From a part of the note typed on the mobile phone

“This morning at 7 o'clock in Kunming, China time, which is one hour ahead of Thailand, the three of us chose to travel by bus from Mo Chit at 5:40 p.m. on Thursday, July 7, 2016. Then we took a bus from Laos on Friday, July 8... Now it's already the third day of our trip. I haven't even taken a shower yet."

-Introduction-

Okay, let's embark on a real journey together. The starting point of this trip seems to have come from a single image in my feed. When I saw it, I couldn't help but wonder where it was. It was so beautiful. After some research, I found out that it was 'Yading National Park in China'. I looked left and right for travel companions, and in the end, I ended up with the same old gang who I had been tricked into going to Cambodia with before… Luckily, I had travel companions.

-Travel plan-

The main mode of transportation for this trip will be by land. We will take buses, trains, or even walk to get around. We want to try something different from flying, even if it is more challenging or difficult. We believe that there is always something hidden that we can discover, and that is why this trip will not only end in Yading, but will also extend to Sapa, Vietnam.

-Duration-

15 days including travel days / Start - July 7, 2016 Return July 21, 2016

-Budget-

20,000 Baht / Plane ticket 3,000 Baht = 23,000 per person - Departure -

-Departure-

Bangkok - Chiang Khong It seems that there are only a few companies running on this route. I chose to use the service of Sombut Tour, around 17.00 because it will be the next morning when I arrive in Chiang Khong. Let's stop by 7-11 for a little energy boost. After that, I hired a tricycle nearby and said 'Go to the checkpoint' for about 100 baht. Going to the checkpoint and crossing the Chiang Khong checkpoint is not very complicated. Buy a bus ticket for 25 baht/person to go to the checkpoint of the Lao PDR.

Lao PDR Checkpoint

After completing the procedures to enter the Lao PDR, you will be greeted by waiting tuk-tuk drivers as soon as you cross the border. Feel free to negotiate the price. If you are traveling with a group, you can rent the entire tuk-tuk. Inform the driver that you are heading to the bus station for Kunming, Wangthong Hotel, or show them the picture below.

The key to this trip seems to be this big sleeper bus that will take us into mainland China. For 1 day and 1 night with this car, I can only say that 'the people in this car are more rotten than stewed meat'. There is only one bus from Huai Sai to Kunming per day, so it is highly recommended to arrive at the bus station around 9 am. The price is 320 yuan, or about 1700 baht (add a little more to fly comfortably, lol).


After crossing the exit checkpoint of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, it only took a few more moments to reach the 'Mohan Checkpoint'. At this point, I began to see the charm of traveling by road trip. In the morning, the car was still running on a bumpy road, and the buildings and houses had not changed much. By late afternoon, wow! Why is the road suddenly smooth? The buildings look modern, the people's shapes and faces have changed, and the language I hear is different again. Oh, I'm in China now.


- Day 3 -

Most of the time was spent sleeping. Song after song flowed through my auditory nerves, making me exclaim to myself, "This song again?" After a while, I fell asleep again. When I woke up, the sun was shining brightly across the sky, just like this bus that was doing its job perfectly. It was 7 o'clock now. My feet landed at the Kunming South Bus Station, a subtle way of saying, "Here I am."

The original plan was to head up to Shangri-La in the morning, but that idea went up in smoke because the buses were fully booked until 8:30 pm. After consulting with my travel companions, we decided, "Well, what else can we do? We have to go anyway," which gave us half a day to kill in Kunming. As we wandered around, it occurred to me that I hadn't been in touch with my family for two days. I stopped for a coffee and connected to the Wi-Fi and VPN. So, my afternoon in Kunming was spent easing the minds of those back home rather than exploring the city.


-Day 4,5-

Wow! After a 12-hour journey, we finally arrived in Zhongdian, also known as Shangri-La. We decided to stay here for two nights to reduce the risk of altitude sickness, as we were worried that it might ruin our trip. On our first day, we took a leisurely stroll around town and even joined in with some local dancing, which was a great way to keep warm. The next day, we cycled out of town to a place called 'Napahai'.

'Napahai', located 7-8 kilometers from the old city center, is a vast open grassland. During other seasons, this area transforms into a large body of water, but when the water recedes, it becomes a sprawling grassland as far as the eye can see. Especially during this time, flowers bloom all over the place, creating a dreamy and romantic atmosphere.



-Date 6-

Waking up early in the morning, I packed my belongings and prepared to go to the bus station in the city. The reason for this trip was to go to 'Yating'. Yes, we can take a bus from the city's transportation center. There are two options: 1. Take the bus 2. Charter a car. I don't know how much the latter costs, but if there are many people going, chartering a car might be a better option. The bus has only one trip per day, at 6:00 am. It is very important to buy tickets one day before the trip. The price is about 100 yuan, and it will run from Shangri-La to Daocheng.

A 12-hour boat ride, departing in the morning and arriving in the evening, offers breathtaking views that captivate every tourist. It's like an introduction to the stunning scenery that awaits in Yating.

3,600 meters above sea level is the height I measured from the mobile app. It is true that the higher the altitude, the colder it will be. However, the atmosphere of Daocheng in the evening seems to help warm up the temperature of this city quite a bit. There are people dancing in the central square of the city, just like in Shangri-La. I really want to join them, but compared to my hunger, it is more important. Choosing to satisfy my hunger is a more attractive option than satisfying my cold.

-Date 7-

I told the owner of the 'Daocheng mama international youth hostel' to help me find a car to Yading yesterday evening. The price was 50 yuan/person. At 7:30 am, the car left Daocheng. The further we went, the more beautiful the scenery became. The Tibetan driver seemed to have to stop by the side of the road for a while. This place is called 'Bowa Mountain'. The soft morning sunlight blends with the background of the mountains in the distance, making the scene in front of me look like it came out of a novel.

I wanted to cut to Yating, but I couldn't because the dream image was covered by the rocks that had collapsed, blocking the entrance and exit of the road. People who wanted to leave Yating couldn't leave, and I couldn't get in either. If I waited, I didn't know how many hours it would take to clear the road. By now, I was starting to wonder, 'Is it the people who choose Yating, or is it Yating that chooses the people?' Quite a few people chose to turn back, but I had to keep going because of various factors that made it impossible to wait. Hiking up the mountain with my luggage was the only option I had at that time.

Finally, we made it through the arduous journey. The entrance fee to the park is 270 yuan/person, but if you are a student, just show your ID card and it will be reduced to 170 yuan/person (a whopping 100 yuan discount). The ticket is valid for 3 days. Without further ado, we took the shuttle bus to Yading Village and settled our luggage at the accommodation. Zhouma La Lake (4080m) is the first place we will go to warm up our bodies today, before we have to travel a long distance to Milk Lake (4600m) tomorrow.

- August 8th -

Today, I dedicate the whole day to Milk Lake because it's the furthest walk. We walked and got soaked, it drizzled from morning till night. Grandma Ting said that on a drizzly day, it seems that our bodies will collide with the cold air and the moisture of the rain. In terms of atmosphere, I undoubtedly like it, but in terms of taking pictures............. I suggest coming in October, it would be more suitable.

-Date 9-

Before going back to sleep in Daocheng, I knew that today was the last day, but I chose to walk around Yading Village instead of going into the park to make the most of my ticket. Looking back over the past 8 days, I feel like I've been rushing my journey a bit too much. It's inevitable because I have limited time and money. But someone once told me, "We can't control everything around us... what we can control is ourselves." .. It seems like a bonus before officially leaving Yading. The rocks fell when I entered, and the rocks fell again when I left. But this time, I chose to 'wait' instead of 'hurry'.

-Date 10-

There is one bus per day from Daocheng to Shangri-La, and the same from Shangri-La to Daocheng. It is best to book one day in advance. At 6:00 am, the bus leaves Daocheng. The first light of the day amazed me with the same scenery as the way here, but soon I fell asleep as usual. When I woke up, I arrived in Shangri-La. According to the original plan, I will go down to Kunming today, but the bus is full every time. Sleeping in Shangri-La for another night to slow down my life may be a good choice. It also reminds me that I will really leave... China.

And so we come to the final leg of our journey…

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21:40 is definitely the time for the last train from Kunming to Mohan.

However, the train is not arriving on time. It seems that the train from Kunming will be late to the platform.

My friend and I were excited for about an hour, wondering what the train would look like.

-Date 11-

We left Shangri-La in the morning and arrived in Kunming in the evening. Today is the last day that I and the members will be in China. After that, we will probably go to Sapa, Vietnam. There are two ways to get there: 1. By bus 2. By train. Until today, I have to give the bus the hero of this trip. But after this, I will let the train steal the scene. From Kunming to Hekou, it takes 6-7 hours. I chose the latest round to get there in the morning.

-Date 12

All the way on the train, I kept thinking... When I get to Sapa, I'll take a deep breath of the rice fields, relax with a cup of coffee, or maybe rent a motorbike and drive around. It seems like a good way to answer the call of Slow Life... But it was just a word, because suddenly the feeling of 'missing him' flared up. It seems that the only thing that can heal this feeling is to 'go see him'.

-Date 13-

The "he" here doesn't mean taking a Vietnamese daughter-in-law home instead of souvenirs for parents, but it's a peak that has been nicknamed the "Roof of Indochina" or, to put it more coolly, the "Rooftop of Indochina". That's right... it's Mount Fansipan - 3,143 meters above sea level.

-Date 14-

After trekking to the campsite yesterday, this morning we will conquer Fansipan peak. And the same old rain has been falling since yesterday and there is no sign of it stopping. But anyway, we have to keep going... The certificate and medal are waiting for us to take home.

From notes on the phone

"Everyone's definition of 'conquering' is different. Whether you hike up or take a cable car, the destination is the same: the mountaintop. I'm not saying that my way of hiking up is better, but I chose this option because I simply enjoy it more. And I know I'm not the only one. When I started my ascent, I had only a handful of friends, but when I descended, I had ten times more. I believe that people with similar interests are drawn to each other. Even though the mountaintop was empty, white to the point of being invisible, weren't we all filled with friendship in that emptiness?"

-The last day-

We left Sapa at 9:30 p.m. yesterday and arrived in Hanoi at 4 a.m. I would have loved to walk around Hanoi a bit, but I think we've had enough of traveling for now. Plus, when I opened my wallet, I felt like crying. I don't dare risk missing my flight by walking around Hanoi. Otherwise, when I get home, I'm sure I'll hear an opera of scolding from my mother and sister.

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I think sleeping at the airport would be safer for my eardrums than...

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Thank you to everyone who joined us for 'Jeni'.

See you next time....Goodbye.

Feel free to discuss and share your experiences here.

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