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| so peaceful and quiet in the morning |
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| I highly recommend this guesthouse. It's ranked #2 in the Chinese backpackers' forum (after the 5 star hotel in town) Depending on the time of the year, a night's accomodation is ranging from CNY100-300 (for double occupancy) and the chef is the BEST in the village. (you normally eat at the guesthouse you stayed for dinner so it's crucial you find one who can cook!) |
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| Our guesthouse in the morning She is our awesome chef! |
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| Traditional Huizhou-style Architecture. |
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| Haven't seen wooden hangers for a long time I wouldn't be surprise if these were hand made. |
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| fungi casually growing on the logs on the roof top of the hostel |
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| The village way of selling chicken I guess these chickens must be free of H5N1 |
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| This area is famous for their green tea Nothing fancy and I wouldn't pay a lot for the tea. It's not dragon well (but a lot of dragon well are fake these days) most commoners like us can't even tell the difference A local actually said "We drink tea everyday. Do you think we can afford to spend a few hunderd dollars on tea?" so true! just like I won't drink Fuji water everyday!!! |
We begin our day with a hearty breakfast. Breakfast is exciting business as the food is simple but fresh and tasty. It has been a long time since I had a fresh fried dough (油條)!
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| I was so excited when I saw this! |
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| Wuyuan specialty snack - RMB$5 for 3 The breakfast place laughed when we told them how much we paid -.-||| |
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| Apparently, our understanding of wontons are two different things. I am thinking the meaty Shanghainese wontons and they gave me this... wrapping with barely any meat inside |
There are quite a few popular destinations along the north route: most of them are famous for their natural beauty. Our first stop of the day is the beautiful Moon Bay (月亮灣). We thought we were pretty early arriving at 7 a.m. but we were told that we were late. Most enthusiasts are usually there before 6 a.m. for the sunrise :S It wasn't until later in the afternoon on our way back to Li Keng when we finally found the spot for good pictures~ It was quite a walk to go up there but the view is worth it!
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| 7 am in the morning and these guys are already working (and told us we are late) |
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| we came back for a raft ride in the afternoon our "driver" told us the "perfect" spot for pictures he also told us flowers is April, oil is June, and peaches is August! |
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| The path is steep! (That's tea if you are wondering) |
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| That's it!!! Some people come here during sunrise We were not that hardcore |
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| Beautiful |
The other thing Wuyuan is famous for is the villages, built in the typical Huizhou-style. I later read about this style of architecture in the in-flight magazine on the return flight, which helped increased my appreciation of the villages. Who knew there is such a story behind these seemingly old houses!
"Huizhou-style architecture is one of the major schools of Chinese traditional residential architecture. After the mid-Ming Dynasty, a great number of Anhui merchants amassed considerable wealth. To gain prestige, uphold local reputations, and honor their ancestors, many of them purchased land and lavished money on the construction of residences, gardens, academies, and memorial temples. Since the area is abounded in timber, the locals maintained the tradition of painting and engraving. All these helped shaped the distinctive Huizhou architectural style.
Huizhou architectural style was also subject to the influence of clanism. In ancient Huizhou, arranged in a radiating fashion, with the ancestral temple at the center, residential houses were used as not only dwellings, but also defense fortresses against foreign invasion. Gradually, the local houses became largely identical to exterior appearance. Meanwhile, given the mountainous terrain of Huizhou, the principles of Chinese feng shui were also considered an important factor for the architectural layout. Hence today, when traveling around Huizhou you can always find a pleasant harmony between architecture and nature every step you move."
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| HUGE bamboo shoots! |
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| Maybe it's too early but I am glad there aren't many tourists |
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| this town (思溪) must be famous for accountants... how else can you explain this huge abacus (算盤)? |
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| The map for Si Xiyuan Village |
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| Tourists need to purchase a pass to go inside It's so typical in China these days. If you have a valid student (up to university) discount, they will accept it. You get 50% off! |
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| picturesque |
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| 窮人家的小孩早當家 We saw a lot of kids helping out their family selling produce, giving tours, etc. |
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| Old house build by valuable timber we overheard the guide saying that the government had banned the use of timber to build house and this house worth a fortune. well, it belong to the government anyways they bought it from the descendants some years ago |
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| seems like there is something like this everywhere in the world |
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| Can you guess what this is? It's the Treasury! It's build in a circular shape to make it more difficult for thieves to climb |
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| all the characters here are different fonts of the character "life" I think there are 90+ of them |
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| photographer to-be he's got suave |
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| tombstones for roads!?!? |
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| not too bad for a tourist attraction the ride is short though |
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| See the wooden log? It's what they used to catch fish! |
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| the water is so calm and clean |
We had a quick lunch at a local restaurant just off the road. It's the first time we heard a restaurant in China said that they don't have table to accommodate us (the restaurant is empty at that moment) and we had to negotiate that we will eat fast and leave as soon as we are done! True enough, moments later, 2 large tourist buses showed up and filled the place completely. No wonder they don't care about losing our business!
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| apparently the restaurant name is funny (there is an inside joke from a TV show or something） |
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| There is no menu here. You go in their kitchen and order what you want! Loved it! Everything was so fresh! |
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| The best part: they use wood-stove!!! I found Chinese food cooked in wood stove the best! |
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| Dishes prepared for the tour |
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| We agreed to eat simple for lunch and indulge during dinner Yet, the 粉蒸肉 is the best I had during this trip! |
We also visited the Crouching Dragon Valley (卧龍谷). I was slightly disappointed because the water levels are low and this place is famous for it's rivers and waterfalls. Nevertheless, it's still a beautiful place and the water there is tasty!
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| It reads "Crouching Dragon Valley 'cheap' supermarket" We all smiled - coz you know it's not cheap! |
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| The is the "fall" on the advertising pamphlet. I have never felt so cheater ever since Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone Park. |
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| I am pretty surprised they have EV charging spot here! |
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| I am glad they didn't cut the tree. |
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| The translation is horrible but if you ask me. But Chinese is a difficult language to translate. |
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| We tried the water (just a bit) it's sweet and very refreshing! |
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| A bar that sells no liquor |
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| We didn't walk all the way. But we were pretty tired already. |
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| Snack time! |
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| Axe candy |
The night's dinner at the guesthouse. So yummy!!! Sometimes, travel is not about luxury and it's not all about the scenery. Travel to me is an experience, a journey. The same place will invoke different moods and feelings when you are with different people under different weather. These positive experiences I had traveling alone and with strangers definitely reinforced my desire to do more of these trips in the future! Sometimes, your best friends may not be your best travel buddies. Some people may say I am bold and fearless but I say use your common sense and step out of your comfort zone. :)
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| We were actually expected to drink the soup too. But it was too oily for us... (#firstworldproblems) Sorry! |
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| Egg and Chives How is it even possible that something so simple is so delicious! |
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| Steamed Pork in Sauce It's good but the one we had during lunch is even better |
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| let's drink~ cheers~~~ |
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