Exploring China’s Southwest – Overland From Hong Kong to Guangzhou, Kunming, Yuanyang, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La, Litang and Chengdu
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new lands but in seeing with new eyes”.
– Marcel Proust
Having already visited the capital city of Beijing and several of China’s well-known historic attractions over a 3-month period during our RTW trip in 2010-2011, we concluded that if we were ever to return to China in the future, we would endeavour to head further southwest for a different cultural experience. Experiencing new cultures, traditions and customs is one of the most amazing things about travelling, so we were excited at being able to plan another trip where we could spend an extended period of time in one place to really get to know the beliefs and values of other people and its influence on their everyday life.
Exploring the colourful southwestern provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan therefore promised us just the cultural experience we were seeking. Showcasing a combination of spectacular landscapes and modern mega-cities, Yunnan and Sichuan are regarded as two of the most fascinating and diverse of all China’s 23 provinces. Furthermore, their significant location – bordering Tibet – is what ultimately became the deciding factor on our choice of route for this trip.
A collection of prayer flags on a hill close to Chöde Gompa Monastery above the town of Litang in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Western Sichuan.
Since absolutely no independent travel is allowed in Tibet, the location of Yunnan and Sichuan provinces was key in enticing us to explore the region further. And what better place to immerse ourselves than one of the highest settlements on Earth! Situated on the southwest edge of the Tibet Plateau in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province, the historic town of Litang promised to be a piece of Tibet in Sichuan. Regarded as ‘The Town In The Sky’ because of its dizzying 4,060 metre altitude, Litang has a population of around 60,000 people – the majority of whom are ethnically Tibetan. It is also famous for being the birthplace of the seventh and 10th Dalai Lamas and is home to The Litang Chöde Monastery, which was built in 1580 in honour of the third Dalai Lama (Sonam Gyatso, 1543-1588).
By making a determined effort to cross vast expanses of China to visit Litang, we hoped that the experience would give us a genuine feel of Tibet without having to go through the bureaucracy required to cross the border into what is still a politically sensitive area. To our minds, we would get to explore all the amazing goodness that makes Tibet the ‘Rooftop of the World’ but without the restrictions we’d be placed under if travelling to Lhasa. (E.g. All foreigners going to Tibet must have their travel arranged through a travel agency before arriving in Lhasa, which must include travel permits and a tour guide.) Also being the budget conscious travellers we are, visiting Litang as an alternative would negate the need for this extra cost.
Another huge attraction to us setting off in a southwesterly direction was that a visit to Yunnan Province would present us with the opportunity to hike through the Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the deepest gorges in the world and one of China’s UNESCO World Heritage Natural Preservation sites. Still travelling with all of our hiking and camping gear required for the PCT, how could we resist?
In the Yunnan province of China, looking along the scenic canyon known as the ‘Tiger Leaping Gorge’. Flowing through it is the Jinsha River, a primary tributary of the upper Yangtze River.
It wasn’t going to be quite so straight forward however. Already buzzing with ideas for a jam-packed itinerary, we first had some planning and logistics to work out, which included acquiring ourselves a 60-day China Tourist Visa – which posed some difficulties having just completed the PCT, hence we would be setting off from Canada as opposed to our home country the UK, where we could have arranged visas prior to travel at the embassy in London (or by post via an agency). Flying from Vancouver however, we decided that the best method of gaining entry into China this time around would be to travel into China overland via Hong Kong where we could arrange a fast-track visa through an agency, which was the most-likely option for our visa application being approved. With tourist visas to China still quite difficult to obtain depending on your personal circumstances and length of intended stay, it’s a major plus point that UK citizens are given immediate approval of ‘180 days stay’ on arrival in Hong Kong. If our visa application for China was to be declined (we were hoping not since we had both previously travelled to China in 2007 and 2011), then at least we would have enough time in Hong Kong to come up with a Plan B!
Capturing sunset reflections whilst flying into Hong Kong in 2011. Flying later in the evening in 2018, we weren’t so lucky!
It just so happened that my 39th birthday would also be coming up after leaving Vancouver so we booked ourselves a week’s stay in a relatively ‘posh’ hotel in the southern region of Hong Kong Island, agreeing that we well and truly deserved it having just walked 2,660 miles from one end of the USA to the other! After sleeping in a tent for the best part of 6 months, even having a room that was shoe box in size (and that’s considered ‘big’ in Hong Kong) was sheer luxury!
When we were dreaming of our all-you-can-eat buffet breakfasts whilst overlooking the Hong Kong skyline, as well as the free ‘Happy Hour’ at the hotel bar each evening, we hadn’t really considered what it would be like transitioning from 6 months in the wilderness to being part of a mega metropolis bustling with frenzied shoppers and mobile phone zombies. After arriving in the evening and being totally out of sync having flown for 15 hours, then fast-forwarding our time clock by 12 hours, the first day was a real shock to the system. Walking between the crowded streets of Kowloon, gleaming skyscrapers towering above rustic street markets, we looked at each other and said ‘What have we done?’ In hindsight, we may have fared better hiring a campervan to explore some of the Canadian coastline or travelled west to east along the border enjoying the serenity of some of Canada’s national parks instead of throwing ourselves straight into what was a complete sensory overload as soon as we touched down in Hong Kong! Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
From the onset of winter in Washington to sunnier climes in Hong Kong. Enjoying breakfast on the Ovolo Southside Hotel veranda before heading out into the craziness of the city!
Admiring the Kung Fu statues in Exchange Square, central Hong Kong.
After a day in the hotel hiding from ‘people’, it was going to be hard to find sanctuary in Hong Kong as we had known it on the trail – so what better to do than head for the hills. After flippantly remarking that ‘we never wanted to walk again’, in a little over a week that’s all that we now wanted to do. The one redeeming factor of heading to Hong Kong was that we were being treated to 30 degree temperatures once more, which I had missed greatly since leaving the Californian desert. So with ‘day’ packs on and a bag full of snacks, we set off for what is considered Hong Kong’s ‘best and most popular‘ trail ‘The Dragon’s Back’. At 4.6 miles long, it’s basically a gentle walk over some hills giving far reaching views of the ocean. Starting from To Tei Wan, the route follows the coastline around to Big Wave Bay, which at our current walking pace took us just 1 and a half hours. In fact, queuing up for Bus 9 to take us from the MRT station Shau Kei Wan to Shek O Beach took more time than the actual walk! But it was an enjoyable afternoon nonetheless.
Taking bus ‘Number 9’ to Shek O to reach the start of the trail. There is a Number 9 bus running every 20 minutes, but as it’s a popular destination for tourists, we had to wait in a queue for over an hour before we reached the front and could board.
Setting off along the ‘Dragon’s Back’ route. Compared to what we had just done on the other side of the world – it was a mere walk in the park!
A popular day hike in Hong Kong, the Dragon’s Back runs along a ridge resembling its namesake, in Shek O Country Park. It was a great way to escape Hong Kong’s concrete jungle and see extensive views of Shek O beach, Tai Long Wan (or Big Wave Bay), Tai Tam Bay, Stanley Peninsula, and the South China Sea.
Near the Dragon’s Back top, the trail offers far-reaching views of the China Sea, Big Wave Bay, Shek O village and its golf club, as well as several splendid secluded spots. Shek O Peak, at 284 metres, is the highest point of the trail.
Spotting some pretty flora growing beside the trail.
In between more sightseeing which included watching the Light Show across Victoria Harbour and viewing the city from Victoria Peak, we arranged our China Visas through CTS (China Travel Service Hong Kong Ltd) situated on Queen’s Road in Central Hong Kong. We paid for a fast-track 3 day service, which cost HK$2,220 each (Approx. £216 pp) for a ‘Double Entry 30 Day Visa’ that in effect would permit us to travel in China for 60 days total, but we would have to exit and re-enter mainland China after 30 days. (More logistics and planning which influenced our overland journey – part 2.) Relieved at acquiring our visas relatively easily and not having to extend our stay in Hong Kong, my birthday celebrations then followed! This included a ride on the Hong Kong Observation Wheel (a new tourist hot-spot since our previous visit to Hong Kong in 2011) as well as drinks along the Lang Kwai Fong Bar Street. (Of course!)
Birthday celebrations get underway with pre-drinks in our room!
Taking a ‘selfie’ from the top of Victoria Peak.
Discovering a small bar down by the harbour with some decent IPAs (in Wayne’s opinion)!
Preparing for a ride on the new Hong Kong Observation Wheel.
After checking out of the hotel the following day, it was then a straightforward journey by CTS bus from Hong Kong Downtown over the border to Shenzhen (China’s tech megacity that links Hong Kong to China’s mainland), then on to another of China’s sprawling metropolises – Guangzhou. Even with going through passport control the entire journey took less than 3 hours. (There is now a high speed train connecting Hong Kong to Guangzhou via Shenzhen that takes approximately 50 minutes. However as we were more concerned about budget as opposed to time, we went for the cheapest option which was by bus costing HK$100 each (approximately £10 pp).
Better known internationally as Canton, Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong Province and is a sprawling port city northwest of Hong Kong on the Pearl River. It is the third biggest city in China after Beijing and Shanghai with a population of more than 12 million, and remains as it has been for centuries as China’s busiest trading centre. From one big city to another – we intended on staying in Guangzhou for just 3 days to give us time to organise an overnight sleeper train to Kunming. (Kunming being the modern capital city and transportation hub of China’s southern Yunnan province, which we were going to use as a base for visiting several tourist spots in the area – most notably ‘Dongchuan Red Earth’ (Fazhe) staying overnight at Huashitou Village and Yuanyang Rice Terraces Scenic Area, accessed from the old town of Xinjie.)
Having stayed in Guangzhou in 2011, we were looking forward to a Sunday stroll in the park where traditional cultural gatherings take place away from the hustle and bustle of city life. From performing Tai Chi exercises to playing badminton, to practising their ballroom dancing skills and singing in large choirs whilst accompanied by musicians playing a variety of instruments, to kicking colourful feather shuttlecocks to one another known as ‘Jianzi’, followed by a strategic game of Mahjong whilst sipping on green tea – hanging out at a local park is the best way to get to know the locals as all generations enjoy time together in an open space. Today, it was particularly busy with families and festivities happening around Liuhua Lake when we decided to go for a mid-morning run so it was lovely to get away from it all later in the afternoon when we retreated to the Orchid Garden, a much less-crowded and wonderfully peaceful park on Jiefang North Road.
Leaving the thick city smog behind and heading into the serenity of the Orchid Garden.
Beautiful orchids on display in the gardens. This quiet, secluded spot was our favourite outdoor space in the city.
Seven years later… We discovered a lot had changed since our previous visit to Guangzhou – most notably the fact that the metro system had been extended to cover all areas of the city, relieving pressure on the once overcrowded train and bus network. Shopping malls seemed to have sprung up all over the place and with them the rise of ‘the coffee shop’. Love them or hate them, Starbucks now appeared to be on every street corner, whereas on our previous visits ‘tea’ had been the order of the day. It was clear that coffee consumption was growing rapidly in China, turning the traditionally tea-drinking country into the world’s most-promising market for coffee growers and international coffee chains. Similarly, KFC no longer had the monopoly as fast food king, with McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and similar chains now sharing the market. Living standards from what we could see had vastly improved, giving Chinese consumers more disposable income to explore new products and experiences—especially from the West. It was with great satisfaction then that we came across a Decathlon store in the heart of Guangzhou just around the corner from our business hotel. Needing some replacement clothing since completing the PCT, the Quechua brand of athletic wear was perfect for our ongoing travel.
We were surprised to find out that with 214 stores, China is home to the most Decathlon stores outside of France.
After a busy afternoon of shopping, our final evening in Guangzhou was spent taking a trip up the Canton Tower. Claiming to be the second-tallest tower in the world by pinnacle height at 604 metres (1,982 ft), we braved standing on the glass walkway from the 108th floor, then took a ride on the ‘Bubble Tram’ around the tower to see the sights of the sprawling city! What didn’t seem as though it had changed much in seven years however, despite an influx of electric scooters replacing motorbikes on the city streets, was the amount of air pollution. As seen in the photographs below, Guangzhou still appeared to be suffering from the effects of a thick layer of smog hanging over the city, making our eyes tired, red and itchy after a long day of sight-seeing.
Sat in the Bubble Car overlooking the Pearl River, which is the third longest river in China stretching over 2,000 kilometres (1,243 miles).
Our view of Guangzhou from the top of the Canton Tower as a thick layer of smog envelopes the city.
The Canton Tower lit up at night.
Strolling along the city’s vibrant waterfront as high-rise buildings illuminate the Pearl River. Night-time cruises depart from Tianzi Wharf daily for a 60 minute tour of the city.
The following morning we headed to the Guangzhou Railway Station where we would be taking an overnight train to Kunming. The journey was to take us just over 25 hours having pre-booked a ‘hard sleeper’ each on an old K-Class train for a total of $114 (US dollars) via the ‘China Train Booking‘ app. We highly recommend this app as an easy and convenient way of organising tickets as opposed to queuing in the station, which depending on the time of day can take up to an hour or more. As we would be covering a distance of over 1,000 miles, choosing a sleeper train was a win win for us as we would be able to get a good night’s rest by booking a bed, thereby saving us the cost of a night’s accommodation in a hotel. It is now possible to take a high speed G-Class train from Guangzhou to Kunming, which takes just 6 and a half hours, but the cost of this is more than double that of a K-Class train. Therefore in an effort to maximise money having already splurged a little in Hong Kong, we opted to take the longer journey prioritising budget over comfort and convenience.
Collecting our tickets from Guangzhou Railway Station a couple of days prior to travel having purchased them online via the ‘China Train Booking’ app. Depending on the day and time of travel, train stations can be overcrowded, hectic places. Thankfully today was relatively quiet!
Travelling via old K-Class train from Guangzhou to Kunming. In reality, the ‘hard sleeper’ isn’t too hard and the 25 hours passed by relatively quickly! There are squat toilets at the end of each train compartment and you can purchase hot meals on-board.
Arriving in Kunming just after 11am the following morning, we took a bus from outside the railway station to the other side of town where we had pre-booked two nights at the Kunming Cloudland International Youth Hostel. Having already explored the sights of Kunming in 2011, our stay at the hostel was merely to facilitate planning and organising the next stages of our onward travel. We had chosen to stay in a hostel as opposed to a business hotel this time round as they are excellent places to meet like-minded people and find out about trips and must-see places from staff and guests who are usually able to converse in English. Business hotels, although our preferred accommodation choice in terms of value for money (as a couple we enjoyed the facilities of a private double room with en-suite bathroom including breakfast for less than £20 a night), usually have very few foreigners as guests, therefore communication can be difficult. Saying that, the language barrier has never been a problem for us as we have always found that we can get by with gestures and a few simple phrases. Even more-so this time around, we were finding China to be ever more accessible with the use of Maps.Me, Google Translate and China’s messaging service ‘WeChat’ on our mobile phones, none of which were freely available to us on our previous trip.
Wandering the main streets of Kunming in search of a local speciality for dinner.
Enjoying one of our favourite Chinese dishes from the local food market – a spicy beef broth, with noodles, vegetables and a fried egg.
Using Kunming as our base, we then travelled approximately 155 miles northeast of the city to Huashitou Village, which by bus took us approximately 3 hours. Known as the Dongchuan Red Land for its vast expanses of red earth, we had high hopes of seeing the famous rolling hills and patchwork fields of red, gold and green in all their glory. From information we had gleaned using the internet, the area was cited as an all-year-round destination because of its unique location and geographic conditions. However, the further north we travelled, the more our hopes of capturing some spectacular photos diminished because of the deteriorating weather. By the time we reached Huashitou Village and got off the bus, the entire area was enveloped in low lying mist creating a complete white-out, which meant we could barely see beyond the road. Securing one night’s accommodation in a local guesthouse with the help of a Chinese tourist visiting from Hong Kong who departed the bus at the same time, it became a waiting game to see if the weather would improve.
By late afternoon, it was clear we had embarked on a wasted journey. We were hoping to do a tour of the Red Lands that afternoon by car with a private driver, which also included a visit to one of the nearby ‘look-out’ points at sunrise the following morning, but the cloud had not lifted an inch. The prospect of having clear blue skies and great views the next day based on the current situation was very slim, so we had to settle on enjoying time at the guesthouse with our new Chinese friend. Seeing as she could converse with the owner much better than us, we asked her to choose the ingredients for our hotpot dish for dinner that evening, which included chicken, noodles, local vegetables and an egg that we would hard boil in the broth. After eating together and sharing some travel stories and photos, with little else to do, the rest of the evening was then spent in our rooms – the saving grace that we had the best internet connection of our time in China so far! In fact, we found it quite extraordinary that this one street village in the middle of nowhere was able to facilitate the best Whats App video call home to mum! It even proved faster and more stable than some of the trail towns we had passed through during our time hiking the PCT in the USA.
It’s definitely who you know! Making friends with this Chinese tourist on the bus to Huashitou Village made it much easier finding a place to stay. She also organised a hot pot dinner for us at the guesthouse.
Returning to Kunming by bus the next morning, we planned on another excursion the following day, this time travelling approximately 180 miles south to visit the Yuanyang Rice Terraces Scenic Area. The bus journey took twice as long (approximately 6.5 hours), however we were treated to much better weather and some terrific views of the rice terraces. To make the travel time worth it, we had booked two nights at Jacky’s Guesthouse in Pugao Laozhai, Duoyishu, Xinjie Town. With his guesthouse located right amongst the terraces, we had splendid views from our room as well as the roof-top seating area, which meant we didn’t have to move far to capture sunrise and sunset. With a hand-drawn map from Jacky himself, we ventured on a ‘day walk’ to the different villages and scenic platforms in the local area, which also allowed us chance to see more of the Hani people and their ways of life.
From the roadside looking onto Duoyishu Village nestled amongst the rice terraces.
Jacky’s hand drawn map taking us through the local villages to see the best of the Yuanyang Rice Terraces Scenic Area.
One of the viewpoints from Bada Village showcasing the expanse of the rice terraces.
Passing an inquisitive water buffalo along the way.
From big beasts to curious creatures! This hairy caterpillar seemed to be warning us to stay well away.
Topped by an ocean of clouds, the rice terraces are bathed in a pink glow as we enjoy sunset from the roof terrace back at the guesthouse.
Returning to Kunming rejuvenated from the success of our trip to the rice terraces, our next destination was heading further west to the Old Town of Dali. Travelling via bus (cheapest option) to Dali New City, which took approximately 5 hours, we then hopped on a local bus for 3 yuan each (approx. £0.35p) taking us to the walls of the Old Town in around 40 minutes. First built in the Ming Dynasty in 1382 and located between Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake, Dali Old Town with a profound Bai culture is now a mixture of elegant temples, churches, museums and old courtyard homes-turned-hotels, cafes, shops and bars. The ancient city walls still stand, with four main city gate towers (that were once the only portals into the city through the wall) positioned like soldiers protecting the Old Town.
Listed among the top historic cities of China, we found that Dali Old Town retains its traditions whilst also assimilating modern aspects – such as having a ‘Foreigner Street‘ with Chinese and Western restaurants, jewellery shops, tie-dye shops, antique shops, art galleries, bars, and a McDonald’s. Yet despite its popularity with both foreign and domestic tourists, compared with other Chinese towns we have visited, it has a relaxed feel and we really enjoyed our 4 night stay at The Jade Emu International Hostel located just outside the West Gate.
As it was located close by, we also took the opportunity to hike around Cangshan Mountain following the ‘Cloud Path’ after taking the chairlift up to Zhonghe Temple. The route we took, descending on foot from the Gantong Cableway, was around 13km and not particularly strenuous but afforded us some pretty views looking out to Erhai Lake. The following day’s challenge however – cycling around Erhai Lake itself – all 80 miles of it, was much more taxing! Thankfully we managed it, setting off after breakfast at 9am and returning at sunset having hired bikes from the nearby Hostelling International located through the West Gate. (Although the next two days were a sore reminder that we’re much better suited to hiking than cycling!)
Visiting Dali Old Town we spent a few hours leisurely wandering the paved streets, admiring the traditional architecture of the Bai ethnic minority and trying their local food and snacks. It was just a shame that we couldn’t fit any local souvenirs into our already full backpacks!
Our spacious double room with en-suite at The Jade Emu International Hostel costing 712 yuan for 4 nights. (Approx. £80)
Wandering the pretty streets of the ancient town before hitting a couple of bars on ‘Foreigner Street’!
In-keeping with the traditional architecture and ancient feel, quite possibly the fanciest McDonald’s we have ever seen!
Dinner at a local restaurant, which included roast duck. With ‘hiker hunger’ still lingering we ordered way too much!
Taking the chair lift up to Zhonghe Temple for tremendous views looking back to Dali Old Town and Erhai Lake.
Symbolising good luck and joy, red ribbons tied around the bridge whilst walking below the Gantong Cableway descending Cangshan Mountain.
Setting off on our mammoth 80-mile cycle ride around Erhai Lake, we make a quick pit-stop at the Archery field.
Wild flowers growing around the beautiful and serene Erhai Lake.
Capturing Erhai Lake just before sunset as storm clouds roll in.
From Dali we headed over 100 miles north to another ancient old town – the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lijiang, which felt much like Dali but on a larger and grander scale. Regarded as China’s best-preserved minority ancient town, and the only one among them without city walls, Lijiang is most famous for its ancient architecture and orderly system of waterways. Historically, the town was the centre for the economic and cultural communication between various ethnic groups such as the Naxi, Han, Tibetans, and Bai as well as being an important transit point along the Ancient Tea Horse Road. Exploring the labyrinth of back alleys and strolling along the 800-year-old bridges and waterways, we were impressed with how clean and well-maintained the town looked, and how well-preserved the ancient buildings are that showcase the Naxi culture. We also liked the fact that the old town is closed to cars and motorbikes.
A visit to Mu Palace (the palace where the Mu Clan of the Naxi people ruled for over 400 years), introduced us to some important history of the region, whilst a walk up to Wangu Temple presented us with great views looking down onto the Old Town – but one of our main reasons for visiting as a ‘non-shopper’ was that ‘The Old Town of Lijiang’ is a good base from which to visit ‘Tiger Leaping Gorge‘. Located just 37 miles north of Lijiang City, it is a scenic canyon on the Jinsha River, a primary tributary of the upper Yangtze River, and famous for being one of the deepest gorges in the world. As keen hikers, it was one of our ‘must-visit’ places during this particular trip to China!
Wandering the labyrinth of streets in Lijiang Old Town. Countless lanes extend in all directions forming a network that connects every corner of the town.
The architecture reflects the local Naxi style, one of the 56 ethnic groups of China.
One of the temples within the grounds of Mu’s Palace. The residence was known as ‘The Miniature Forbidden City’ because of its grandeur. It reflects the architectural style of the central plains of China during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Local Naxi people performing a dance in the Main Square.
After booking a private double room in the Lijiang Huiyun Hostel for 4 nights at an even better price of 544 yuan (Approx. £62) because of its location just outside what is considered the ‘Old Town’, we felt confident leaving the remainder of our gear in the room whilst we went on an overnight hiking trip to Qiaotao, a small city located at 1,900 metres above sea level, from where we would embark on the ‘Tiger Leaping Gorge Upper Trekking Route’. Having taken a bus to the entrance of the UNESCO Natural Preservation Area and paid our entrance fee to access the gorge, we set off up the high trail, which is the main path in the canyon. Well-used by hikers and local people, we found the trail extremely good underfoot and clear to follow. There was relevant signposting, which meant we didn’t need a map, and happily we were able to manage the infamous ’28 bends’ taking us up to an elevation of 2,650 metres with relative ease as we were still so trail fit having recently completed the PCT. The distance through the gorge is approximately 11 miles, so we were able to complete it within the day, reaching our intended overnight stop – The Tibet Guesthouse by around 6pm where we celebrated with a local beer and a traditional meal.
Setting off from Qiaotao and heading up the ‘high trail’ excited at being back in the mountains.
Preparing ourselves for the infamous ’28 bends’ taking us quickly up to 2,650 metres.
Along the route, locals had set up stalls selling refreshments and trinkets to tourists. Amongst other things, this one included bags of ‘weed’ , which we found highly amusing as a hiking aid!
Looking down onto the Jinsha River, a primary tributary of the upper Yangtze River and part of the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas World Heritage Site. From this vantage point, we felt like we’d hiked a long way up!
Enjoying incredible mountain views along the way!
Back in our ‘happy place’!
Chinese signs kept us amused throughout the journey. Literal translations are often hilarious or simply don’t make sense!
A beautiful waterfall we passed along the route.
Reaching the ‘Tibet Guesthouse’ located in Walnut Garden Village, at the north end of Tiger Leaping Gorge.
After an enjoyable night’s stay in basic accommodation (we chose to stay in one of the cheaper rooms instead of one of the newly built ‘deluxe’ suites), the following morning after breakfast we set off on a mission to hike down into the gorge to the water’s edge! Popularly recognised as a well-known Chinese legend, the story goes that near the mouth of the gorge, there is a rock in the middle of Golden Sand River called ‘Tiger Leaping Rock’. It is at this point that a tiger is said to have crossed the river by hopping on the rock, which is how the gorge got its name. Finding ourselves in the midst of huge, raging torrents of water, the validity of this story was wholly questionable as we couldn’t imagine anyone or anything crossing the river and surviving. But it’s a good story anyway! It must be said that heading down the ‘Sky Ladder’ to the scenic viewing platform induced quite a lot of nervous tension, not knowing the reliability of the local handiwork. The fact that there were just a few bamboo canes roped together around the rock by the water’s edge did nothing to allay our fears! But that’s China for you – your safety is quite simply your own responsibility.
Looking down the gorge as we began a long descent to the Jinsha River.
Taking the ‘sky ladder’ route down to the viewing platform, which is basically a giant rock jutting out into the water flow.
No hands! Being brave and standing at the edge of the overlook with the water raging behind.
Taking the rickety, rope bridge across to another look-out point in the middle of the river.
From the middle of the rope bridge looking towards Wayne.
A zoomed-in shot of another viewing platform to see the wild river close up!
After some heart-thumping moments close to the turbulent waters, we steadily made our way back up the mountainside on a local footpath returning to the guesthouse from where we then took the afternoon bus back to Lijiang. The following day we travelled further northwest by long-distance bus to the Tibetan town known as ‘Shangri-La’. In Tibetan, Shangri-La means the ‘Sun and moon in heart‘ – an ideal home only found in heaven. In his 1933 novel Lost Horizon, the British author James Hilton described ‘Shangri-La’ as a mysterious valley in the Himalayan region where the main character, Hugh Conway, a diplomat from his country, hoped to find peace from the conflicts of the world. Bearing a strong resemblance to Hilton’s fictional land, the ancient town of Zhongdian in Yunnan province, Southwest China, was therefore renamed Shangri-La in 2001 in an effort to boost tourism.
Inhabited by many different ethnic groups, with the Tibetans comprising the majority of the population, the town is home to the Ganden Sumtsenling Monastery or Songzanlin, the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan province, dating back to 1679. In addition to the monastery, with its old wooden houses, quiet alleys, surrounding mountains, large lake, mastiffs and yaks, Shangri-La now draws many visitors as it offers the opportunity to experience Tibetan life, religion and cuisine but without the need for a special travel permit. After finding out that much of the original town had been destroyed in a devastating fire in 2014, we were dubious as to how much of an authentic experience it would be. However, despite the ongoing restoration work and Western fast food chains encroaching on the area (yes, there was a KFC), we were pleased to find that the ambience of the town remains distinctly Tibetan. Surrounded by fluttering prayer flags and set against a backdrop of high mountains with holy names, walking to the Songzanlin Monastery was a real highlight, as was visiting Guishan Park, which is home to the largest prayer wheel in the world! After sampling a traditional plate of yak meat with fried potatoes and onions, what we enjoyed most was a spot of people watching in the main square as locals gathered together in their customary Tibetan dress each night at 7pm for some choreographed group dancing. Not only did we think it was an excellent way to keep fit, but it also demonstrated a wonderful community spirit as everyone was encouraged to join in.
Located on a mountain slope 5km outside of Shangri-La Old Town, Songzanlin is the largest Tibetan Buddhism monastery in Yunnan Province.
Fluttering prayer flags and chorten monuments gave the town a distinctly Tibetan feel compared to the previous Chinese ‘Old Towns’ we had visited.
A decorative golden stupa atop the monastery.
A yak in Guishan Park primed for having photographs with tourists.
Sampling a traditional plate of yak meat with fried potatoes and onions.
From Shangri-La, we then experienced one of our worst journeys in China to date trying to reach the town of Litang located on the southern Sichuan-Tibet Highway on the Tibetan Plateau of the Western Sichuan Province. At 4,060 metres above sea level and one of the highest settlements in the world, Litang is known as ‘The Town In The Sky‘ because of its dizzying altitude. It is most famous however for being the birthplace of the 7th Dalai Lama (Kelzang Gyatso, 1708-1757) and the 10th Dalai Lama (Tsultrim Gyatso 1816-1837). The prominent Litang Monastery located north of the old town, built in 1580 in honour of the 3rd Dalai Lama (Sonam Gyatso 1543-1588), draws many visitors each year as does the annual 7 day-long ‘Litang Horse Racing Festival’, which is a great, colourful celebration of a long-standing tradition amongst Tibetans.
Famed for being the birthplace of the 7th Dalai Lama, we headed to the ancient town of Litang – regarded as being the closest place you can get to true Tibet without paying for an expensive tour and the Chinese government permit.
As the door to Kham and Tibet culture, visiting Litang was a prominent feature in our itinerary. However, reaching the remote Tibetan township proved both time-consuming and expensive, as well as a little troublesome. Having read online that we could take an 8 hour bus journey from Shangri-La to the town of Xiancheng, followed by a local bus the next morning onward to Litang, it seemed simple in theory. The problem came however when we arrived in Xiancheng to find that the only member of staff on duty at the bus station would not sell us a ticket to Litang. Even though there was a bus scheduled on the timetable leaving for Litang every morning at 6am, her resolute response was “No bus, no bus!”. Despite our protestations and requests for tickets to travel the following morning, she would not budge instead telling us that a private mini-van was the only option. Met with stony stares from other locals milling around and several guys shouting prices at us to take a ride in their vans, we were stuck in ‘no man’s land’ with no other option but to agree to take a private minivan in order to get out of such an ‘unfriendly’ town.
We had never before in China felt like we were being ripped off as a ‘foreigner’ until now, and it completely tainted the experience. Having then paid a heavily inflated price for what we thought was going to be a private ride in a minivan, (400 yuan equating to approx. £46, as opposed to 100 yuan for a local) we were even more dismayed having waited around for an hour whilst the driver spoke to various people, to find that we were then sharing the van with 4 others. This wouldn’t have been so bad had we paid the same fare as everyone else, but to make matters worse we were completely squashed on the back seat when another guy was squeezed in next to us on what was only a seat for two. After already travelling on the bus for 8 hours, the next four hours then became one of the most uncomfortable journeys of all time, not least because I was desperate to go to the toilet and the driver never stopped until we reached Litang some 150 miles or so later after navigating some of the windiest and most precarious roads we’ve ever travelled on! It was an experience that we didn’t want to repeat and we wondered whether our efforts to reach Litang would in fact be worth it?
After being bombarded on arrival with touts suggesting that we stay in their guesthouses, we ignored them and defiantly made our way up a side street to the Peace Guesthouse, which we had seen recommended on several blogs. It wasn’t great if I’m honest, so much so, that we didn’t shower in the three days that we were there, preferring to use wet wipes as opposed to the bathroom – that’s how grotty the bathroom was! But it was only 100 yuan per night (around £10) and it seemed the best option on offer based on what we had briefly seen. We were already aware that accommodation in Litang would be basic and that the handful of so called “3 Star” hotels are mostly run down and not well-maintained. Arriving at night in darkness however, we hadn’t realised until our second day that Litang has been expanding rapidly and contrary to information found on the internet, (which is now mostly outdated), outside of the ‘old town’ several new hotels have recently sprung up around the ‘new bus station’. (Also not marked on any maps so it took us some wandering to find it!) After walking to the new bus station (actually located by the highway outside the main town) to pre-book tickets to Chengdu (and praying we wouldn’t be ripped off again), we saw several tour buses filled with Chinese tourists arrive and check-in at these pristine looking hotels, which would have been a much better choice had we known about them. Thankfully we were only staying in the Peace Guesthouse for two nights, and apart from the lack of cleanliness, the family running it were extremely friendly and grateful to have us stay! The one thing we can say about having ventured this far southwest for an authentic Tibetan experience is that we certainly got it – which kind of made up for being ripped off, the horrendous journey and the questionable accommodation.
Families spin prayer wheels on their way to Litang Monastery. The best time to visit the monastery is in the morning when locals walk a ‘kora’, or circumnavigation of the monastery. We walked with them around the outside walls, but decided not to watch the morning assembly of monks inside as it felt disrespectful.
The prominent Litang Monastery is located north of town and was built in 1580 in honour of the 3rd Dalai Lama (Sonam Gyatso 1543-1588). Destroyed in 1956 by the red guards, most buildings of the Litang Monastery have only recently been rebuilt.
Colourful prayer flags adorn a large stupa outside the monastery atop a hill overlooking the town.
Looking down onto the old town of Litang. We found construction work happening all over the ‘old town’ as well as the new city in an effort to increase tourism.
Local girls pose for a photo during our walk around the monastery walls.
Inside a local cafe, we chatted with some boys who were interested in finding out what football team we support as well as watching some videos on our phones of our hiking in the USA.
Famous in the Lonely Planet Guide for his great food and friendliness to foreigners, we happened to meet Mr. Zheng, owner of the Tian Tian Restaurant who directed us to the ‘new’ bus station.
On leaving Litang, we both agreed that we had enjoyed the cultural experience – most notably talking and eating with the local boys in the café and seeing the local way of life in such a remote part of the world. We were however also looking forward to reaching Chengdu, the capital city of southwestern China’s Sichuan province, where we could enjoy some home comforts again such as taking a shower!
Fortunately, there is now a direct bus from Litang to Chengdu, which takes approximately 10 hours, negating the need to stop overnight in the town of Kanding. Leaving Litang in darkness at 6:30am (having pre-booked and collected tickets the previous day from the new bus station), we found that the road was in much better condition than some of those we had travelled on to reach Litang from Shangri-La. That’s not to say that we didn’t have a few hair raising moments when having to pass vehicles coming from the opposite direction as the bus wound its way through snow-covered mountains above 3,000 metres!
Travelling from Litang to Chengdu and fighting back the nausea because of the winding roads and high altitude.
Reaching Chengdu around 5pm, we then travelled on the metro to Tianfu Square to reach our budget hostel accommodation – the Xishu Garden Inn. We stayed for 5 nights in a standard double room with ensuite bathroom for a total of 1,041 yuan. Ideally located in ‘historic Chengdu’ adjacent to People’s Park and near to People’s Square with access to the metro, it was extremely good value equating to just over £100. Having already visited Chengdu on our previous trip to China, we really wanted to use the time in the city to relax and catch up with some blog work rather than give ourselves a jam-packed itinerary of sight-seeing. However, with the province of Sichuan containing more than 30% of the world’s pandas and the city being home to the famous Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding – a conservation centre where visitors can view endangered giant pandas in a natural habitat; we didn’t want to miss the opportunity of visiting for a second time. This was especially so as we had discovered via the web that giant panda twins had also recently been born there!
Taking the metro to Panda Avenue Station in the Cheng Hua District where the ‘Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding’ is located. It was around a 40 minute journey from downtown Chengdu.
Founded in 1987, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding started with 6 giant pandas that were rescued from the wild. In an effort to preserve this beloved endangered species, much funding from the Chinese government has gone into the development and expansion of the base so that today it covers an area of 247 acres and is home to 184 pandas who can roam and play in a landscape that imitates their natural environment. In addition to the giant pandas, the base is also inhabited by other endangered wildlife, including red pandas, swans, peacocks, birds, butterflies and hundreds of insects. We spent a whole day wandering around the different areas observing the pandas playing and feeding as well as lazing about, and could even look through windows into the delivery room, nursery enclosure and panda hospital.
To access the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, we paid an entrance fee of 55 yuan per person (around £6 each), which was well worth it for the experience of seeing the baby pandas alone! In contrast to our first visit in 2011 where it was possible to pay to hold a baby panda and have a photograph taken with it, which is thankfully now prohibited, it was evident how attitudes have changed towards conservation and that so much research, care, and education is now being done for the Giant Panda, regarded as China’s national treasure.
We were lucky enough to observe the new-born twins sleeping in the nursery through a viewing window. There were also several other infant pandas sleeping or playing in the various enclosures that we spent time watching. They are just so adorable!
This huge panda was feasting on several bamboo sticks. In the wild, a panda must spend 10 to 16 hours a day foraging and eating and to get sufficient nutrients, they can consume up to 18 kilograms of bamboo per day!
Whilst using Chengdu as a base, another must-see place to visit is the Leshan Giant Buddha, a 71-metre tall stone statue carved out of a cliff face that lies at the confluence of the Min River and Dadu River near the city of Leshan. Construction on the statue began in 713 AD, led by a Chinese monk named Hai Tong who hoped that the Buddha would calm the turbulent waters that plagued the shipping vessels travelling down the river. Listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996, it is the largest cliff rock carving Maitreya Buddha statue in the world. Again, we had already visited the Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area in 2011, but the carving and enormity of the statue is so incredible that we wanted to return.
The most convenient way to reach the city of Leshan from Chengdu is by bullet-train. There are 18 bullet trains that depart from Chengdu East Railway Station to Leshan Railway Station every day and the journey takes up to an hour and a half. Ticket fares range from 54 to 162 yuan (£6 – £17) depending on which standard seat you are taking. Having opted to go by train because of the quicker journey time and paying the cheapest fare we could get on the day, on reaching Leshan Railway Station we then took the local public bus ‘601’ to the Giant Buddha Scenic Area. By the time we arrived, the area was already teeming with visitors mostly consisting of Chinese tour groups, although we spotted a few ‘foreigners’ like ourselves keen to have their photograph taken alongside the Buddha’s head to show the scale of the carving.
Sitting on the confluence of the Dadu, Mín and Qingyi rivers, the city of Leshan is most famous for its enormous riverside cliff-carving of Buddha, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
Looking onto the Buddha from one of the head viewing platforms. Some Leshan Giant Buddha Facts: His head is 14.7 metres in height and 10 metres in width. The Buddha’s hair is arranged in special spiralled curls with 1,021 twists that have been skilfully embedded in the head. He has 7-metre long ears which are capable of holding two people inside!
Usually there are two ways to see the giant Buddha – on foot and by river ferry. Once inside the site, there are 250 steps leading from the top of the Buddha’s head that zig-zag down the mountainside taking you to just in front of his feet at the water’s edge, then returning back up through the mountain on the opposite side. Unfortunately however, on this particular occasion the steps had been closed off due to restoration work taking place on the statue’s chest and abdomen. We were very disappointed to say the least as this meant it was only possible to see the Buddha from the head viewing platforms, which doesn’t give the same perspective. With the restoration work going on and estimated to take 6 months, it also meant large parts of the Buddha’s body were covered up with scaffolding and netting so it wasn’t even worth taking the ferry to view the Giant Buddha from the river. Had we known about the restoration work taking place, we wouldn’t have made a second visit. After paying the train fare and the entry fee of 80 yuan (approx. £9) per person, it made it quite a pricey ‘tourist day out’ for us as opposed to a ‘walking day’, which is generally free!
Unfortunately on today’s visit, we could only see and photograph the Buddha from the head viewing platforms as the 250 steps down the mountainside were closed due to restoration work.
After returning to Chengdu, we then had a couple more nights before having to exit China, as just like that our 30-day visa had come to an end. Just like re-setting a clock however, we could re-enter China the very same day and start our second 30-day visa as we had been granted a ’60-day dual entry’ permit, meaning on this trip we didn’t have to go to a Public Security Bureau (PSB) Exit and Entry Administration office and apply for a visa extension, which we did twice on our previous visit to China in 2011, extending our stay to the maximum of 90 days. The quickest way for us to exit and re-enter was to fly from Chengdu back to Hong Kong, then take the overland route again returning to Guangzhou via CTS bus. All of this could be done in less than 10 hours by taking the first flight of the day from Chengdu Shuangliu Airport at 7:35am reaching Hong Kong International Airport at 10:40am, then taking the 12:10pm bus from downtown Hong Kong to Guangzhou where we arrived around 5pm!
On this particular occasion, exit and re-entry couldn’t have been any smoother! And thereafter we embarked on our second month in China, this time around heading in a south-easterly direction visiting Yangshuo, Guilin, Fenghuang, Zhangjijie, Changsha, Huangshan, Suzhou and Shanghai before flying to Taiwan for a ‘beach holiday’ to end our trip post-PCT! More of that to come in the next blog post – ‘China Overland – Part 2’…
8 Comments
Oh my, Wayne and Daniella are at it again!!
At 8.30 this morning I found out that I had become a Grandad for the first time (Mum and Baby boy doing really well!).
And then at 10:00 I recieved a present in the form of this intro to the latest adventures of the entrepid twosome. Just finished reading Part one. Wow, a fantastic read and photographic experience as usual.
Looking forward to hearing more.
Stay save!
John
Hi John, congratulations on the birth of your grandson! What exciting news to share!
Thank you as always for taking the time to comment on our posts – it’s nice to know someone is reading them 🙂
I’ll work hard to get ‘Part 2’ online very soon,
Best regards,
Danielle
Thank you very much for your post!
I added the link to my Travel ideas file, China is high on my list.
Hi Serg, thank you for taking the time to comment. China is such an incredible place to explore!
Happy travels,
Danielle 🙂
Absolutely delighted to finally be able to read of your Chinese Adventure. Certainly not disappointed and I too was amazed at how quickly the 1st month passed. As always, a fabulous read and awesome photography.
Thank you so much Helen! Great to hear from you. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed reading about our journey through China, despite it taking such a long time to get the blog post out.
‘Part 2’ is almost finished!
Wonderful read. I know next to nothing about China so really appreciate all the new stuff I’m learning. Sounds a pretty challenging place to travel around but worth the effort.
Hi Andy, hope you’re well. Thanks for commenting on our China posts. I’m only just getting round to replying as the blog has taken a back seat for a while.
China is definitely worth the extra effort! Although I’m glad our travels didn’t coincide with the current Coronavirus epidemic.
Have you got any exciting plans for 2020?
Best regards, Danielle