Introduction to Xishuangbanna Winter Self-guided Tour

The weather is getting colder day by day, and news of strong winds and cooling are constantly "attacking" northern cities. Xishuangbanna is a great choice for those looking for warmth in winter. It has a tropical monsoon climate with sufficient sunshine and rainfall, and the annual average temperature is 21°C. Let's take a look at this warm world through the eyes of bloggers.

The beautiful scenery of Xishuangbanna (Photography: Sunflower)

[Itinerary record]

Day 1: Arrive at Kunming South Bus Station in the morning and take the 10-minute bus from Kunming to Jinghong (Xishuangbanna) ticket. It takes about 8 hours to drive 690 kilometers from Kunming to Xishuangbanna. The reason why I chose to take the shuttle bus was because I still had plenty of energy at the beginning and could see the scenery along the way.

It turns out that the scenery on the road is really good, with dense virgin forests and endless tunnels, many of which are several kilometers long. The road conditions were good all the way. Passing Yuxi and Pu'er, we arrived in Xishuangbanna at around 6 p.m. As soon as we came down, we felt a wave of heat. It seemed like we were really in the tropics.

Because the hotel was booked online in advance, the service staff took us to the hotel at the station. As a result, the standard room was gone and we were upgraded to the presidential suite for free. When I got to the room, I put down my luggage and couldn't wait to go out for a walk. It feels very clean along the way, and the trees on the roadside are also very distinctive. I can't name them. They are all tropical plants. I went to the dumb-style restaurant near Lover's Bridge recommended by a friend and ordered some unheard-of dishes, such as grilled fish, passion fruit juice, grilled plantains, etc.

Expenditure record:

Kunming-Jinghong: 400 Lunch and dinner snacks: 100 Accommodation: 100

Suggestion: If you go to Jinghong in the off-season, there is no need to book a hotel in advance . There are hotels everywhere, you can choose with confidence and the prices are not high. There is no need to bring too much stuff. Buying at your local supermarket is safe and convenient.

Day 2 of Clean Street: Today’s plan is to go to Xishuangbanna Wangtianshu Scenic Area, take a taxi to Jinghong Bus Station (tire retreading factory), and buy a ticket from Banna to Mengla. The shuttle bus takes about 2 hours to Mengla. county seat. Just in time, a shuttle bus to Wangtianshu started. Along the way, we saw large banana forests, which are their main cash crops.

It takes about an hour to get to Wangtianshu Scenic Area. First, take a yacht from Bubeng Rainforest Pier to Wangtianshu Rainforest Pier and experience the Nanla River, known as the "Oriental Amazon". Looking at the scenery on the boat, I felt different. I was afraid that a crocodile would appear in the river.

Wonderful river water

After getting off the boat, we started to visit Wangtianshu Scenic Area. Wangtianshu is the only oasis on the earth at 21 degrees north latitude. It is far away from Jinghong, so there are only a few groups. We walked along the Caixitao Trail. The trees are dense and quiet, and it feels a bit eerie. I have been to Yanoda in Sanya and it feels a bit similar to there.

Chinese Sky Tree

During the trip, a snake suddenly appeared and really startled us. Don't think about other large animals. For a moment, I didn't know what to do. Here, we saw a stargazing tree more than 70 meters high, and saw the phenomena of plant rooting, strangulation, parasitism, and saprophysis.

Of course, the sky corridor is the most exciting. The corridor is supported by a large tree in the sky, and is suspended by steel wire ropes, nylon ropes, and nets as guardrails, which are directly tied to the trees. Aluminum alloy ladders serve as treads in the corridor, and each section is connected to a water platform fixed on the tree trunk; the maximum distance from the corridor to the ground is more than 40 meters. It is the highest in the world, the earliest and longest "air corridor" in China. It's exciting to see people rocking out there and you can see the panoramic view of the rainforest from a distance. Very nice to look at.

Come down from the sky corridor and walk along the Philip Trail to the entrance of the scenic spot. The content of negative oxygen ions in the rainforest is quite high. Breathing the fresh air all the way, we arrived at the station at the entrance of the scenic spot and waited for the shuttle bus from Wangtianshu to Mengla. Then we went to stay at the Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Menglun Town.

The shuttle bus from Menglun to Mengla just passes by the Botanical Garden and gets off at the gate. The road from the station to the gate feels very good, very clean, the air is very good, and the smell of green plants is everywhere. The main entrance was closed, so the guard asked us to go to the side entrance to buy tickets. After a long detour, it took us a few people to find the side entrance. I booked the Botanical Garden Hotel in the Botanic Garden before, but it turned out to be unnecessary.

It turns out that the Botanical Garden is far away from Menglun Town. In fact, the entrance to the Botanical Garden is Menglun Town. There are many hotels there and the prices are much cheaper than the Botanical Garden Hotel. After dropping off our backpacks at the hotel, we headed into town for dinner. The most distinctive thing about Xishuangbanna is actually barbecue. The barbecue is also an open-air food stall. In fact, there are many barbecues in Xinjiang, but the styles and characteristics are different. Mutton is the main barbecue dish in Xinjiang. It is mainly pork, including pig skin, pig tail, etc. Ordered some and then asked for 2 bottles of local beer. After a good meal, I went for a walk in the hotel. There are no street lights on the road and it is very quiet. Are there any sounds of birds chirping? I feel the air is very fresh.

Expenditure record:

Na-Mengla: 84 Mengla-Wangtianshu: 14 Wangtianshu tickets: 145 125=270 (student discount)

Wang Tianshu - Mengla: 16 Mengla - Menglun: 50 Botanical Garden Ticket: 70 50=120 (student discount)

Dinner: 60; Accommodation: 200 people

Suggestion: Wangtianshu The scenic area is dominated by tropical rainforest, especially the air corridor, which is worth experiencing.

Transportation: Jinghong has two passenger stations, a new station and an old station. The old station, which the locals turned into a long-distance bus station, has many trains. It is recommended to go by bus. To go to Wangtianshu, you need to go from Jinghong to Mengla. There is a shuttle bus to Wangtianshu Scenic Area (Yao District), which stops directly at the entrance of the scenic spot. Very convenient.

Day 3: After breakfast at the Botanical Garden Hotel, we started our trip to the Botanical Garden. It was very dark when I came yesterday, so I couldn't see very clearly. The botanical garden is really beautiful now, and there is a shuttle bus. You can also walk. The shuttle bus is suitable for people who don’t want to walk or join a group.

Of course, we chose to take a tropical stroll through the gardens so we could get a better feel for it. The Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was founded by Cai, a famous botanist in my country, in the 1950s. It covers an area of ??900 hectares and preserves a large area of ??tropical rainforest. Nearly 10,000 species of tropical plants have been introduced from home and abroad and are distributed in 35 special parks including palm garden, banyan tree garden, dragon blood tree garden, cycad garden, national cultural plant area, and rare and endangered plant ex-situ reserve. It is a comprehensive botanical garden integrating tropical scientific research, species preservation, and popular science education.

Flocks of peacocks. We visited all the parks according to the tour map. We were bitten by mosquitoes in the Yinsheng Botanical Garden, and we were stung several times, which made us itchy. And it didn't get better for more than 10 days. The mosquitoes here are really venomous. The most interesting thing is that in the garden of exotic flowers and plants, I saw for the first time some interesting plants that I had heard about when I was a child, such as mimosa and dancing grass. I also saw a group of peacocks.

At about 1 o'clock, the tour of the botanical garden ended. After exiting through the front door, we hailed a tricycle to go to the passenger terminal. Next, we are going to the Dai Garden in Lanlanba. There was originally a direct bus from Menglun to Lanyanba, but it was a bit late when we went there and the bus had already left. But the staff at the bus station enthusiastically told us that we could take a bus from Wuxiang first and then transfer to Lanlanba.

The road to Olive Dam is not easy, but it shuttles between mountain roads and villages. More than an hour later, the bus arrived at Olive Dam. Olive Dam is a small town. We had something to eat in the main hall and it was really uncomfortable. We had no choice but to go to the supermarket to buy some snacks and began to miss noodles. I found a tricycle to take us to Dai Garden. After I bought the ticket, it was already past three in the afternoon.

Beautiful architecture

In fact, Dai Garden is a village of Dai people. Dai people's houses are mainly made of wood and usually have two floors. The lower floor is propped up with piles to store some sundries and the like. There are people living upstairs. I just met a Thai tour group in Dai Garden. Seeing them communicate freely with the local residents, I learned that most of Thailand is Dai and their language is the same. We went all the way to the Water Splashing Square in the Dai Garden. The Dai music in the square was very nice. A group of Dai women in bright national costumes performed a water splashing performance, which was quite interesting. After all, it's the first time.

Splashing performance

After watching the water-splashing performance, I walked around the village and happened to see a man climbing up a coconut tree to pick coconuts like a monkey, and learned about the process of picking coconuts. . Very fun. Then go into their temple. There are many Dai people sitting in the temple, and I don’t know what they do. Many buildings inside make me feel like I am in Thailand, and there are many little monks sweeping the floor. It is said that many Dai people in Banna have the experience of becoming a monk.

After finishing the journey, the Dai people took a bus to the Olive Dam Passenger Terminal, and then took a bus to Jinghong, where they found a hotel near the passenger terminal. In fact, it is beneficial to choose a hotel near the bus terminal when going out, which makes travel more convenient.

Expenditure record:

Menglun-Wuxiang: 14 Wuxiang-Lanlan Dam: 14 Lanlan Dam-Jinghong: 17 Dai Garden Ticket: 130

Dinner shopping: ￡100

Recommendation: The botanical gardens are beautiful. You can spend more time visiting. You'd better walk, you'll feel better. You can hire a tour guide. You must take steps to prevent mosquitoes. The mosquitoes there are really amazing. Also pay attention to heatstroke and sun protection. Dai Garden is all about the Water Splashing Festival, nothing else. Attraction tickets must be booked through the website to get discounts. If you buy it yourself, there will be no discount.

Transportation: The Botanical Garden has a direct shuttle bus to Dai Garden, but the time is limited. You can also transfer to Wuxiang. There are many such buses and cars. It takes about an hour. There are many buses from Dai Garden to Jinghong, and it takes more than half an hour. The road conditions are good.

Day 4 of the Wild Elephant Valley Performance: Today’s itinerary is the Wild Elephant Valley. When you come to the hometown of peacocks and elephants, you must go. Yexiang Valley is not far from Jinghong and can be reached in less than an hour by car. Buy a ticket at the bus terminal and go to the entrance of Wild Elephant Valley. Here, I finally used the pass I bought for the first time. I saved 110 yuan on the ticket plus the ropeway, and I got my money back.

There is an elephant show at two o'clock. There are many teams here. They arrived at the venue a little late, and all the good seats were taken up late. They found a relatively nice place to sit and prepare for the show. There are 4 elephants in total and they are very obedient. In the first half, the elephants performed bowing, dancing and other performances. At the halfway point, many teams left in a hurry, leaving many empty seats. I found a good seat and sat down to continue watching the second half of the show, and had close contact with elephants for the first time.

Trained elephants. Among them, the elephant presenting flowers is very interesting. They have a rose in their nose, a lot of people want it, but it doesn't care.

Later, someone came out with money, and the elephant gave flowers to whoever had more money. As can be seen, these trainers usually spend a lot of time.

After watching the show, of course you have to take a photo with the elephant. Two moves you can make are sitting on the elephant's trunk and holding it. Elephants will skillfully roll up their trunks first and then put them up for photos. The first time I touched an elephant's skin, it was very rough and the hairs on the skin were very prickly.

After saying goodbye to the elephants, I went to the butterfly garden. There were too many butterflies there. They are not afraid of people, and they will fall on you. They are colorful and beautiful. Wild Elephant Valley has built a wooden boardwalk for tourists to walk and see wild elephants, but I know it is difficult to see them. I asked a staff member and he said that there were some in the past two days, but recently they have been looking for food in the village, which is a bit regretful. We walked along the plank road to the Wild Elephant Museum to learn about the history of wild elephants. From the museum back to the starting point, you can take the cable car. The scenery at high altitude is really beautiful

The cable car in the sky was very nervous because the driver said that the minibus back to Jinghong would leave around 3 pm. After getting down, I rushed to the back door. The driver felt embarrassed because he couldn't wait to pick us up at the front door, but no one complained once we got in the car. Maybe this is how they live here. The pace of life is slow and people are good-tempered. Although the driver charges more for the car. But I am very grateful to him, otherwise I would not know how to return to Jinghong. After walking all day, I felt very tired. Let's have a good rest after we return to the hotel. Continue the evening with Dai barbecue and local beer. Sleep well.

Suggestion: There is nothing to see in Wild Elephant Valley. There are not many opportunities to see wild elephants, but it is still good to watch wild elephant performances up close. It's best to get a good position in advance. Of course, remember to resist the temptation of the elephant asking you for money. Be sure to get up close and personal with the elephants. The cable car in Wild Elephant Valley is also worth a ride.

Transportation Guide: There is a direct shuttle bus from Jinghong to Yexiang Valley. I guess there are also chartered cars. Price unknown. You'd better go early so you have enough time to come back and catch the shuttle.

The ethnic minorities in Xishuangbanna are mainly Dai. Here is a brief introduction to Xishuangbanna and the Dai people.

Featured Xishuangbanna has a total area of ??19,582.45 square kilometers and a population of more than 1 million. It governs Jinghong City, Menghai and Mengla counties. There are more than a dozen ethnic groups living here, including the Dai, Hani, Bulang, Jinuo, Lahu, Wa, and Yao ethnic groups, including 850,000 Dai, 250,000 Han, and 250,000 other ethnic groups. It borders Laos and Myanmar, with a border line of 1,069 kilometers. Xishuangbanna has a tropical monsoon climate with abundant sunshine and rainfall. The year is divided into dry season and rainy season, with an average annual temperature of 21. The dry season is from November to April of the following year, and the rainy season is from May to October.

The Dai ethnic group, also known as the Bai ethnic group before ethnic identification, is one of the ethnic minorities in my country and a cross-border ethnic group. It has historical and cultural origins with the Shan ethnic group in Myanmar, the Lao ethnic group in Laos, and the Thai ethnic group in Thailand, and its language and customs are close to those of the above-mentioned ethnic groups.

Almost all the Dai people in tropical areas believe in Hinayana Buddhism, or Theravada Buddhism. Especially those over 40 years old are almost required to take the ordination and practice in their homes. They attend the abbot's three-month stay every summer, chant sutras and worship Buddha. The Dai language calls Buddhism "Sasana" and Gautama Siddhartha, the ancestor of Sakyamuni Buddha, "Gundama".

In Xishuangbanna, Jinggu and other places, Dai men have to become a monk for a period of time and study Dai language, Buddhism, astronomy, and geography in Buddhist temples. People think that only those who have served as monks in temples are educated. Therefore, only men who have been monks can win the favor of girls. A boy from a good family entered a Buddhist temple at the age of seven or eight, and returned to the secular world three to five years later. When they were dressed up, escorted by their relatives, whipped and beaten, and walked into the Buddhist temple amidst the laughter of everyone, they proudly believed that they had begun to receive the protection of the Buddha and could grow into useful people. Then they shaved their heads, put on cassocks, and began to read the Bible quietly, learn culture, and support themselves. Now because of the nine-year compulsory education, the little boy goes to school to learn Chinese and other scientific knowledge during the day, and studies Dai culture in the Buddhist temple at night, which is very hard. Some people finish high school, work after college, and then take a week or a month off to study in temples. After returning to China, he will still be regarded as a "kanglang", that is, a person who has become a secular person.

The important festival of the sweeping Dai people is the Water Splashing Festival. That is, wearing the New Year. It takes place from June 24th to 26th in the Dai calendar (mid-April in the Xia calendar) and lasts for three to five days. In the early morning of the festival, men, women and children of all ages bathe and change clothes, go to the Buddhist temple to worship Buddha, that is, sprinkle water on the Buddha statue to wash away the dust, and then splash water on each other to ward off disasters. Then came the festival with splashing water as a show. It is said that in ancient times, there was a fire demon who did many evil things and kidnapped seven girls. The youngest girl, Shanong

Affected by the hot, humid, rainy environment with lush bamboo trees, the Dai folk residential buildings are mainly "ganlan" (commonly known as bamboo buildings). The upper and lower floors are made of wood and bamboo as piles, floors and walls, and the roof is covered with thatch and tiles. There are people living on the upper floors, and there are piles of livestock and farm tools.

To summarize this short trip to Xishuangbanna, I have drawn the following conclusions to share with you:

1. Xishuangbanna is a great tourist city. A short-term visit can allow you to experience the different customs of the tropics, while a long-term stay can give you a full range of rest.

Xishuangbanna is a mature tourist city with complete supporting facilities and preparations in advance. Self-guided tours are a good choice.

The folk customs in Xishuangbanna are simple and honest, and the local residents here have a leisurely temperament that can infect busy people to slow down.