seemed to appeal to me). I noticed the following statement on the CX website:
"From December 2023, we're proudly partnering with Rosewood Hong Kong to bring you exclusive tasting menus before you embark on your journey."

https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_MY/destinations/lounges/hong-kong-international-airport-lounges/the-pier-first.html#the-pier-first-dining

I've been to the Pier previously before the pandemic so didn't take any photos except the congee I ordered which I posted on another thread:

Current Qantas First Lounge Menu (SYD/MEL) and relevant topics

Looks like the winter special menu is similar to autumn: Different dressing on the sashimi but yes other than that identical.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

The only thing memorable was some commotion at another table with a Chinese man raising his voice and pointing at the plate served to his wife. An attendant rushed to them to defuse the situation. By this time, I had already finished my breakfast so I made a swift exit.

 

[AIRwin]

It was my first time seeing the Skydeck so I made a brief pit stop on my way from the Pier to the Wing. Too bad no aircraft passing underneath while I was there...

 

[AIRwin]

I've been to the Wing previously before the pandemic so didn't take any photos. The menu at the Haven restaurant was similar to the Dining Room at the Pier so I settled down in the buffet section instead for some pastries before trying one of the signature coughtails at the bar.

 

[AIRwin]

Whilst the flight was slightly delayed, I didn't have long before boarding commenced. I found a pillow and blanket on my bulkhead seat (which I didn't notice on other seats) and had a shadow. The cabin manager came over to greet me so I thanked her for the pillow and blanket.

Even with a flight time of only around an hour, a hot breakfast of congee and fried noodles was served. Overall an uneventful flight.

 

[AIRwin]

Taxiing to XMN Terminal 3 (behind a Xiamen Airlines B738 in a special Universal Beijing Resort livery - Xiaminion?):

 

[AIRwin]

Unlike @NSun's previous experience in 2018, both immigration and customs were a (summer) breeze. I proceeded to the T3 Arrivals exit 9 for the airport shuttle minibus and bought a ticket from the counter for RMB15.

The shuttle drops off across from the Xiamen (Lundu) Ferry Terminal, which is a short convenient walk to the pedestrianised mall of Zhongshan Road near the accommodation I booked. This is where the drama began to unfold...

 

[NSun]

The Sky Deck is one thing that wasn't there in 2018 - looking forward to checking that out when I next transit through Hong Kong.

 

[AIRwin]

The Sky Deck is one thing that wasn't there in 2018 - looking forward to checking that out when I next transit through Hong Kong.

Perhaps use flightradar24 to see if any aircraft will be passing underneath?

 

[AIRwin]

I have a $50 QF Hotel voucher to use but ended up booking a room at the Koala Youth Hostel (no connection with Australia whatsoever as it turns out) through Agoda due to its convenient location near the Zhongshan Road pedestrian mall:

https://www.agoda.com/xiamen-koala-home-hostel/hotel/xiamen-cn.html

The directions on the Agoda booking confirmation indicated that it was supposed to be behind a particular department store. I finally found the department store after walking around but then still couldn't seem to find the hostel until I stopped to ask for directions again at a shop and was pointed out that it's just around the corner from them. It was actually a vet clinic and trust them to know where to find Koala in the zoo out there!

 

[AIRwin]

I arrived at the Koala Youth Hostel reception looking like a drowned marsupial as I was drenched in sweat and looking forward to a shower but...

The lady behind the reception could find my reservation but claimed that it was not valid as they don't deal with Agoda. They still had rooms available but I had to call Agoda myself to sort it out.

I tried to use the hostel WiFi but it didn't connect for some reason - I later worked out that the password appearing on the sign at reception was koala888 but should have been kaola888

I'm still with Optus so I turned off flight mode to roam at $5 for 24 hours (which is the topic of a separate thread on AFF). The first call to Agoda dropped out while I was on hold so I had to call and explain myself again. I didn't mind paying the hostel directly if Agoda refunded me. In the end, Agoda apologised and cancelled the booking with the refund processed quite promptly thereafter.

The lady at the reception was kind enough to show me 2 available rooms (the larger one had windows) both of which have an ensuite and I opted for the smaller room as it suited my needs. Finally!

 

[AIRwin]

After settling in, it's time to explore Xiamen (formerly known as Amoy)...

Ahoy Amoy!


Not many people out along the waterfront at that time of the afternoon due to the heat and humidity. It reminds me of the riverside walk in Phnom Penh where there are also tourist boats and locals congregate in the evenings.

 

[AIRwin]

Around the Zhongshan Road pedestrian mall:

 

[AIRwin]

By day:

 

[AIRwin]

By night (notice the crowd and traffic?):

 

[AIRwin]

Sunset along the waterfront:

 

[AIRwin]

Colonial buildings and modern skyscrapers:

 

[AIRwin]

The next morning I walked around 15 minutes to the nearest MTR station at the start/end of Line 1.

As I didn't have contactless payment, I had to buy a ticket (RMB 5 for my destination) from a machine and was issued with a magnetic token which is scanned at the gantry.

There are airport style security screening for bags at each station after passing through the ticket gantry.

Stronger air conditioning in the middle carriages compared to either end:

 

[AIRwin]

My destination: Jimei School Village

There was a baby grand piano at the station:


More pianos further on in my trip report... Stay "tuned"!

 

[AIRwin]

Jimei School Village was founded by a philanthropist (Tan Kah Kee) in 1913 and is now a vibrant community within a campus rather than a campus within a community.