Day eighteen

I booked my hotel near Wenzhou South Railway Station, which is a new area quite a bit outside of Wenzhou. There are two ways to get to the city center: a BRT (bus line, which I didn't know about that morning) and a local train that goes near downtown but does not go through it.

I wish I had known about the BRT that morning because the day started with an hour-long walk from the closest train station to the river.

When I got to the river, it was time for coffee first.

Then, I took the ferry to Jiangxin Island in the river. It was weekend, and it seemed like a nice place to hang out for a bit.

They had small stands with snacks and a couple of tea houses and restaurants on the island. I went for egg waffles this time (and many, many times after on this trip).

The island was really nice. It had ponds, tons of benches to relax, and gardens, and it was a pleasant 25 degrees.

Having looped the island, I took the ferry back to the mainland and remembered a dish I had on my last trip. Glutinous rice balls filled with peanuts, and Google Maps told me there was a place that served this snack about 40 minutes away. Time for another walk!

During this walk, I noticed a BRT (Bus Rapid Transit, a bus with a dedicated lane where you check in before boarding, making it faster than a normal bus). I walked up to the station and took a photo of the map. It's when I discovered there were buses going to the south train station.

Continuing on my walk, I stumbled upon an area under construction. It's a pattern I noticed in a few other cities as well. They take an "Old" part of town and rebuild part of it in new construction, but still styled as old buildings. The area around it is designated for walking only, and the houses are converted to shops, mostly snacks and art & craft stores. This then becomes a tourist area, revitalizing an old part of town. They advertised this new "old" town on the ferry to the island this morning.

I was still on the hunt for the glutinous rice balls, and when I got to the shop, they were out :/. But there was another store nearby, and luckily, they still had some left when I got there.

There was a nearby park with a mountain, which I explored for a bit, hoping to get a view of the city, but the peak was covered in trees. They did have mosquitoes, though.

Having accomplished the goals for today, it was time to wander around a bit until it was time for dinner.

It may not look like it, but this is a perfect street. Apartment housing for 6-7 floors. Endless shops and restaurants on the bottom two floors and a layer of trees to insulate road sounds and heat from the buildings.

Finding dinner was a bit of a hassle; when I got hungry, I was in the fashion district with no food at all. There was a main pedestrian street, usually filled with food, but none of it looked appetizing to me. I made a giant loop through some side alleys, and of course, it was at the end of the loop where I found a nice place. If only I had done it clockwise and not counter-clockwise.

By this time, it was dark outside, and I quickly went to Jiushan Park around the corner to get a photo of the walking street, only to discover the park was filled with beautifully lit-up buildings. Time to explore!

There was no view of the city, but it was nice to walk around.

From the park, I walked another 30 minutes to the BRT station. It was close to the river, so I continued to get some coffee (at the same place as in the morning) and some photos of the island, also lit up.

Then, it was finally time to take the bus back to the hotel. Total steps today: 33.000+