Disembarking from the Plane at Haerbin Taiping International Airport 哈尔滨太平国际机场
I took the Chinese budget airline Spring Airlines 春秋航空 from its home base in Shanghai to the frozen northern city of China, Haerbin also spelt as Harbin. A lot of people asked me why I wanted to visit this frozen wasteland of a city. Actually, I don’t have the answer myself. I was planning a tour of the historical belt of China from Xian to Beijing but got pleasantly derailed by a friend who was visiting Shanghai at the same time. The trip from Shanghai to Haerbin took two hours, this was much better than taking a fifteen hour hi-speed train ride from Shanghai to Haerbin.
Hallway at Haerbin Taiping International Airport 哈尔滨太平国际机场
Not surprisingly, the airport of Haerbin City was small, it is almost like a domestic airport. However, every January, they host a world famous Ice Festival, just in time when the city freezes over. However, given the cold here, I don’t think they can max out the capacity of the airport. The airport wasn’t really super modern but it was still a decent airport. It somehow gives off the vibe of the Centennial Terminal II in the Philippines. Anyway, getting out of this airport was also a breeze since there was no need to clear immigration.
Empty Baggage Claim Area at the Haerbin Taiping International Airport 哈尔滨太平国际机场
Immediately took out my jacket since it was already quite cold outside, for someone from the tropics, it is very cold, though I have some built in insulation. I actually bought some thermals from Shanghai, but I didn’t get to use them in the end. There was a counter outside the airport terminal where passengers will purchase bus tickets to their destination. I only knew of one destination here in Haerbin and that was Zhongyang Street. There was a bus which brings us there for a CNY 20. I admit I don’t know much about Haerbin apart from the ice festival, alas, it wasn’t ice festival time when I visited. I did very little research about the city and will only be relying on my Lonely Planet China for tips.
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