A Trip to Jianshui City

Take train No.K9652 from Kunming to Mengzi North. The train leaves Kunming at 08:42 and reaches Mengzi at 12:37, costing CNY49.5 for a hard seat. Upon arrival at Mengzi, leave your heavy bags at the left luggage department in the railway station, and take a bus to Mingjiu County where you will easily find your first destination – the Yuanshi Cave. With tall, straight ancient pine trees, fruit trees, flowers and plants and dancing butterflies, the scenery is natural and attractive. There are about 123 steps to climb to the entrance of the cave, but once you are there you will appreciate the splendid karst scenery. Then go back to Mengzi and visit the South Lake.

South Lake, located in the southern part of Wenlan Town in Mengzi County, was formed by the accumulation of natural rain water. It was called Batardeau pond during the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644), and there were three isles named Penglai, Fangzhang and Yingzhou. The famous Cross-bridge Rice Noodles are said to originate from this lake. Long long ago, a man prepared for the imperial examination on Yingzhou Isle. His wife brought him meals every day. However, their home was far from the isle, and the dishes had turned cold by the time she got to him. So one day, she took some chicken soup, rice noodles, and vegetables for her husband. Surprisingly they found that the soup had not turned cold because it was covered by a layer of oil. The man added the rice noodles and vegetables into the hot chicken soup, and enjoyed the delicious warm meal. The name Cross-bridge Rice Noodles was given because the woman had to cross a bridge to get to her husband’s study room on the Yingzhou Isle. So when you are visiting Mengzi, remember to have a taste of the authentic rice noodles.

Pick up your luggage at the railway station and take a taxi to Mengzi Long-distance Bus Station to catch a coach for the two hour journey to Pingbian County. The last bus leaves at 19:30. The bus fare is CNY15 per person. On arrival check in at a local hotel.

Get up early and take a taxi to visit the Dawei Mountain Natural Reserve, which is 18 km (11miles) from Pingbian County. The site is open from 08:00 to 18:00, and the admission fee is CNY40 per person. Dawei Mountain boasts immense primitive forests, as well as rare plants and animals. Indulge yourself in the fresh air. There are three routes to explore on the site, the outer, middle and inner routes. The inner and middle routes are in good condition allowing visitors to walk under canopy of trees. The outer route is comparatively poor, but is closer to the primitive forests. Remember to follow the signposts, as it is easy to get lost in the dense forest. We suggest that you stay until late afternoon to enjoy the charming sunset in the forest, and then take a taxi back to Pingbian County. If time permits, you can stay overnight at a local guesthouse on the mountain and catch a glimpse of the sunrise the next morning.

Check-out of the hotel in the early morning and catch a bus to Hekou taking about two hours and costing CNY25 per person. Hekou Yao Autonomous County is located on the border between China and Vietnam. The most famous attraction here is Vietnam Street, where various Vietnamese products are sold. You can also sample the food from Vietnam. Check-in at a local hotel for the night or go back to Pingbian.