Lover's Road + ZhuHai Fisher Girl + Seashore Park + Wan Zai Seafood Street (BLOG SERIES 2014)

In the morning, we walked from our hotel to the "Lovers Road". It was a fifteen minute walk from our hotel to the place.

The "Lovers Road" is a stretch of pavement along the seaside which provides a majestic view of the sea and the Macau skyline (if you are lucky).

Walking along Lovers Road

The view across Lover's Road

Romantic street

There are peddlers that offer couple bicycles for rent, but we decided to walk and slowly enjoy the beauty of God’s creation. We sat down under the pavement trees and played cards. 

Walking down further, we found a bus that took us to our next stop, the Fisher Girl statue. The bus alighted us at the nearby "Seashore Park" and took a stroll to the Fisher Girl statue. The Fisher Girl is a great symbol of ZhuHai, like the Merlion of Singapore. The Fisher Girl has a romantic story behind it here's the link to the story> (Love story of Fisher Girl)

The Fisher Girl

Fisher girl from afar

The seashore park is bustling with activity; there were children playing around, couples having a picnic. 

We took a stroll in the park and relaxed until sunset there. There are various activities for children to do there, prawning, flying kites etc. The park is really family-friendly.

Children feeding fish

Celebrating China's 65 birthday

SEESHORE PARK!!

Fly high like a kite

Soaring

Chinese Sweets

After spending much time at the park, we used our GPS to locate a bus terminal within walking distance of the seashore park. Our next stop is Wan Zai Seafood Street. The bus ride is around 45 minutes because there is a slight jam at the causeway. 

WAN ZAI SEAFOOD STREET is a long stretch of hawkers selling live seafood, and parallel to the hawkers are rows of restaurants. This place is definitely not for the shoe-stringer, but it is the 2nd last night of our trip hence lets splurge on ourselves for once, after travelling on a shoe-string  7 days! This place is a must-visit for anyone who LOVES SEAFOOD!!! They offer crabs, prawns, abalone, fish, whatever(non mammal**) you name that is in the sea, you got it. 

View of the seafood street

Restaurants and Hawkers unite

This is how it works, 
First you have to purchase your seafood from the hawkers, or you can go to the restaurant and take a basket to purchase seafood

Next go to the respective seafood stores and purchase your seafood.

After that, bring your seafood to the restaurant, they will advise you on how you want to cook your food. The price varies according to the type of seafood that you order from the hawker and how you would like it to be done, steamed or fried

Lastly, pay the restaurant a bit of “work money” and they will cook the seafood for you.  

Altogether we bought 1) 4 flower crabs, 2) some prawns, 3) mussles, 4)small fish, and together it totaled to $369 Yuan (SGD $18.45/pax). 

Compared to eating these at a local restaurant, it would be considered cheap.

Step 1: Purchase your seafood

Step 1: Ask them to weigh your seafood/ Negotiate for price

Step 2: Bring your seafood to the restaurant

Step 3: Pay for the "Work Money"

Fresh Prawns

Crabs Cooked

Great Delicious Food 

MussleMANIA

Although we had to wait a long time for our food to be served, it was indeed very fresh. You could take out the meat from the prawns easily and the fish detaches from its bones effortlessly. 

By the time we finished eating, it was already 10pm. Although there were buses nearby, it was late and all the buses only operate until 8 plus. We didn’t have a choice but to take a cab back. The average price of a cab from the Seafood Street to Gongbei border is 30-35 yuan, 

Map of ZhuHai

The verdict on Wan Zai Seafood Street? Fresh and Novel!

Shoestrings Travel Tips

• If you eat until late, most probably there wont be buses, the buses end really early (around 8.30pm). Be willing to fork out a sum for cab back.
• At WANZAI SEAFOOD STREET, you HAVE to bargain for your seafood. The locals all bargain really aggressively so if you don’t, you might be scammed.
• According to the locals, the restaurants are more or less the same price so don’t bother bargaining with the restaurants. However we were abit skeptical and chose the restaurant which does not look expensive.
• We took a local driver (not a cab), it is okay in ZhuHai to travel on other local's cars, ensure that they do not overcharge; Shoestringstravel's average cost (from Wan Zai Seafood Street to Zhuhai Border gate) is 30-35 yuan.

Shoestring Travelers Budget List (RMB)

389 bal b/d
(50) kebab
(89) lunch
(6) seaweed
(8) bus
(16) stick
(2) loan to andy for bus
400 deposit

Seafood
(140) crab
(25) prawn 165
(25) oyster 190
(20) fish 210
(159) restaurant (369)

(35) "taxi"
(3) differential adjustment
211 bal c/d ------ CLOSED
* take note that above costs are based on 4 pax

Zhuhai on a BUS!! (BLOG SERIES 2014)

After a satisfying tour of Guangzhou, its time for us to travel to ZhuHai, a prefecture-level city on the southern coast of Guangdong province in China. ZhuHai is particularly known for their fresh and abundant seafood. 

Lunch before our journey

The Shoestringers decided to take the bus instead of the train back because the cost was cheaper. 

The journey was not really worth it. Albeit the cheap 65 yuan that we are paying for the bus ticket, we have to endure a 3.5 hours ride (compared to 45 minutes) to ZhuHai. 

Departing/Alighting gate

Waiting area 

Inside of our bus

The Golden Fortune Hotel ZhuHai was just right beside the bus station, we didn't have much difficulty locating it. 

ZhuHai Prefecture

Ferry to Hong Kong boarding

Fisher girl statue

Around ZhuHai, one of its prominent attractions are the walking street, which gets crowded at night. But it tends to get sleazy at night, with pimps everywhere. 

After 3.5 hours

Walking street view

Walking street view

There is also a huge underground mall near the border gates. Here you can find all sorts of clothing and fake electronics on sale. 

Underground mall entrance

We settled for dinner at the roadside restaurants at the walking street. The Seafood served was indeed really fresh.

Chilli Fish- a Szechuan speacility

Chicken

Shoestrings Travel Tips

• Try to ask for the price of the food before committing to the store to eat. Although it might seem crowded, the food might not necessarily be good or the price worthwhile.
• If you are travelling by bus, it will make a pit-stop at the ferry terminal to Hong Kong. Ideal to take a bus if you are going to Hong Kong.

Shoestring Travelers Budget List (RMB)

Petty cash 021014 (CLOSED)

311 bal b/d

(12) train from kechun to railway station

(8) to tianhe sports centre

(12) burger

(20) potato

(57) bbq

(12) prata

(8) train to guangzhou east railway

(24) street food

(16) drinks

(10) taxi

400 cash

(108) dinner

(18) tidbits

(17) tidbits

389 bal c/d (CLOSED)

Petty cash 031014 (CLOSED)

* take note that above costs are based on 4 pax