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202103 Self-Driving Tour Diary of the Entire Region of Colorful Yunnan
Originally planned for the spring of 2020 was completely postponed for a whole year by the COVID-19 pandemic. This was our long-awaited trip across the Entire Region of Colorful Yunnan. The 41-day self-driving itinerary cost over 16,000 yuan for two people (one was over 65 years old, and the other was over 65 years old with a Level 4 disability), including nearly 3,000 yuan in highway tolls, nearly 5,500 yuan in gas, and over 2,200 yuan in entrance fees, scenic bus tickets, and cable car tickets. Unexpected highlights of the trip included the Yuanmou Earth Forest and feeding red-billed gulls at the Haigeng Dam. Highlights of the trip included the rapeseed flower fields in Luoping, Xishuangbanna, Dehong, Tengchong, the Nujiang River, the Dulong River, the Jinsha River Bay in Diqing, the Meili Snow Mountain, the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and Sanxingdui. Of course, there were also some unforgettable experiences: Jiulong Waterfall, Tengchong's volcanoes, the Dagon Highway, Dali's Cangshan Mountain, Balagzong National Park, and the Upper, Middle, and Lower Tiger Leaping Gorge. We left home at 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, to begin our Yunnan self-driving trip. The air in Shijiazhuang was very bad that day, and fog started to thicken near Jingxing. I turned on my front and rear fog lights. The mountains and trees were covered in snow. The weather improved after we entered Shanxi, and the sun began to peek out. After passing Yangquan, the weather was beautiful. Along the way, we stopped at four service areas: Luquan, Yuxian, Lingshi, and Xiangfen. We stopped at the first two service areas only to use the restrooms, and at the last two for a brief rest. We arrived at Zhenguo Temple in Pingyao at 12:50 p.m. Zhenguo Temple was designated a National Key Cultural Relic Protection Site in 1988. In 1997, Zhenguo Temple and Shuanglin Temple, as integral parts of Pingyao Ancient City, were listed as World Cultural Heritage Sites. The Hall of Heavenly Kings dates back to the Yuan Dynasty. A bell tower adjacent to the Hall of Heavenly Kings houses an iron bell cast in the fifth year of the Huangtong reign of the Jin Dynasty (1145 AD). Its elegant shape and exquisite craftsmanship make it a rare find in Pingyao County. The Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas, located in the center of the front courtyard, dates back to the Five Dynasties and is one of the few remaining wooden structures from that period in China. It is quite rare among historical temples, and among my country's extant wooden structures, it is only later than the Nanchan and Foguang temples on Mount Wutai. Statues are found throughout the halls of Zhenguo Temple, but the most precious are those in the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas, dating from the Tianhui period of the Northern Han Dynasty. In the center of the altar stands a waisted Sumeru pedestal, upon which Sakyamuni Buddha sits cross-legged. Fourteen statues fill the hall. Three (Guanyin, Shancai, and Longnu) were sculpted in the Ming Dynasty and repainted in oil in the Qing Dynasty. The rest are originals from the Five Dynasties, reflecting the styles of the Tang and Five Dynasties. We spent a little over half an hour exploring the temple. After leaving Zhenguo Temple at around 1:00 PM, we decided to adjust our itinerary. We had originally planned to stay in Linfen, arriving around 3:00 PM, but this felt a bit early. We decided to stay in Hancheng, a little over three hours' drive away. After exiting Zhenguo Temple, I saw the fuel gauge had only one bar left. There were only private gas stations along the way, so I didn't dare refuel, thinking I'd refuel on the highway. On the highway, AutoNavi said there would be a gas station after 80 kilometers, but I figured that wouldn't work, so I exited the highway in Jiexiu and looked for one. Then, 26 kilometers from the Lingshi service area, I saw a sign. With just over 10 kilometers left, the fuel gauge lit up, and the dashboard indicated I needed to refuel. I filled up 44.13 liters at the Lingshi service area. As soon as I exited the highway in Hancheng, I was stopped and asked to scan the Shaanxi health code before I could pass. I found the Yulong Hotel, which still required a health code scan. The front desk booked a room for 198 yuan, but China-TravelNote charged 98 yuan for two beds without breakfast. I thought the hotel was good and would stay there again. We ate Hancheng wontons on Zhuangyuan Street. We changed our itinerary to stay in Nanjiang County tomorrow, which will take about 9 hours. The next day, we had a buffet breakfast at the hotel for 30 yuan per person. Afterwards, we set off for Nanjiang. Driving to Xi'an, I saw a sign for Hanyang Mausoleum and decided to go there on a whim.
Hanyang Mausoleum is the joint burial site of Emperor Jingdi Liu Qi, the fourth emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, and his wife, Empress Wang, in separate tombs. It is said to be the most complete Western Han Dynasty imperial mausoleum discovered to date.
After touring for 1.5 hours, we drove to Huatian Tower and parked in the ancient city parking lot.
It took 45 minutes to complete the tour. After staying at Youyijia Hotel, we walked into the ancient city and first visited the Gongyuan.
Then we visited the Langzhong City Museum and the Northern Sichuan Dao Office.
Zhongtian Building
Han Huanhou Temple
Arrived near the hotel around 4:30 pm.
Plan to go directly to Shunan Bamboo Sea tomorrow. We set off for Sanhejie, the site of the Shunan Bamboo Sea, at 8:00 AM on March 5th. The navigation system directed us to the scenic area's east gate. After exiting the highway, the road leading to the scenic area was very narrow and difficult to navigate, making passing cars difficult. When we arrived at the scenic area's main gate, we asked and found out it was the north gate. The staff explained that the east gate had been closed due to a landslide caused by recent rain, so the navigation system directed us to the north gate. Shunan Bamboo Sea is a National 4A-level tourist attraction and the world's largest concentrated natural bamboo forest. Its unique geographical location creates a "heaven on earth" experience amidst the mountains and bamboo sea. It's a rare and unique destination in China, combining bamboo scenery, mountains, water, lakes, waterfalls, and ancient temples, while also offering a leisurely vacation destination steeped in the rich history of bamboo culture and ecology. Admission is free for those over 65, and there's no charge for self-driving vehicles. We found a resort hotel in Sanhejie, but it was fully booked. Instead, we found a nearby Zhuyuan Renjia for 100 yuan. The proprietress recommended that we visit Xianyudong, Shibaozhai, Fairy Lake, and Haizhonghai scenic spots this afternoon, and then visit other scenic spots tomorrow.
We went to Xianyudong around 2:50 pm, where we bought a bag of bamboo shoots for 15 yuan.
Xianyudong mainly consists of the Main Hall, the Second Hall, and the Guanyin Hall
(A very tall standing statue of Guanyin)
Fairy Lake is a small artificial reservoir, and the surface area of the Sea in the Sea is quite large.
From the Sea in the Sea scenic spot, walk to the parking spot, and then take the highway to the Xianyudong parking lot. It's actually quite close, about 400 meters back to Zhuyuan Renjia. The proprietress said it was now 5:30 and you could still go to the Jade Gallery and come back for dinner after the tour. We arrived at the Emerald Corridor in just five minutes, but to my disappointment, it was just a wide path lined with bamboo.
On March 6th, it started to drizzle as we were about to depart, so I went to the Colorful Waterfall first.
The ferrymen hadn't started yet, so I called them. The fee was 8 yuan per person, a total of 16 yuan. The tour took about an hour. We continued our drive, the road fog thickening, so we turned on our fog lights. There were still many scenic spots under construction along the way, but at the intersection leading to Moxi, a checkpoint wouldn't let us pass. We gave up and decided to head to Huanglian River in Yunnan. The navigation system had chosen a route that avoided highways, but AutoNavi still directed us onto the highway. Once we realized the problem, we took the second exit and continued on the regular road. We encountered a traffic jam. There had been an accident in the opposite lane, and traffic was one-way clear in our direction. Seeing that there were no cars in the opposite lane, I boldly overtook them to avoid the traffic jam. At one point, we got on the highway for a short distance. Daguan County is located on a mountain, making the road difficult to navigate.
The Huanglian River Scenic Area is dominated by a group of waterfalls.
Today is International Women's Day, so women can enjoy free admission, and one family member can also bring free admission. The main gate and stage of the guild hall are one structure. 
Inside the gate is a large, impressive stage. The guild hall has two courtyards. We spent half an hour exploring.
Leaving the Guild Hall, I went to Tang Jiyao's Former Residence.
It's a museum and closed on Mondays. I just took a photo of the gate. I walked back to find the Sichuan-Shaanxi Guild Hall, but no one in the area had heard of it, so I went back to the parking lot. Once inside, I asked the attendant if he knew where it was, and he said it was right here.
A closer look revealed only two buildings remained. It looked like they were still the old courtyard, empty and used as a parking lot.
It's clear that not all the guild halls in Huize are well-preserved.
I saw a water pipe with water running. I asked the administrator if I could use it to wash my car. He said it was well water and it was free to use. We simply washed the mud off the car. It took nearly an hour.
We set off from Huize County at 10 a.m. for Dahaicaoshan, which took about an hour. Dahai Grass Mountain, located in the southeastern part of Dahai Township, Huize County, is part of the main peak section of the Wumeng Mountain Range. The mountain boasts a vast, gently sloping subalpine meadow covering 180,000 mu (approximately 16,000 acres) at an altitude ranging from 3,570 to 4,017 meters. In spring and summer, the grass is lush, birds are chirping, and flocks of sheep are everywhere. In autumn and winter, clouds and mist billow, and snow blankets the landscape. Each season offers a different view of the mountain.
At times, it felt as if I were deep in the Mongolian steppes; at others, it felt like I was in the snowy plateau of Tibet. This magical fusion of "Mongolian charm and Tibetan landscape" earned it a spot recognized by National Human Geography as one of China's 108 most beautiful landmarks.
Half-price admission to Dahaicaoshan costs 17 yuan, and two bus tickets cost a total of 40 yuan. The ticket seller said the bus only stops at two scenic spots. We first took the bus to Dishuiyan (the viewing platform). Dripping Rock is 3,540 meters above sea level. The hike to the observation deck is quite strenuous. From there, you can take in the panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and the surrounding scenery.
Coming down from the observation deck, we saw another scenic shuttle bus arriving. We hurried down the mountain and took the bus to the second scenic spot, which turned out to be uninteresting. There was only barbecue and horseback riding. We didn't get off the bus and went straight back to the scenic area entrance at 12 noon. There is a ski resort within the Dahaicaoshan Scenic Area. When it's not ski season, the ski resort driver drives the scenic shuttle bus for the scenic area.
We set off for the Dongchuan Red Land. The road was very difficult to drive on, with potholes and many large trucks. Overtaking was difficult, and if you didn't, you would eat dirt. We reached a fork in the road and the navigation system told us to continue forward. We saw a large sign on another road that said "Red Land." Confused, we stopped at a roadside hotel to ask for directions. A kind woman offered us pointers and directions. We followed her instructions and first headed to Luoxiagou. We saw the thousand-year-old dragon tree in the distance but didn't go near it. We drove into the Duoyishu scenic area, but couldn't find the exit, so we turned back. We almost lost our way when we turned around. Afterwards, we visited Lepu'ao and Luosiwan, then returned to Jinxiuyuan, which was quite nice and under construction. We then headed to Qicaipo and Damakan. Qicaipo wasn't marked, so we didn't even know we'd passed it. At Damakan, we had no phone signal, so a local told us we had to go back through Huashitou to Tangdian to get on the highway to Wuding. We headed back. It was already 6 p.m. They say the best time to photograph the red soil is from May to June and from September to December, so the photos we took this time weren't ideal. It was already 8 p.m. when we arrived at the Wuding Chuhao Hotel. The hotel was huge, seemingly run by a government agency, but the hot water wasn't hot. Li Jiqing didn't even dare shower. We set off for Lion Rock on March 9th. There weren't many people there. Tickets were NT$70, with half-price discounts for those aged 60 to 69. We only visited the Zhengxu Zen Temple. The story of how Emperor Jianwen of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yunwen, shaved his head and took refuge here, becoming a monk at Lion Rock, is a household name in Wuding Basin, known to everyone, young and old. Lion Mountain is full of legends. We calculated that we wouldn't have enough time to visit the earth forest if we went up the mountain, so we decided not to go up Lion Mountain and headed straight for Yuanmou.
We took the Beijing-Kunming Expressway to the Yuanmou Earth Forest Exit. After stopping at the Yuanmou Service Area, Li Jiqing chatted with two Beijing ladies who had rented a car from Kunming.
Let's go to Wumao Earth Forest first.
Wumao Earth Forest is rich in tourism resources. The bizarre shapes of earth pillars,
The deep and tranquil valley fissures, the cave gates hanging high in the air, the primitive and rugged sand gully desert, the bizarre colorful rocks and a wide variety of ancient plant fossils constitute the rich landscape of the scenic area. The earth forests are mostly shaped like castles, screens, curtains, and columns. The earth columns are of different heights and are arranged in an orderly manner. The general height is between 5 and 15 meters, and the highest is 42.8 meters. It's nature's uncanny craftsmanship and meticulous carving that has created a myriad of bizarre sand and clay sculptures and mysterious geological formations, forming the Yuanmou Earth Forest, a fascinating art palace. A half-price ticket costs 35 yuan, and the entire journey takes two hours. The drive from Wumao Earth Forest to Langbapu Earth Forest takes about an hour. At 8-9 kilometers from the forest, there's a large sign for the 8-kilometer route, but the navigation system directed us to a different route for the 9.2-kilometer route. We had no choice but to follow the navigation system, as the road was narrow for a while and we couldn't miss it. When we arrived at Langbapu Earth Forest, there were not many tourists, and only one large car was in the parking lot. The Langbapu earth forest is tall and dense, with a complete range of types. The conical earth pillars are particularly well-developed, generally ranging from 8 to 25 meters in height, and the highest reaches 42.8 meters, ranking first among the single earth pillars in the Yuanmou earth forest. The earth forests come in a variety of shapes, including cones, clusters of peaks, snow-capped peaks, and city walls. The snow-capped earth forests are large, reaching heights of up to 40 meters. Their colors are primarily purple-red at the top, gray in the upper middle, and yellow in the lower middle, with variations in brown-red, gray-white, brown-yellow, gray-black, and cherry-red. From a distance, it resembles a magnificent palace. Up close, some resemble majestic warriors, ready for battle. Some earth pillars are like cones or swords, pointing straight to the blue sky; some resemble graceful girls, gazing into the distance; some resemble figures, animals, or birds; some resemble the Great Wall. The earth pillars stand tall and straight, like huabiao (a stele) or giant bamboo shoots. Some are topped with weeds or wildflowers; others are piled high with sand and gravel, their bodies exposed... It's a breathtaking sight.
Half-price admission is 25 yuan, and the scenic shuttle bus fare is 40 yuan for two tickets (round trip, 3 kilometers). To save time, we chose the scenic shuttle bus. It departs at 2:30 PM and leaves at 5:30 PM, a total of 3 hours. I highly recommend the Yuanmou Earth Forest! It's definitely worth a visit!!
From the scenic area, we headed towards Dayao County. We used AutoNavi navigation, but then it went silent. We ended up taking the same road we'd taken the previous way. At a fork in the road, I realized I was on the wrong side of the road, so I stopped and reset the navigation, which led us back to the road we'd taken to Langbapu Earth Forest at noon. This meant we had to walk a bit more. It was already 6:00 PM. We were expected to arrive in Dayao at 8:00 AM. This is Yuanda Road (Yuanmou to Dayao). The road is in terrible condition, full of potholes and the average speed is 40 mph. The road near Dayao is very narrow, only wide enough for a car. Upon arrival in Dayao, we checked into the Yihe Hotel. The hotel was okay, especially the hot water, though the ambient temperature was a bit too warm. On the morning of March 10th, we headed to Santan Waterfall. It took half an hour to reach the scenic spot. The Santan Waterfalls are a cluster of 33 waterfalls, spanning a river less than 4 kilometers long. The first tier, arranged from upstream to downstream, rises 19 meters, creating a beautiful pool of mist. The second tier rises 121 meters, and the third 82 meters. Throughout the day, the two pools dance with water, shrouded in mist, and shrouded in gentle rain, the sound of the cascading waterfalls fills the air. The three cascades seamlessly blend together, creating three deep pools along the cascades with tremendous force, hence the name "Three Pools." With a total drop of 220.28 meters, the Santan Waterfalls are the highest waterfalls in Southwest China. We could only gaze at Santan Waterfall from afar across a deep ravine. After taking photos, we returned to Dayao and continued on to Zixi Mountain in Chuxiong. The secondary road was easy to navigate. We arrived at the north gate of Zixi Mountain at 11:00 AM. Upon asking, we learned that admission was free and that you could drive into the park. Zixi Mountain is located southwest of Chuxiong City, over 20 kilometers from the city center. It is conveniently located along National Highway 320. The scenic area covers 16,000 hectares, with a forest coverage rate of 96%. The main peak is 2,500 meters above sea level, making it the largest natural park in Yunnan Province. Zixi Mountain is rich in camellias. According to contemporary botanists, camellias have been cultivated in the mountains for at least 1,000 years. A single surviving plant, called "Tongzimian," boasts two-colored flowers, first red and then white, a remarkable sight and the earliest known cultivated camellia in China. Zixi Mountain's camellias are not only ancient, but also boast a wide variety and richness of colors, making them unparalleled in central Yunnan. The popular saying, "Yunnan's camellias are the best in the world, and Zixi's are the best in Yunnan," is certainly true. We first went to Xiangguo Garden to take pictures of cherry blossoms, azaleas, camellias, peach blossoms, etc. We then visited the ancient trees and went to the exquisite gardens of the Camellia Garden.
After leaving Zixi Mountain, we drove to the Kunming Century Water Hot Spring Hotel in Kunming, which is connected to the bathing center.
On the morning of March 11th, we had a hearty buffet breakfast at the hotel.
We walked 27 minutes to the Yunnan Provincial Museum. The staff explained that the museum's treasure is the "Ox-Tiger Bronze Table" from the Warring States Period. We saw:
Western Han Dynasty bronze lamp with three figurines,
War scene of the Dian Kingdom during the Western Han Dynasty, the cover of the drum-shaped shell storage vessel, the Western Han Dynasty bronze drum with ox pattern, the seal of the King of Dian (replica),
Song Dynasty Silver-backed Gold Acupoint Guanyin Statue, Five-color Offering Pagoda,
Song Dynasty Dali Kingdom Silver-gilt Beaded Garuda,
We drove from the hotel to Haigeng Dam. Once on the dam, we saw red-billed gulls flying in the distance.
Dense red-billed gulls were also floating in the water of Dianchi Lake.
I took a bunch of random photos with my phone and camera.
I also took a photo of feeding the red-billed gulls with food.
My skills are limited and I didn’t take many good photos.
Parking seemed difficult at Jinma Biji Pavilion, and feeding the red-billed gulls at Cuihu Park might not be as exciting as at Haigeng Dam. So, we decided to stay in Luliang.
We arrived at the Luliang Happy Business Hotel a little after 5 PM. Luliang County seemed to be short on land. The most interesting thing was that the hotel's parking lot was underground, and cars descended via an elevator. The elevator resembled a large flatbed like those used on construction sites, but thankfully, it only had one floor.
There were very few restaurants in Luliang County, and we had to walk two blocks before we could find a meal.
On March 12th, we headed to the Luliang Colorful Sand Forest, where tickets were half-price at 35 yuan. The Luliang Colorful Sand Forest is a national AAAA-level tourist area, located 18 kilometers from Luliang County. Its 108 designated scenic spots are spread across a Y-shaped canyon, covering a total area of 180 hectares. The sand forest is formed by weathering and erosion and is in the shape of mountains and peaks;
And because the main colors are red, yellow, and white, mixed with cyan, blue, black, and gray, plus the differences in season, climate, sunlight, and viewing angles, they produce gorgeous and colorful colors.
Hence the name Colored Sand Forest, it is a famous geological tourism landscape.
Some of the rocks in the scenic area can be seen to have different colors. I personally feel that the scenery in the scenic area is much worse than that in the soil forest.
There are some sand sculptures in the innermost part of the scenic area, the level of which is relatively average. It took us 3 hours from entry to exit.
Outside the scenic area, we discussed giving up the tour of Yingwu Mountain and Phoenix Valley and heading directly to Luoping.
Here is a description of Luoping rape flowers: The sea of rape flowers among the karst peaks in Bazi, Luoping, fully demonstrates the unique charm of nature. Every year around the Spring Festival, Luoping Bazi becomes a sea of rape flowers. 800,000 acres of continuous rapeseed flowers carry the fragrance of spring and sing the song of harvest, making the entire Luoping County wrapped in a sea of flowers. Jinji Peak is one of the best places to view the sea of flowers. Standing on Jinji Mountain, you can see rapeseed flowers all over the mountains and plains. The beautiful peaks, cottages, roads, streams... everything in the world is integrated into the sea of flowers. The yellow flowers and green leaves complement each other, the colors are bright and bright, and the sunlight like a golden shuttle combs through the sea of flowers, giving off a golden luster, which makes your heart beat fast.
Arrive at the Jinji Peak Scenic Area before 2:30 pm, buy a half-price ticket for 10 yuan, and enter the scenic area on foot,
The scenery is really beautiful, with large tracts of yellow rapeseed flowers. We first went up a hill along the wooden plank road. After we came down, we walked forward along the road and passed the intersection between two hills. We saw an observation deck and plank road on the heights of Laojianshan in the distance. My wife wanted to go, and a Jingjiao bus happened to come over. We bought 2 tickets for a total of 60 yuan and took the bus to the foot of Laojian Mountain. The driver said that we could take the bus back to the exit before 6:30 pm. If it was later, there would be no bus.
We went up the mountain, took pictures, went down the mountain and waited for the bus. It was 5 o'clock when we returned to the entrance of the scenic spot. Stay at Luoping Shenzhen Harbor Hotel.
On the morning of March 13th, the restaurant owner told us that Kowloon Falls was closed.
Driving to Luositian Scenic Area, there was heavy fog.
The scenic area is free. Wait for about half an hour for the fog to clear up and take photos.
It takes about one hour in the scenic area.
Go to Xingyi Wanfenglin Scenic Area in Guizhou, passing by Jiulong Waterfall,
Took a photo from a distance. The road is relatively easy to walk.
Wanfenglin Scenic Area is located in the southeast of Xingyi City, Guizhou Province. It is majestic and magnificent, with unique peak shapes and beautiful overall shape. It is the largest and most typical karst peak forest in China.
Wanfenglin tourist area has successively won the titles of "National Key Scenic Area" and "China's Five Most Beautiful Peaks".
We arrived at Wanfenglin at 12 o'clock, free of charge, and bought a Jingjiao bus ticket for 50 yuan. Jingjiao bus stops at 8 viewing platforms such as:
Bagua Tian, Liuliu Shunfeng, etc. Total 2 hours.
We drove to the Maling River Canyon Scenic Area at 2:30 pm,
The Maling River Canyon is located in Xingyi City, Guizhou Province. It is a national key scenic spot and a national AAAA scenic spot. The canyon is 74.8 kilometers long, 50-150 meters wide, and 280 meters deepest.
Known as "the gap between the gutter and the ground" and "the most beautiful scar on earth", the valley's hundreds of waterfalls, three million square meters of travertine waterfalls and various rare plants are the biggest attractions. Admission is free. It took us 1 hour and 40 minutes to walk. The waterfall in the front part of the scenic spot is so small that you can't even see it clearly in the photos taken with your mobile phone. The scenic area only opens the plank road on the west bank, and the plank road on the other bank is closed.
The more beautiful ones are Pearl Falls and Ten Thousand Horses Galloping Falls. You can only return to the scenic spot via the original route.
When I arrived at the Ganxing Hotel, the TV in the room could not be turned on, and the mobile phone could not access the Internet. The waiter changed the room to another room. The hot water had to be left for a while to heat up. It was very hot!
Eat free breakfast at the hotel on the morning of March 14th. Refuel at the PetroChina gas station in Xingyi City and wash your car for free and dry it yourself.
At the entrance of Bamei’s former scenic spot guided by the 2-point navigation, the security guard at the door said that you need to go to the 7-kilometer visitor center to buy a ticket and take the scenic bus to enter the scenic spot.
The Bamei Scenic Area in Guangnan County is called "the last paradise" because of its unique karst topography, caves, rivers and villages, which resemble the Peach Blossom Land described by Tao Yuanming, a writer of the Jin Dynasty. A ticket to the scenic area is half price 40 yuan, the bus fare to the scenic area is 50 yuan, and the three-stage boat ticket is 30 yuan each. Scenic area transportation fee (50+90)*2=280 yuan, totaling 320 yuan.
Take the scenic bus to the entrance of the cave,
Take a motor boat into the scenic area,
There are big banyan trees, waterwheels and other attractions. The whole feeling is not good. I think the scenic spot has been over-developed and has too many artificial things.
Build new residential buildings, artificial plank roads, etc. in the scenic area. Near the water tanker, there were several 4 or 5-year-old boys playing with their bare buttocks in the water. I asked the owner of the residential house that the accommodation fee was 180 yuan per room.
I walked a long stretch of plank road before taking the second boat. Before taking the third boat, I walked a long plank road without much scenery.
We took the third boat to the visitor center. I personally think Bamei is not worth going to!
It took less than an hour to drive to the Huifeng Business Hotel in Guangnan County. There were no rooms in the hotel, so they introduced us to the Jinyuan Business Hotel not far away.
Driving to Puzhehei in the morning of March 15th. Arrive at the visitor center at 10:30. A man struck up a conversation and said he could drive me into the scenic spot without having to buy scenic spot tickets or scenic bus tickets, and introduced me to accommodation. The cost is 50 yuan. His wife took us to Puzhehei Village and introduced two B&Bs. One of them was called Fuzhaoge, and they bargained down to 120 yuan for a standard room.
Wenshan Prefecture Qiubei Puzhehei Scenic Area is located in Qiubei County, Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China, 13 kilometers away from the county seat. It is a national scenic spot and a national AAAAA tourist attraction. The total area of the scenic area is 388 square kilometers, and the core scenic area is 165 square kilometers. It belongs to the karst area in southeastern Yunnan and is a typical karst landform. It is famous for its six major landscapes: "water pastoral, lake peak forest, Yijia water town, karst wetland, lotus world, and migratory bird paradise". It is said that summer in Puzhehei is better when the lake is full of lotus flowers and water fights can be had by boat.
Let’s climb Qinglong Mountain first,
It took 2 hours to go to the Three Lives Three Worlds Ten Miles Peach Blossom scenic spot. I bought a pound of strawberries. It was very hot. When I returned to the inn, I put on a short-sleeved shirt. At 15:45 we arrived at the Puzhehei Information Point. The staff introduced us to buy a 60 yuan Jingjiao ticket and a ticket to the Swan Lake Scenic Area. We then took the bus to the Visitor Center and then changed to another bus to visit the Xihuang Wetland Scenic Spot. We got off at Gate 1 of Swan Lake.
Tour the Swan Lake scenic spot on foot for 3.1 kilometers, and then take the bus back to Puzhehei Village Station before 18:00. We left Gate 2 of Swan Lake at 17:34 and waited until 18:00 to take the last scenic bus back to Puzhehei Village.
Walked in the village and returned to the inn at 19:20.
Have breakfast at Fu Zhao Pavilion on the morning of March 16th.
It takes an hour to drive to Yunshang Tiankeng. No one in the scenic area does not have a car and does not need to pay a ticket.
It seemed deserted. We climbed the mountain for 27 minutes and arrived at a sinkhole.
No wonder no one came because the view was not good. I took two photos and walked back.
While driving from Yunshangtiankeng to Jianshui, I passed by a small mountain village. There were several women standing in the middle of the road. They stopped my car and said something I couldn’t understand. Later, a young woman who spoke Mandarin came over and told me what the festival was in the village. Passing vehicles could donate one yuan. I gave her 2 yuan, and they tied a red string on my reflector. Just let us go.
Drive to Jianshui. Asanlong gets on the highway and comes on.
Arrived in Jianshui at 13:30 and entered the parking lot near Xiaotiananmen (Chaoyang Building).
Chaoyang Tower occupies the center of the county. It was built in the 22nd year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1389) for more than 600 years. It is one of the main symbols of the long history of Jianshui, an important town in southern Yunnan, and a symbol of the old important town on the border of the motherland.
Jianshui Street Scene
We bought a pound of Piba on the street.
Visit the Zhu Family Garden, 
Jianshui Zhujia Garden Scenic Spot is located in the middle section of Hanlin Street in the center of Jianshui Ancient City. It is a century-old private residence built by the Zhu family for more than 30 years during the Guangxu period of the late Qing Dynasty. The entire building faces south and faces north, covering an area of more than 20,000 square meters, of which the building area is more than 5,000 square meters. There are 214 large and small houses and 42 patios. The main building is divided into inner courtyard,
ancestral hall,
Back garden.
In the courtyard, there are ancestral halls, embroidery threads, shops, waterside pavilions, flower halls, ponds, and bamboo forests. Here you can learn about the architectural style of southwest residential buildings. Tickets are half price 18 yuan.
The four courtyards of plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum are so awesome. The visit lasts 2 hours. I went out to eat a portion of the famous Jianshui tofu on the street for 5 yuan and 10 yuan, which was not very exciting.
It takes more than 10 minutes to drive to Shuanglong Bridge. Jianshui Seventeen-hole Bridge, commonly known as Shuanglong Bridge,
It is located 5 kilometers west of the ancient city of Jianshui, across the intersection of the Lujiang River and the Tachong River.
This ancient bridge was built during the Qing Dynasty and is a famous historic site in Yunnan. The ancient bridge has a total of 17 holes connected with each other. There are also three-story pavilions on the bridge. It looks ancient and very grand. From a distance, it looks like a big ship floating on the water. Tour takes 30 minutes.
Drive to Tuanshan Residential House. There is a Xianghui Bridge on the road.
Tuanshan Residence is located 13 kilometers west of Jianshui Ancient City,
Tuanshan Village is a typical Han immigrant village in southern Yunnan with a history of more than 600 years. It has 15 well-preserved large-scale dwellings, 3 village gates, 3 temples, 1 ancestral hall, and 1 ancestral tomb. It covers an area of 18,384.5 square meters and a construction area of 16,158 square meters.
Its regular shape, flexible layout, rich spatial landscape, elegant interior and exterior, exquisite architecture and exquisite craftsmanship show the typical characteristics of southern Yunnan residential architecture and represent the highest level of local local architectural development in Yunnan.
The World Monumental Architectural Heritage Conservation Foundation (WMF) announced it as a world monumental architectural heritage, confirming that Tuanshan Ancient Village is an extremely rare example of untouched precious human heritage in the world.
Half-price tickets for Tuanshan Residence are 18 yuan. I visited several yards and the last three yards were closed after get off work.
It costs 118 yuan to stay at Jinshiyuan Hotel in Jianshui.
On March 17, a carload of Shanghai tourists stayed in the hotel and made a lot of noise.
Drive on National Highway 245 to Yuanyang Rice Terraces. We followed a car from Kunming all the way on the mountain road and overtook the car from Tianjin behind us. When we arrived in Yuanyang County, we separated.
Yuanyang Rice Terraces is the core area of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces. The Honghe Hani Rice Terraces are located in southern Yunnan, spread across the four counties of Yuanyang, Honghe, Jinping and Lüchun in Honghe Prefecture, with a total area of about 1 million acres. There are 170,000 acres of terraces in Yuanyang County alone. The Yuanyang Rice Terraces are pastoral landscape paintings that the Hani people have carved endlessly for more than 1,300 years. On June 22, 2013 (Guisi Year), at the 37th World Heritage Conference, the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces were successfully included in the World Heritage List, becoming China's 45th World Heritage Site.
We followed the navigation and first went to the Nagarshupa Rice Terraces. There was a section of the road that was very narrow. When we arrived at Nagarshupa, we couldn’t find the best location for shooting. The nearby terraces were not good-looking and there were red floating objects in some fields. I asked the local farmers and I didn’t understand what they said. Then we headed to Jingkou Village.
There are three main scenic spots in Yuanyang Rice Terraces: Bada Scenic Area, Laohuzui Scenic Area and Duoyishu Scenic Area.
As a whole, the Yuanyang Rice Terraces Scenic Area has a layer of haze, because if it is "fog" it will dissipate after the sun comes out, but the haze in Yuanyang never dissipates, and the distant view is always hazy.
The Jingkou terraces look pretty good, and there is reflection of water in the terraces. It’s also good to go to the Eagle Mouth Terraces.
It felt bad to stop twice more before reaching the Bada attraction. When I arrived at the Bada attraction, I bought a half ticket for 35 yuan. The location of the observation deck is good, and the terraces we see are very large. However, the time is wrong, and the reflection of the water cannot be seen in the terraces, so the shooting is dull and boring.
At the Duoyishu scenic spot, I saw a green fence outside the scenic spot. The scenic spot is being repaired and part of the viewing platform is open. There are not many people visiting, and the area is not as large as Bada. It is said to be the best spot for sunrise photography. Indeed, the usual scenery looks ordinary.
The time is less than 3 pm, and I am going to Honghe County. The navigation setting shows that it will take more than 2 hours to arrive. As a result, the navigation system on Yuanlu Secondary Highway told me to get off the road. I thought it was a shortcut, so I got off to the trail. It takes about 1.5 hours to walk straight ahead after passing Qilintai Village. At the narrowest point of this road, if you miss a car, you need to reverse to a place where two cars can pass. When the navigation prompts you to reach the route, please turn around and return. This navigation error cost us nearly 3 hours in vain. At 18:00, go to Yuanlu Secondary Highway and reset the navigation to Honghe County Business Hotel.
Arrived at the destination at 19;15. The hotel's standard room is 78 yuan, and the hotel's network is not good.
After breakfast on March 18, we drove to the Samaba Rice Terraces Scenic Area, a one-hour journey,
We took some good photos on the mountain road, but the scene was a bit small.
We arrived at the gate of the scenic spot at nine o'clock. There is no admission fee for 60-year-olds in the scenic spot. This is the first time since entering Yunnan.
The scenery bus in the scenic area is divided into two sections. The first section costs 5 yuan to go to the observation deck, and the second section costs 10 yuan to go down the mountain to the fields. The conductor suggested that we first buy a 5-yuan Jingjiao ticket. We can walk down to the observation deck and take a bus back, or we can take a bus down and buy a Jingjiao ticket for the mountain. When we come back, we can choose to take a bus or walk back to the gate of the scenic spot. We took a few photos at the observation deck, because we arrived late, the sun was already quite high, and the scenery was average. I heard from the ticket inspector that this scenic spot is better for taking pictures at sunrise. The scenic spot opens at 6:30 in the morning, and you can drive through the gate to the observation deck before 8:00. I regret a little bit that I should have come to the scenic spot first without eating, but I don’t have any regret medicine.
We discussed taking the national highway from Honghe to Yuanjiang, then taking the expressway to Mojiang and then seeing the situation.
The national highways within the boundaries of Honghe County are very easy to travel. The road conditions are good and there are few vehicles on the asphalt roads. When entering Yuanjiangjie, the road becomes a cement road and the road is narrow. Fortunately, there are few cars. Approaching Yuanjiang, get on the expressway at Nansa Station and get off the expressway at Mojiang. The Tropic of Cancer Park is quite strange. Only large cars are allowed in the parking lot, not small cars. Someone asked us to park on the side of the road.
Mojiang Hani Autonomous County is located between 22.51~23.59 north latitude and 101.07~102.04 east longitude. The Tropic of Cancer passes through its county seat. With the approval of the state, the provincial government built a Tropic of Cancer marker park in Mojiang County at a high price, integrating astronomy, geography, plants and popular science knowledge with garden art and tourism culture.
I see that the Tropic of Cancer sign is a hilltop, many landscapes have been created, and part of the landscape is still being repaired. The Tropic of Cancer in Mojiang is 23°26'.
We arrived at Mojiang around 1:30 pm and left around 3:00 pm. I booked the Pu'er Amber Business Hotel online for 113 yuan, which was a 7 cent discount from China-TravelNote.
We refueled at the Tongxin parking area. Exit the expressway from Pu'er South Station and check into the hotel directly. Three-pointed rice cakes and gray water rice cakes eaten on the street.
Tomorrow is the long-awaited trip to Xishuangbanna!
The departure destination is Xishuangbanna (Jinghong) on March 19. It takes about an hour to get to the north gate of Yexiang Valley via Pu'er on the highway.
Xishuangbanna Wild Elephant Valley is located within the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve Mengyangzi Reserve and the "UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve", 22 kilometers away from Jinghong City. It is China's first national park with the theme of animal protection and environmental protection. Half-price tickets are 30 yuan.
In order to see wild elephants, we try to get to Wild Elephant Valley as early as possible. After entering the scenic spot, we saw the administrator teasing two gibbons, one gray and one black, on the plank road,
The gray ape had his right arm amputated. The ranger said that there were wild elephants 50 meters ahead. We ran forward excitedly, and sure enough we saw a dozen wild elephants playing under a tree a little further away.
It is very difficult to take pictures of wild elephants because they are obscured by tree branches and leaves. We lingered here for about an hour. Then we walked back and passed the first section of the plank road, where there were also gibbons playing. Then we visited
Orchid Garden,
Go to the butterfly garden and go to the southernmost elephant school to watch the elephant performance.
I have seen some people’s comments that animal performances are cruel to animals, and I feel the same way.
After watching the elephant show, we returned to the North Gate via the first section of the plank road. The weather was already extremely hot, so I changed into shorts in the parking lot. Booked a hotel on China-TravelNote.
Driving through the South Gate and onto the expressway, it took nearly an hour to get to Manting Park, where I bought a half-price ticket for 20 yuan.
Manting Park has hills and rivers, as well as cultural landscapes with strong ethnic characteristics. It is a natural village-style park. It used to be the Imperial Garden of the King of Dai and has a history of more than 1,300 years. The scenic spot embodies
Three major themes and characteristics: "Dai royal culture, Buddhist culture, and Dai folk culture". Manting Park is the oldest park in Xishuangbanna. The Dai people used to call it "Chunhuan", which means "Garden of Souls". It used to be the royal garden of the Dai King of Xishuangbanna. Legend has it that when the Dai Queen came to play, the beautiful scenery here attracted the princess's soul, hence the name.
Beautiful girl in the park.
We saw some tropical plants and flowers that we couldn’t name.
There is also a Buddhist cultural area in the park with the famous Xishuangbanna Buddhist Temple in Southeast Asia - Wabajie and White Pagoda.
The weather is still too hot! We bought two popsicles. There was also an elephant show at the very end of the park. It was so hot that we didn’t have the energy to go any further, so we decided to call it a day and go back to the hotel.
Follow the navigation to the booked hotel. The navigation mentioned it, but we drove past without seeing it. The navigation said it was off course and please turn around. I walked back and found that the hotel was in a community, and there was no sign of the hotel on the street. Then I drove past the one-way street and turned around to find the hotel to check into.
Eat pineapple rice, porcini mushrooms and spicy and sour fish on the street.
Go to the Tropical Flower Garden on the morning of March 20, with half-price tickets of 20 yuan. There was something wrong with the ticket inspector who insisted on requiring us to wear masks. I said it was pointless to require masks since your scenic spot is open-air, but she said it was a requirement from her superiors. Despite a small unpleasantness,
The tropical flower garden is still very good.
--Cocoa--
The flower garden collects and preserves special tropical economic trees.
Tropical flowers,
--Yolk Fruit--
With nearly 1,000 species of tropical fruits and other hot crop germplasm resources, it has become an important garden for the provincial hot crop institute to preserve tropical crop germplasm resources. It is a theme botanical garden integrating scientific research, science popularization, and tourism.
There are many plants and flowers in the park that we are introduced to for the first time, and some we have never heard of at all. There are also some tropical fruits that we know how to grow.
--See the blood and seal the throat--
We visited the park for three hours. Parking lots in scenic spots also charge fees, but Manting Park does not charge parking fees.
At almost 12 o'clock, we set off for Wangtianshu Scenic Area, which is more than 100 kilometers away. We took a nap on the highway and arrived at the ticket office of Wangtianshu Scenic Area at nearly 15:00. Buy a half-price ticket for 27 yuan.
Wangtianshu Scenic Area is located in the Bubeng National Nature Reserve in the northeast of Mengla County, Xishuangbanna Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. It covers an area of 864.4 hectares and is 14 kilometers away from the county.
There is an aerial corridor (including a canopy corridor and a glass corridor bridge) built in the scenic area. The corridor is 500 meters long and is built using thick iron cables to connect tall sky-gazing trees.
Use steel ropes for suspension, nylon ropes and nets as guardrails, and aluminum alloy ladders as pedals. Each section is connected to a wooden platform built on the trunk.
Challenge the world’s tallest canopy sky corridor
In the 1990s, in order to observe the Skytree tropical rainforest at close range and from multiple angles, the American botanist Moore and the local government unexpectedly built this " Skytree Sky Corridor" that is 36 meters in the air and hundreds of meters long, connecting the crowns of the trees.
Now it has become a world focus for many people who come from far and wide to observe and experience China’s tropical rainforests.
The scenic spot provides free scenic buses from the ticket office to the scenic spot (the journey takes about 5 or 6 minutes). If you are interested, you can take a boat there for about 40 yuan for a one-way ticket. Go to the sky corridor entrance and buy two tickets for a total of 240 yuan. I bought a group photo for 40 yuan.
Exiting the sky corridor and entering the Philip Trail is said to be a total distance of 2 kilometers. Philip's Trail is in memory of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Chairman of the World Wildlife Fund. In 1986, Prince Philip personally went to Xishuangbanna for research and finally confirmed the existence of Wangtian tree, a typical tree species of the Dipterocarpaceae family.
After returning to China, he actively promoted it to his colleagues and wrote a book, confirming to the world that tropical rainforests do exist near 21 degrees north latitude, and making my country one of the three major regions with tropical rainforests in the world.
We walked out of the scenic area at 16:45 and waited for the scenic bus to arrive at 17:00. We decided to stay in Mengla. We found Xishuang Jingtai Hotel on China-TravelNote for 102 yuan, and China-TravelNote had a discount of 1.11 yuan.
(Part one is over, please watch the next episode)
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