From Brussels to Lanzhou

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For our trip from Belgium to China and Australia, we bought a stop-over ticket to Darwin, with a long stop in Hong Kong. We were very unlucky with the typhone that hung over Hong Kong at that time, and were brought over Kaishung (Taiwan) to Singapore to wait for better weather. 30 hours later, we finally landed at Hong Kong.

This how we travelled from Hong Kong into China :
At the airport in Hong Kong we looked out for the counters where they sell tickets for the Express coaches to Guangzhou. We found them close to the entrance to the MTR : 3 companies have a counter next to each other, competing each other, their prices being 200 / 220 / 250 HK$. You can pay with credit card at each of them, but charging different commission. All have stops at Hotels where you can easily transfer to the Guangzhou Airport bus.
We bought our tickets with E&E, the cheapest, not charging for use of the credit card. The trip took all together 3 hours with a first stop for formalities to exit Hong Kong and a second stop for formalities to enter China. Everything went very smooth and quickly. There was possibility to change money. Everyone took all luggages, as a different bus would take us into China. We got off at Garden Hotel, 15 minutes later an Airport bus left to bring us in 45 minutes to the airport. We paid 17Y.

The new Guangzhou airport is big, modern, and has an open character. There is one Arrivals Hall for both National and International flights, and a Departure Hall for departing National and International flights. Both halls are connected through an underground level. The next level concentrates all shops and restaurants. Internet is available on 2 computers in the Business Centre at the Arrivals Hall, 15Y/hour. Air tickets are sold at different counters spread around the Departures Hall, they offer discounts. Money can be changed; we were charged 40Y to change cash.

We bought our tickets their and paid 1150Y for our flights to Lanzhou. There are 3 flights daily : at 8am, 4pm and 6pm. The 6pm flight on China Eastern had a stop at Xi’an, arriving at Lanzhou at 10pm

There are several hotels around the airport grounds. We stayed at the Feixian Binguan.(Volitation Hotel) Tel [phone] and 36067828. They have a free shuttle bus which runs every half hour. It’s in the middle of the residential area for the airport personnel, next to the Fuel tanks, but without any disturbances of incoming or outgoing flights.
Official prices are 280Y for a standard double and 360Y for a deluxe double. Completely new, so everything still worked OK, 24h hot water. The staff was kind. A restaurant next doors mainly caters for the airport personnel, so has decent prices.

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