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Gansu - Travel

HFCAMPO (3062 posts) • 0

Tomorrow morning we will return to Lanzhou from Tianshui via a slow T Train (4 hours/300 km). This is a long distance train from Hangzhou to Lanzhou so I am sure it will be nasty; cigarette smoke, foot, ass, noodles, and a fresh carpet of sunflower seeds.

From Lanzhou we immediately leave for Yong Jing County in Lin Xia Prefecture to visit the Bing Ling Temple Grottoes (UNESCO).

From the West Bus Station in Lanzhou, take a bus to Liu Jia Xia (2 hours) in Yong Jing County. You will pass 2 dams that are visible from the bus and in 1 minute you see the town of LJX. We stayed at the Super 8 Hotel for 158 RMB which is directly in front of the bus station.

We were approached at the hotel by a lady who wanted 150 RMB/person so we got a much better deal when we took the 1 km walk to the pier were we dealt with the boat owner in person.

The pier is located on a reservoir and it is just 10 meters from the Dam. Military guards are posted at the gate so I tried not to be too obvious when taking a few pictures.

Of course they are building a new UNESCO visitors center, so that should probably raise the price of tickets in the near future.

There are 2 boats, Big boat for 60-100 passengers but they are no longer in use after Golden Week of October (65 RMB/person for round trip) if you only go to Bingling. Round trip takes 7 hours. For 115/person they will also take you to the Stone Forest which is 2 km from the grottoes. Best pictures of Stone Forest is from the boat so no need to get out and climb or pay more.

Fast Boat is the only one in service now. 9 passengers and 125 RMB/person to Bingling. 175 RMB if you want to go to the stone forest. Round trip is 3-4 hours and all prices are for round trip fares.

We met some foreigners so we rented a boat together. 6 people for 600 RMB, so we saved some money on our group discount. The prices I quoted are for boats only. We must purchase tickets on our own when we arrive so I will include entrance fees upon my return tomorrow.

HFCAMPO (3062 posts) • 0

Visited the Bing Ling Temple - 2 ways to get there - 1 if by land, 2 if by sea.

Car - Best way to get there if you are 3 or more people. Rent a car for 300 RMB and they drive you in the back of the Stone Forest and the back of Bing Ling Temple. Advantage is that you do not need to pay 50 RMB for the Stone Forest nor 50 RMB for the temple. Car ride takes 2 hours on a mountain road so you also save a lot of time. Unfortunately, you miss out on a few things.

Boat - We did the boat ride. Bargain to get the best price, we paid 100 RMB per person but most pay 125 or 150. We were picked up at our hotel and taken to the pier where we jumped right into our 9 man fast boat and we were at the Stone Forest in 1 hour.

Here is where it gets tricky. The boat takes us to the Stone Forest pier which is 2 km from the Bing Ling Pier. Here we were given a choice.

a - Do not climb, do not pay, take some pics from where you stand and we go to Bing Ling in 5 minutes.

b - Climb the Stone Forest for 50 RMB/person + 10 RMB for green Golf Car (3 km trail). We give you one hour. Then come back and we take you to Bing Ling.

c - Climb the Stone Forest for 50 RMB/person + 10 RMB for green Golf Car (3 km trail). Follow the trail for 8 km until you reach the back of Bing Ling and we meet you at the Bing Ling Pier in 3 hours.

We took option C and it was well worth it. Did the hike in 2.5 hours at a slow pace and took many pictures along the way. The trail brings you to the back of Bing Ling where you can take all the pictures you like. We did NOT have to pay the 50 RMB tickets for Bing Ling. There we encountered some cars that were driving in and heading for Bing Ling. We saw 3 cars with a few people who jumped out to take some pictures.

Our boat driver was not too please with our decision as she had to wait longer. Most people do NOT climb the stone forest nor do they take the 8 km hike.

What a way to end my trip of UNESCO sites in Gansu. This place was wonderful and we had the entire place to ourselves (group of 8) not a single person there until the last 20 minutes.

It did not feel like a UNESCO site yet. I am sure they will seal the back entrance and put up a fence or guard shack to make sure people pay the 50 RMB when they come in from the rear.

I am an early bird but the best time of day for the boat ride and temple is AFTER 8am or 9am. Ideal time is noon, but do not visit after 3 pm.

HFCAMPO (3062 posts) • 0

Silk Road - UNESCO - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road_UNESCO_World_Heritage_Sites

Summary of UNESCO sites

1 - Bingling Cave Temple Complex, Yongjing County, Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture - well worth the 100 RMB for the boat ride + 50 RMB for stone forest. Must See!

2 - Maijishan Cave Temple Complex, Tianshui - No need to pay 70 RMB. Best to pay 20 RMB and take photos from the 3 viewing areas. Climbing the grottoes is a waste of time and money as you can not see anything but doors with chicken wire mesh. Must See!

3 - Yumen Pass, Dunhuang, Jiuquan - A pile of dirt - very expensive because of distance and hiring drivers - Checked it off my list but would never go again.

4 - Xuanquanzhi Posthouse, Dunhuang, Jiuquan - Nothing there except a brand new visitors center and a stone Marker. Don't do it!

5 - Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, Jiuquan - I hate this place. What a waste of 200 RMB. Everyone there was disappointed and pissed off - Don't even think about it.

6 - Suoyang City Ruins, Anxi, Guazhou, Jiuquan - Nice ruins and I enjoyed it but nothing more that a few adobe walls that are in ruins. Glad I went and got the T-shirt but not worth repeating.

HFCAMPO (3062 posts) • 0

There is a train from the Lanzhou Train Station in Cheng Guan District that goes directly to the airport.

50 minute ride and you can choose 1st or 2nd class seats (21-26 RMB).

You can only buy tickets 3 days in advance, we tried to buy early but were unable to do so.

Haali (1178 posts) • 0

oh good, there is a train at last for the (quite long) journey between Lanzhou and the airport! Will be great if they connect it with the downtown area too.

On a side note, is the Kunming airport train/overground subway running yet? I normally get a taxi or bus, but a train would probably be cheaper and more convenient.

HFCAMPO (3062 posts) • 0

The train to the airport is a C train - same as D and G high speed Trains. The ride took 40 minutes at a top speed of 148 km/hr.

One can not just hop on a train like the subway. Must purchase tickets beforehand and does not run as frequent as the bus. We took the bus from the airport to downtown upon arrival a month ago. Ride was 1.5 hours and tickets were 30 RMB.

Next time you visit Gansu, check the C trains online so you can book your train tickets on arrival. However, this may not be a good idea as planes are frequently late and you will probably end up taking the bus anyway. The train is much better for departures rather than arrivals.

Saved for posterity.

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