Took the Qingming holidays (清明节) to go out for a short trip to getaway to a quiet, peaceful and tranquil place for fresh air and relaxation. Stayed at the InterContinental Hotel, which was located in a secluded area of the lake (RMB 35 by taxi from the bus station). It was a hassle to get in/out, but the location made the hotel a quiet and nice place to relax.

To get here, we had to take the long-distance bus from Shanghai South Bus Station (石龙路666号) to Chun An County (淳安县千岛湖), which took 4.5 hours and cost RMB 125/pax. The ride was decent but since it was quite a ride, we had our Yamasaki muffins to sustain us.

Had lunch at 鱼味馆 a local restaurant, which was a tad pricey. We had the famous local fish head dish (the soup base tasted good, but the fish meat tasted like gelatin which we were not accustom to), a local tofu (good!) and a bamboo with salted veg dish. Everything else was reasonably priced, except for the fish head which cost RMB 388!

Finally made it to the hotel; the check in-process was fast, but the staff was really not friendly at all. Great hardware at InterContinental but software is so lacking! Had a great shower and nap at the room, before heading out for dinner at the All-day dining restaurant. Also, managed to celebrate Earth Hour at the comfort of the hotel.

Day 2 of our trip, we started with the tourist-y things of visiting the islands. We headed to the 旅游南码头 (South Pier) and took a boat ride which would last 4.5 hours, from 10 am to 2.30 pm. (Entrance was RMB 150, boat ride was RMB 45 + RMB 30 (upgrade to rear-view VIP room, you should see the state of the “normal” seats!)

3 islands – 密山，天池，黄山 – it involved quite a bit of climbing of stairs, so be prepared. A tiring trip, but the air was fresh … something you do not get in Shanghai.

After the boat trip, we headed to the city square (千岛湖广场) for food. The restaurant we wanted to eat at 秀水人家 was not opened till 4.30 pm, and since we were starving, we ended up at KFC for a meal instead. Then back to the hotel we came to shower and just relax and have a call in dinner.

Final day of our trip, we just hung around in the hotel, had breakfast, watch TV and read a book till it was time to head off back to Shanghai.

Photos from the trip on Flickr