Travel Notes|Shimen National Forest Park

Here are some photos taken on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year:

 

Where is this park?

it's here:

It is exactly 100 kilometers away from Zhujiang New Town in Guangzhou City. If you take the expressway, you can reach it in about 1 hour and 25 minutes.

There are many scenic spots familiar to hiking enthusiasts around it, such as Triangular Bun, Tiger Head, Wuzhi Mountain, Yellow Tea Garden, and Tiantangding in Conghua Shideng. There are also Niuguzhang, Liuxi Lake and so on.

So why do we rarely see outdoor organizations opening this route in Guangdong?

Because this place is not suitable for hiking, or in other words, it is not suitable for hiking enthusiasts like us. All the mountain roads here have been repaired, and most of them are flat cement roads without much ups and downs. For travel enthusiasts who are accustomed to bumpy mountain roads, this place is really relaxing.

Another reason is that there is a fee here, the ticket is 40 yuan. As you all know, many outdoor enthusiasts can switch to other outdoor organizations for the registration fee of 5 to 10 yuan. Not to mention the 40 yuan registration fee, even 10 yuan will turn away many people. They can ask confidently, I have already paid the registration fee, why do I still need to charge tickets?

My tickets are discounted by 8 yuan during the Spring Festival:

On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, two friends wanted me to take them to experience the natural beauty and lose weight at the same time.

Since I injured my foot in May last year, I haven't hiked long distances for 8 months. My injury has healed a lot recently, and I wanted to take this opportunity to go out for a walk in the mountains, so I agreed to do it.

That night I checked the map and found that I had to walk the entire Shimen National Forest Park attractions, which was about 40 kilometers. Before going to bed, I asked them on WeChat if they were confident that they could finish the journey in one day? They were frightened when they saw the 40 kilometers and said they couldn't go any further. They couldn't even finish it in two days. Then he asked me if there were any shorter routes, such as the Huofeng Line or the Umu Line. I said I had already gone through it and didn’t want to go again.

I originally planned to get up at 6 o'clock, but she didn't leave, so I slept until nearly 7 o'clock. I got up and had breakfast, drank a cup of coffee, got dressed, took my camera, and went to FamilyMart to buy some dry food and drinks before going out. According to the guidance of Amap, first take Line 5 to Tiyu West Road and transfer to Line 3, then take Line 14 to Jiahe Wanggang to Conghua Passenger Station. Taking the subway has already taken an hour and a half. Then we took the "Cong 14" bus at Conghua Passenger Terminal to Gaoyang Terminal, which took nearly an hour. In other words, it took me 2 and a half hours just to take the bus, and the round trip took more than 5 hours.

The Gaode map shows that you can reach the Forest Park after getting off the bus and walking for more than 50 minutes. I naively thought that after getting off the bus, there would be a motorcycle or private car to pull you in. There are motorcycles and cars here, but they are all tourists here for fun. It seems that I can only walk to the park by myself.

I comforted myself that this was fine, and it would be nice to enjoy the scenery along the way.

Scenery along the way:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ginkgo biloba and palm vine:

 

 

 

 

Flowers seen along the way:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bougainvillea:

 

Bougainvillea:

 

Rose flowers:

 

Li Hua:

 

Rapeseed flowers:

 

 

 

Pea flowers:

 

Wild chrysanthemum:

 

Grass bird flower:

 

Basil:

 

Firecracker flowers:

When you walk for an hour to the ticket office of a scenic spot and buy tickets, do you think there are attractions after entering the gate of the scenic spot? no. There are two lines in this scenic spot, the shorter one is called "Shimen Line" and the longer one is called "Shizao Line". However, even the shortest route, the Shimen Line, takes an hour and a half to reach.

Of course there are landscape cars here too. But it is not available at any time like other parks, or in other words, it is available in a short time. On the day I came, one had already opened up. I had to wait until they finished the tour and returned to the gate of the scenic spot before I could get a ride. And the cost is as high as 60 yuan per person. I called the driver and he said it would conservatively take another hour. That is, maybe more than 1 hour. It was already 14:30. If I continue to wait like this without a clear return time, it will get dark and I won’t be able to take pictures. So I decided to walk there.

There are not many beautiful views to see on the road, and it takes an hour and a half to reach the first scenic spot.

On the way from the scenic area gate to Shimen Line:

 

 

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Liquidambar tree:

 

There are cement roads like this throughout the mountain:

This is also a liquidambar tree:

The first attraction: Red Maple Lake

Since it is past autumn, there are no red leaves at this time.

 

On the way to the second scenic spot, Peach Blossom Spring.

reed:

 

Mountain streams:

 

The plank road to Peach Blossom Spring:

It takes about 15 minutes to walk from Hongfeng Lake to Taohuayuan. Although it is called Peach Blossom Land, there are not only peach blossoms in this season, but also plum blossoms, plum blossoms, rape blossoms, etc. This is also the place with the most tourists in the "Shimen Line" scenic spot.

 

 

Plants in the Peach Blossom Spring

Can you tell the difference between plum blossoms and peach blossoms?

Peach blossoms in bud:

 

Peach Blossom:

plum bossom:

 

 

Li Hua:

 

 

 

 

Peach and plum blossoms:

Peach blossoms and rape blossoms:

Peach Blossom:

It was only 17:30 in the afternoon and it was already very dark, so I knew it was time to leave. It takes at least an hour and a half to walk from here to the park gate, and another hour to walk from the scenic spot gate to the bus station. I must arrive at the station at 20:30, otherwise I will miss the last bus.

After walking for about half an hour, the entire mountain looked like a virgin forest. To make matters worse, there are no street lights. Also, how could the park designers have expected that there would be people hiking in the mountains at night?

 

When I went hiking today, I kept thinking about my cute and pitiful Yuanyuan. At this moment, Lin Hanjian was solemn, and his longing for her was as intense as the night here. Don't know where she is? doing what? As I walked, I recalled the places we had hiked together and the words I had said that hurt her. In addition to missing her, I also felt guilty and pity for her. My heart kept calling: "My Yuanyuan", "My good daughter"... Hey!

 

Miracle private car in the mountains

 

My backpack contained a tripod, power bank, distilled water and a book. Plus a camera weighing several kilograms and my heavy winter coat, my weight was about 12 kilograms. Although the weather got colder at night, my accelerated pace also caused me to sweat a lot, and my thermal underwear stuck to my skin, making it very uncomfortable. It was already 19 o'clock, and I had not yet reached the gate of the scenic spot, and I was getting more and more anxious. If you can't catch the bus, there will be no bus back. Because there definitely isn’t even online ride-hailing here. Who would drive dozens of minutes to the mountains to pick up orders? Just now, there were many private cars that came here during the day and drove away from me. Now I haven't seen one for more than 20 minutes. Maybe I am the only tourist left in the mountains.

 

I still walked down the mountain at a fast pace, but my heart was no longer in a hurry. I think life is like this. Just try your best. When you get to the terminal, what's the problem if you can't catch the last bus? There isn’t just one choice in life, and it doesn’t have to be taking the bus. If you can't get on the bus, just spend an extra hour walking forward and you can call an online ride-hailing service on your mobile phone. I really don’t want to leave anymore. There are many inns in the mountains. Why not stay and enjoy the scenery the next day? Isn't there a second route in the park that I haven't taken yet?

 

I put on my headphones and listened to the song. My pace was still as fast as before, but I felt more relaxed.

 

Just when I became calm, a miracle happened. Even though I was wearing headphones, I could feel a car approaching behind me. The high-beam headlights were getting closer and closer, illuminating the scenery in front and the road down the mountain. I realized that it would take another 10 minutes to walk to the entrance of the scenic spot. After leaving the entrance of the scenic spot, it would take another 50 minutes to walk to the bus station. I looked at my phone and saw that it was 19:15 and I could probably catch the last bus.

The car slowed down and stopped 20 meters away from me. I instantly realized in my mind that they must be taking me down the mountain. I vaguely heard a lady's voice coming towards me. I took off my headphones and heard her saying, "Hey, do you want me to take you down?". I said calmly: "Oh, okay."

 

I trotted over and saw a couple about 40 years old. The man looked 5 or 6 years older than the woman. There was an 8 or 9-year-old boy in the back seat, who must be their son. After getting on the bus, they asked where they would take me and I said to the bus station. They said they came from Guangzhou, and asked me where I came from. I said I came from Guangzhou too.

 

"Then let's go back together. Where are you in Guangzhou?" The man asked me while holding the steering wheel and driving.

 

I have never been too embarrassed to trouble others. I felt that they gave me a ride to the bus stop and saved me more than an hour of walking, so I was very grateful. I said, "No need to trouble you like this, I can just take the bus back by myself."

 

"What's the trouble? It's not troublesome. It's on my way anyway. I just don't know if it passes by where you live? Where do you live?"

 

“That side of Wenchong in Huangpu District”

 

"Oh, we live in Haizhu District. How about we drive you to a subway station near you in Haizhu District and you take the subway back from there?"

 

"Oh, that's fine, I'm really sorry to bother you."

 

The lady took the message and replied: "What's the trouble? Isn't this the way to go?"

 

They said they saw me driving by a restaurant at noon and heard me telling the restaurant owner that I wanted to go up on foot. I told them that I was eating at that restaurant.

 

They were curious as to why I was hiking here. I said that I was also misled by the map. It should be said that I did not do enough in the strategy. I thought I could start exploring after getting off the bus and walking for an hour to the scenic spot. Unexpectedly, after entering the scenic spot, we have to walk for another hour and a half to reach the scenic spot.

 

They also asked me why I didn’t take other people’s cars when going up and down the mountain. I told them I was embarrassed to say this. They said it didn't matter. If they went out to play in the future and encountered such a situation, they could give someone a lift. Most people wouldn't refuse. They have traveled abroad and tried to hitchhike with others. We talked about traveling and hiking again. They were surprised that I had been to so many places. I had been to most of the scenic spots they mentioned, but not to Huangshan and Zhangjiajie. I told my girlfriend Yuan Yuan that she had been there, and she said it was very beautiful. I would definitely go there in the future, preferably on a snowy day.

From their accents, I could tell that they were from the Chaoshan area, but I didn’t want others to think that I was such a discerning person, so I deliberately asked, “Are you from Fujian?” They said no, they were from Jieyang. Although my father is from Shantou and I have been in contact with Chaoshan people since I was a child, I cannot understand Chaoshan dialect. Although I couldn't understand them, I could tell from the tone of their conversation that they were treating each other with respect.

 

Why am I surprised? Because the Chaoshan area is an area where son preference is extremely serious. Especially for women after marriage, and women who have children after marriage, their status will not improve, but will only get worse, just like servants. The couple's son is also 8 or 9 years old, but they can still speak so gently and politely, like friends, which shows that their education and upbringing are very good.

 

They also said that they would travel every Spring Festival. I said you are very special. They asked me what was so special about me. I said that Chaoshan people are very traditional. They go back every Spring Festival to celebrate the New Year and worship the mountains and gods. But you don’t go back and still travel everywhere, which shows that you have no traditional ideas. This is a good thing.

 

As soon as I finished speaking, the lady replied to me in a clear and firm tone: "Because we believe in Christianity."

 

"Christianity"... these three words have been swirling in my mind. Because I have always been strongly opposed to any religion, especially foreign Christianity and Islam. I have struggled with religion for 12 years, and I have had falling outs with many friends and relatives because of religious beliefs. I also knew that I would continue to struggle with religion for the rest of my life. But I also understand that as a human being, you can’t forget everything. Therefore, I did not express my attitude towards religion, and just replied to her with a faint "Oh".

 

The reason why I am opposed to religion is because I understand the history of the development of religion, and I am also deeply aware that religion is an obstacle to the development of human civilization and morality in a higher and further direction. But this is not what I want to discuss today. I will analyze the issue of religion carefully in the future.

 

Even though I learned that they had Christian beliefs, I did not feel disgusted with them, and my gratitude to them would never diminish. I told them my contact information. If you have any questions when traveling in the future, you can call me and ask me. Or if you travel to a place that I haven't been to before, you can form a team together.

 

At 20:40, the bus arrived at Modiesha Station, a subway station in Haizhu District. I got off the bus here and said thank you again. If they hadn't taken me back to Guangzhou, I would have just gotten on the bus 10 minutes ago. I would have needed to take nearly an hour to the subway station, and another hour and a half on the subway to get back to my residence. In other words, I won't be able to get home until at least 23:30.

 

I wanted to ask them out for dinner the next day to express my gratitude. But from their conversations, I felt that they were the kind of people who only regarded this matter as a simple matter, and did not want others to take it too seriously, nor did they want others to bother them for it.

 

The nighttime temperature in Guangzhou is still very low. The temperature where I live near the mountains is several degrees lower than the weather forecast, only 7 or 8 degrees. I was very tired, so I planned to wash my face, wipe myself and go to sleep. But I still took a cold shower, from head to toe. I haven't had a hot bath this winter. Now it seems that I can adapt to it.

 

The stimulation of the icy cold water made me temporarily forget some of my worries and worries. After taking a shower, I dried myself with a hair dryer, put on clothes and socks, and while lying on the bed that was colder than my body, I thought of the cute and pitiful Yuanyuan again.

 

I wonder how she spent this Spring Festival? I really wanted to know, but I didn't dare ask.

 

That night, I dreamed of Yuanyuan again...