How do we pay for things in China?

Another iffy day from a weather perspective. We decided not to enter the main part of the park. Kinda felt like we needed a bit of a break from the crowds, although we felt bad not using one more day of the park pass. 

Actually, we did try to use it again at another area near the guest house, but it turned out the pass we had wasn't valid for that area and we felt we had spent enough, so we just turned around and went for a walk around town.

Wulingyuan Scenic Area Part 2

They sell a four day pass, which is the one we bought because it was the best value even though we were only planning on using it for three days. But really, you only need two days in the park. Even though the scenery is spectacular, it gets to the point where you feel like you're seeing the same thing over and over.

The weather wasn't getting any better, but the worst of it was over by noon. So just before lunch, our hostess here at the guest house drove us over to the East Gate entrance, and we took a bus to a lower hiking area where we set off on a 6 km (3.7 mile) walk following a river.

The amazing Wulingyuan Scenic Area

Once again the weather wasn't looking great, so we didn't get an early start. But by 10:00am we had been down to the lobby where our hostess arranged our tickets to the park and she drove us over to the East gate park entrance for 11:00am.

We ended up buying a four day pass that includes all transportation inside the park including the cable cars.

This area is a bucket list item!

The main reason for coming to the Zhangjiajie area is for the two national parks... Tianmen Mountain, and Wulingyuan.

Ever since I saw photos of Wulingyuan National Park many years ago, this area has been a bucket list item.

Well that was a pleasant suprise!

Tuesday was a travel day. We were going from the city of Xi'an to the city of Zhangjiajie. The original plan was trying to travel between locations using China's efficient high speed train network, but when I went to book it, the route was a bit complicated and I found out that China Eastern Airlines does a direct flight.

So I booked us on the hour and a half domestic flight from Xi'an to Zhangjiajie.

June Expenses... 3rd highest month ever

Just like May, we knew June was going to be an expensive month. In fact, we had a budget of $6,477 CAD ($4,690 USD) for the month.

We ended up quite a bit higher than that, because of the overstay visa fine in Kyrgyzstan.

The famous Terracotta Warriors

In March of 1974, a farmer in a village near Xi'an, China decided to dig a well during a drought. He enlisted the help of his five brothers, and a few days later the well reached 15 meters (49 feet) deep. That was when they discovered a terracotta head and a bronze arrowhead.

The farmer informed authorities, and an archeological team was dispatched.

That was a fun evening!

I bought my Honor Magic 5 Pro phone in September 2023, so it's coming up on three years. It's still in near perfect condition, and I love it. The only problem is that the battery is starting to deteriorate. Not a lot, but enough that I notice it.

The phone is made in China and the brand has a strong presence here. So yesterday morning we walked over to a shopping mall that has a sales and service location.

We climbed 3,333 steps yesterday!

On Saturday, we took the metro (subway) as far south as it goes, and then a Didi (similar to Uber) taxi from there to Cuihua Mountain National Geopark.

The Didi experience was kind of funny because it was our first time using the app to order a taxi. And of course the language is an issue. 

We are a bit of a curiosity around here

Not the most exciting day on Friday, but still interesting enough just as we made our way through another day in China.

We had read of the Daming Palace National Heritage Park, and the fact that it's located in a massive park in the middle of the city of Xi'an. Comparable in size to New York's Central Park.

China's high speed train from Chengdu to Xi'an

We had our last breakfast at the hotel in Chengdu. By the fourth day, it was getting a little repetitive, but we're still glad we had the "breakfast included" plan. 

Our high speed train from Chengdu to Xi'an was departing at 10:16am, and when they say 10:16am, they mean it!

It felt like we walked our feet off

We took our time leaving the hotel Wednesday morning. Had a relaxing breakfast, then got some laundry done. It seems many hotels here in China include laundry services in the price of your room. 

This particular hotel in Chengdu was self serve, but here at our new hotel in Xi'an (we took the high speed train here Thursday morning), they do it for you.

The Giant Pandas!

When we were looking at flights from Bishkek into China, there were only two options. Chengdu made the most sense from a price perspective, plus the added bonus that the giant panda research centers are located in the area. 

Then we learned that there are three or four different locations to see the giant pandas. One of them is located on the outskirts of Chengdu city, so it's the busiest, but also does the most breeding so you are likely to see baby or younger pandas. 

First impressions of China

Admittedly, it's only been one day... but if the first day is any indication, we're quite impressed.

This is not the communist China that we learned about in school 50 years ago, where everybody is poor and the government owns everything... although that may be the impression many people still have. 

Welcome to China... country number 75 for us!

First time flying with Loong Air. They're classified as a low cost airline, yet they include both carry on and checked bags in their prices. And they give you a meal. I was a little worried about cramped seating for the four and a half hour flight from Bishkek to Chengdu, but the only extra legroom seats they had were bulkhead, and I don't find them much better because you can't truly stretch out anyhow.

But for four and a half hours, I survived. Any longer than that and I would want better seating.

A disappointing end to a great trip...

I decided to make this a separate blog post because there's a bit of story to tell.

Regular readers might remember this blog post where I mentioned possible glitch in our travel plans. In fact, I'll explain the whole story again for those who might have missed it.

Last day in Kyrgyzstan... playing tourist in Bishkek

We woke up Saturday morning and had a relaxing couple of hours in the guesthouse with breakfast and hot drinks. Then we went our and wandered around to some areas that we didn't make it to last time we were here.

Heading back to Bishkek

Well, our time here in Kyrgyzstan is quickly coming to an end. Yes, it's been almost a month already! We arrived on May 20th! Time flies when you're having fun, and we've definitely been having fun.

On Thursday, we did the drive along the north shore of Issyk-Kul Lake. As you get closer to the western part of the lake, it's not a very nice drive. And they are building huge resorts on that part of the lake.

Best hike this trip...

And it was bit of a tough one! Or maybe we're just getting older!

13 kms (8 miles) and 687 meters (2,200') of elevation gain. Spectacular views of the Jryrgalan valley.

In two years, all of this will be totally different!

We took off from our spot near the hot springs... but in different directions. Bjorn and Freya wanted to go to Engilchek... a ghost town high up in the mountains. To be honest, we wanted to go too. But it was going to be another 150 kms each way, and I'm getting tired of driving Vladdy. 

We should have named him Bouncy Buhanka!

There's no question, it's a beautiful area.

Unfortunately Bjorn and Freya were still having vehicle problems, so they headed into the larger city of Karakol where there is more choice of mechanics.

While they were doing that, Ruth and I took a detour up to the Seven Bulls Rock scenic area.

There are currently two problems with this part of Kyrgyzstan

We were on the south shore of Issyk-Kul Lake. It's a pretty enough lake, with lots of accessible beaches. Historically, it's been the only major source of summer tourism in Kyrgyzstan. But even then, tourism in Kyrgyzstan has been nothing to speak of. The current government is trying to change that.

And we don't blame them... of course tourism around the world has a lot of economic benefits. But improving the infrastructure comes at its own cost... at least temporarily.

We did two separate viewpoint hikes

We woke up to a beautiful day on the shore of Issyk-Kul Lake. The others decided to go for a morning swim, but the water temperature was far too chilly for me!

Issyk-Kul is a saline lake... so it is salt water, but not as salty as ocean water. And because of the salt and depth, it never freezes in winter, despite the cold that Kyrgyzstan experiences.

Beautiful drive down to Issyk-Kul Lake

We left Naryn and headed down to Issyk-Kul Lake. There was no choice but to take the main highway part of the way, but then we had a choice... stick to the main highway, or take a little traveled path through the mountains.

I bet you can guess what we chose!

Well that didn't go according to plan... stuck in a snowstorm?

High up in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, there is a gorgeous glacial lake surrounded by steep cliffs. It's become a bit of a tourist attraction despite the remote location about 20 kms from the China border.

It's early in the season still, so we had decided to drive up there and do the hike to the pretty lake.