Xishuangbanna has always been a longing in my heart, and there is always a picture in my mind. Two graceful Dai girls, dressed in colorful national costumes, walked in front of the resplendent temple. Because of this picture, I hope that I can also become the girl in the picture. On January 9 this year, with my parents, aunt, husband and daughter, a group of six people set off from Hangzhou to Xishuangbanna.
The direct flight originally scheduled at 9 o'clock was canceled due to the airline's reasons. We can only choose the direct flight from Hangzhou at 6:20 in the morning. When I arrived in Banna, I chose Gaozhuang Platinum Hotel. Before departure, I compared many hotels on the website in order to choose a hotel, and finally settled on the Platinum Hotel in Gaozhuang Scenic Area. The location of the hotel is very good. It takes only seven or eight minutes to walk to the Shwedagon Pagoda and the Starlight Night Market. The hotel is quiet amidst the hustle and bustle, about four to five hundred meters away from the night market, so adults can have a good rest at night. Because it is a newly renovated hotel in 2019, the facilities and supplies are very new. The most rare thing is that the hotel has only a few dozen rooms, and a small swimming pool is also designed. I booked a week in advance, 278 yuan per night, the whole family thinks it is very cost-effective.
The first meal in Banna is arranged at Manfeilong Roast Chicken, a 10-minute walk from the hotel. This restaurant mainly serves Dai style meals. We ordered a 200 yuan set meal, which includes grilled chicken, lemongrass grilled fish, pineapple rice, fried pork skin, mixed vegetable soup, Nanmi platter, etc. The set meal is quite large, and we added another roast chicken for six of us, which is enough. My dad thinks that the grilled chicken is more delicious in this store, and the rest is to taste the taste.
Because of the early flight, everyone rested at the hotel in the afternoon. The most important thing to bring adults out is to take good care of your body, and you must not adjust the pace of travel too fast because of the schedule. In the evening, everyone watched "Mongbalanasi" together. My husband asked a local friend to buy tickets, so we got the first row of seats, and the price was not expensive. This is a performance with mostly ethnic dances, and there is also an interactive session of splashing water in the middle. Because sitting in the first row, parents still feel the atmosphere of splashing water very well. This interactive link adds a lot to the whole performance. After all, not everyone can come to Banna during the Songkran Festival, so it feels good to let tourists experience splashing water during the performance.
The first scenic spot in Banna is arranged in the Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which must be the best choice for coming to Banna. Report the group on the website, 298 yuan/person (small group of 15 people, chartered pick-up, tour guide). Going to the botanical garden is still recommended, please explain. Apply for a one-day tour with a tour group, and the car will pick you up and drop off, which is much more convenient for traveling with the elderly and children. Fortunately, we also met a good guide - Xiao Xiao. On the way from the hotel to the scenic spot, Xiao Xiao explained the customs of Banna to us in detail for an hour. When we arrived at the scenic spot, she carefully let us identify different plants, and let us understand the phenomenon of strangulation in the plant world for the first time. When traveling abroad, if we say that the itinerary and hotel can be decided before we travel, then the people we meet on the road depend on luck. During this visit to the botanical garden, I met Xiao Xiao, which added a lot of botanical knowledge to our trip.
On the second night, "Night of Lancang River Mekong River" was arranged. This is the performance I am looking forward to. Banna itself is a place with a large number of ethnic minorities. Dances from ethnic minorities are more distinctive and interesting. During the performance, my husband who was sitting on the side praised it repeatedly, it was much better than foreign dances. Two weeks ago, he just came back from a trip to Cambodia. After comparison, he liked the performance in Banna better. Before traveling, as long as there are performances in the local area, I will definitely arrange time to watch them. In my opinion, a good performance is the concentration of local culture and folk customs. Through performances, you can learn about the culture of a place. As I expected, "Night of the Lancang River Mekong River" was a wonderful show. If you have limited time in Banna, I recommend "Night of the Lancang River Mekong River" more than "Meng Baranasi". After the performance, there will be water lanterns and bonfires. I used to think that there was only a blazing bonfire at the party, but I never thought that there would be live musical performances and live singing by ethnic minorities. The happiest thing is that parents, mothers and aunts, led by the live host, also joined the team circling around the bonfire. Only by participating in can we get the greatest happiness. So before such an atmospheric event, you must not just be a bystander.
On the morning of the third day, arrange for everyone to rest in the hotel. Because Banna is a place with rich nightlife, the temperature difference between morning and evening is huge. Just like the Eighteen Monsters of Yunnan said, they wear the same clothes for all seasons. When we arrived in Banna, we wore cotton-padded jackets in the morning, short-sleeved jackets at noon, and overcoats at night. Friends who travel with the elderly must prepare clothes for the elderly before departure. When I was taking a sightseeing bus in the Botanical Garden, I saw that the elderly and children traveling with me were wearing thin clothes, and the children were shivering from the cold. It is estimated that before they set off, they thought that the temperature in Banna was high, so they did not prepare enough clothes. Therefore, even if the temperature in Banna is 30 degrees, a coat is still necessary.
At noon, it was arranged at the side of the Lancang River - Mandou Daiwei Garden Restaurant. I chose a set meal of 288 yuan for six people. This is also a restaurant that specializes in Dai-style meals. The dishes are average, but the location is excellent, just beside the Lancang River. Because we arrived early, we went for a walk along the river. This restaurant goes down the steps and you can go directly to the Lancang River. The river is very wide, but when you get closer, you find that the river is clear and fast. We dined by the river, and there were speedboats passing by from time to time on the river, which became the best scenery in our eyes.
After lunch, we arranged for Wild Elephant Valley (I wanted to go to Wangtianshu before departure, but my aunt got motion sickness on the first day in Banna, so I gave up Wangtianshu, which is far away). Or sign up for a one-day tour, 128 yuan per person (including the first ticket and round-trip fare). At this time of the day, only our family signed up for the group, so we upgraded to a chartered tour. The driver came directly to the restaurant to pick us up, saving the journey back to the hotel. I used to think that the Wild Elephant Valley was not big, it was just a place to watch elephant performances, but after I went there, I realized that it was quite a big garden. The cable car goes up and down several hills. We enter from the south gate and exit from the north gate, so when we arrived at the scenic spot, we bought a one-way cable car ticket, 50 yuan per person. After getting off the cable car, you need to walk in this section of the Yuanzi jungle. There are no undulating mountain roads, and the road is flat. Walking in the middle of this rainforest, breathing the refreshing air, admiring the green full of vitality, we are all intoxicated by it.
The dinner was arranged at Man Sai Kung. Mekong Riverside Jiangxian Restaurant. I chose a meal for 4 people at 268 yuan, and added 2 special dishes recommended by the restaurant. This is the most beautiful restaurant in Banna, and we chose a seat by the river. At night, when the lights come on, the night market on the other side of the river is full of people. The restaurant on this side of the river is not only facing the water, but also can hear the melodious music from the other side. The restaurant is quiet and lively, and it is a very good place to eat. What's even better is that the dishes are also mouth-watering, especially the signature dish - Dai flavor raw braised blue claw prawns. Because of the blessing of local seasonings in Banna, this dish is slightly sweet, slightly fresh, slightly spicy and slightly sour. There are various flavors in it, and you can't stop it.
On the morning of the fourth day, a tropical flower garden was arranged. This scenic spot is in the urban area of Jinghong, which is easy to reach. If you bring the elderly, try to arrange some relaxing spots. This garden is not big, mainly with family members, taking pictures while walking. As I get older, sometimes my memory is not very good. I hope that during the trip, I can take beautiful photos for the adults, so that they will have memories when they see the photos. So I specially mobilized my mother and aunt to buy clothes suitable for taking pictures at the night market. Traveling abroad, if you can wear local clothing, you will have a good experience. But since mom and aunt didn't look good when trying on Dai clothes, they only picked out coats. Wearing red clothes, the effect of taking pictures is much better.
In the afternoon, I chartered a car to the hotel - Angsana Hot Spring Resort Hotel, 7-seater car, 300 yuan. We booked a twin room (including hot spring), 600 yuan/night. I didn't know until I arrived at the hotel that there were peacocks flying in the park at 16:30, which made up for the regret of not seeing peacocks along the way. Although it is not as good as the peacock flying in the primeval forest park, it is still a very pleasant experience to have close contact with the peacock in the hotel. When watching peacocks up close, I realized what real peacock blue is.
Dinner is arranged at the Shui Shang Restaurant at the entrance of the resort. Before coming here, I was worried that the hotel's meals were too expensive and there was no place to eat. After arriving, I asked the waiter and found out that there are 3 independent restaurants in the park. Shui Shang Restaurant is recommended by the waiter. After having dinner, I found that this restaurant is really good. Dad loves to drink, and their local wine is 40 yuan a catty. Dad thinks it tastes good. But if you are going to soak in the hot spring at night, it is best not to drink alcohol. We think their homemade tofu, steamed bread, and hot and sour tilapia are good. I ordered five or six dishes, about 300 yuan.
The feature of the hotel is the outdoor hot spring, which parents and aunts have never experienced. There is a large family pool in the hot spring pool, and all six of us soaked in it. The hotel also carefully provided boats for paddling in the pool, and the children had a great time. The hot spring water is warm, and in the pool, the family sits together and talks about family affairs. I feel that at that moment, Mom and Dad must be happy.
There is a golf driving range in the resort. On the morning of the fifth day, I took everyone to experience it. 40 yuan for a basket of balls (50 pieces), 20 yuan for renting a club. Mom and Dad were very involved, and my aunt also played with us. As an amateur, I feel that as long as I can hit the ball with a perfect arc, I am fine. Therefore, if there are such experiential activities during the trip, arrange them as much as possible for parents. Because playing golf is very entertaining, both adults and children have a good time.
In the afternoon, I went to the Ruobo Farm, which was an unplanned itinerary. I originally planned to go to Dayi Manor, but suddenly found in the hotel that there is a farm of the Ruobo ethnic group, and the round-trip fare is 50 yuan per person (no ticket fee). This price is much cheaper than the ticket + Jingjiao of Dayi Manor. So I decided to go here on the spur of the moment. I prefer to learn about tea culture, and Menghai is also a Pu'er tea producing area, so I still hope to go to the tea garden to have a look. Because it is a scenic spot outside the itinerary, it still surprised me. This is a garden similar to a local farmhouse, privately run, where you can drink tea and eat farm food. If you are not interested in tea, you can ignore this place. Because she is only the home of the local people, they run the tea garden left by their ancestors, which is simple and original.
The trip to Banna lasted for four nights and five days, and I was still a little nervous when I was traveling with adults. Because I did my homework, the adults were satisfied with the whole itinerary, and I felt a sense of accomplishment. In January 2020, I am very happy to travel with my parents and aunt. I have grown up with the care of my family since I was a child, and now I can take you on a trip to the mountains and rivers. As juniors, we are also full of happiness.