D1: 2021.11.20 (Saturday)
Yesterday afternoon, I came from Jinggu and stayed at Chaxiang Garden in Simao, Pu'er City.
The hotel has its own parking lot, which is very important.
If there is no parking lot, it is sometimes not easy to find a safe and reliable place to park in the county. Although there are signs such as "Stop and tow away immediately" and "Illegal parking and capture" on the side of the road, the locals still park indiscriminately, and even the first two wheels are on the sidewalk, the last two wheels are on the road, and some parked sideways . Generally speaking, the local traffic control department tends to make an allowance for vehicles with local license plates. In a small county, the population is sometimes less than that of a street in a big city, so the circle of interpersonal relationships is also small, and it is easy to get to know each other after turning a few corners. It's all a society of human feelings, people will leave a way for themselves, and they will see each other when they look up and see when they look down. Such trivial matters are generally just aha. But you, a foreigner with a foreign license plate, dare to stop indiscriminately? So, in a small county, there must be a small thinking and a small pattern.
Let’s talk about Pu’er City. It is a prefecture-level city. To the south of Pu’er is the famous Xishuangbanna Prefecture. The locals call the urban area of Pu'er "Simao", which is the seat of the municipal government in the Pu'er area. The local shuttle bus and bus are all written as "Simao". If you say you want to go to "Pu'er", then he will ask you where you want to go.
In 2007, with the approval of the State Council, the former Simao City was renamed "Pu'er City". The name was changed to Tianxiazhi in one fell swoop, and Simao, which was originally unknown, has greatly increased its reputation, making people mistakenly think that this is the place where Pu'er tea was produced in history. In fact, among the 12 existing Pu'er tea mountains in Yunnan, only Jingmai tea mountain is located in Pu'er City (Lancang County), and the other 11 are located in Xishuangbanna. Therefore, "this Pu'er is not that Pu'er".
Waking up early in the morning, punching the window, seeing a rising sun, I was in a good mood.
The hotel had breakfast. It was a bit dizzy, and we set off at 9 o'clock. Today, I went to the three border counties of Lancang, Menglian, and Ximeng as planned, among which the old Dabaozhai is the focus. These three counties all border Myanmar.
Drive, out of the city, on the highway. all the way west.
After about an hour, I saw a partition in front of me, and got off the expressway guided by roadblocks and road cones. This place may have been the expressway service area.
Accept the security check, which is also a border inspection, and there are police officers. It was about 10:20 at this time.
I showed my ID card, was questioned by the police, and answered truthfully: I am here for tourism, and I added a sentence, I came here just because of the name. The car I rented has a "Joan A" license plate (Haikou). A native of Shanghai, driving a car in Haikou, is a little terrified (haha). Therefore, JC Shushu naturally asked a few more questions, it doesn't matter, just answer truthfully. He also said, one is because of the epidemic, and the other three counties (Lancang, Menglian, and Ximeng) are border counties. So there are regulations to be strictly controlled.
Speaking of this "Joan A" license plate, some people will know it without knowing it. During the journey, someone once asked me, where is this license plate? It's really fun. I think of the sentence: "It's terrible to be uneducated."
Traveling abroad and driving a car with a foreign license plate will indeed bring some inconvenience during the journey. Especially in the current epidemic situation, some places cannot be visited without locals (cars). Because it is not a local car, the checkpoint will pay more attention to it. One more check will require more "codes".
In February of this year, we rented a car in Wenzhou and took photos with the local "Zhe C" in Wenzhou. Traveling in southern Zhejiang is like visiting your own territory, which is really convenient. Some personnel at the epidemic checkpoints regard us as their own people, and some inspections are exempted. When the inspectors saw it from a distance, they waved their hands as a sign of "pass". Of course, we are not welcome, and we will go straight to the brush.
Stop digressing, and get down to business. It is said that JC Shushu looked at the ID card, pressed it on the table, and said, you should drive the car to the front and pull over, and don't get out of the car. When I'm done here, I'll go over and "talk" to you.
I can't help but feel tight, what do you mean by "talking about it"? Don't let me get off the car. It seems that the three border counties, especially the old Dabao Village, will not be able to go.
Staying in the car, I thought about the next step of the itinerary if I couldn't go to Dabao and the three counties.
About ten minutes later, JC Shushu came, and he said, you really want to go there, and you have to explain that there is a place to stay in the local area, such as a hotel. If you live in a hotel, you need the hotel to issue a "certificate" to prove that you want to check in today, and finally stamp the hotel's official seal. The "Proof" can be sent via WeChat, we just have to read it. The information society, after all, is advanced, and it is all paperless.
Quickly turn on the mobile phone, go to Ctrip, and find the old Dabao Inn that was previously collected. The order is placed and the reservation is successful. Call the innkeeper again and explain the situation here. The boss also knows the local policy, so he agreed to issue the "certificate", and he will make money if there are guests. He said he couldn't write and asked me how to write. After adding WeChat to each other, I wrote a "Proof", which was nothing more than "There is such and such..., I hereby certify" or something, this is really a piece of cake for me who has been in the office for decades Yes, hee hee.
After the "Proof" was written, it was passed on via WeChat. The only thing to do now is to wait.
In the car, close your eyes slightly, and use your imagination: the innkeeper received the WeChat "certificate", looking for paper, looking for a pen, copying the words, looking for the official seal, stamping, taking pictures, and uploading on WeChat...
After waiting for a short period of time in anxiety, the innkeeper's WeChat message came. Get off the car and walk to JC Shushu, open WeChat to show him the "proof", he said wait. Another JC was called (the one who spoke to me earlier), and it turned out that he was in charge and could call the shots. After watching "Proof", pass
,pass.
When he was parting, he reminded again, go to Lincang to do a nucleic acid test, it will be useful. After listening to it, my heart became warm, thoughtful, and very humane in handling things. Thank you.
Re-navigate on the mobile phone, the destination-the First People's Hospital of Lancang County, go to do nucleic acid.
At about 12 o'clock, I arrived at Lancang First Hospital. Hospitals everywhere, whether they are small counties or large cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, etc., are all overcrowded. Wear a mask in the car, show the local health code, itinerary code and measure the temperature to the security guard at the gate. The railing goes up, enter. Luckily there are still a few spaces in the parking lot.
Registration is very annoying. First, you need to pay attention to the official account of the hospital, register with your real name, ID card, mobile phone number, and verification code, and then register and pay in the official account. While tossing, I was thinking, what about the elderly who can't play with mobile phones (even though I am also an elderly person), they really can't move a single step in this digital society.
Do a good job of nucleic acid, and it's time for lunch. If you see a place where people come and go, go in and have a look. It turned out that this was a canteen open to medical patients run by the hospital. The place to eat is naturally noisy, which is also a characteristic of our country. The restaurant is always lively and lively. Put all kinds of dishes on the plate, order dishes on demand, ask the waiter the price, she babbled, and I didn't understand a word of the dialect. All the people who come here to eat are locals who are seeing a doctor. Who would have thought that a Shanghainese would appear here and still eat here, so no one speaks Mandarin. Pick a few dishes at random, as long as it is not spicy, and pay the bill. WeChat payment - 10 yuan. A little surprised, but really cheap.
After dinner, return to the car and take a nap.
Woke up at 1:30, refreshed. Nucleic acid made 2ǎo, full lunch, sleep well.
When the car arrives at the gate, scan the QR code on WeChat to pay for the parking fee, "Didi", a female voice comes out from the machine - "Please pay one yuan". This sound is very beautiful because of "one yuan".
Here I really experienced "the people's hospital for the people", and it costs 11 yuan to eat and park.
Lancang is a Lahu Autonomous County, and I drove to the "Lahu Customs Garden" nearby.
This style garden is relatively large, and it takes an hour to walk around the lake.
After visiting the Lahu Customs Park, it is almost 3:00, and the next stop is Laodabao Lahu Village. Stop by to see the Mupa Mipa Gourd Square in the county seat.
The Lahu people have a special liking for gourds, and there is also a "Gourd Festival". The decoration and sculpture of gourds can often be seen in the county town.
Near the Calabash Square, I found that this area is very lively, so I drove slowly to find a parking place. There was a T-junction ahead, and my car had already passed the stop line at the intersection. Suddenly, I saw a traffic light standing in the middle of the road on the left side of the car. It was short and flashing a yellow light. I was taken aback. I thought there were no traffic lights at this intersection. After the yellow light flashes, it is followed by a red light. But there is no way to retreat, so I can only bite the bullet and drive forward. Will I be counted as "running a red light"? The mood was ruined all of a sudden, and besides, there was no parking place nearby, so forget it, let's not look at this Calabash Square.
The road to Laodabao Lahu Ethnic Village is not easy to drive, and there are many detours on the mountain road. The 45-kilometer road takes more than an hour.
Lao Dabao is a typical Lahu village with complete traditional stilt-style buildings. The creation myth of the Lahu "Mupa Mipa" and the Lusheng dance are inherited and preserved here, and it is also a national intangible cultural heritage. And I'm more interested in the church here. Most of the Lahu villagers here believe in Christianity. Every Saturday night and Sunday morning, the villagers will wear national costumes and go to the church to worship. At this time, there will be hymns sung in Lahu language in the church. Ethnic minorities are generally good at singing and dancing, and their singing must be very beautiful, which is exciting to think about. In Shanghai, I sometimes go to church, just to compare the mandarin hymns and Lahu hymns. For this reason, I specially arranged the itinerary to Lao Dabao on Saturday afternoon, just for the worship on Saturday night or Sunday morning.
The old Dabao inn I booked is the best in the village. It is the head of the village who runs the inn.
In the stockade, the villagers' stilted buildings are all one to the east and one to the west, row after row as they please, without any rules. It is also located in a mountainous area, and there is no horizontal and vertical road at all.
It took a lot of time to find this inn. Gaode navigation and Baidu navigation didn't work. Those who walk around just can't find the north. I didn't see anyone in the village, so I finally caught a villager and asked him, but he was pointed to another inn, which seemed to be closed. I had to call the owner of the inn. He asked me where I was, but I couldn't tell. In the end, the owner sent me a location and walked over slowly.
Go to the inn and put down your luggage. The so-called luggage is just a backpack. The trolley case was placed in the car. In this mountainous village, there is no way to drag the pole box.
I was very happy to go out and visit the stockade.
Ask the innkeeper (village head) about the church service, he said, sometimes there will be tonight, sometimes not, not necessarily. After 8 o'clock tomorrow morning, there will definitely be.
The inn rooms are air-conditioned, and there are electric blankets on the bed. The mountains are humid and the nights are cold. Generally, inns will have electric blankets.
I slept fairly comfortably and had nothing to say all night.
D2: 2021.11.21 (Sunday)
Thinking about the church hymns, I went out at 7:40 in the morning.
The village is peaceful, with the smell of humidity and plants in the air; the mountains in the distance, the fields nearby, and the roofs of the stilted buildings are filled with a light morning mist, which is faintly visible like a tulle.
After 8 o'clock, the villagers came to the church one after another, all wearing beautiful national costumes. It seems that there are more women than men.
After 8:30, the service began. After a while, hymns in Lahu language came from the church, and the multi-voiced melody was like the sound of nature. I didn't go to church. On the one hand, they don't understand their language, and on the other hand, they don't want to disturb their pious beliefs. Outside the church, just listen quietly.
An hour later, the service was over, and the villagers came out of the church in twos and threes.
Today is the village (or county) hospital to send medicine to the village. On the square, villagers came to see a doctor and dispense medicine. I sat on the side with a small stool and watched them silently for a long time, watching them measure blood pressure, dispense medicine, and talk. Although I couldn't understand, I felt that I was already a part of the life of the villagers in the village and I was integrated into it. It's interesting, and it feels good.
I saw two little girlfriends playing. Called them over to take pictures. Just a little more serious. One is wearing a zipper shirt with English characters on it; the other is wearing a national costume with a large placket. It really complements each other perfectly.
It's almost time to leave Lao Dabao. Next destination: Menglian Dai Lahu and Wa Autonomous County.
To drive, you have to go back outside Lancang County, which is equivalent to turning a corner and going to Menglian. There is no straight road. Roads in mountainous areas are not like plains, which can be reached in a straight line. Roads should be built along the mountains. From Lao Dabao to Menglian, the distance is less than 100 kilometers, and it takes 2 hours.
Menglian is a border county. It takes one hour to drive to the border from the county seat. Its port leads directly to the mysterious Golden Triangle of Myanmar. Of course, it is now closed due to the epidemic.
At about 12:30, we arrived at Menglianzong Buddhist Temple. The original building was destroyed by fire and the one seen today was rebuilt in 1953.
After leaving the Zongfo Temple, turn up the mountain. It can't be said to be up the mountain, but it's just going up with a slight slope. After walking for a while, I saw the Buddhist Temple in Zhongcheng, which is the real ancient building. It is also a Theravada Buddhist monastery of the Dai nationality.
If you continue to go up, you will be the Chieftain's Mansion (Menglian Xuanfu Department). Rebuilt in the Guangxu period, the biggest attraction is that it is the only building complex in Yunnan Province that combines Dai and Han.
The upper city, middle city, lower city and the above buildings here are collectively called Nayun Ancient Town. "Nayun" means "in the city" in Dai language.
Then walk down, go back to the Zongfo Temple, cross the river, and walk south along the road along the east side. Go to see Menglian Shwedagon Pagoda.
Walking on the streets of Menglian, you will feel a kind of Dai ethnic style and Buddhist implication, quiet, calm and leisurely.
Well, I have basically seen several scenic spots in Menglian County. It's almost 2 o'clock, and the next stop is Ximeng Wa Autonomous County in the north. The journey is about 60 kilometers and takes more than an hour.
The original old county seat of Ximeng County is close to Myanmar, and it is on the foothills, so the transportation is inconvenient. At the beginning of this century, the county seat was moved to the present place. Surrounded by mountains on three sides and facing water on one side (Mengsuo Longtan in the south), Xinxian County is a treasure land of geomantic omen. The county's population is less than 100,000, and Mengsuo Town, the county seat, has a population of more than 21,000, which is less than a community in a first-tier big city.
At 3:30, I went directly to the Mengsuo Longtan Scenic Spot in Menglian, parked the car, and bought a ticket to enter.
It is a natural tropical rainforest freshwater lake. The most worth visiting is the holy land of Longmoye of the Wa nationality, which means "the place where all living beings gather". On a small hillside, you have to climb a hill with steps.
On the mountain cliffs and ancient trees, there are densely piled buffalo skulls, moss and parasitic plants all over the place, and the mysterious atmosphere of primitive religion is breathtaking. This is the belief of the Wa people. But being there is still chilling. There were several other tourists nearby, otherwise I would have fled in despair if I was the only one.
Look, go back the same way and walk down this hill. When you get to the lake, there is a trail around the lake. At this time, you can continue to walk forward, or turn back. I see most people turn their backs and walk away. I think "don't turn back" should be a principle of tourism, so let's go along the trail around the lake. Unexpectedly, this walk was a mistake. There are fewer and fewer people walking, and there are almost no tourists, only occasionally meeting a few locals who are exercising on foot. Ask them how far away they are to the exit? The answers varied, but they were all about an hour or so anyway. At this time, if you go back again, it will take about the same time. It's a dilemma, just like the Shanghainese saying "Nongzhute". I had to go forward. I knew the lake was big, but I didn't expect it to be that big. It took more than an hour to finally reach the exit, and I was miserable. I really regret it.
Because Ximeng County is newly built, the town is "small and beautiful". It is neat and beautiful, with neat and tidy roads horizontally and vertically, greening of trees and flowers and plants, buildings with thatched roofs of Wa ethnic style, and totem decorations such as wooden drums and bull heads. It can be seen that the design is quite thoughtful. Everything looks pleasing to the eye. No wonder some people say that this place is like a resort.
Because the resident population is too small, commerce is not well developed, and the roads are deserted. Especially at night, after dinner, I saw that there was nothing to do outside, so I went to the supermarket to buy some food, dry food, milk and drinks, and then went back to the hotel to rest.
D3: 2021.11.22 (Monday)
Today, I am going to go south. In fact, the exact direction should be to the southeast, to Jingmai Mountain, and to see two ancient villages.
In Jingmai Mountain, there are Dai, Blang, Hani and Wa people who live here. This large area is a thousand-year-old ancient tea mountain.
Departure in the morning, the scenery on the road is infinite. It was past 10 o'clock at this time, and the sea of clouds in the distance had not dissipated. Seeing a viewing platform on the side of the road, stop. In the past, I saw that it was still a tourist village with ethnic characteristics in Yunnan Province. It is on the opposite side of the road, called Bohang Village. Walked to the opposite side, strolled around the village, there were no people, let alone tourists. Take a few photos and count as a check-in. Going back to the viewing platform, overlooking the sea of clouds and the tea fields up close, you will feel relaxed and happy.
Take a look at Paipai here, about half an hour. Then move on.
After 1:00 p.m., I finally entered Jingmai. The road here is not paved with asphalt or cement, but small stones are used, as if countless small stones were sprinkled on the road. The car vibrated badly when it was driven, and it was the kind of small continuous bumps that greatly affected the speed. I don't understand why it's doing this way.
There are mountains and plains here, basically all tea trees. A veritable tea mountain.
At 2:30, we arrived at Jingmai Dazhai. This should be the center of Jingmai Tea Mountain. Every village must have a temple, and the Dai people here believe in Theravada Buddhism.
After about a quarter of an hour, we arrived at Nuogang Old Village. This is a Dai village, which is part of the "Jingmai Ancient Tea Garden".
Every stockade here has a temple and a "zhai heart". According to the introduction, "Zhaixin" is the center of the village, where the God of the village is, and where ceremonies are held.
On the mountain, there is a viewing platform overlooking the entire village. The rows of stilted buildings and the black and gray roofs look quite large.
After more than half an hour, leave and go to the next village - Wengji Ancient Village. The distance is not far, about 20 minutes to arrive.
Wengji Ancient Village is a Blang village. To me, an outsider, it looks similar to the previous Dai village. There are also temples and village centers, which are also stilted buildings.
The biggest attraction is that after entering the village, there is a 3,000-year-old giant cypress next to the ancient temple.
Every household here lives on tea.
While wandering in the village, I passed by a house where an old man was sewing at the door with plantains beside him. I asked her how much is it? She said that I didn't understand anything, but it seemed that she could understand some of my Mandarin. She stretched out a hand, meaning 5 yuan, I said 5 yuan? She nodded yes. But the payment is troublesome again, she can't figure out the mobile phone WeChat payment and the like. I took out a 5 yuan note from my small bag and gave it to her, and the deal was done. When I usually travel, I always bring some cash notes for emergencies, such as when there is no mobile phone signal, and when someone does not pay with a mobile phone, "cash is king" is the truth.
This plantain is very thick and ripe naturally, sweet but not greasy, waxy but not rotten, it is delicious. Unlike the ones we usually buy, they are picked half-baked and cooked artificially. This big handful of plantains was put in the car and eaten for many days.
It's half past four. There are several B&Bs in the village, but due to the impact of the current epidemic, there is not much passenger flow. Looks like it's closed. In the past, it was completely possible to live in the stockade, and it was also convenient to stroll around.
There is no more time now, so I can only live in Huimin Town. It takes less than 30 kilometers to reach Huimin Town, but it takes nearly an hour. Looking at the navigation map, the road is winding and twists and turns, like intestines in the stomach. The mountain road detours, the car is not fast.
Huimin Town is next to National Highway 214, so it is very convenient to go to Xishuangbanna tomorrow. National Highway 214 is also called "West View Line", and the end point is Jinghong City, the capital of Xishuangbanna Prefecture.
Go to Ctrip and book a hotel. Get an affordable price that you can't think of. The accommodation is next to Huimin Passenger Station, there is a parking lot behind it, and it can also wash cars. There are restaurants and supermarkets nearby, which is very convenient.
Lancang, Menglian, and Ximeng——"Three Border Counties Tour" has come to a perfect conclusion.
Tomorrow will start the trip to Xishuangbanna.
Postscript: "Antecedents-consequences" of the three-county border tour
Leave Shanghai on 2021.10.25 and fly to Kunming. Participated in a 15-day "Bingchacha Ring Tour" team.
Rough itinerary: Kunming - Liuku - Fugong - Gongshan - Bingchacha - Medog - Bomi -... - Deqin - Shangri-La - Shaxi Ancient Town - Shuanglang Ancient Town - Kunming.
On the night of 11.7, when I returned to Kunming, the team disbanded, and everyone returned to Shanghai, except me.
I stayed in Kunming for 5 days, went to Haigeng to see the Red-billed Gull, visited the night market and old street, spent the night in Guandu Ancient Town, visited the Ethnic Museum, visited the Ethnic Cultural Village, and watched an IMAX movie "007" in Wanda Studios. "...
Prepare the homework for going south every day when you have time.
At noon on November 12th, I rented a car in Kunming, headed south, and started my solo bicycle journey. I call it "Journey to the South". It has two meanings, one is "travel in Yunnan" and the other is "travel to the south". At that time, I posted on Moments every day, from "Southern Journey No. 1" on November 12 to "Southern Journey No. 107" on December 15, every day was continuous and persistent, and I didn't know where the energy came from. Persistence, hee hee.
The general itinerary is as follows:
Kunming - Yuxi - Jianshui - Shiping - Honghe County - Mojiang - Jinggu - Pu'er - border three counties tour (Lancang - Menglian - Ximeng - Lancang) - Menghai - Jinghong - Mengla - Ning'er - Yuanyang Terraces - Gejiu - Mengzi - Bisezhai - Puzhehei - Bamei - Luxi - Maitreya - Kunming - Dongchuan Red Land - Kunming.
Leave Shanghai on 2021.10.25 and return to Shanghai on 12.13. A total of 50 days before and after.
Walk on the road and have fun in your heart.