Ancient free travel
I wanted to travel to North Korea with a group, but I didn't know that the visa was not approved, saying that I had to be accompanied by my children when I was over 75 years old. My husband and I are 77 years old, and the "three not high" are in good health. The children are all working, how can they have time to take the elderly to visit the mountains and rivers? Do you just stay at home like this, eating, drinking and sleeping?
My wife and I have decided not to join any tour groups in the future, but to travel independently if our physical condition permits.
On the Internet, I bought a 2.6% discount air ticket through Ctrip and booked a hotel. On September 10, I flew to Beidaihe, Qinhuangdao City, and stayed at the Jinsha Hotel. We rented a car, the driver and tour guide, and took pictures for us, which cost 400 yuan a day. Arranged for two days, led my wife and I to visit the main scenic spots in Qinhuangdao City. The driver and tour guide, named Chen Liguo, was less than fifty years old, chubby, and always kept a kind smile on his face. There is a star sign on the roof of the group car, and it is one of the fifty star taxi drivers in Qinhuangdao City. During the two days we were inseparable and got along very well. We affectionately called him "Liguo".
The world's first pass, the world-famous historical ancient city of Shanhaiguan, is a must-see for us. I led the old lady, went up to the tower, and looked down, with the rippling sea on one side and the winding Great Wall on the other. Under the eaves of the upper floor on the west side of the building, there is a plaque of "the first pass in the world" hanging, which is majestic and shows the architectural style of ancient Chinese city defense. Laolongtou is located on the shore of the Bohai Sea in the south of Shanhaiguan City, and is the eastern starting point of the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty. The old dragon head protrudes about 20 meters into the Bohai Sea, most of which are built with stones. Chenghai Building is the highest point of Laolongtou, all wooden structures. The old lady and I climbed up hand in hand. According to Liguo, this was originally the place where Kangxi and Qianlong climbed the tower to watch the sea and compose poems while drinking wine when they returned to Fengtian to worship their ancestors. Now the "Chenghai Tower" plaque on the tower is written by Emperor Qianlong.
At noon, Li Guo suggested that we eat four buns for lunch. Sitiao Baozi shop is named after it is located on Sitiao Street, Shanhaiguan, an ancient city. The car couldn't get in, so Li Guo went to find a parking place. When we arrived at this store, we saw a long queue. I hate queuing the most. I buy air tickets and train tickets online. Once I put my ID card on the automatic ticket machine, the ticket will come out. My old lady knew me well, so she went to queue and bought a catty (four bags sold by the catty), a total of 30. The four buns are made of ordinary flour, and the fillings are unique, mellow but not thick, fat but not greasy.
Beidaihe has a beautiful natural environment. With golden sandy beaches, vast sea, fresh air and a climate suitable for all seasons, it is an ideal place for people to travel and relax.
The summer capital "China's Camp David" is a place for party and state leaders to work and recuperate in summer. I heard that some major decisions of the Party Central Committee were made in Beidaihe. Liguo, the driver and tour guide, can only drive outside the fence, and cannot enter inside.
There are many parks around Beidaihe. The famous ones are Pigeon Nest Park in the east, Lianfeng Mountain Park in the west, and Laohushi Marine Park is just south of Jinsha Hotel where we have settled down. In the afternoon, after a selective visit to Pigeon Nest Park, we were a little tired. Before five o'clock, Liguo sent us back to Jinsha Hotel. We live on the fourth floor, and the south window faces Laohushi Marine Park. When I opened the curtains, I was pleasantly surprised to see the sun shining on the beach in the west. Chinese and foreign men and women were lying on the soft gold-like sand, and a group of them were playing in the blue water surfing the waves. There are reefs of different shapes lying on the beach. The blue sea, golden sand, and Jieshi attract domestic and foreign tourists to spend summer here. The scene of them enjoying themselves in the symphony of nature has a panoramic view. Wow, I'm so lucky, I chose such a good hotel to stay in on the Internet!
At 8 o'clock the next day, the driver and tour guide Liguo's car was already waiting at the entrance of the Jinsha Hotel, and the old lady and I got on the car. We entrusted him to decide where to visit. We visited a lot of scenic spots that day, such as Jinshanzui, Qin Xingguan, Wanggui Pavilion, Luandao Valley, Biluo Pagoda...Anyway, there is no entrance fee for those over 70 years old. Those who can get in will get in, and those who can get in will get in.
Our plan for free travel is: fly to Qinhuangdao first, and go back while playing by train. On the fourth day we arrived in Xi'an, the long-awaited terracotta warriors and horses must be seen.
Going online in Beidaihe, I contacted a driver in Xi’an through a travel agency. The condition was still that the driver and tour guide would take pictures of us and be responsible for the pick-up station. The fee was the same as in Beidaihe, and we added WeChat to each other.
When we were picked up at the station in Xi'an, it turned out to be a beautiful driver named Xue Li, with an oval face and bright black eyes under willow eyebrows. Accompanied by such a beautiful woman, the tourism in Xi'an will be dazzling.
The next morning was spent in the Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses. Tickets were very expensive, but we were free. She didn't want us to spend the money. She said she had seen it, but she didn't go in. She told us to call her when we got out.
The Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihuang are known as the eighth wonder of the world. Thousands of warrior warriors unearthed here have different images and vivid expressions. one of the great discoveries of the The museum is divided into No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit. Experts and workers are still digging. A middle-aged man who looks like a professional archaeologist told me that the excavation work has not stopped for more than 30 years. Qin Shihuang's tomb contains a large amount of mercury, and rashly excavating it will cause great harm to the environment, staff and surrounding people. The tomb of Qin Shihuang is very large, and the former country has not yet had the strength to excavate it. The United States once proposed to cooperate with China in excavation, but China did not agree. A head of the central government said, wait until the country has a certain strength before digging. If our generation does not have this strength, we will leave it to our children and grandchildren.
After 12 o'clock, I couldn't figure out what door came out, and I couldn't find Xiaoli for a while, so I opened WeChat using data, sent her a WeChat location, and she found us soon. After getting on the bus, we took us to Huimin Street, where we ate the local specialty snack, beef steamed buns.
Xiaoli knows that our tickets are free, and the itinerary for the afternoon and the next day is entirely up to her. She said, try to arrange high-ticket boutique attractions.
After visiting the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, we went to the Datang Furong Garden on the southeast side, which has the largest imitation of Tang Dynasty buildings in China, and watched the song and dance "Dream Back to the Tang Dynasty" with the style of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. An integrated music and dance performance. The Xi'an City Wall is the iconic landscape of the ancient capital of Xi'an, and it is also the most complete ancient city wall preserved so far in my country. The total length is about 14 kilometers. We couldn't walk anymore. We spent 60 yuan and rented a tour bus, and walked around the ancient city wall in a daze. Under the ancient city wall, there is a lot of traffic and brilliance. Watching the dazzling street scene is also a kind of enjoyment.
Dining is still on Huimin Street. Huimin Street is the collective name of many streets in the Huimin gathering area in the center of Xi’an. It is the concentration of Xi’an snacks. You can eat almost all Xi’an snacks here. , Lao Tiejia Hu spicy soup, Southeast Asian steamed cakes, Jia Yongxin cured beef and mutton, Laohua's cured beef and mutton, etc. There are too many, how can I remember it?
In Xi'an for two days, we are very satisfied with the tour that Xiaoli arranged for us. Compared with the group, it has at least the following advantages: the rhythm of the group is fast, and we can't keep up. Travel freely, go to the scenic spots you want to go, sleep when you want, and play when you want. Free travel without shopping pressure. Free travel to buy whatever you want to eat.
The prerequisite for free exercise is good health. My experience is that the most important thing is to keep the ID card well. It must be kept well and easy to take out. It must be used for ticket collection, boarding the plane, and getting on the bus. To play well with mobile phones, one must master WeChat payment, do not carry cash, and avoid losses. Second, we must master the mobile phone WeChat positioning. When you get lost, use WeChat to send the current location to the driver, and he will navigate to find you. The third is to download Ctrip software, buy special air tickets, train tickets, and book rooms online. The fourth is to download the AutoNavi map, which can help you find the place you want to go. When taking a drip, use the AutoNavi map to ask the driver to see where you are going, so that he will not deliberately bend. Fifth, search Baidu if you have any questions, and Baidu will tell you what you want to know. The sixth is to download the local weather forecast and decide to act according to the lack of air. The elderly are most afraid of falling when they go out, and their wives should care for each other, and they must hold hands when walking. Try to eat hot food, keep your mouth shut, and avoid diarrhea.
At the end of our trip to Xi'an, we bought a soft sleeper on the ordinary railway, got on the train at 6:30 in the morning, slept on the train for more than eight hours, and arrived at Linying County. It is in the outskirts of Linying County, very close to our hotel. We slept enough in the car during the day and walked to the entrance of Nanjie Village.
I saw the arc-shaped slogan "Mao Zedong Thought Shines Forever" above the gate shining red. In front of the slogan is a huge statue of Mao Zedong, flanked by giant statues of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Mao Zedong.
A tricycle with a tent came up, and we got on the car. The driver took me and the old lady on a tour of Nanjie Village for more than two hours. He only wanted us 30 yuan, and he introduced us to us while riding the car.
At present, Nanjie Village is the only village in China that retains the planned economy and collective ownership. We visited Nanjie Village Kindergarten, Nanjie Village School and Nanjie Village High School, went to the industrial park, and visited row after row of villager buildings. Entering this village is like entering a time tunnel and returning to China 40 to 50 years ago. The basic necessities of life, food, housing, transportation, school education, birth, old age, sickness and death in Nanjie Village are all covered by the village government. All villagers enjoy equal treatment, and there is no disparity between rich and poor. People from outside have different opinions on Nanjie Village. I have no right to comment, but I still interpret the phenomenon of Nanjie Village with reverence.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and we have been away for ten days, and our children are also worried about us, so we decided to return via Zhengzhou. When we arrived in Zhengzhou, we stayed at the Fashion Hotel in front of Zhengzhou East Railway Station. The ticket booked online is for the third day, and I will stay in Zhengzhou for a day on the second day, and I don't want to go to any scenic spots anymore.
I met a couple in the opposite room at the hotel, and they suggested taking us to the Happy World. When you arrive at the ticket office of Happy World, you can enter for free with your ID card. But Happy World is a place where young people seek excitement and play, and old people need to be accompanied by relatives. This couple took the initiative to act as our relatives, saying that their uncles and aunts brought us in. We are almost eighty years old and dare not take risks, just follow them and watch them play with the young people on the fantasy carousel, spinner boat, crazy bus, happy ferris wheel, jumping tower, hot wheels and so on. There are also ten-ring roller coasters, rainbow spaceships, tornado storms, etc., making the world spin and scream. We stood aside to share the joy of youth and suck the vitality of young people.
Zhengzhou East Railway Station is directly opposite the fashion hotel in front of the station. In the early morning of September 21, I pushed the suitcase and held the old lady tightly, and entered the high-speed rail station in less than ten minutes. I took the ticket in front of the automatic ticket vending machine with my ID card, passed the security check, waited in the waiting room for less than half an hour, boarded the high-speed train directly to Huangshan North, and ended this free travel.
September 26, 2018
