I almost thought there would be no graduation trip, but fortunately, domestic tourism began to slowly recover in the summer.
Weiweizi and I decided to go to Yunnan for a tour. I went to Yunnan once when I was a child. At that time, I was still a bad-tempered little kid. When my parents asked me to take pictures, I always pouted, with a look like "I'm annoying, don't pay attention to me."
This trip includes revisiting old places and also adding a new city that I have never been to before - Xishuangbanna. Both trips were great~
Trip map
We were traveling independently. Except for the two one-day tours for Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Lugu Lake, we arranged all the other hotel, air, train, tickets, attractions and meals by ourselves. Different from the regular Yunnan tour route, we added Xishuangbanna, a city I have never been to before. Xishuangbanna is relatively far from Lijiang, Dali, and Kunming. Travel requires flying, and taking a long-distance bus takes 12 hours. There are airports in various cities in Yunnan, but there are not many high-speed rail stations, so traveling by plane is relatively convenient.
Main itinerary:
Depart from Hangzhou and fly to Lijiang, staying for three nights;
Take a green car from Lijiang to Dali and stay one night;
Take a flight from Dali to Xishuangbanna and stay for three nights;
Xishuangbanna took a flight back to Hangzhou.
Lijiang
Go see the mountains, rivers and seas with your loved ones
DAY 1
Lijiang
After a long journey one day, we settled in Lijiang and it was almost time for dinner. We had dinner at a Yunnan restaurant on the edge of the ancient city, and then went for a walk around the ancient city.
Lijiang Old Town is really big. We went shopping every night for the next two days. After three days, we felt that we had not walked the same road again.
(The Yi auntie tied my hair into pigtails, a familiar scene -_-||)
DAY 2
lugu lake
Lugu Lake is a lake shared by Yunnan and Sichuan. It is a 4-hour drive from Lijiang city. We reported a self-guided tour on Ctrip the day before and set off for the scenic spot at 6 am.
Lugu Lake is a lake surrounded by mountains. Although it is not large in area, its maximum depth can reach more than 100 meters. It is a freshwater lake with a large water storage capacity. The Mosuo people live along the shores of Lugu Lake. They have maintained a matriarchal society for thousands of years and are the last "daughter country".
(Mosuo grandmother)
The master drove us around the lake. The water of Lugu Lake on the shore is crystal clear. Under the sunlight, you can clearly see the seaweed on the bottom of the water. The small white flowers floating on the water are called "water poplar flowers". The wooden boat docked on the shore is a "pig trough boat". After lunch we experienced rowing in person.
The Walking Wedding Bridge is located in the Caohai area in the southeastern waters of Lugu Lake. It is the only bridge on Lugu Lake. There are dense reeds growing under the bridge. From a distance, it looks like a sea of grass. The locals call it "the sea of grass". The Walking Marriage Bridge is a place where Mosuo men and women meet. The Mosuo people on the banks of Lugu Lake practice the "walking marriage" custom of "men do not marry and women do not marry".
DAY 3
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
July is the rainy season in Yunnan. The weather was very good on the day we went to Lugu Lake, but it was overcast on the way to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and it started to rain when we arrived at the cableway entrance. The ropeway took us directly to an altitude of 4506 meters. Rain and fog were hazy in front of us, and the snow had melted, but the visibility was so low that we couldn’t even see the exposed mountain features clearly (꒦_꒦). Despite this, Weiweizi and I still wrapped ourselves in down jackets, holding oxygen bottles, and headed towards 4680. The altitude challenge "only happens once in a lifetime" we told each other. We didn't suffer from altitude sickness. Apart from the bottle of oxygen we were given, we only used one of the two extra bottles of oxygen we had prepared. But it was quite cold in the mountains. I had a fever that night and went to Lijiang People’s Hospital for a one-night trip (a familiar scene x2?).
After coming down from the top of the mountain, we took the ropeway back to a slightly lower altitude, had a warm buffet hotpot, and then watched "Impression of Lijiang" directed by Zhang Yimou in the rain. I ate the small hot pot a little late, and when I went in, it was already a third of the way through. I was reluctant at first, and I was confused. It was just singing, playing, and group dancing without any plot. But when I calmed down, I found it was easy to empathize with them.
I don’t know why, but when I see ethnic minority performers with their backs against the snow-capped mountains, they say “We are not actors, we are children who grew up at the foot of this mountain” and “We are here to pray for you” in less standard Mandarin. When I said "We are here under the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, waiting for you to come back", I really burst into tears instantly. It sounds a bit pretentious, but I really shed tears at that time, either because I was sad or because I thought of some story, or because I was simply moved by them. (The Weiweizi next to me were shocked by me) Maybe this is the power of art and the pride of Chinese national culture. A few days ago I happened to see what Aduo said in the "Sister Lang" program "What belongs to the nation is what belongs to the world" This is true.
After watching the show, we took a scenic drive to the Blue Moon Valley on the snowy mountainside. The water is milky white on a clear day, and blue-green on a cloudy day. It is a gem that has fallen into the world.
In the afternoon the clouds dispersed a bit, and you could see the looming snow-capped mountains in the distance. In front of nature, you often can't find the right words to describe it.
/Dining room/
/stay/
Hampton Inn by Hilton
Dali
Erhai Lake is a mirror reflecting the sky
DAY 4
Dali Ancient City Erhai (Caicun Wharf) Xizhou Ancient Town
In the morning we took a green leather car to Dali. Since we only had one day in Dali and the main attractions were around Erhai Lake, we rented a car by ourselves. We rented a very simple white Chevrolet. When we drove to Erhai Lake, we discovered that the roads were full of brightly colored convertible Beetles, convertible Minis and Jeeps -_-||. We lost.
We went to Dali Ancient Town for a meal at noon. Compared with Lijiang, Dali Ancient Town pales in comparison. Then we went to the pier in Haixi before sunset, took some photos of Erhai Lake, and then drove to Xizhou Ancient Town for dinner. The ancient town is quiet at night, and it is the life of the locals. We did find a great restaurant. It was getting dark after dinner. On the way back to my residence, I also went to the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple to check out the night view. Although I didn’t go in, I didn’t see the entire tower. I just had fun visiting the attractions++~
(Failed to steal the tower)
In retrospect, I made some mistakes in Dali's itinerary. There is no coastal scenery on the west side of Erhai Lake. I should live on the east side of Erhai Lake so that I can have the feeling of facing the sea and looking at the mountains. There is no need to go to the ancient city of Dali because it is not as good as the experience in Lijiang. The next day we had a tight flight to catch at noon, but we wanted to go and see Erhai Lake up close. In the morning, we selected "Erhai Park" on the navigation menu, thinking that we would be at the beach in just two steps. Unexpectedly, we asked about the local area. The stall owner had to climb a mountain for an hour to reach the shore, so she had to give up. Dali passed by in a hurry.
/Dining room/
/stay/
Floral Luxury Dali Ancient Town Luchun Garden Hotel
Xishuangbanna
Dream about a tropical rainforest
DAY 5
Gaozhuang Xishuangjing
Fly from Dali to Xishuangbanna at noon. If Dali, Lijiang is a place to appreciate the colorful minority culture of the early Republic of China, then Xishuangbanna is a city full of exotic customs. The Dai people of Myanmar, Laos and Yunnan share a common culture, and the only difference between them is their nationality. Keep driving south and you’ll reach Laos.
We lived in Gaozhuang Xishuangjing, a tourist area near the Lancang River (Mekong River). There are various Dai delicacies and night markets. It is also very convenient to take a taxi to various attractions in the city.
After settling in, we planned to find out the situation of the village first. The water in the Mekong River is roaring, and it goes very fast. No wonder something happens to the boats😨. We had the famous Manfeilong roast chicken for dinner. Here is the Jinghong Shwedagon Pagoda Temple, and there is a lively night market on the riverside. Some tourist girls take photos of Dai people at night, and the night scene is quite beautiful. (If I had known it, I would have had it done too hh)
DAY 6
Manting Park, Zongfo Temple, Menglu Grand Buddha Temple
Manting Park is the palace of the Dai King. Although it is not as good as the Grand Palace in Thailand, the architecture still has a very obvious style. There is an elephant show in Manting Park, which is quite cute.
The main Buddhist temple is behind Manting Park.
The Buddhism that the Dai people believe in is Theravada Buddhism, which is very different from the Buddhism here. The difference I have concluded myself is that the buildings in Theravada Buddhism are all golden and more gorgeous, hehe. As its name suggests, the Menglu Grand Buddha Temple has a giant Buddha standing on the mountainside to protect the Dai people. Climb up the mountain to see a panoramic view of Jinghong City. The temple on the top was under renovation, and we didn't see what it should have looked like. We also watched a peacock flying performance at the Zongfo Temple. Fat birds can also fly, but they can only glide down from high places.
In the evening, I returned to Gaozhuang and had a huge meal of Laos hot pot, paired with Laos iced coffee. This is the "fireworks" in the world. Well, the charcoal is quite smoky when lit.
DAY 7
Chinese Academy of Sciences Botanical Garden
This is the only 5A scenic spot in Banna. How can I put it, you will regret not going, but you will regret even more if you go. I don’t know anything, so I can only look at some strange plants, but because the botanical garden is so big, we were exhausted from walking.
But on the way, the driver took us to Manjing Village (probably the name), which is a Dai village that retains traditional customs. There we listened to a Dai girl talk about their cultural life and visited their home. , still quite interesting.
We went back to Banna in the evening to visit the night market for the last time. Maybe life in this city is quite comfortable, and I have the opportunity to retire!
DAY 8
Farewell day! Gaozhuang during the day is not as lively as at night. It is quiet and quiet. After having the last "Dai-flavor" meal, pack your bags and go home~
/Dining room/
(I drank too much iced coffee in those days, two bags a day, which caused no pain when my aunt came last time. Although iced drinks are good, don’t be greedy😭)
/stay/
Xile Hot Spring Hotel