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AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures
Laos & China 2025
Day 8 : Around Jingmai Mountain
Laos-China 2025 Day 8: 11th December (Thursday)
This is page 8 of a 12-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page.
< D7: Jingmai Mountain 01 | Go to Other Days | D9: Pu'er 01 >
< D7: Jingmai Mountain 01 | Go to Other Days | D9: Pu'er 01 >
Route recommendations, here are some tips on travelling to and around Laos:
1. Traffic Directions!
China, is left-hand drive, and vehicles drive on the right side of the road. So do bear this in mind when crossing the road OR when sitting at the front passenger seat. I made this mistake several times and boarded the car at the driver's side with the driver giving me a surprised look 😂.
We flew AirAsia from KLIA Terminal 2 to Vientiane's Wattay International Airport; buying tickets earlier to get cheaper fares. Considering the potential difficulties with luggage storage during the later train journey in Laos, we also packed light (20kg checked-in luggage for two people). Together with carry-on luggage, we each had 17kg per person. Fare was MYR407 per pax.
We booked our train tickets from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang to Xishuangbanna through the LCR App. For the Luang Prabang to Xishuangbanna leg, electronic train tickets need to be changed to physical paper tickets at the Luang Prabang Train Station (at a counter of the ticketing office, so arrive earlier to do this).
We booked our train tickets from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang to Xishuangbanna through the LCR App. For the Luang Prabang to Xishuangbanna leg, electronic train tickets need to be changed to physical paper tickets at the Luang Prabang Train Station (at a counter of the ticketing office, so arrive earlier to do this).
3. Getting from town to town in China.
For China, getting between major cities is easy using the China HSR trains (for us, it's from Pu'er City to Kunming). Tickets can be booked via www.12306.cn OR Trip.com; electronic tickets need to be changed to physical paper tickets. Passengers are required to disembark (with their luggage) for immigration and customs checking at both the a and c, i.e. two times as these two border checkpoints are not in a single building, and are far apart in their respective countries.
For China, getting between major cities is easy using the China HSR trains (for us, it's from Pu'er City to Kunming). Tickets can be booked via www.12306.cn OR Trip.com; electronic tickets need to be changed to physical paper tickets. Passengers are required to disembark (with their luggage) for immigration and customs checking at both the a and c, i.e. two times as these two border checkpoints are not in a single building, and are far apart in their respective countries.
For travel between cities not served by the trains, we pre-booked a private driver contacted through WeChat - from Jinghong, Xishuangbanna to Jingmai Mountain (Wengji Village & Nougan Village) to Pu'er City).
4. Getting around towns and cities in China.
In China, install the Didi ride-hailing app, which is extremely convenient to use, especially in major cities, and English can be selected as the preferred language. Just type in the destinations in English, and a list comes out for selection. There is a need to bind the app to a credit/debit card. Rides are relatively cheap, as most riders use e-vehicles.
Note: Touch 'n Go e-Wallet doesn't seem to work in Laos. It works well in China and Thailand.
In China, install the Didi ride-hailing app, which is extremely convenient to use, especially in major cities, and English can be selected as the preferred language. Just type in the destinations in English, and a list comes out for selection. There is a need to bind the app to a credit/debit card. Rides are relatively cheap, as most riders use e-vehicles.
Note: Touch 'n Go e-Wallet doesn't seem to work in Laos. It works well in China and Thailand.
5. Immigration & Customs Requirements
For China, Malaysians can enter, exit, or transit the country without a visa for up to 30 days per visit, with a maximum cumulative stay of 90 days within any 180 days. Permitted purposes include tourism, business, family visits, exchanges, private affairs, medical treatment, and international transportation (such as airline crew duties). The travel passport must be valid throughout the whole period of stay or 180 days from the day of first entry.
Click here for China visa-free policy for other countries, and here for China Visa application.
Click here for the China China Arrival Card for phones. Do note some scams regarding these online forms. OR one can alternatively fill in paper forms, which are available at the train stations or during the flight.
Click here for China visa-free policy for other countries, and here for China Visa application.
Click here for the China China Arrival Card for phones. Do note some scams regarding these online forms. OR one can alternatively fill in paper forms, which are available at the train stations or during the flight.
6. Places & Things of Interests
Enroute were several places of interest, some of which we visited and others we did not for lack of time (Note: click on GPS coordinates for a directional map to respective places):
a. Sea of Clouds View Point (GPS: 22.14513, 100.01577) and the one at Manhong Village (芒红) (GPS: 22.14561, 100.01648).
a. Sea of Clouds View Point (GPS: 22.14513, 100.01577) and the one at Manhong Village (芒红) (GPS: 22.14561, 100.01648).
b. Princess Banyan Tree (Gongzhurong) (公主榕) (GPS: 22.15995, 100.01704).
c. Queen Bee Tree (Fengshen Tree) (蜂神树) (GPS: 22.16745, 100.02097).
d. Jinglabin Homestay Viewpoint (GPS: 22.16463, 100.0138).
e. Mangjing Bulang Mores Garden (芒景布朗风情园) (GPS: 22.16765, 100.0128).
f. Wengji Gubai Temple (翁基古柏) (GPS: 22.17186, 99.99965).
g. 2500yrs Ancient Cypress Tree (GPS: 22.17177, 99.99967).
h. Jingmai Tea Mountain (普洱景迈山古茶林景区) (GPS: 22.17898, 100.02477) in Lancang County.
c. Queen Bee Tree (Fengshen Tree) (蜂神树) (GPS: 22.16745, 100.02097).
d. Jinglabin Homestay Viewpoint (GPS: 22.16463, 100.0138).
e. Mangjing Bulang Mores Garden (芒景布朗风情园) (GPS: 22.16765, 100.0128).
f. Wengji Gubai Temple (翁基古柏) (GPS: 22.17186, 99.99965).
g. 2500yrs Ancient Cypress Tree (GPS: 22.17177, 99.99967).
h. Jingmai Tea Mountain (普洱景迈山古茶林景区) (GPS: 22.17898, 100.02477) in Lancang County.
i. The Ancient Tea Villages of Jingmai Mountain, including Wengji Bulangzu Ancient Village (翁基布朗族古寨) (GPS: 22.17120, 100.00006) and Nuogan Village (糯岗傣族水寨) (GPS: 22.21348, 99.99963).
7. Food
a. Breakfast
Crossing-the-bridge Noodles (Mixian Noodle) at the stall next to Yongbulang Music Bar (GPS: 22.16117, 100.0152).
b. Lunch
b. Lunch
Yunnan snacks sold by a tribal lady at road-side stall at the carpark opposite Wengji Gubai Temple (翁基古柏) (GPS: 22.17186, 99.99965) in Wengji Bulangzu Ancient Village.
c. Afternoon tea
Coffee, pastry, and waffles at Bean Great Cafè (GPS: 22.16997, 100.00019) in Wengji Bulangzu Ancient Village.
d. Afternoon tea 2
At our homestay, Pu'er Tea with Flower Biscuits and Kwantung-style Roast Chicken take-away from a stall in the village.
e. Dinner
Yunnan Fare at Auntie Yee Xiao Yen Restaurant(GPS: 22.17047, 100.00008):
Pineapple Sticky Rice, (Boluo fan, 菠萝饭) Grilled Lemongrass Tilapia Fish, and stir-fried Juecai (a Paku-like veggie). (Cost 88yuan for four pax).
Pineapple Sticky Rice, (Boluo fan, 菠萝饭) Grilled Lemongrass Tilapia Fish, and stir-fried Juecai (a Paku-like veggie). (Cost 88yuan for four pax).
8. Accommodations
Second of two nights at Lancang Wengji Guzhai No.80 Homestay (GPS: 22.17077, 100.00011) in Wengji Bulangzu Ancient Village. One Balcony Scenic Room (201) and one Courtyard View Room at MYR650 for two 2-pax rooms for two nights, ie MYR325 per 2-pax room for two nights (without breakfast) booked via Trip.com (Breakfast not included). Due to an error, the Courtyard Room was not available, and instead, we were given a Standard Room 2-pax at MYR230 for two nights.
9. Communicating with Each Other
Before we left, we purchased online the Happy China Sim Card and got the 8-Day 8GB and 16GB cards for RM25.29 and RM40.03 respectively. The cards were only inserted when we entered China.
For China domestic flights, international flights from China, and connecting flights with China legs, only China 3C-certified power banks with a capacity of no more than 20,000 mAh are allowed. They must be taken out of the cabin luggage space and placed in the seat pockets. The power banks have to be switched off and cannot be used during the flight. Click here for more power-bank restrictions. Alternatively, it would be a good idea to rent a power bank in China.
For China domestic flights, international flights from China, and connecting flights with China legs, only China 3C-certified power banks with a capacity of no more than 20,000 mAh are allowed. They must be taken out of the cabin luggage space and placed in the seat pockets. The power banks have to be switched off and cannot be used during the flight. Click here for more power-bank restrictions. Alternatively, it would be a good idea to rent a power bank in China.
10. Communicating with Locals
Except for those in the travel industry, in China, most locals speak Mandarin, or the local Yunnan languages, like Dai, Naxi, Yi, and Bai, etc. To get by, it will be good to speak some basic Mandarin.
One can also use Google Translate or Papago (delivers higher accuracy and better pronunciation for East Asian content like Korean, Japanese, and Chinese).
10. Weather
The average day and night temperatures in Lancang Jingmai Airport (the nearest weather station to Jingmai Mountain) were 24°C and 10°C.
A useful weather forecast site for China is AccuWeather. For more detailed weather, including cloud cover and wind speed, use Weatherspark and Ventusky.
11. Navigation
Geo-tagging of places of interest was via FaceBook or Google Maps.
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PRELUDE
Yesterday, our driver-guide Xiao Shieh picked us up from Jinghong to drive us up to the highlands at Xiao Shieh. En route, we had stopped at a Farmers Market (a local market seldom visited by foreigners), visited an ancient temple, and a tea museum, followed by a good local lunch. Later had we did a Short Hike along the Dapinzhang Ancient Tea Tree Trail ., before ending the day at the charming, rustic Wengji Village, nestled among the Pu'er Tea groves of the highlands.
Today, we will continue our exploration of Jingmai Mountain, starting early with a view of the clouds, followed by visits to other attractions in the locality.
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DAY 8: AROUND JINGMAI MOUNTAIN
Most of the posts below are linked to my Facebook postings during the trip and are embedded here with some comments. (NOTE: Click on respective posts to link to the FB post to read more details. If you can't see the posts, please log out of your Facebook first. FB has recently changed its approach, and as such, all relevant links are now been inserted in the comments.)
7:00am - Good morning from Jingmai Mountain. Xiao Shieh picked us up earlier today, as we will be heading to the Sea of Clouds View Point, which is supposed to be a sight to behold.
Waiting for the clouds to break at the Sea of Clouds View Point. Rather crowded here, all on the slope, jostling for a better viewpoint.
At Sea of Clouds View Point, we could see the clouds rolling in, enveloping the hills to form a sea. Although we were high on a slope, we couldn't really get a good view. Smarter ones had brought their quadcopter drones for a better view.
Seeing that we were not satisfied with what we saw, Xiao Shieh took us to a viewing platform at Manhong Village opposite the Manhong Temple. Here it was less crowded and had a better view.
7:00am - Good morning from Jingmai Mountain. Xiao Shieh picked us up earlier today, as we will be heading to the Sea of Clouds View Point, which is supposed to be a sight to behold.
Waiting for the clouds to break at the Sea of Clouds View Point. Rather crowded here, all on the slope, jostling for a better viewpoint.
At Sea of Clouds View Point, we could see the clouds rolling in, enveloping the hills to form a sea. Although we were high on a slope, we couldn't really get a good view. Smarter ones had brought their quadcopter drones for a better view.
Seeing that we were not satisfied with what we saw, Xiao Shieh took us to a viewing platform at Manhong Village opposite the Manhong Temple. Here it was less crowded and had a better view.
Still, my photos do not do justice to what we saw. Here's a superb 2023 video titled "Sunrise at the Sea of Clouds" by Troll Gyoza Tony Dong, showcasing the majestic view.
Since we were already here, we might as well drop into the Manhong Temple for a visit, and also to offer prayers to give thanks for the safe journey so far.
Breakfast was Crossing-the-bridge Noodles (Mixian Noodle) at the stall next to Yongbulang Music Bar.
Now it's time to visit the other attractions of this locality. First, the Princess Banyan Tree, this is a tall banyan tree standing right in the middle of the road, with its trunk interestingly split into two, like two legs standing astride over the road.
Taking photos exactly below the tree is not easy, as one will have to stand or sit in the middle of the road. Fortunately, the locals don't drive fast and patiently wait until the photo is taken.
Taking photos exactly below the tree is not easy, as one will have to stand or sit in the middle of the road. Fortunately, the locals don't drive fast and patiently wait until the photo is taken.
Next is the Queen Bee Tree, with many large beehives hanging from its branches. reminded me of a similar tree while on a Kerala 2018 tour.
Later, we stopped near the Jinglabin Homestay (GPS: 22.16463, 100.0138) with a great view of the sea of clouds. It's a small homestay with only two rooms at RMB430 per room per night. It costs much more than the average, but it's worthwhile paying for that killer view!
Unfortunately, there was no contact number listed.
But the reason we stopped here was not to view Jinglabin, it was a coincidence that it was located opposite the Ye Tribute Tea Chang (GPS: 22.1647, 100.01426), our start point of the hiking trail up to the Mangjing Bulang Mores Garden.
It's a nice and easy hiking trail paved with flat cobblestones that took us past several village houses. Near the top, a dog came out to greet us.
Surprise! Surprise! The destination of our hike, the Mangjing Bulang Mores Garden, was not a garden but a temple! It was surprisingly quite quiet, with hardly a soul around (oops... I mean people, there are probably some peaceful souls around temples).
Painted on the pink wall of one of the buildings were murals depicting some kind of war, one which ended peacefully when Buddhism was embraced (my interpretation anyway). An odd thing was the large golden statue of a rhinoceros at the entrance gate, seeing that rhinoceros are extinct in China, and existed only in prehistoric times.
On our hike down, we saw these Bulang tribal ladies trudging along with heavy loads of firewood on their backs.
12:30pm - Xiao Shieh dropped us back at the entrance of Wengji Village. At this hour, even though it's a weekday, it's difficult to drive in as many local tourists are visiting. Anyway, from here is a good daytime bird's-eye view of the village.
Still a bit hungry, at the entrance carpark, we had a Squat-Sit of Yunnan snacks at a street stall operated by a jovial tribal lady vendor. (Opposite the Wengji Gubai Temple). Memories of another squat meal of Teochew Porridge in George Town, Penang.
Tummies happy, we dropped into the nearby Wengji Gubai Temple for a short visit and also to offer some prayers to thank for a safe and pleasant holiday.
On the grounds of the temple is this Ancient Cypress Tree. It is really ancient as it's more than 2,500 years old. Wow! It has witnessed a major part of China's history.
3:00pm - Relaxing and taking a coffee break at Bean Great Cafè (opposite our homestay). Having coffee and Western snacks here is expensive.... It's better to stick to Pu'er Tea and Flower Biscuits 😂.
And then took a short walk for some daytime views of the village.
6:30pm - Roast Chicken Snack at our homestay, Anne and Marina had an extended walk around the village and discovered this very good Kwantung-style Roast Chicken sold by a local vendor who had worked there for several years. They bought some takeaways for snacks at our homestay balcony.
This was followed by a yum-cha session of Pu'er Tea with Rose Flower Biscuits as we watched the sunset.
8:30pm - Dinner at Auntie Yee Xiao Yen Restaurant, before calling it a day:
Yunnan Fare of Pineapple Sticky Rice, (Boluo fan, 菠萝饭) Grilled Lemongrass Tilapia Fish, and stir-fried Juecai (a Paku-like veggie)
Yunnan Fare of Pineapple Sticky Rice, (Boluo fan, 菠萝饭) Grilled Lemongrass Tilapia Fish, and stir-fried Juecai (a Paku-like veggie)
今天真是美好的一天。
meaning "It has been a wonderful day.")
(For more photos of Day 8, Click Here)
This is page 8 of a 12-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page.
< D7: Jingmai Mountain 01 | Go to Other Days | D9: Pu'er 01 >
< D7: Jingmai Mountain 01 | Go to Other Days | D9: Pu'er 01 >
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