Today we are going to the "Caohai National Nature Reserve" 128 kilometers away from the city center. It is not only the largest natural lake in Guizhou Province, but also one of the three largest plateau lakes in China. It has also been rated as one of the top ten bird watching wetland parks in the world.
Tickets from Bijie City to Weining County:
At 6 o'clock we got up, washed and tidied up, had a hasty breakfast and then went out. We took a taxi to Bijie West Bus Terminal, where there are buses to Weining County, and the fare is 65 yuan per person. This passenger terminal looks like it was built in the late 1980s or early 1990s, and there is no heating inside in such a cold weather. Our car doesn't leave until 9:20, so we have to wait for an hour. I stood outside, watching the cars going by, and wanted to get a good feel for the city. After all, I might not come back again in the future. Maybe it’s the hazy weather and the humid temperature, but I really want the car to start quickly and take me out of here.
We arrived at Weining Passenger Terminal two hours later. There was no special bus to Caohai Scenic Area, so we had to take a taxi. The driver is a woman with dark skin, looks thin and smart, in her 30s, and it can be judged from her conversation that she has probably read some books. She heard Yuanyuan and I communicating in Cantonese and asked if we were from Guangdong? I say yes. She said she used to run a clothing business in Baiyun District, Guangzhou, and only recently returned to Weining County. Her Mandarin was so substandard that I needed to listen carefully to some of her words to understand what she was saying. I think this is probably the reason why her clothing business in Guangzhou failed and she had to return to this very backward small county to run a job. I asked her why she didn’t continue the clothing business when she came back here? Aren't you very experienced? She said that the consumption level of people here is too low, and not many people can afford the clothes brought from Guangzhou.
What she said should be correct. Not to mention Weining County, even Bijie City seems to be only a fourth-tier city. Not long after the car drove, we saw very backward scenes along the way. After entering Weining County, minority flags, houses, and Yi characters began to appear. The dusty dirt roads, narrow streets, dilapidated tile houses, and slogans from the 1970s and 1980s left on the ruined walls are like watching a documentary from the last century.
Of course, I don't view the environment here in a superior light. I understand why this country is still lagging behind. I often appeal to my friends not to always think about traveling abroad. If you have time and money, travel more to the southwest and northwest regions of the motherland. Money has to be spent anyway, so why not spend it in What about our country and our compatriots?
I saw people wearing Miao, Yi and Hui clothing starting to appear on the roadside. The female driver is from the Miao ethnic group. I asked her if she usually wears Miao clothes. She said that although she is from the Miao ethnic group, they have long been Chineseized and there are no Miao customs. Miao clothes are rarely worn in daily life except for festivals. She also told me that the locals particularly hate the Yi people. Her words aroused my curiosity, because I have traveled a lot in southwest China, and this is not the first time I have heard other ethnic groups’ antipathy towards the Yi people. Since I have been living in the south, except for seeing a few Yi people when traveling, I had no contact with them before I was 34 years old. I watched "The Voice of China" in 2012, and there was a contestant named Jike Junyi. She was from the Yi ethnic group. I probably heard about this ethnic group at that time. I have no idea about their customs, culture and living habits. But I’ve heard a lot, and my impression of them is that they like gambling, drinking, laziness, and wanderlust. The female driver made the same comment when she told me about them today. I was noncommittal about what she said. Although in my heart I resented a person who gambled and drank all the time, and I also hated lazy people, I knew that I was traveling in a place I was not familiar with, so being cautious in my words and deeds was the safest guarantee. One, so I won’t discuss much about the locals.
The car drove for nearly two hours before arriving at Caohai. The branches here have lost all their leaves, and the grass swaying in the wind has also turned yellow, as if it will be blown off at any time. Several dilapidated wooden boats were parked on the shore, and no one had used them for a long time. The surroundings were deserted, there were not many tourists, and most of the shops were closed, making everything look desolate.
I was wondering, maybe this is not the center of the scenic spot, and I might have to walk a little further to see more beautiful scenery.
Caohai Scenic Area:
The security guard at the scenic spot said that due to environmental protection policies, tourists were banned from entering last year, and the entire Caohai was surrounded by guardrails.
No visitors allowed? I came all the way here and now you tell me no tourists are allowed in? Why were there no instructions when I arrived at Bijie Station? Why didn’t my mobile phone receive the park closing notice when I entered Bijie City or Guizhou Province with an out-of-town mobile phone number? You are one of the top ten most bird-watching wetland parks in the world. You are one of the largest natural lakes in Guizhou Province. You are also one of the three largest plateau lakes in China. It doesn’t matter if you want to close such a large and famous scenic spot. Are there measures to allow foreign tourists to obtain information in a timely manner?
Another reason why I feel annoyed in my heart is because I feel guilty for Yuanyuan and her elderly mother. Because I made the travel plan. I took her two children all the way here and spent so much time and money, but all I got in return was trouble.
We saw a few people inside playing in the distance. Judging from their clothes, they were definitely tourists and not staff. After the security guard went away to patrol, the three of us got in through a fence with several wooden boards broken in the middle. We couldn't go too far, so we had to stand near the shore and watch. Before the park closes, visitors can take a simple wooden boat to enjoy the scenery on the clear lake, just like Lugu Lake in Lijiang.
There are many kinds of birds here that you rarely see and can’t name, and I didn’t bother to find out their names. Because even if you know it now, you may forget it within 2 or 3 months. It is said that in winter, some species of birds will fly over a thousand kilometers to the humid and warm south to spend the winter. I remember that in the winter of 2018, Yuanyuan and I saw many birds that we couldn’t see in the city at Nansha Wetland Park in Guangzhou. Maybe some of them flew over from Caohai.
There are many hotels, inns and shops outside the scenic area, but most of them are empty, or have transfer written on them, and are in a state of depression, much like the failed real estate projects you see in the suburbs.
From the time we took the car to visit here, we didn't go to the toilet for about 3 hours. We walked into the deserted tourist area, trying to find a local passerby to ask where the toilets were. But we saw no passers-by, and all the shops were closed. After walking about 100 meters, we saw a hotel with lights on and the door closed. There was a little boy inside who seemed to be playing with his mobile phone with his head down. I pushed the door open and asked him where the toilet was. He was very enthusiastic and told me with a smile to go out and turn left and walk forward to the slope. If I go up to the left, I will see the public toilet. The little boy was so happy, but he didn't know that his parents were worrying about the hotel business.
There was a woman about 50 years old setting up a food stall on the roadside, selling boiled corn, fried potatoes, rice noodles and fried rice. Yuanyuan and I ordered rice noodles, which tasted like they were made for pigs. Yuanyuan’s mother bought a stick of boiled corn. The woman told us that there used to be a lot of tourists here, and many people drove here specially to play and live here. Her business was also pretty good at that time. Now I probably can only make ends meet. I felt uncomfortable and conflicted in my heart. The immediate closure of such a large scenic spot will cause hundreds of people to lose their jobs at once, and will also cause damage to local upstream and downstream suppliers of hotels and food. However, if you do not close the scenic spot and pollute the lake water, it will not only affect the drinking water safety of the local people, but also cause the destruction of biological diversity. This impact will be more long-term and terrible.
Tickets from Weining County to Dafang County:
There was a strong feeling of disappointment and gloom, which made us want to leave this desolate place as soon as possible. I ordered a ride-hailing service on my mobile phone to take us to Weining Bus Terminal. Our next destinations were Jiudongtian and Zhiga Alu Lake in Maochang Town, Dafang County.
The fare for taking a bus from Weining County is 80 yuan per person, and it normally takes 2 and a half hours to get there. However, because Dafang County is at a higher altitude than Bijie City, most areas are at an altitude of 1,400 to 1,900 meters. In addition, it is humid and cloudy. Before reaching Dafang County, the surrounding area is enveloped in mist. In fact, there are not many cars on the road, but all vehicles drive carefully. Even if you know that you are the only car on the road, you don't dare to drive fast because you can't see what is 10 meters away. If not all cars had their lights on, there would have been a lot of traffic accidents. I suddenly became nervous and checked my and her seat belts again.
Dafang County Passenger Transport Station:
Yuanyuan and I have been to many places and seen thick clouds and fog, but mostly in scenic spots with high mountains and ridges. This is the first time I have seen the entire county surrounded by heavy fog like this.
I got out of the car and said, "Wow, my God!"
It was still early and we didn’t want to go looking for a restaurant to eat so soon, but wanted to see what other places in the area were worth visiting. I saw on the Gaode map that there is a scenic spot called Muog Ancient City 3 kilometers away from here. It is said that the filming base of the TV series "Mrs. Luxury Fragrance" is here. I have never heard of Mrs. Shexiang, let alone this TV series. But I think if a TV series is willing to use it as a filming base, the scenery must be special.
We took a taxi here. Since New Year's Day had passed, there were very few tourists. In addition, it was cold and foggy, so many shops and hotels closed early. The environment here feels very much like the ancient city of Dali, but the ancient city of Dali is bustling with people from morning to night, and this place seems much deserted.
Muog Ancient City:
Due to the thick fog and low visibility, the outlines of the buildings here cannot be clearly seen with the naked eye or with a camera. The ancient city of Mu'og, as well as the nearby Guizhou Xuanwei Mansion and Shexiang Museum, are all commemorating Mrs. Shexiang, a famous female politician of the Yi ethnic group. Her cemetery was destroyed due to war during the Qing Dynasty. After being rebuilt in 1961, it was destroyed again due to the Cultural Revolution. Everything we see here now was rebuilt in the past ten years.
The buildings everywhere were closed, and we could only wander around as if we were just looking at the sights, or in other words, we wanted to finish walking and leave here quickly. A few restaurants were still open for business. I saw the chefs of several restaurants smoking and chatting outside the kitchen, and I saw that there was not a single customer in the business hall.
When you walk out of the ancient city, there is still thick fog outside. You can't see if there are any cars 200 meters away from the road. Even if all the vehicles have their headlights on at the moment, the fog will completely swallow up the car lights, just like the light cannot escape. Like coming out of a black hole.
I was thinking, do people here live in heavy fog all year round? Or is this only the case in winter?
We saw on Ctrip that there is a cheap accommodation not far from here called "Nine Dragons Fashion Hotel". Although it is called a hotel, it is actually just a small guesthouse. I later learned that this was perhaps the coldest hotel I had ever stayed in.
Highways in Dafang County:
Since it was only about 1.5 kilometers, we chose to walk there. It took about 20 minutes to arrive. There was a woman, a young child, and an old man at the front desk, probably her father or father-in-law. We negotiated the price with her, and if I remember correctly, it seemed to be 98 yuan per room. She said there was another room for 68 yuan, but it was not in this building, but in an old house in front. I said let’s go and have a look. At this time, it started to rain lightly outside, and the temperature dropped even lower. She opened the cabinet, took a bunch of keys, and took the three of us to the old house in front. This old house was probably built in the late 1980s. It is similar to the husband's house in Guangzhou, but it looks more desolate. We walked up the unlit, narrow and damp stairs to the third floor to find a room. This dim staircase alone made us feel strongly uneasy. We felt that it was not safe to stay here at night, and we were worried that someone would come and rob us. After seeing the same damp and cold room, let alone the 68 yuan, we would not stay there even if it was free. I said forget it, just stay in the 108 yuan room.
We were very hungry as we had not had a decent meal in the morning or at noon. Yuanyuan seemed to be in a bad mood at the moment, and I didn’t know what I had done wrong. After walking out of the hotel, I walked along the street in front to find the restaurant. Judging from the layout of the decoration and the pictures of the menu displayed, I knew it would not be delicious. I want to look further, or take a taxi and ask the driver to take us to the bustling night market, where there will definitely be delicious food. Just then, we passed a restaurant, and Yuanyuan said she wanted to go in and eat there. But I knew right away that this restaurant was not good. But I saw that she was in a bad mood, so I planned to humor her.
As expected, the food in this restaurant is really tasteless and it is a pity to abandon it. Yuanyuan kept a straight face while eating. Probably because she was dissatisfied with the itinerary I arranged. I got up at around 5 o'clock yesterday and wanted to rush to Fanjing Mountain, but I didn't expect that there was a pass that would close at any time. This morning, I spent a few hours going to Caohai, which was also closed. We struggled for two whole days and spent about 2,500 yuan, but got nothing. She was upset about this matter, but she didn't dare to say it.
She said that the company had something to do and she would go back to Guangzhou tomorrow. I felt guilty and upset, but I didn’t know what to say, so I said okay, then I’ll take your mother to continue playing. She said no, she will go back with my mother tomorrow and you can play here by yourself.
Before we left the restaurant, we asked the staff if there was any place nearby worth a night out. A waitress said that there was an ancient town called Shexiang in front, and the scenery there was pretty good.
Taking a taxi here is not about looking at the meter, but about negotiating the price. The taxi driver said it would cost 15 yuan to get there, but I didn't bargain. It's only 4 kilometers and you'll be there in a few minutes.
From a distance, you might think this is a terraced field planted with rice, but it is actually filled with tea trees. Of course, I don’t understand this either. I only found out after Yuanyuan told me.
I didn’t bring a tripod when I came out, so I couldn’t capture the beauty of the night view of the tea terraces in Shexiang Ancient Town. In fact, what you see with the naked eye is much more beautiful than what you can see with a camera. Yuanyuan and Yuanyuan's mother and I were all surprised, and Yuanyuan seemed to be in a better mood. I am also secretly glad that after these two days, tonight is the real beauty here.
The tea terraces are very large, but the camera cannot capture its entire face. It may take more than an hour to complete a complete circle.
There are antique buildings inside the tea terraces, which are business parks, just like the so-called ancient towns and villages you see in other places.
Tea terraces in Shexiang Ancient Town:
Such a beautiful place, but not many tourists. Firstly, Dafang County is too remote, and secondly, it is not well-known. Travel experts like Yuanyuan and I have never heard of this place.
We left here at 21 o'clock and walked to the road to go back to the hotel. Yuanyuan said she wanted to try local specialties. Oh, by the way, how could I forget that eating is the most important thing to Yuanyuan. I said to ask the taxi driver to take us there, he must know where to eat at night.
The driver took us to the food street on Renmin South Road, which is only 2.5 kilometers away from the hotel. The food street here is no different from other places, including stinky tofu, barbecue, milk tea, sizzling squid, Wuhan duck neck, hot pot and the like. I saw many stores saying "Authentic Liulong Live Oil Dried Tofu". I still don’t know what active oil means, but I do know the active oil used to treat bruises. Is there still a difference between life and death in cooking oil?
We entered a restaurant with small private rooms inside. Each small private room has a small gas tank and a soldering iron pot, which the guests can bake by themselves. This is the first time I have seen this kind of roasting method. Later, when I returned to Guangzhou, I learned that people in many places in Guizhou like to bake food like this, and they mainly eat dried tofu. We ordered a plate of dried tofu and a plate of something similar to rice cakes. In fact, they are rice cakes, but they are called differently here.
The taste is okay, but nothing amazing. Yuanyuan and I prefer the sweet rice cake.
Liulong Dried Tofu:
Back at the cold hotel, I planned my itinerary for tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow. I hoped to keep the Yuanyuan who was complaining in my heart. I checked the Gaode map to see the weather forecast and local scenic spots and train information. I asked Yuanyuan to come to my room on WeChat. I told her that tomorrow we would go to Jiudongtian first and then rush to Zhaoxing Dong Village in southeastern Guizhou in the afternoon. , went to Tang'an Dong Village on the morning of the 6th. Our train will pass through Huangyao in Hezhou City, Guangxi Province, so we can rush to Huangyao Ancient Town in the evening and take the train back to Guangzhou in the afternoon.
She thought the plan was okay, and from the tone of her voice, it seemed that her anger had subsided, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief from the heavy heart I had felt since dinner.
The hotel tonight does have a water heater, but no matter how I adjust it, the water temperature is like that for killing a pig. I simply washed my face, butt and that area with cold water, put on my thermal underwear and got into bed while trembling all over. The air conditioner has the heating function turned on. I don't know whether it's because it's not airtight enough or the heating function is too poor. The whole room is always too cold to sleep. I called the front desk and asked the landlady if she could give me another quilt. She said there was a thick blanket inside the TV cabinet. I called to ask if Yuanyuan was cold, and how was the heating function in your room? She said it was okay. I said if you are too cold, there are blankets inside the TV cabinet.
I wore a set of thermal underwear, covered myself with a quilt and a thick blanket, and turned on the heater, but I was still curled up in the bed from the cold. I hope to get to dawn soon and leave this ghost place as soon as possible.
Who knows how I survived that night.