foreword
Originally planned to go on a staggered trip before the November holiday, and completed the Jiangxi/Anhui itinerary in September, but things backfired. After many delays, the trip could not be made, and finally had to be shelved. Later, I learned that the annual Alxa Heroes Meeting will be held during the 11th Golden Week. I found a group team from the Internet, and after signing up quickly, I sat down and started planning this long journey without any mental preparation.
After a closer look, I realized that the entire itinerary was from south to north, and the round trip was nearly 7,000 kilometers. Compared with Man Jianghong's "eight thousand miles of roads, clouds and moons", although it was still "thousands of miles", it did not reach the point of "breaking through the Helan Mountain Gate". level, but there are many challenges in going through the entire itinerary. The first is to adapt to climate change. In September and October in the south, high temperatures of more than 30 degrees are still common, but in the north it has quietly dropped below 10 degrees at night. On the other hand, I learned from the registration team that during the hero meeting, you need to set up a tent in the desert camp for accommodation, and the temperature in the desert at night can drop to about zero degrees! But now that you have signed up, you must overcome all difficulties and put it into practice. For all the upcoming difficulties, it also happens to be the actual combat experience before the trip around China next year.
In order not to repeat the route as much as possible, in addition to Yinchuan, the plan goes north and south via different cities and stops. The entire itinerary is roughly as follows:
In addition to sufficient warm clothes, this time I rarely brought a SLR, hoping to have a leisurely time on the long road, and relive the feeling of looking at the viewfinder and pressing the shutter.
Everything was ready, and the fully loaded car set off on the journey on September 16th.
Enshi Grand Canyon
Since the four provinces of Guangxi/Guizhou/Hubei/Hunan have visited Zhangjiajie and Shennongjia earlier, so this time I chose Enshi Grand Canyon as the first main attraction on the way north.
Friends who have been to Zhangjiajie may feel that the Enshi Grand Canyon is a bit like this. After all, the sea was too difficult for water, and it is inevitable that there will be five mountains returning without seeing the sigh of the mountains. But in all fairness, as far as a single scenic spot is concerned, it is not useless, but limited to objective conditions. It is a physical activity that requires a certain amount of physical strength, which naturally inevitably affects the mood of the tour.
The scenic spot is mainly divided into two scenic spots: Yunlong Ground Fissure and Qixing Village. Due to the need to save energy, we simply skipped Yunlong Ground Fissure, took the cableway directly up the mountain, and carried out a four-hour cardiopulmonary function test.
The transportation arrangement of the Qixingzhai scenic spot is really inhumane. After entering the gate of the scenic spot, take the shuttle bus to the cableway station, and then start a long hike on the mountain by the cableway. The biggest problem is that there is no way to exit halfway, or go Go back to the cableway station on the original road and take the cableway down the mountain, or bite the bullet and walk the entire journey to the electric (charged) escalator on the other side to go down the mountain, and then change to the shuttle bus to return to the gate of the scenic spot. Needless to say, such an arrangement provides a good operating environment for sliders, and there are not a few people who “surrender” halfway and switch to sliders. Fortunately, we came prepared. In addition to traveling lightly, we had trekking poles and hiking shoes, so we could barely cope with the rushing up and down the plank road steps along the way. Of course, excellent weather is also an important key to completing the itinerary that day.
The first check-in point after the cableway goes up the mountain:
In fact, the view on the mountain is wide, and the scenery is not bad:
Strange stones everywhere, let’s say whatever they look like:
Of course, landscapes such as a line of sky are not unique here:
Is the scenery outside looking a bit similar to Zhangjiajie?
The main check-in point is indispensable: a stick of incense:
I forgot what it's called:
On the contrary, the escalator down the mountain is quite distinctive:
Maijishan Grottoes
After leaving Enshi, take the county road to Tianshui. The scenery on the road over the mountains and ridges is not inferior to Qixingzhai. Of course, the relaxed mood in the car is very different from the anxiety when the long road on the mountain does not reach the end. , cannot be compared in the same breath.
The most famous scenic spot in Tianshui is probably the Maijishan Grottoes, so we drove directly to the scenic spot. Here is a tip to share, because the hotel we booked (should be said to be a homestay) was originally in the scenic spot. If you contact the owner first, you only need to buy tickets for the scenic spot, and the owner can lead the car directly into the scenic spot, saving the scenic spot The cost of the parking lot outside and the battery car in the scenic area. We didn’t know where to go, and contacted the owner after the tour, so we paid more for the above-mentioned expenses. We can learn from the past. If you visit the Maijishan Grottoes and plan to live in a homestay, remember not to repeat our mistakes.
Like the Enshi Grand Canyon, if you have never been to the Dunhuang Grottoes or Yungang Grottoes, the Maijishan Grottoes are also impressive.
From a distance, the scale of the grottoes is not very large, but the trails built along the mountain wall are quite steep:
More conspicuous Buddha statues:
When you look closely, you will find that the damage is more serious:
Several Buddha statues on the other side are relatively intact, with lifelike faces:
The rest of the grottoes show traces of weathering in varying degrees:
No return to former glory:
Most of them are protected by the fence, and they can only get a glimpse of the leopard:
On the contrary, the sightseeing trails are patchwork, which contrasts with the verdant green forests:
Looking up at the whole trail is quite steep:
Looking back at the Ruiying Temple at the exit before leaving, there is also a scene:
After staying in the B&B with nothing to do, the host recommended us to drive to a nearby botanical garden, but we didn’t see any plants, only a small waterfall:
It's better than nothing:
Zhongwei Jinsha Sea Desert Theme Train Hotel
After leaving Tianshui, we continued to go north to Zhongwei, but we did not follow the expressway to Lanzhou, but took the national highway to Guyuan. In addition to the shorter distance (the time spent is actually similar), it was more because of the scenery along the national highway. Far better than high-speed, if you have enough time, it is a good choice.
There was a small episode in Guyuan accommodation. When we arrived at the hotel we booked to check in, we were told that the hotel could not accept foreign guests. Since my daughter-in-law only held a Hong Kong and Macau passport, she was listed as a "foreign guest" and could not check in. Fortunately, the front desk staff Immediately provided assistance, and introduced a nearby hotel that can accommodate foreign guests. When I left the hotel the next day, I found that the lighting in the lobby was originally a boat theme, which was quite unique:
While traveling north along the road, I noticed a phenomenon, that is, the further north I went, the more complicated the procedures when checking into a hotel with a Hong Kong and Macau passport, which strengthened the need to get a residence permit for my daughter-in-law as soon as possible, otherwise, the trip around China in the coming year may There will be a lot of accommodation troubles.
After leaving Guyuan, I went straight to Zhongwei. One of the reasons why I chose Zhongwei as a stopover point was that I didn’t want to arrive in Yinchuan too early. I’m afraid there would be too much time to kill. The other reason was that I saw a train hotel in Zhongwei before. After returning from the Populus euphratica forest, I feel sorry for not being able to enter through the door. This time, I have a second chance, so I can’t miss it. The hotel is converted from a whole train. When I come to the hotel, I will first come to a little bit:
I deliberately took out the long-lost SLR as a memory of this special hotel. The long trucks are where the various rooms are located:
In contrast, is the hair color of the card machine much brighter than that of the SLR?
But the SLR shot is more realistic:
Each card room has an independent entrance and exit:
There are also many decorations that are convenient for punching cards:
In addition to transforming trains into rooms, the hotel also has rooms built in the desert that look like yurts, plus some leisure facilities. No wonder everyone is taking pictures with mobile phones, cameras, and SLRs everywhere:
The desert at sunset is truly indescribably desolate and beautiful:
Compared with the accommodation in the Sahara desert during the trip to Morocco last year, this place is better in terms of comfort and convenience, but on the other hand, it may be that the hotel has not been built deeper in order to take care of the laying of infrastructure facilities In the depths of the desert, the landscape is relatively limited, and it is difficult to appreciate the vastness of the desert. Although the accommodation conditions in the Sahara Desert are slightly inferior, but the camp is deep in the desert, and you can feel the atmosphere of the desert. Maybe this is a kind of compromise that can't have the best of both worlds. I am afraid that it is difficult to have both the comfort of travel and the pure natural scenery.
Qingtongxia 108 Tower
After leaving Zhongwei, continue to Yinchuan, get off the expressway and visit a small scenic spot: Qingtongxia 108 Tower:
This is an artificial scenic spot built on the banks of the Yellow River. It is not necessary to delve into whether it is a historical relic. It is aimed at low fees and not many people. Although the scenic spot takes the 108 towers as the main axis, the temples next to it are more eye-catching in terms of decoration:
People rely on clothing, Buddha depends on gold clothing, and faith in thinking:
Guan Yu was also invited:
In contrast, the protagonist appears more frugal:
The Yellow River rolls by in the distance:
Tourists are scarce, and predators have no way to survive:
In fact, the garden scenery here is very good:
On the way out of the scenic spot, I found a viewing platform of the Yellow River Water Conservancy Project:
Of course, the scale cannot be compared with the Three Gorges Dam:
Later, we even ran to the edge of the Yellow River to get close to the mother river of the Chinese nation:
Zhenbeibao North Studios
After leaving Qingtongxia, we stayed in Yinchuan. Dinner was naturally to taste Ningxia’s famous hand-caught sheep. After sweeping away, I suddenly felt that this trip was worthwhile.
After a night of nothing to say, after breakfast in the morning, we went to the first scenic spot: the northern film city of Zhenbei Fort.
This scenic spot became famous because Stephen Chow's Journey to the West series was filmed here. There is an endless stream of tourists. Tourists wearing Zixia fairy costumes can be seen everywhere to check in for the scene. It is very lively.
Here should be deja vu:
The classic scene probably needs no explanation:
Any impressions of other scenes?
Longmen Inn also filmed here?
Xixia Mausoleum
It is natural to visit the Xixia Mausoleum on the way to the Bi Film Studio, but to be honest, unless you are very interested in or researching the history of the Xixia Dynasty, the impressiveness of this scenic spot may be greatly reduced.
The entire Xixia Mausoleum is distributed on a vast plain, and it is basically difficult to visit one by one on foot. You can only take a ferry to visit one of the royal tomb sites:
However, since they cannot enter the interior of the mausoleum, for tourists who have not done research on Xixia culture, they may not be able to see any clues from the appearance alone:
Maybe it will be more helpful to go to the Xixia Museum to do some homework before seeing the real thing (unfortunately we reversed the order):
Ningxia Chuan Folk Custom Garden
On the second day in Yinchuan, I got up early in the morning and drove to the Shuidonggou tourist area, but I didn't expect that the scenic spot was closed for renovation, and I suddenly lost my budget. After checking it on the Internet, I changed my route to visit Ningxia Chuan Folk Custom Garden.
After driving the car to the parking lot, I found that an SUV parked next to it also had a "Guangdong J" license plate, and then there was a conversation in vernacular, which immediately warmed my heart. Although it is not considered to meet old acquaintances in a foreign country, it is not easy to meet a fellow countryman in a vast sea of people. It is easy to exchange pleasantries and exchange WeChat. It turned out that they also came with two cars for the Hero Club, walking and playing along the road. At that time, some group members paid to enter the Folk Custom Garden to visit, while the rest rested and chatted in the parking lot.
After a while, the group members who entered the venue came back from the tour, sighing that it was not worth it. Many places inside were closed for maintenance, and there was nothing to see. Therefore, we also gave up buying tickets to enter the venue, and only took a few photos at the gate before heading home:
Alashan Heroes Association
This year seems to be the 14th edition of the Alxa Heroes Association, and it is said that the scale is getting bigger and bigger. In addition to regular desert cross-country races, there are more carnival elements during the period, so the number of participants is increasing year by year. After I came back, I learned that this year, there were as many as 400,000 trains entering the venue, crowded in a site built in the desert, and the bustling or crowded situation can be considered more than half.
Although we registered with the Shanghai brigade very early, we were unable to apply for insurance online due to the issue of documents (Hong Kong and Macau Pass). But it is a necessary procedure to be able to drive the car into the venue of the hero meeting, otherwise the car sticker will not be obtained, and the car will not be able to enter the venue. Therefore, we arrived at Bayanhot in Alxa Left Banner on September 30, went to the registration office to apply for insurance early in the morning, and successfully obtained the car stickers, which was a big relief.
After breakfast on the eleventh morning, we headed for the meeting place of the Alxa Heroes Association. We passed a small salt lake on the way, and stopped to take a photo. I didn’t expect to stop for ten minutes, and then I would have to pay several times the price of being crowded on the road. But that's another story. The entire salt lake area is not very large:
But appearing in the desert has a very strange feeling:
Leaving Salt Lake and continuing the journey, I began to notice that there were more vehicles on the road. When I came to the landmark of the conference, I couldn’t park in the parking lot. I could only stop on the side of the road to take a picture:
The parking lot at the gate of the desert highway is also hard to find:
After driving further, we arrived at the entrance of the main site. Although the cars with car stickers can go through the membership passage, traffic jams started less than two kilometers away from the security gate. It took three hours to pass through the security check and enter the two kilometers. At the venue, we found the camp of the Shanghai Brigade and set up a tent according to the instructions:
The advantage of putting the tent next to the car is that it is more convenient to take equipment and items, and the most important thing is to use the car body as a windproof barrier. The wind and sand blowing in the desert is quite powerful. Proper cover can not only ensure the safety of the tent, but also reduce the amount of sand entering (the wind and sand blowing into the tent is basically unavoidable).
There is an anti-climax here, because although Alxa Heroes will be the destination of this trip, there is not much to gain. The reason is that the two days are the peak of the crowd/vehicle tide, and the venue is packed to the brim. Originally, I hoped to follow other campers to drive to the desert to play with sand, but the passages around were blocked by long traffic queues, and the plan had to be scrapped.
The most effective means of transportation in the field is two legs. We wandered around in the evening and came to a small lake:
Some people also stepped into the water to play:
As the sun sets, we also embark on our way home. Just across the road from our camp, many yurts have been built to provide a rich choice for accommodation besides tents:
The afternoon of the second day was spent chatting with other campers in the big tent of the Shanghai Brigade. In addition to hearing many touching stories, I also realized the hard work behind the scenes. From organizing participants to on-site construction of brigade facilities, material supply, camp overall management, program arrangement, etc., it is all thankless work. Here, I would like to pay tribute to the behind-the-scenes heroes such as Brother Lang and Brother Dong.
In addition to the fireworks on the second night:
Campfire:
There are also other entertainments such as roasted whole lamb:
Since we had to rush back to our hometown to attend the annual ancestor worship meeting, we set off early in the morning on the third day to bid farewell to this colorful hero meeting. Although I failed to complete the sand play project, I also successfully tested the four-wheel drive performance of the car. It is easy to drive in the desert camp, which is one of the achievements. On the other hand, many two-wheel-drive cars drove into the camp from the road paved by the conference. Once they stopped, they could no longer drive. The driving wheels sank directly into the sand, and they waited helplessly for other four-wheel-drive cars to come to rescue.
When leaving, the number of vehicles on the road has been greatly reduced:
In the morning of the rising sun, I officially bid farewell to the Tengger Desert:
Waterwheel Expo Park
Leaving Alxa Left Banner, started the southward route. After staying overnight in Yinchuan, we arrived in Lanzhou on October 4th. Since we only have half a day, we chose to visit the Waterwheel Expo Park in the city.
The Waterwheel Expo Park is built on the bank of the Yellow River. It is basically a bank park and is open for free. However, during the Golden Week period, there are no empty streets, let alone crowds of people, which is quite surprising:
The garden scenery is also beautiful:
There are also sheepskin rafts crossing the Yellow River in the park:
But tourists seem to trust modern technology to travel the Yellow River:
However, after the tour, I found that the biggest gain is to experience the wisdom of the ancients and use the river water to drive the waterwheel:
Then pour the water into the diversion channel through the water wheel:
Deliver water to places that need to be irrigated through aqueducts, and at the same time provide endless power:
Our ancestors knew how to use zero-pollution renewable energy long before our belated awareness of environmental protection, but today scientists have racked their brains and still cannot get rid of the dependence on fossil energy. Is it a retrogression of technology? Or is humanity's insatiable thirst for enjoyment far outstripping the pace of technology? This became the question that lingered in my mind when I left the Waterwheel Expo Park.
Wushan Water Curtain Cave
There was nothing to say all night, and after checking out in Lanzhou the next day, we continued to head south to Guangyuan. In order to introduce grottoes to see, we stopped at a scenic spot called Wushan Water Curtain Cave:
After entering the ticket gate, pay a fee to take a sightseeing bus to the end point. The most "spectacular" scenery in the entire scenic spot is in front of you:
If the camera has a slight zoom (about 70mm-100mm), you can see clearly without running the steps:
Seeing that we had plenty of time, we went up the steps to see what was going on in Shuilian Cave, but the result was: we were fooled!
The so-called Water Curtain Cave is nothing more than a semi-natural cave with an artificially built reservoir. The focus is actually on the temple complex built along the mountain wall:
Looking up and down the mountain is another perspective:
After seeing the Shuilian Cave with no water flow, it was too early to visit the remaining scenic spot: Thousand Buddha Caves. According to the introduction, this is where the grottoes are located. I was lucky enough to think that maybe a good show was to come, but it turned out to be the second time.
In addition to the degree of damage far "surpassing" the Maijishan Grottoes, the scale is even more complete. This is what you can see at a glance:
Several damaged statues on the mountain wall:
No matter how you say it, it’s hard to get attached to the grottoes:
In fact, the entire scenic spot is basically centered on visiting gods and praying for blessings. Other landscapes and relics are just floating clouds. In addition to offering incense, hanging wishes and blessings on trees is the main selling point here:
Guizhou Provincial Museum
After leaving the Wushan Water Curtain Cave Scenic Spot, I continued my journey back to the south and arrived in Chongqing on the last day of the National Day holiday. After a short rest, I went down to Guizhou on October 8. After a few days of free travel, the high-speed reply to the toll suddenly felt that the toll was expensive! This is a bit similar to the truth that it is easy to go from thrift to extravagance, but difficult to return from extravagance to frugality.
Before checking into the hotel we booked in Guiyang, we visited the Guizhou Provincial Museum. In fact, during this journey, we often visited the museum where the accommodation city is located, but the scale is generally relatively small, and we did not take pictures, so the above is omitted one by one.
Guizhou Provincial Museum is located in Guiyang City, the capital of the province. It is the largest museum among the museums I have seen on this trip. Just look at the exclusive basement parking lot, and it is free to park.
The entrance of the gate is still full of the atmosphere of the 70th anniversary of the National Day:
It echoes the buildings with a great sense of the times on the opposite side:
The space in the museum is very wide, and the collections are quite rich, especially the introduction of ethnic minorities is more thoughtful and beneficial. Other printing plates such as Ming Dynasty banknotes:
Murals (probably imitated):
and other collections:
are quite interesting:
There is no lack of modern elements in nostalgia:
Yangshuo West Street
Yangshuo is the last stop on the way home. I also stopped in Yangshuo when I traveled to the four provinces earlier, but I stayed in the Shili Gallery scenic spot at that time, and concentrated on the scenery of Yulong River. This time I passed by Yangshuo again, chose to stay in a hotel next to the West Street, and revisited the West Street that I haven’t returned for many years. It feels refreshing.
There is a swimming pool on the platform of the hotel where you stay, which is eye-catching:
The scenery of West Street in the evening is also very charming:
There are many restaurants, and the most eye-catching one is naturally Yangshuo's famous dish beer fish:
Most of the western restaurants and bars on the side streets are not star-studded:
Compared with the impression of many years ago, not only the environment has improved by leaps and bounds, but also the variety of choices is dizzying, with a sense of petty bourgeoisie. It is no wonder that many friends will linger after coming to Yangshuo.
Afterword
Mileage at departure:
Mileage at end of trip:
The total distance is 7,377 kilometers.
This nearly one-month, more than 7,000-kilometer itinerary provides valuable experience for next year's trip around China. No matter in terms of clothing, food, housing, and transportation, you will experience changes from south to north. The long journey from south to north and from east to west in the coming year provides a good preview.
In addition, after returning to summarize the itinerary, there are several more profound experiences:
1) Pick up the long-lost SLR and compare it with the card camera that I switched to in recent years. In addition to the obvious difference in weight, when I checked the photos after I came back, I found that the photos taken by the two were significantly different. Compared with the photos taken by the C-based SLR, the photos of the S-based card camera are obviously brighter in color. The advantage is that they are eye-catching, but they lack the sense of reality. Compared with the SLR photos, I was surprised to see the difference between the two. Looking back at the beginning of learning photography, I insisted on taking photos of the atmosphere of the scene. However, the current mobile phones and card cameras all have built-in automatic modification functions such as beautiful pictures. Including myself) I was intoxicated by the beautiful "production" without knowing it, and forgot that the photo was to record the "live" of the scene at that time. The conclusion of the inscription in the humble room: "The learning of a gentleman is precious and prudent" suddenly sounded in my mind.
2) The scenery is good on the road, but it is difficult to achieve it at high speed. The reason is that high-speed roads are enclosed road systems, and most of them are built on viaducts. Unless you are sitting on the upper deck of a tourist bus, it is difficult for drivers or passengers to get a good ride with the height of a car or SUV. Take a look at the scenery along the way. And even if you encounter charming scenery, you can’t stop at will to appreciate or take pictures on the highway (stopping in the emergency lane for taking pictures is not only illegal, but also bet your own and other road users’ lives, absolutely stupid). If you want to enjoy the scenery on the road, it seems that you still have more opportunities to take the national or provincial roads. During this trip, I personally experienced it on the road to Guyuan. Not only is the scenery beautiful, but there are occasional residents selling local specialties or fruits on both sides of the road, which is very unique.
3) When I went to the bathroom one morning at the Hero Club, I found a single queue at the end of the aisle in the middle of the two rows of toilets, instead of coaxing each other to try their luck in each toilet. Such a simple scene gave I am deeply moved, especially when the country is celebrating its 70th birthday, the citizens are silently taking actions to move closer to a high level of civilized norms. A historical process that has become a fact step by step.
