Travel Notes of Qinghai and Gansu
July 21: A group of 4 of us set off from Wuhe on time at 7:00 a.m. and arrived at Huashan Scenic Area at 5:30 p.m. without stopping. Stay at Xiangrui Villa near the scenic spot. I ate dinner at this villa, ordered a few dishes and drank some white wine. The price is not low, the taste is not so good. The scenic spot can only be like this, don't have too high expectations. Fortunately, the boss was very enthusiastic and introduced us how to climb Mount Huashan tomorrow. We finally adopted the route of going west and going north, and it turned out that we were right. It saves physical strength, relatively few tourists, and there is almost no need to wait for the cableway. (Some tourists waited for several hours for the ropeway in Huashan.) We finished swimming down the mountain at 4 pm.
Of course, the cost is quite high, a total of 470 yuan per person for tickets, cableway tickets, and traffic tickets.
July 22:
Tour Huashan. It is still worth seeing, one is the danger, and the other is the sea of clouds. No matter what the mountain is, you still have to climb to the top as much as possible, the infinite scenery is indeed at the top. After we went down the mountain, we went straight to Lintong. Stay at the Super 8 Hotel at night, the conditions are so-so. Going to see the Terracotta Army tomorrow.
Huashan sea of clouds.
July 23: Visited 3 scenic spots. It is worth mentioning Huaqing Pool. We bought tickets and cableway tickets at that time, but later found that the main attractions are on the flat ground not far from the gate. To take the cableway and climb the mountain, there are almost no scenic spots along the way. Most tourists do not go up the mountain. So you should not buy a cableway ticket. In the end, I climbed the mountain to take the cableway, and it was so hot.
Huaqing Pool.
Terracotta Warriors
After leaving Lintong, I went to Xi'an City and stayed at the Pudding Hotel. It seems that there are quite a lot of pudding hotels over there, and they are chain stores. There is no parking lot, and roadside parking spaces are available. Charges are charged before 9:00 pm, and free from 9:00 pm to 9:00 am. We stopped early and left early, and it only cost 9 yuan. In the evening, I watched the light fountain show of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, which was very spectacular. Originally, I wanted to see the city wall and other night scenes, but I didn't expect that I couldn't get a taxi near the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. There is not even a mobile phone signal, and there are too many tourists. In the end, the one who left in a black-headed car cost 50 yuan. It was already past 10 o'clock at this time, and other scenic spots had to give up. We plan to go to the next stop tomorrow morning. Let's play slowly after staying in Xi'an.
Da-Yan Tower
July 24: I got up in the morning and started driving. I arrived in Huangzhong County at around 5:00 pm. The first thing I felt when I got off the car was that it was so cold! In the evening, I will stay at the Junyi Chain Hotel, and I will also have dinner there, which is not cheap.
July 25: Visit Kumbum Monastery. It is best to ask a tour guide for such scenic spots. Almost a sea of people. We didn't go in the most important temple because we thought there were too many people. The biggest achievement is to see those devout Tibetan Buddhists, they actually want to kowtow 100,000 times in Kumbum Monastery. According to the tour guide, it will take 2 or 3 years. During this period, besides eating, sleeping and going to the bathroom, kowtow. We see them working very hard and suffering. But their hearts are very pure and very happy. I really don't know how to reach such a state!
I'm still devout!
Leave Kumbum Monastery and go straight to Qinghai Lake. Stay at an authentic Tibetan herdsman's house at night, and there are yak dung and smell everywhere. The room is okay, the mutton skewers eaten at night are general. A strong wind blew up at night and all our laundry was blown to the ground.
July 26: I got up in the morning and had breakfast in a nearby town. The taste was mediocre, and the price was twice the usual price. Everything near Qinghai Lake is expensive! There are too many people here. It is worth mentioning that the host took us to the Qinghai Lake scenic spot for free before 7 am, which is not the same place as the official one. Except that you can't do a cruise (and you can't afford to sit!), this free attraction has other items. When we left, the entrance was sealed by the attraction staff.
The next stop is Chaka Salt Lake, and there are still many sights worth seeing on the way! It can be said that the road is full of scenery! This is also the biggest benefit of traveling by car!
It's a bit like the Northwest!
The rape blossoms in the Northwest are still in full bloom!
Chaka Salt Lake is very large and spectacular. We went barefoot into the lake without any preparations, but the salt grains in the salt lake were so hard on my feet that I almost couldn't walk. There is no fresh water to wash ashore, so a few bottles of pure water should be prepared first.
When I came out, I ate beef noodles at the entrance of the scenic spot, 20 yuan a bowl. We rinsed our feet using the nearby restroom. Then run to Delingha. We didn't know what attractions there were in Delingha at the time, but we only knew that it was related to Haizi. But in terms of time, you also need to find a place to sleep. It is most suitable to drive to Delingha. Delingha is the seat of the state government and a prefecture-level city. It is incomparable with the prefecture-level cities in the Mainland, and it is very small. There are few people. It was also very cold. It felt like being in another world. At this time, our hometown is a high temperature of 38 degrees! I stayed at the B&B at night and ate the best mutton along the way. The price is ok, dinner cost 220 yuan. The boss also enthusiastically introduced us to the attractions of the next day, and it was not in my guide, that is Emerald Lake. Also reminded us to prepare eggs, bread, instant noodles and so on. Breakfast and lunch are settled.
July 27: After getting everything ready early in the morning, we set off for Emerald Lake. Emerald Lake is a scenic spot under construction, no tickets are required, but the road is not good, a typical washboard road. Construction is going on everywhere. But the scenery is very beautiful. Although it is not as famous as Chaka Salt Lake, it has a different scenery from Chaka Salt Lake. It is not inferior to Chaka Salt Lake. Its characteristic is that in addition to the salt lake, there are many beautiful surroundings, including snow-capped mountains, grasslands, and green trees. There is also a pool of emerald green water. After leaving the Emerald Lake, I went straight to Dunhuang.
Like the color of emerald!
It may also be affected by the enthusiastic recommendation of the boss last night, we forgot to read the previous guide, and even missed 2 scenic spots along the way----South Eight Immortals and Yangguan. However, there are snow mountains and strange peaks eroded by wind everywhere along the way. It can be regarded as making up for the regret of not going to these two attractions. Because from the photos, the two scenic spots mainly have special landforms.
As we walked, the desert gradually appeared in front of us. The temperature also gradually increased. Considering that tomorrow I will go to the desert to play, there is no need to stop to see the desert now. We arrived at the hotel we booked in the evening, which is actually a homestay. But the proprietress looks very capable and clean. The rooms are also nice. Dinner is also eaten there, big plate chicken. The taste is average, the price is not cheap, more expensive than Delingha. Dunhuang is the westernmost part of our westward journey. The time difference has also reached the maximum, and it is still bright after 9 o'clock!
July 28: Because we were worried that the desert would be very hot, we got up at 6 in the morning, and agreed with the boss to come back for breakfast after visiting the scenic spots. When I arrived at the scenic spot, there were already many people. Hurry up! We set off on camels before the sun came out. Unfortunately, we still couldn't get to the highest point in time to watch the sunrise.
In addition to renting camels, we forgot how much money we spent and asked the person who led the camels to take pictures for us. He didn't want to take pictures for nothing. no way!
Yueerquan and Mingsha Beach are the same place. Well worth playing. We didn't come back for breakfast until after 10 o'clock. Then set off to Zhangye.
Yueerquan! really beautiful!
The Dunhuang Grottoes need to be reserved online, which we didn't know before. So I couldn't go there, but the tour guide who led the camel told us that there was also a good grotto nearby. And the price is not high. Not many people. off we go.
Overnight at a hotel in Jiayuguan. There is a very lively snack street nearby, where we ate roast leg of lamb, which didn't taste very good. On the way back, I bought some fruit. This was the last time I drank and I didn't drink again until I got home.
July 29th: Danxia Yadan landform is well-deserved! took a lot of photos.
After coming out, go straight to Qilian Mountain! Stay in a community at night. 2 rooms and 1 living room are 298 yuan, which is not bad. There are Hui people everywhere, and they are all halal food. In the evening we ate beef and mutton dumplings.
July 30: Qilian Mountain is really beautiful! atmosphere! There are mountains and grasslands everywhere. There are snow mountains in the distance.
On the way to Qilian Mountains. Have you seen it online?
We climbed the Zhuoer Mountain, which is at a lower altitude and has a viewing platform where we can watch the nearby Niuxin Mountain. That is the nearest snow mountain I saw, as if right in front of my eyes, I really want to climb up to grab a handful of snow! But I know that's impossible. Later, I asked the staff of the scenic spot if anyone climbed the snow mountain. He replied that there are every year, and it takes a day to climb one time. I know that time is only one aspect, more importantly is experience. Climbing snow mountains should be very dangerous. When I have money, I will pack a helicopter to play in the snow.
After leaving Zhuoer Mountain, we will go to Menyuan, the famous sea of rapeseed flowers. After arriving, everyone didn't want to buy tickets to climb the mountain, so they took a few photos at the entrance of the scenic spot and left.
On the way to Lanzhou, there is a long mountain road. It should be the road from the Qilian Mountains to the plains. When approaching the highest point, I saw an alpine platform where many vehicles gathered. It turned out to be Dapanshan scenic spot. Such a high-altitude scenic spot is certainly not to be missed. I took a lot of photos of the plateau and snow-capped mountains there. It's free and unmanaged, so it's messy. Our car seems to have been scratched here.
Due to the long distance, it was already 9 o'clock when we arrived in Lanzhou. Since we didn't want to waste more time in Lanzhou, we decided to visit the main attractions in Lanzhou at night, namely the Yellow River Mother Statue and the Yellow River Iron Bridge. Unexpectedly, after 9 o'clock in the evening, there are still so many people queuing up to take pictures in front of the Yellow River Mother Statue. And there is still a long way to go to the big iron bridge from here, and I am afraid that there will be no place to park when driving. In the end, I took a few photos at a place far away from the big iron bridge.
Behind it is the Lanzhou Iron Bridge, which is 3 miles away from the statue of the Mother of the Yellow River. We were afraid that it would be difficult to park, so we walked a little far so we didn't go to it.
Lanzhou played a bit sloppy. Make it up if you have a chance. We didn't arrive at the reserved hotel until after 10 o'clock. There is no parking near the hotel. Fortunately, we met a kind shop owner who asked us to park the car in front of his shop. Just leave early in the morning. Lanzhou still has a limited number, and it is not clear whether the number of non-local vehicles is limited. Anyway, let's go early.
July 31: Woke up at 6 am, drove away without eating breakfast, bought buns on the way, and ate while walking. Arrived in Tongguan County, Shaanxi around 5:00 pm. The Yellow River here is a bit special, it is the confluence of three big rivers. We also took a yacht. have a good time. There is another scenic spot on the shore, which is still under construction. We took a quick look at it and then went to the hotel. This is the best hotel we have stayed in. It seems that it is the best and most affordable to live in the county. In the evening, I ate the famous local snack---Tongguan Roujiamo. It was really delicious.
August 1: After getting up in the morning, we went to Dangshan Mountain. Lunch is settled in the service area. We arrived at Dangshan around 4:00 pm, and our friends received us. First take us to visit the pear orchard in Dangshan, which is very large. Dinner is very special - mutton pot. Before leaving, my friend gave us 2 boxes of Dangshan pears, thank you very much!
August 2: After getting up in the morning, head to our last scenic spot --- Mangdang Mountain. There are three main tomb areas in Mount Mangdang.
It will be over soon. Had lunch in town at noon. I couldn't wait to rush home. Go home at 4:30 pm! The end of a 13-day self-driving tour!
Summary: It is no problem to choose self-driving when visiting the Northwest. Therefore, self-driving tours in other places can also be considered in the future. It is best to choose a city farther away from the attractions for accommodation. Anywhere within 50 kilometers. But if you choose a big city, such as a provincial capital, you have to spend more money to live in better conditions. Or don't choose a big city. Don't expect too much food, one is that you may not be able to find local special snack places. The second is that even if we find it, it may not be to our taste. I think it is enough to find a popular but not too luxurious small restaurant near the station.
