On our Own

Japanese Germ Warfare Experimental Base. All that is left to remind us of the atrocities committed by the Japanese during World War II, is limited to photographs displayed in the empty shell of Division 731's experimental base (South West of Harbin). At the end of the world war, the base was destroyed by the Japanese in their attempt to remove of any evidences of the gruesome experiments carried out.

Further down Zhongyang Da Jie, stands the huge memorial to Joseph Stalin.

Stalin Park

For our last meal in Harbin, we had some very delightful Russian food (again)! And with that, we celebrated the end of the adventures in Harbin!

Russian Doll

And you ask me why i am so fascinated with them.

Ice Festival

The sole reason why thousands flock to the little city of the Heilongjiang province. The annual ice sculpture festival is a good enough draw to bring in the crowd despite the minus degree cold. Large areas converted to a wonderland of lights and glamour, and thats exactly what i came for.

*Note, all following structures are made entirely out of blocks of ice cut out from the frozen lakes around harbin.

Feast your eyes out!


Anyone agrees the light is a little too much? A tad too cheena i feel.

Harbin Sights

So we didnt follow a tour to Harbin because we wanted to be a little more adventurous exploring the place on our own. Jo did all the planning and there were many places on her list to visit. When we found out that the cabs in Harbin dont run by the meter but only by flat rates, we were advised to sign up for a local land tour. And the following is the itinerary put together by the group:

1) Harbin's Observatory Tower (1* out of 5) = also known as the Dragon Tower. Give it a miss if you can. Such a disappointment!

Looking up toward the dragon tower

2) St. Sofia's Church (***) = The iconic landmark of Harbin! Believe it or not, we were only given 10 mins at St. Sofia! Thats why i hate tour groups and only managed so few shots of the very cool dome shaped cathedral.


3) Winer Plunge (**) = Again, totally overated. Just a couple of wrinkled old bodies taking a plunge into the sub-zero water. 2 stars only to commend them for their efforts.

Frozen Lake

4) Underwater World (**) = And then it started snowing when we reached the underwater world! It was boring inside only because Singapore has one too but of world class standard.

Ice Sculptures

Not quite the real deal. yet. But at every corner of the streets of Harbin stands an ice sculpture.

The Peeing Boy
Grand Piano
Beethoven

Russian Culture

So i have moved into the new place and managed to somehow get connected. And as always, my room (house too) is in the process of getting made up. Nothing to show just yet.

Meanwhile, I would like to delight you guys with photos that i never got round to putting up. Photos from my recent (january) Harbin trip. Harbin has very strong russian influence, reflected by the russian architecture along da zhong jie, the plentiful russian cuisine and russian dolls!

Along Da Zhong Jie

On the very first night, Jo and I decided to have a go at russian food. We went underground to this place called Tatoc with quite decent food. I wouldnt know if its authentic since its my first russian experience.

Tatoc

There is something quite uniquely different about their soups. Unlike the typical thick creamy western soup, russian soup is lighter and a tad diluted. Nevertheless, i still like it!

China's Polar Land

You know call us crazy, but when Jo was here visiting after the exams, we booked ourselves a trip to Harbin, china's polar land. It was impulsive, a little rush and yes, in January, right smack in the peak of winter. We heard so many horror stories of nose dropping, pee freezing, but still we went against the odds and queued for train tickets in the freezing cold.

Having gone through the tedious and almost impossible task of getting tickets (especially so during the chinese new year holiday), i came out of it with lots of tips to share. For anyone considering going free and easy in china, please just go follow a tour group (at least during major holidays). Travelers interested to find out more on how to go about buying train tic, pls just drop me an email with your questions. Technical details can get quite boring.

1 hour plus plus wait

We only managed to buy one way tic to Harbin with no guarantee of a train back. But Jo was very garang, and in the name of being spontaneous, we bought the tix, packed our little bag, and was ready to leave the next day! And so began our 3 day adventure in Harbin!