8.30 Sat. Beijing-Kunming Rain
Woke up at 6:00 am, went out to take a taxi at 7:00 am sharp, arrived at the airport at 7:45 am, and at 8:00 am, all the boarding formalities had been done. Now sitting in the waiting room, I can board the plane at 8:20 and take HNA HU7165 (8:50-12:00) (RMB 970) to start my Yunnan trip.
Arrived at Kunming Wujiaba Airport at 12:00 noon, took a taxi to the Jinhua Hotel, No. 98, Beijing Road, to check in (288 yuan/standard room, including double breakfast). The plane at 10:00 more than eat something, so lunch is saved, the hotel rest. 2 p.m. departure taxi straight to Xishan Forest Park (admission 30 yuan) (rainy). Get off after entering the mountain, all the way through the three clear pavilions - Luohan Rock - filial piety cow rock - true martial arts hall - the holy father and mother of the temple - Ciyun Hall, etc., until the Dragon Gate, overlooking the Dianchi Lake. At the foot of the mountain there is Nie Er's tomb, go in to pay homage. An aunt played a few songs composed by Nie Er for us, and saw an exhibition introducing his life. After descending the mountain and all the way along the mountain highway to Taihua Temple, along the Taihua ancient road in the forest halting alone. Dense woods, natural oxygen bar! Walking on the path for about half an hour (about 1.9 kilometers). Finally got off the highway and walked to Huating Temple, but it was closed. Stop a bus to Liangjiahe (5 yuan), the rain suddenly heavy again, all the way to the road is muddy; to Liangjiahe, and then take a taxi directly back to the hotel, 8 o'clock dinner at the hotel (the stomach has been hungry).
This afternoon half-day tour of the West Mountain is very enjoyable. The rain stops and starts, quite interesting. Climbed to the top of the mountain, the rain stayed in the clouds open, Kunming city and Dianchi in front of the whole picture; Taihua Temple is quiet and pleasant, full of pungent osmanthus fragrance refreshing; Taihua Road is quiet, fresh air, lush forests. Just later because it is getting late, feeling hungry and tired, the mountain road is empty, very exciting. The only regret is that dinner failed to eat authentic Yunnan snacks. The restaurant is very expensive and the amount of food is very small, it is a big loss!
Tomorrow morning to run to Dali, the road is not close, just the rainy season, all day rainy, some annoying, praying for the clouds to open up the sunrise, the sky clear!
8.31 Sun. Kunming - Dali, light rain
7:30 am breakfast buffet at the hotel. Afterwards, we checked out at 8:30am and dragged our luggage to the South Railway Station, which is 50 meters away from the hotel (very close and convenient). 90 RMB was spent on the Kunming-Dali high speed train ticket at 9am.
Today there is moderate rain in Kunming again, now it is really the rainy season in Yunnan. Every day is cloudy and rainy, and the sun doesn't show up. I just expect the rain to be less, it would be great. I am now sitting in the waiting room of the bus station waiting for the bus. I've had my fill of the buffet in the morning, and I've been secretly packing, so I'll have my lunch again.
I would have liked to take the 8:30 bus, but there was none. In addition to the 8:00 a.m., the earliest only 9:00 a.m., Daewoo car. 8:00 a.m. is a VOLVO (105 yuan). Once you enter the station there are constant ticket sellers coming up to you touting and it's annoying!
Now we are on the bus, and in the front row are three foreign tourists. I listened to them happily talking about their travels (but didn't hear much of what they were saying). I'm sitting here keeping a travel diary, and Ox-Head keeps flipping through the newspaper, feeling like a "donkey". Just now, Niutou called "Qing Xin Yuan" in Dali to book a room, and it was very good. The company said an old man answered the phone, the attitude is very friendly, listening to the netizen said that the old couple opened the inn, is the best of the ancient city, as if it is the descendant of the Duan's!
The car drove for five and a half hours, at 2:30 to arrive at Shimonoseki station. (This all the way around the mountain highway winding me dizzy, and a little bit of motion sickness. The car stopped for lunch in Chuxiong. In fact, I should take the sleeper train at night, not too hard, and save time on the road.) Half an hour later, I took a taxi to Yu'er Park in the ancient city, and called "Qingxin Garden" again. Mr. Duan, the owner, came to pick us up ten minutes later, and we finally arrived. We chose the most expensive standard room upstairs at 90 RMB per room. After chatting a bit, we took a rest. In fact, more than 5 hours of driving in the morning has made us a little tired, just want to lie in bed. 4:30 we put up the spirit, first walked all the way to the south of the city tower closer to us, climbed the city 2 yuan, nothing interesting, very small. Another carriage ride back and forth 10 yuan, to the three tower reflection park (admission 4 yuan). Sure enough, the scenery is very beautiful, after taking pictures out of the carriage back to the South City Hall. And then along the old city all the way to stop and go to the North City Hall, the same 2 yuan to climb the city. City Tower is very large, very wide, because it is evening, not many tourists is very clean, you can see a tower. Down all the way along the Fuxing Road shopping, tie-dye and handicrafts a lot, very ethnic characteristics. In the meantime, we in the Jinhua Hotel next to the Tengxiang passenger station booked tomorrow afternoon 3:00 to Lijiang bus tickets, VOLVO 50 yuan / person, but very convenient. Later walked to the corner of Yu'er Road, a small store to eat dinner: casserole fish, papaya chicken, sauce popped conch meat have eaten, more than 50 yuan, large amount of flavor, good. (On the side of the road also tasted the local snacks: milk fan, a milky flavor, but also sour, not good; and bait block, a bit like pancakes, the taste is not bad.) The rest and walk to Yangren Street to see the street scene, the bar is indeed a lot, just now off-season, popularity is not enough, not too lively. 9 o'clock back to the inn, and the owner of the booking to go to Cangshan tomorrow cableway tickets. The two of us just said that we feel that we have been out to play for a few days, but in fact it's only two days, maybe we are tired, but this is only the beginning!
The day in Dali is good, the sky is clear, no rain, warmer than Kunming.
9.1 Mon. Dali - Lijiang Cloudy to clear
Woke up at 7:30am. I didn't sleep too well last night. Went downstairs to have breakfast at the inn. I was on my way down the stairs when my feet slipped, and I sat down on the floor with my feet in the air, and it was a painful fall. Breakfast is a bit of white porridge, a small bowl of pickles, two steamed buns, one person an egg, 4 yuan. After the meal at the inn to buy a sense of the Tong ropeway tickets 60 yuan / person round trip. (In fact, in the Tengxiang passenger station only 50 yuan / person) we left at 8:00, walked to the north city building next to the 4-way bus terminal, only 5 cents / person, to the sense of the temple station off, very convenient. And take a small side of 5 yuan to the foot of the ropeway, this road is really not close. Ride the ropeway up the mountain, see the Qingbi Stream, and then with another father and son two people together horseback riding up the mountain, 30 yuan / person round trip. Road is really far, 45 minutes or so we dismounted, along the jade belt road to continue hiking up the mountain, and walked for about 1 hour or so, while walking and shooting, the scenery is really fascinating. Finally we arrived at the Seven Dragon Lady Pool. We only walked to the two dragon lady pool began to return, because our ticket to Lijiang is 3:00 pm, down the mountain has nearly 1:00 pm. It was a hard walk again, but the beautiful landscape didn't make us lonely and tired, but hunger kept coming (we only ate a few cookies on the mountain). After a long time, we saw the horse gang waiting for us at the bottom of the mountain, mounted the horses again, and rode down the mountain. Then we got on the ropeway and called Call's driver to pick us up at the bottom of the ropeway, by which time it was after 1:00am. We simply spend 10 yuan to let him pull us directly back to the north city gate, and then straight back to the inn, lifting the luggage on the go, has been rushed to the bus station. 2:35, there is still time to save the luggage, we are close to a small store near a bowl of bait, big pot 4 yuan, small pot 3 yuan, and hot and spicy, full of good taste, eat a good addictive, and finally fill the stomach. (It seems to be a small husband and wife store, in the Yankee Street Inn diagonally across the street. The girl is very serious about her cooking and puts in a lot of vegetables and ingredients.) By the way, "Qingxin Garden", because I saw the netizen's strong recommendation before choosing this, but I feel that the general, not as good as said (whether there is a suspicion of "childcare"?), and it is far from the center of the ancient city, but not as good as said. I felt that it was not as good as it was said to be (is there a suspicion of "trustees"?), and it is far away from the center of the old city, such as Yanren Street, the South City Gate, more remote, in fact, it is better to live in the Guiguo Street area. Later heard a pair of children from Guangzhou, they live in the "Yu An Yuan", also standard room, only 70 yuan, obviously we live expensive.
3:10 on a face of the four of us pulled out of the city, 3:30 or so finally on a VOLVO coach, all the way to sleep, 3 hours later, 6:30 to Lijiang.
Get off the car on a pair of Naxi drivers open cab, said 5 dollars to the old city. After arriving at the big waterwheel, the competent Naxi women and help us carry the heavy big box in the old city around to find the inn. Originally the most preferred "flower horse country inn" is too expensive, standard room 160 yuan, a price, very cattle! This is still the off-season. Looked at a few after are not very satisfied, do not look at the city a lot of inns, either expensive or not with an independent bathroom, and finally stayed in her recommended not far from Sifang Street, near the bar in an alley near the "Wangchengge Inn", next to Xinhua Street Street Street Office, opened just a month, the facilities are very new, the quilt is very comfortable, 100 The price is 100 yuan per day. (I thought this kind of not adjacent to the street will not be very people to live in the inn, but later found that the inn every day to live full, in addition to such as we introduced to the outside, many are looking for their own. This price is considered good, live next door to us, a Taiwanese girl said she looked for a dozen, that this one is considered good. In addition to the courtyard is not too beautiful, but other things are not bad, the second floor balcony overlooking the old city. The owner is also a warm person.) The two of us are really lazy to carry a big box to the east and west, people are backpackers, we look silly, very earthy. Settled everything is already 8:00 pm. We feel that this Naxi woman is quite real, but also quite difficult, decided to rent her car tomorrow to go to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, 100 yuan / day.
8:00 pm we both went to the street for a walk, walked to the waterfront restaurant in front of the Jiannanchun Plaza - Jiannanchun Wenyuan had a very good dinner: chickpea cold noodles, fried mushrooms, fish in sour soup, more than 60 yuan, very satisfied!
After dinner, we wandered around a few streets, Jiannanchun Square and Sifang Street, where many people were "dancing", mostly locals. Because the road is not too familiar, we have long been like "Liu Lou Lou into the Grand View Garden", was the old city of lively, romantic, petty atmosphere of the stunned, tsk, tsk, to the morning before leaving Dali has long been left behind. I was even more attracted by the variety of ethnic handicrafts can not stop to linger. I'm not sure if I want to be too tired tonight, but I'm going to leave the shopping for a couple of days tomorrow.
While just arrived, we have been unable to restrain the love of Lijiang atmosphere, like a dream, it is really a petty paradise!
9.2 Tue. Lijiang - Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Rain
Woke up at 7:20am, went to the neighborhood of Sifang Street at 8am to have breakfast: Lijiang poop, rice and eggs. 8:30am back to the inn to get ready to go. A Taiwanese girl next door hitched a ride with us to Snow Mountain.
First go to the Jade Water Village (30 yuan, the ticket price is too expensive, and there is nothing interesting inside, is a Naxi cottage)-Dongba Shenyuan (10 yuan, the long painting is worth a look at the door and the old Dongba photo is very interesting, but with a little bit of "mind")-Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (admission 42 yuan, the old city) The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (entrance fee of 42 yuan, the ancient city maintenance fee of 40 yuan, really not cheap). It's been raining, and it's getting heavier. Yak ping cableway 60 yuan round trip, up to the yak ping after (altitude of 3800 meters), walking stacks, I like, took a lot of pictures. Just too much fog on the mountain, what snow mountain simply cloudy what can not see, a little regret, but I do not mind much, think it is very fun. We ran to the Tibetan home fire, eat roast yak meat, drink ghee tea. The Tibetans are still very warm. The rain got heavier and heavier as we descended the mountain, so it was a mess! This kind of weather is not much on the big ropeway necessary, to go is also a waste of money, what can not see. Locals say it is best to come in March and April to see the snow and glaciers. Later, I went to the Whitewater River to take pictures, and then returned. In the ancient city of waterwheel next to the air ticket ordering point to buy the day after tomorrow at 8:00 pm back to Kunming's air ticket. (To go to the snow mountain clothes must wear more, umbrella must also bring; like the two of us with an umbrella, or in the inn rented another.)
By the time I got back to the hotel, it was 5:00 pm. I was cold after the rain, headache, I suspect the plateau reaction. Rested until after 7pm went out for dinner. Walked to the Bashiqiao snack bar, ate Naxi grilled fish, blowing liver, mixed pot dishes, dunking vermicelli sausage and mixed sauce rice noodles. The environment is very good, the taste is also good, more than 50 yuan. After the meal we walked in the Sifang Street, and then strolled to the bar street. In the "water on the floor" drink ginger cola, hot chocolate with brandy, eat popcorn, enjoy a kind of petty bar feeling.
9.3 Wed. Lijiang - Tiger Leaping Gorge Sunny
It's now 12:00pm, and I've been drinking and clubbing on Bar Street until 11:00pm. The head of the cow had drunk too much and was lying on the bed, screaming that his stomach was not feeling well. The first thing I'd like to say is that I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm sure I'm going to be able to do it, and I'm sure I'm going to be able to do it!
Today is a rare clear day in Lijiang, the sun is finally out of my hope, so I shouted, yesterday if this weather will be able to see the snowy mountains (in fact, not necessarily). Morning still 7:20 get up, 8:00 in the inn to eat breakfast: rice, rolls, milk, each person 5 yuan. 8:30 driver to pick us up. Today, we went to Tiger Leaping Gorge (most of the other people go to Zhongdian, round trip must be two days; also go to Lugu Lake, round trip must be three days. We decided to leave some regret, next time to play these two places.) The chartered car agreed on 180 yuan / day, replaced by a female driver. From Lijiang to the Tiger Leaping Gorge 2 hours, 11:00 or so to the Tiger Leaping Gorge, tickets 30 yuan / person, the scenery is really spectacular, a wild shot. The two of us sat on the shore, eating last night's leftover "enema powder" for lunch. After going down, another person bought a corn on the cob. Then we went to the First Bend of the Yangtze River and the Stone Drums (2 yuan admission), which were not very interesting. On the way back to the road we have both been drowsy. Back to Lijiang ancient city just after 4:00, back to the inn to rest. 6:30 out to eat dinner. The first time I saw this, I was so happy to see you, and I was so happy to see you.
After the meal began in the roadside store shopping, I bought three shawls (20-35 yuan), three small square scarves (5 yuan a). Later on, we went to see the Naxi wood carving, we both liked it, and bought a wooden ladle engraved with the Dongba script. Tomorrow I have no other plans for the day, just to continue photo shopping in the old city. I put on my new colorful striped shawl, which immediately attracted the attention of some passers-by. Later, Niutou suggested we go to a bar, so we went to the most popular place, Sakura House. He ordered a Dali beer, and I had a glass of "Pink Lady", sipping and observing the various people around us. The most striking are three Sichuan girls who apparently hang out here every day, smoking, drinking, gambling, and fishing. They were good-looking and very playful (there are a lot of Sichuanese in Lijiang). But I can't really agree with their behavior. We can only have fun here once in a while, but let me also go to this kind of night life is absolutely impossible, too boring! I can only do a little "petty", in this "paradise" in a moment of rest, and then, but also to fly back to their own homes.
9.4 Thu. Sunny Lijiang-Kunming
Today was another sunny day, the best since we arrived in Lijiang! I didn't put my alarm on yesterday, so I'm going to sleep in until I wake up naturally today.
The other guests were up before 8am and were woken up by the sound of them opening and closing the door. The sun was shining through the window panes, so I got up at 8:00, packed my stuff, and dawdled around until 9:00, when I left the house. First, I headed to East Main Street and the Great Waterwheel. It was a clear day, I finally felt the hot sunshine of the plateau and the blue sky, the distant snowy mountains (although there was no snow) finally showed up from the clouds, it was not easy. I finally saw the snowy mountains and rushed to take photos. Before long, it was hidden in the clouds again. Then we wandered around the old town. Many stores had just opened and we bought three Dongba Wen T-shirts (25 RMB each). I had my eye on a windbreaker and a school bag, but they were too expensive to sell. Then at 11:00, we went to Dashiqiao Snack Bar to eat mixed frog skin, fried chicken fir, soybean noodles with mixed sauce, soybean noodles with ham, and Sanchuan ham. Eat a full meal, 12 o'clock back to the inn to pack up things to check out, luggage storage. Come out again, to buy wood carving (1 colorful wood carving is only 40 yuan, another more complex carving 120 yuan), some Dongba Wen small wooden plate (5 yuan / piece), two wind chimes (10 yuan / piece), really full of return. We still can't get enough, we like everything we see and want to buy everything we see.
It was so hot that I didn't have an umbrella in the morning and was dizzy from the sun. We carried our things, paced to the bar street, sat down at a wooden table by the river called "four sides of the bar", and made a pot of tea. I'm keeping a diary here, and Niutou is flipping through a copy of Soft Times in Lijiang that he bought a few days ago. A small leopard-like kitten was lying on top of him, lazily taking a nap. Everything was so peaceful and relaxing, everything was so perfectly satisfying: small bridges, flowing water, blue sky, white clouds, the ancient black tiles and red walls along the street, the breeze blowing along the shore, the weeping willows, the blue batik cloth on the wooden table, and the tinkling of brass bells and the melodious sound of hulusi in our ears. This is a kind of life: a kind of life we dreamed of and longed for, finally realized. Lijiang, a lazy, cozy, enjoy life, lazy, sweet, always feel so unreal, such as in a dream. Goodbye, I love Lijiang!
Tonight 8 o'clock from Lijiang - Kunming flight, we are ready to dinner in the bar street, and then booked a driver's car, 70 yuan to the airport. Luggage is getting so heavy we can't even lift it. The trip is coming to an end, happy, fun and satisfying!
At 5 o'clock, we went to Sakura House for dinner, carrying bags of souvenirs. (I ended up buying the trench coat and the bag, both from the store on Xinyi Street. The bag was 45 RMB, and the girl didn't even haggle. I heard later that this was the only store in the old town that didn't haggle, because all of the items were handmade by women in Yongsheng County, one of the poorer counties in Yunnan. I found that the things sold in the store were really more expensive than other places, and every customer who shopped here could leave a message in a guestbook to give them some suggestions. I also wrote a few sentences, and I also hope that all of you will have a chance to go there to buy some things and do something for the women of Yongsheng County. The address is: Jaisan Lane, Xinyi Street). We each asked for a Korean set meal (I was told that the owner of this store is Korean). The guys at this restaurant are interesting, the boys are dressed like ancient Chinese shopkeepers, and one of them looks extraordinarily like a shopkeeper, with a round head and a round brain.
After dinner, we returned to the inn to pick up our luggage and had a nice chat with the owner. 6:20 p.m., the driver came to pick us up, and the two suitcases and two backpacks that we came in with were filled to the brim, and there was an extra travel bag, which was also filled. (I would also like to say that the Naxi people we contacted in these three days are quite good, both the driver and the innkeeper, warm and talkative, I think their service is becoming more and more standardized, able to understand the needs of the guests, and not like some netizens encountered the same.) 7:10 arrived at the airport, is now waiting in the waiting room to take Lijiang - Kunming MU4418B flight (420 yuan). Originally scheduled to take off at 8:00, just broadcast that the plane was late and landed at 7:50, so there is no way but to wait patiently. This flight is basically Taiwan's elderly tour groups, rarely see young people (people more than long-distance sleeper car), we can see that the two "corruption" can be, spend money to buy enjoy it!
Tomorrow will be the last attraction of our trip - a day trip to the stone forest, but now have not thought of what transportation, want to go to Kunming and then go to see. May the journey be successful and smooth! It was almost 10 o'clock when I took a taxi to Jinhua Hotel to check in.
This morning I woke up at 7:30 am, and dawdled to pack up my things, and realized that I couldn't find the bag with food in it, so I searched for it, and turned over every bag, and then suddenly remembered that I had left it in the "Cherry Blossom House". Although there was nothing in it, I was a bit annoyed. I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but I'm going to go to the restaurant for breakfast and pack some pastry for lunch.
After the meal, I walked to the North Central Bus Station, but before I crossed the street, there were some women who came up again, pestering you endlessly, which was very annoying. I'm not sure if I can find a car to go to Shilin, but I finally got into the car with the hustler. The car turned around to pull the guest to get people, Kunming's traffic is really a problem. 9:35 is officially on the road, driving less than an hour and traffic jams, the front may be a traffic accident, just saw a big crane drive past. Wow, a long convoy of cars blocked here, I do not know when to wait. Later found that the ride in this "day trip" car really as netizens say is very bad, 2 hours of road driving 4 hours, 1:00 to the stone forest. Midway first went to a jewelry store (a store and encountered a self-proclaimed ancestry of Beijing long in Myanmar boss over and we pull the hometown, and we encountered in Vietnam that scammer is exactly the same & lt; see my other travelogue: Vietnam encounter hometown & gt;, was coldly rejected, on a free toilet), and then was tricked into a what the Rock Springs Zen Monastery, non-transparently take you to burn incense and worship Buddha to seek a sign! We don't care about him this set of it, turned around and went out. Later, the guide said to go to dinner before going to the stone forest, we finally can not help it, and she argued, only to pull us to the stone forest. 1:00 to, 3:30 to be assembled, simply Shit! We left angrily, extremely disgusted by this boring behavior, the interest is also damaged. (Suggested that you go to Shilin never do the North Central Bus Station (Nan Yao) day trip minibus, either go to the East Station to take the coach for 10 yuan, along the way on the people, but will not pull you around; or sit in the morning at 8:10 am train, more than 2:00 pm there is a trip back to Kunming. (We thought there was another one at 4 p.m., but then we heard it had been canceled since SARS.)
Shilin's entrance fee is expensive enough (80 yuan per ticket) that we went in and walked around on our own, occasionally following a tour group and listening to the guide's explanations. It's still free to play on your own without constraints. At noon, we sat at a stone table and ate our packed lunch. Tourist attractions are full of piles of tourists taking pictures, nothing interesting. But there is a more remote place no one, there are a lot of large and small butterflies dancing among the flowers, beautiful!
We played the size of the stone forest, 4 o'clock out, the parking lot has no bus back to Kunming, had to take a car (10 yuan) to the passenger station, on a bus (10 yuan / person), 4:30 departure, the car drove very fast, 2 hours to the Kunming East Railway Station. We took a taxi to Jinbi Square and took pictures in front of the Golden Horse Bijie Square. Then we went to the nearby "Qiaoxiangyuan" to eat rice noodles, a very big bowl like a small washbasin, 10 yuan a share. The restaurant was very crowded and business was booming, and there was also a song and dance show in the inner room. However, we think the taste is not as good as Dali eat 3 yuan a casserole bait silk, very flavorful! After the meal we took a taxi back to the hotel.
This is the end of our trip to Yunnan. Tomorrow morning we will take the 8:50 Air China flight (1050 RMB) back to Beijing. We're going back to real life, back to our regular daily work life, back to the original me. We had a great time on this trip, not only because of the beauty of the scenery, but also because this self-guided trip allowed us to experience freedom, autonomy and happiness in a whole new way, unrestrained, fearless and more independent. This is not something you can feel in a traveling group. We have decided to travel this way from now on, to all parts of the country and the world.
9.6 Sat. Cloudy Kunming-Beijing
Woke up this morning at 6:30am, breakfast at 7am, checked out at 7:30am, and took a taxi to the airport. Now that all the boarding formalities have been completed, sitting in the terminal, it's only 8:00 a.m., and the books I bought are stuffed in the suitcase, so I can't read them. 5 large and small bags are stuffed full, and there's not a bit of room left. The trip is over! I'm so sleepy now. We'll be in Beijing by 12:00pm. We still have to travel all the way to Xidan by airport bus, and then take a taxi back to our warm home!