Tag Archives: guide

Getting to Wuzhen from Hangzhou

Booking Mao Mao’s tour to Wuzhen is very easy. All you have to do is walk up to your hostel receptionist, let her know know you’d like to go to the thousand-year-old village of Wuzhen, she will help you call Mao Mao’s tour company. The next day, Mao Mao’s bus will come and pick you up at your hostel early in the morning.

The entire package including entrance fee costs RMB120 per person. However, before we could get to Wuzhen, we were invited for a complimentary cup of tea at a tea factory along the way. According to a fellow traveller, the free cup of tea at the tea factory was made compulsory by the chinese government who owns the tea business.

Near the end of the highway, the bus detoured down a sidestreet and pulled to a stop. We stepped down the bus and was ushered by Mao Mao into a small dining room. We were served with glasses of “Hang Bai Ju” i.e. Hangzhou White Chrysanthemum Tea.

Here’s dad victoriously holding up his second glass. Refills are also complimentary.

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What Mao Mao did for us

Despite what I wrote about Mao Mao earlier, I actually truly appreciate her. During our bus trip to Wuzhen, Mao Mao tirelessly poured out sound advice on the local customs and etiquette. She taught us what actions can be misconstrued in the local context, taught us what bargains to look out for and what scams to avoid.

Throughout our tour of Wuzhen, Mao tirelessly poured out her deep knowledge of the entire history and culture and social behavior of the entire village of Wuzhen for the past thousand years.

Here’s Mao Mao calling out for her six Malaysian tourists to make sure they do not to wander too far away without her. Mao Mao worries that her six Malaysian tourists will easily lose their way in the labyrinthian village of Wuzhen.

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