Travel alone in Kunming and become a "local" there

Someone asked me: What is the meaning of travel?

My answer: Go to another place to become a "local"

Kunming is a city that feels like spring all year round.

On March 18, as the plane landed, this was my third time coming to this city. The first time I came was at night, when a friend picked me up from the airport; the second time I drove with my family, just passing by; and the third time, everyone packed a suitcase, and the trip to Kunming officially began.

This time, I have only two destinations - Kunming City and Puzhehei Village.

Some people may ask, why don’t you go to Dali and Lijiang? First, I have already been there, and second, I only want to focus on one place this time. As for Dali and Lijiang, how about it? Let’s talk later when we have time.

I will make a rough guide for every trip, and use the electronic version for your reference

Itinerary (coordinates + accommodation + main events)

3 March 17

Chongqing; Chongqing Hi.hostels Youth Hostel; watching movies

March 18

Chongqing-Kunming; Kunming Rooftop Youth Hostel (three days ); Yuantong Temple, Green Lake, Army Lecture Hall, Cultural Alley, Peanut Bookstore, Cat’s Sky City

March 19

Xiaomi Rail, Railway Museum, Xishan, Longmen, Dianchi Lake, Sisyphus Bookstore

March 20

Yundai Friends, Dounan Flower Market, meeting friends

March 21

Kunming - Puzhehei; Wenshan Puyan Hexi Penshi Inn; Puzhehei Village, the shooting location of Three Lives Three Worlds

March 22

Mizhi Mountain, Pear blossom, peach blossom and cherry blossom forest, watching the sunset on Qinglong Mountain

March 23

Sunrise, visiting the market, saying goodbye to friends; Puzhehei - near Kunming Airport

March 24

Kunming-Chongqing; Kunming Changxin Hangyue Hotel Changshui Airport Branch

Because I had to leave Chongqing for Kunming early the next morning, I chose I arrived in Chongqing one day early and stayed at a youth hostel near the airport. Downstairs of this youth hostel is a comprehensive shopping mall, which is convenient for eating, drinking and entertainment. In the evening, I took a walk and watched the movie "A Dog's Purpose".

In fact, when you go to every city, you can imagine what you would do if you were a local there, and live the life you want to live in different cities. Such a trip is faster than yours. Flower viewing tours are much more interesting.

Many people regard Kunming as a transit station, but in my opinion, Spring City Kunming is a charming city. At least during the few days I lived there, I liked this city very much.

The weather in Kunming is like spring all year round, it rarely rains, and the sky is very blue. The urban architecture of Kunming is actually very different. You can see many high-rise buildings, but there are also a lot of old houses. Walking on the road always gives you the illusion of traveling through time and space.

The roads there are very similar to those in Chengdu, Sichuan. The roads are flat and wide, and there are viaducts everywhere. A new subway has also been built recently, which makes traveling more convenient and saves you a lot of time on the road compared to before.

For example, if you get off at the airport, you can either choose the airport bus or the 919 series bus. The subway is not yet open for some reasons. Of course, if you go to Kunming, you might as well download the bicycle-sharing app in advance. You will find that this is an affordable and very convenient way to travel.

Choose an accommodation with a style you like, which is also a must-have when traveling. You can search for B&Bs on major websites and determine the style you like. It is recommended that you read the reviews as a good reference for evaluation. The picture above is of the rooftop youth hostel I stayed at in Kunming.

Choosing a youth hostel can save travel expenses, and make more friends. In real youth hostels, their bosses are people with stories, and chatting with people with stories, You will find that your horizons will slowly increase. In addition, I would like to explain a misunderstanding. Not all youth hostels are just bed rooms. Some youth hostels are also a kind of inn with many room types.

After simply packing up at the youth hostel, I went out for a walk. Since I was short on time, I planned to go to the scenic spots in the city. Yuantong Temple, Green Lake, etc. are my first choice.

Starting from the youth hostel, I followed the mobile map to find the subway entrance, but unfortunately, I got confused. I directly asked the aunt who was passing by, found the subway entrance in minutes, bought a ticket and got on the train. Compared with other cities, I remember that the subway ticket machines in Kunming did not accept coins, nor did they ask for replacement coins (these amounts at 50.20.10.5.1 are all identifiable).

Colorful Yunnan, one-way subway tickets are so suitable for the occasion. I am very sad to tell you that I forgot where I got off the subway. When you travel, you can check the route on Baidu Map in advance.

The day I arrived was a weekend, so there were a lot of pedestrians on the road. I passed by the Kunming Zoo and the Cherry Blossom Festival was being held. It was crowded with people, so I decisively gave up and went directly to Green Lake. In fact, you don’t have to go to the zoo to see cherry blossoms. Cherry blossoms are planted on the main roads in Kunming. Maybe there are not so many, or you avoid weekends.

On the way to Cuihu, I unexpectedly passed by Yuantong Temple. The ticket is 6 yuan, and you can get incense candles with the ticket.

Yuantong Temple is the largest temple in Kunming. It is a very traditional Chinese architectural structure, and the concept of the central axis is very obvious. There is an octagonal pavilion in the middle of the lake, with eight exquisite sides, each with its own unique charm. The last part of the central axis is a Western building, similar to the Buddhist buildings in Thailand. It is all white. When you travel between the two spaces, you will always feel like you are in a trance and you are in two spaces, intoxicated by the charm of the merging of Chinese and Western cultures.

Cuihu, Kunming’s People’s Park, is a place where Kunming people like to gather on weekends. Like every city park, it accommodates people of all ages. They freely mix and move around, each doing what they like, and inadvertently create a documentary about the real life of Kunming folk.

The old people took the instruments they were good at, some asked each other for advice, and some formed a temporary orchestra, and with the aunties who loved dancing, the performance began. Square dancing is also indispensable. For modern people, there is no dance that they dare not dance unless you can imagine it.

Children are playfully shuttled among them, playing and fighting. This should be what childhood is like, carefree and happy. Another family went on a cruise and sailed in the lake, while the lovers held hands and looked at the unique beauty of life in Green Lake with happy smiles, perhaps looking forward to each other's future.

And I walked through it alone, found the character I wanted to be, chatted with the grandfathers, danced with strangers, and took photos of couples. I knew that I was happy.

The Army Lecture Hall is on the east side of Green Lake. The yellow building is particularly obvious. Its architectural style is a courtyard, which is a square building with a martial arts training field in the middle. This attraction is free but closed on Mondays.

I like soldiers. My first reaction was to see what soldiers were like in ancient times. Unfortunately, this martial arts hall is quite different from what I imagined. The first thing you will see is the martial arts hall. The history of the hall, why it was built, its purpose, etc., and then, the outstanding students, the positive role of the martial arts hall, and its impact on the present. In short, this is a historical museum.

The only column I am interested in is the environment in which they lived, dormitories, canteens, infirmaries, libraries, classrooms, laboratories, principal's offices, and their previous test papers. I personally feel that watching these can give me a sense of immersion, and I have to complain. The first impression I had of their dormitory back then was a bit like a "morgue". There are pictures and the truth! !

The location of the principal's office is very good. It is located on the second floor, in the middle of the square. There is also a balcony with a very good view. The layout is also high-end for now. Regarding their test papers, if you take a closer look, some of the contents are still used today. I have to say that our seniors have extraordinary wisdom. Please give them a thumbs up.

Yunnan University is here to hang out and meet friends, so there are not many photos. Yunnan University next to Cuihu Lake is an old campus. Some of the buildings in it are protected, some where Chiang Kai-shek lived, and some where Lin Micro-factor design. Personally, I think it's okay. Compared to many schools, Yunnan University is not big at all. But the environment is really nice. You can see cherry blossoms, sycamores in autumn, and occasionally tease squirrels.

As for the "Cultural Alley" mentioned on the Internet, it is actually not that good. There are many tattoo shops and a lot of food. I think this kind of cultural alley can be found around every university.

After that, I went to Maokong and Peanut Bookstore on Baiyun Road. Personally, no matter where I travel, bookstores and markets are a must. The Peanut Bookstore has an average atmosphere, but its characteristics are that the books are placed very casually, the classification labels are all handwritten, and the book introductions are all handwritten. The two old bookcases are a highlight, and the price-performance ratio is average.

As for Cat Sky City, there are many cities. Every time I go there, I always choose postcards. However, I sadly discovered that Kunming’s Maokong may be a “fake Maokong”. The postcards are real. Too little. I had no choice but to buy blank postcards and make them myself. Maokong in Kunming is the one that I feel is doing the least well at the moment.

Kunming Railway Museum, ticket price is 10 yuan, closed on Mondays (the museum’s practice). You can see the development process of railways and the hardships people went through in building railways in the past. There are also many former trains, which are very spectacular.

The Xiaomi Railway seems to be the only train line currently running in the city. The train is not small, but it belongs to the old-fashioned green train. The whole journey costs two yuan and the one-way trip takes nearly an hour.

Traveling between cities by train is a different experience. You will pass by schools, markets, main roads, gardens, vegetable fields, and you can see the expressions of people waiting on the other side of the fence. Life seems to have slowed down like this. Listening to the sound of wheels and rails hitting each other, your favorite music coming from your headphones, and the sun shining on your face, the most pleasant life can only be like this.

In Xishan, get off the Xiaomi Railway and take the bus to Xishan from the opposite side. Because I wanted to experience traveling like a local, I decisively gave up the tour bus and happily walked up Xishan Mountain like the locals. I won’t tell you that I was wearing sneakers and jeans.

I kept walking up the winding mountain road, surpassing families hiking with their pets, old couples, and friends traveling together. Of course, there were also people climbing alone like me.

And I passed by a temple called Huating Temple. The reason why I entered the temple was the couplet at the door: "Walking around the temple, thousands of sound pines are green and bamboos are green. When you go out, smile and the sea and the sky will be vast." It coincides with the smile I have always believed in life. , so I decisively bought a ticket to enter the temple.

Tickets are 25 yuan, and there are four halls. The one that impressed me the most was the Luohan Hall. There are more than two hundred Arhats, all with the same appearance and appearance, and in the center is a four-sided Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara, all holding Buddhist instruments. The bright yellow walls are high, the courtyard is quiet, and the monks come and meet each other by chance.

There is an ancient road not far from the temple. Go up the stairs, shuttle through the forest, and look at Dianchi Lake in the distance, which makes you feel like you are wandering. The biggest reward was seeing two old people selling slingshots. The most expensive ones were only ten yuan, and each one was handmade.

After nearly an hour and a half, about five or six kilometers, the mountain climbing trip officially ended. Started the Xishan Longmen Tour, the entrance fee is 40, and the battery car round trip is 25 (it seems to be). I originally wanted to take the ropeway, but it was overhauled and I was sad for a minute. After entering the scenic spot, you still need to climb a mountain. It is estimated that the straight-line distance is 800 meters, but it is very steep, but the scenery is very good. You can see the panoramic view of Dianchi Lake and Kunming from all angles.

I took the Dianchi Lake Cableway directly when I went down the mountain. I went to Haigeng Park to see seagulls and of course to experience riding. You can also go to the ethnic village at the end of the ropeway. I have been there before but didn’t go this time.

Haigeng Park is actually not big. I have been riding along the Dianchi Lake. Cyclists passed by, people came and went, but they did not disturb the leisure people around at all. Some were camping in tents on the lawn, some were having picnics, some children were playing in the playground, and there were newlyweds taking wedding photos. There are also singers singing. Along the way, we also passed many concept restaurants with first-class decoration style.

I became confused while riding, and finally diverted directly to the nearby Aegean Shopping Center, which is where I wanted to go to Sisyphus Bookstore. It's said to be nearby, but I actually rode for nearly ten kilometers. When it was almost time to hang up, we arrived at our destination.

A few books, a notebook, a cup of coffee, perfect, just read quietly for a while. Before I knew it, night fell. When I finished reading the book, it was already after eight o'clock in the evening. I took the bus home slowly, haha, yes, home! At this moment, you will not think that you are a foreigner.

I like reading. Many people say that I can read at home. Why go to Kunming to read and waste time? Travel and tourism have different meanings. Traveling is not to visit one scenic spot after another, but to go to another city to live the life you want, to truly experience and feel the charm of this city.

In the bookstore environment, you will see a lot of urban phenomena. What they do in the bookstore, it seems that you can define the city from the side. Rather, in the process of reading, I gained knowledge in this city, which was a different experience.

There is never a shortage of books in my suitcase. I like to read books on the plane, on the train, before going to bed at night, and when I am tired from walking. I try to take a book with me when I travel. .

Dounan Flower Market is a place that you don’t want to leave when you come here. I really want to buy a lot, but unfortunately I don’t have a car and express delivery is too expensive. The variety of succulents here is very complete, and it’s very cheap, only ten yuan and five, um, that’s right. Flowers are calculated by kilogram. Dried flowers cost 15 yuan per kilogram. Note that it is one kilogram. Forget-me-not crystal grass and lover's grass are all priced at the same price. Roses are basically ten yuan a handful, with ten flowers in a handful, and there are many others. Friends who like flowers must not miss this place.

You can visit Guandu Ancient Town. There are mainly three temples, and there is a tower in the middle. I personally think it is quite good. The commercial atmosphere is average, but maybe it is because there are more temples and ancient buildings. Most of them, so the sense of immersion is slightly stronger, and all temples are free. There is also a stage in the ancient town square, which I personally like.

There is also Jinmafang, where I just quietly went to eat a bowl of expensive cross-bridge rice noodles.

The morning I left Kunming, I took a photo of the sunrise on the roof. I am not sure I will go to Kunming again, but my mood should be different from now. Goodbye Kunming!

Every city has its own unique charm, and I like to find the definition of each city in my heart. Some cities make me linger, and some make me want to escape. No matter where I am, I always stay true to myself. Fortunately, I can always make many interesting friends during my travels.

To be continued, so stay tuned

The next article "I went to Qingqiu to find my aunt, the fairyland on earth is full of darkness"

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