You are at - Jotaro's Blog /AhPek Biker-Footsteps /Laos-China 2025/ D7 : Xishuangbanna To Jingmai Mountain | Go to D1/D2/D3/D4/D5/D6/D8/D9/D10/D11/D12/
AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures
Laos & China 2025
Day 7 : Xishuangbanna To Jingmai Mountain
Laos-China 2025 Day 7: 10th December (Wednesday)
(Note the map shows road routes, instead of the railway route)
(Click here for the Laos-China Day 7: Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna to Wengji Village, Jingmai Mountain Route Map).
This is page 7 of a 12-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page.
< D6: Xishuangbana 02 | Go to Other Days | D8: Jingmai Mountain 02 >
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. Farmers Market at Jia Yuan Ming Zhu Trade City (佳园明珠商贸城) (GPS: 21.95802, 100.44537) in Menghai County.
a. Farmers Market at Jia Yuan Ming Zhu Trade City (佳园明珠商贸城) (GPS: 21.95802, 100.44537) in Menghai County.
b. Menghai International Pu'er Tea Market (b) (GPS: 21.98826, 100.50404) in Menghai County.
e. Jingmai Mountain Pu'Er Tea Heritage Exhibition Centre (普洱茶标准庄园产品陈列室) (GPS: 22.25185, 100.08647) Huimin, Lancang County.
f. Jingmai Golden Tower (景迈大金塔) (GPS: 22.19658, 100.0296) in Huimin, Lancang County.
g. Jingmaishan Tea Forest Scenic Spot (UNESCO Heritage Listing) (b) (GPS: 22.20251, 100.01679) in Huimin, Lancang County.
h. Short Hike along the Dapinzhang Ancient Tea Tree Trail (GPS: 22.1983, 100.01711) in Huimin, Lancang County.
i. 560-years Old Tea Tree @ Ancient Tea Forest (古茶林) (GPS: 22.19670, 100.01344) in Huimin, Lancang County.
k. 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
Xiaolongbao, Century Egg & Pork Congee with extra Century Eggs, Chee Cheong Fun (Rice noodle roll) with egg, Rice Noodle Soup (Misua), and Sui Kow Dumpling Soup.
b. Lunch
Very good Yunnan Food at Zhang An Private Cuisine (GPS: 22.25033, 100.08463) at Huimin, Lancang County, including;
Deep Fried King Oyster Mushrooms, Pu'er Braised Pork, Deep-fried Pork Short Ribs seasoned with Taojoo (Fremented Bean Curd), Stir-fried green chilli with Yunnan Air-Dried Pork, Mapo Tofu, Spinach soup with Yunnan Air-Dried Pork, and white rice.
Deep Fried King Oyster Mushrooms, Pu'er Braised Pork, Deep-fried Pork Short Ribs seasoned with Taojoo (Fremented Bean Curd), Stir-fried green chilli with Yunnan Air-Dried Pork, Mapo Tofu, Spinach soup with Yunnan Air-Dried Pork, and white rice.
c. Tea-time
Refreshing sugar-cane juice from a roadside stall outside the Jingzhen Bajiaoting Temple (GPS: 21.95435, 100.30502).
d. Dinner
8. Accommodations
First 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 in Jinghong City was 26°C. While the average day and night temperatures in Lancang Jingmai Airport (the nearest weather station to Jingmai Mountain) were 25°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.
___________________________________________________________________________
PRELUDE
A day earlier, we had a whole day at Jinghong, spending a good part of the day at the Manting Park, and later visiting the interesting Zongfosi Temple.
Today, say goodbye to Jinghong City, and take a drive up to the Jingmai Mountain, famous for its Pu'er Tea estates. En route, we will visit a local market and a nice temple.
___________________________________________________________________________
DAY 7: XISHUANGBANNA TO JINGMAI MOUNTAIN
(Click here for the Laos-China Day 7: Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna to Wengji Village, Jingmai Mountain Route Map)
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 have now been inserted in the comments.)
We are back to our favourite place, Hangchow Xiao Loong Pow Restaurant, for breakfast. Actually, it's not our favourite place, we did venture around the neighbourhood but didn't find anything else better to satisfy our tummies.
I am also curious what Hangchow (Hangzhou) has to do with Jinghong, it's almost 3,000 kilometers away. Perhaps the chef is from Hangzhou, but then Zhejiang (Hangzhou) cuisine isn't like what is served here. Even the breakfast food is different.
Okay, this old man's rambling aside, these were what we had:
Xiaolongbao, Century Egg & Pork Congee with extra Century Eggs, Chee Cheong Fun (Rice noodle roll) with egg, Rice Noodle Soup (Misua), and Sui Kow Dumpling Soup.
We are back to our favourite place, Hangchow Xiao Loong Pow Restaurant, for breakfast. Actually, it's not our favourite place, we did venture around the neighbourhood but didn't find anything else better to satisfy our tummies.
I am also curious what Hangchow (Hangzhou) has to do with Jinghong, it's almost 3,000 kilometers away. Perhaps the chef is from Hangzhou, but then Zhejiang (Hangzhou) cuisine isn't like what is served here. Even the breakfast food is different.
Okay, this old man's rambling aside, these were what we had:
Xiaolongbao, Century Egg & Pork Congee with extra Century Eggs, Chee Cheong Fun (Rice noodle roll) with egg, Rice Noodle Soup (Misua), and Sui Kow Dumpling Soup.
8:45am - We are picked up by our driver-guide Xiao Shieh to head for Jingmai Mountain. He will be taking us around for the next three days. He doesn't speak much English; fortunately, Anneh speaks fairly good Mandarin. Also, the Didi ride-hailing app acts as an e-translator as it accepts input of destinations in English and it shows the Mandarin names.
He was introduced to us by a Mainland Chinese friend, and we have been communicating via WeChat. Should you be interested in using his services, drop me a message at my AhPek Biker Facebook Page.
Enroute from Jinghong City to Jingmai Mountain.
Statues of elephants and peacocks lined the roadside to send us off. The two animals are the mascots of the city.
Statues of elephants and peacocks lined the roadside to send us off. The two animals are the mascots of the city.
The Asian Elephant (Jingjing) symbolizes strength and prosperity in the Dai legend. While Peacock (Honghong) is considered a sacred bird by the Dai people, representing beauty, good fortune, and harmony.
9:50am - Our first stop, the Farmers Market at Jia Yuan Ming Zhu Trade City in Menghai County. Xiao Shieh wasn't certain which market we had wanted to visit. Our initial search indicated the Menghaizhen Village Agricultural Market (GPS: 21.98046, 100.42634), about six kilometers off our designated route.
Anyway, we are glad that he brought us here, as this was definitely a local market with hardly any tourists around - just the place we are interested in.
Anyway, we are glad that he brought us here, as this was definitely a local market with hardly any tourists around - just the place we are interested in.
The market occupies the first floor of a two-storey building, but traders had already lined up their wares along the roadside and ramp leading up to that floor. Further up was a local fruits section, with strawberries, oranges, apples, mangoes, peaches, blueberries, and even durians on sale. There were some odd fruits (like the Black Tiger Fruit, Purple Banana Passion Fruit, Prickly Pear (Cactus Fruit), etc.) that we haven't seen before!
There were other odd produce (to tourists like us), such as Bee Pupae and Mini Crabs!
What attracted the girls were these beautiful and colourful Yunnan flowers sold from the back of a tricycle truck.
11:30am - At our next destination, the Manduan Buddhist Temple.
First established in 950 AD, the Manduan Buddhist Temple has undergone multiple renovations over the centuries. It has long served as an important Theravāda Buddhist center for the local Dai people.
Panel Artwork seen inside the Manduan Buddhist Temple.
Outside the temple buildings, sits the pagoda complex, which consists of one main pagoda and four subsidiary pagodas, arranged on a “Ya”-shaped base. The main pagoda stands at the center, surrounded by four smaller pagodas, each flanked by a small shrine housing a Buddha image.
Outside the temple buildings, sits the pagoda complex, which consists of one main pagoda and four subsidiary pagodas, arranged on a “Ya”-shaped base. The main pagoda stands at the center, surrounded by four smaller pagodas, each flanked by a small shrine housing a Buddha image.
A quick stop for freshly squeezed, refreshing sugarcane juice at Jingzhen Bajiaoting Temple. We didn't go in, but it looks like a unique temple which has a dark grey roof with gold trimmings.
Passed by this interesting hill, it seems to be fully covered by solar panels!
China seems to be diverging from fossil fuels and going for cleaner energy sources like solar energy, hydroelectricity, wind energy, and even tidal power.
China has twelve of the largest solar farms, with the largest one, the Talatan Solar Park (in Gonghe County, Qinghai Province). It is the largest solar park in the world with a capacity of 16,000MW as of 2023 and a planning area of 609 km2, which is close to the land area of Singapore.
China seems to be diverging from fossil fuels and going for cleaner energy sources like solar energy, hydroelectricity, wind energy, and even tidal power.
China has twelve of the largest solar farms, with the largest one, the Talatan Solar Park (in Gonghe County, Qinghai Province). It is the largest solar park in the world with a capacity of 16,000MW as of 2023 and a planning area of 609 km2, which is close to the land area of Singapore.
Much further down, we are onto winding and hilly roads, away from the highway, which has yet to be
completed.
1:00pm - We had requested Xiao Shieh to take us for good Yunnan Food. He did just that and took us to Zhang An Private Cuisine in Huimin, Lancang County. Here we had Deep Fried King Oyster Mushrooms, Pu'er Braised Pork, Deep-fried Pork Short Ribs seasoned with Taojoo (Fremented Bean Curd), Stir-fried green chilli with Yunnan Air-Dried Pork, Mapo Tofu, Spinach soup with Yunnan Air-Dried Pork, and white rice. The food was very good and was one of our better meals of the tour, and we especially liked the unique Deep Fried King Oyster Mushrooms and the flavourful Pu'er Braised Pork. (didn't realise that Pu'er tea can be used for marinating).
We back-tracked a bit to visit the Jingmai Mountain Pu'Er Tea Heritage Exhibition Centre.
It's a museum showcasing the history and culture of tea-growing in Yunnan.
Here we learnt that unlike Ceylon Tea, which is made from fresh buds plucked from low shrubs (like the bright tea shrubs seen at the tea plantations of Cameron Highlands), Pu'er tea is harvested from tall, old trees planted in groves. Many of these trees are very old, some even centuries or even millennia old.
5:00pm - Xiao Shieh dropped us off to visit the Jingmai Golden Tower. After the visit, we will go for a short trek, and he will pick us up at the other side.
This is an important site for local villagers to celebrate festivals and conduct daily rituals. From the winding mountain road, the pagoda's spire can be seen rising from the mountain, overlooking the entire Jingmai Mountain.
It was a nice and easy evening trek that took us along part of the Jingmai Tea Mountain, and past several points, like the Ancient Tea Tree, which is 1,800 years old!
and the Tea Spirit Tree,
Besides the ancient tea trees, other beauties can be seen along this Trail, such as:
colourful flowers, strange ferns, etc.
6:30pm - Arrived at our stay at Wengji Bulangzu Ancient Village in Jingmai Tea Mountain - Lancang Wengji Guzhai No.80 Homestay.
The streets here are narrow, fortunately it was a weekday with lighter traffic, and Xiao Shieh managed to maneuver and drop us in front of our homestay.
We were just in time to view the beautiful and warm sunset at the village.
After a refreshing bath, we took a walk around the village. The streets are almost car-free, they were narrow and gently undulating, but it was an easy walk with an interesting view of the rustic houses and many tea-houses.
Saw this tea roasting wok. Plucked tea leaves are air-dried and then manually roasted on these tilted woks.
Dinner was at Rustic No.11 Restaurant, a place recommended by our homestay. On the table:
Jasmine Flower Omelet, Stir-fried Loofah, and Fried Rice with Pork. The flower omelet was an interesting dish, with petals of the Jasmine flower included in the preparation; tastewise the flower petals didn't add much to the flavour, but they did add a nice aroma to the dish.
Jasmine Flower Omelet, Stir-fried Loofah, and Fried Rice with Pork. The flower omelet was an interesting dish, with petals of the Jasmine flower included in the preparation; tastewise the flower petals didn't add much to the flavour, but they did add a nice aroma to the dish.
Later in the evening, we sat on the balcony of our homestay, enjoying the serene quietness of the village while munching on the fruits we bought earlier from the Farmers Market at Jia Yuan Ming Zhu Trade City.
今天真是硕果累累的一天。
meaning "Good night. Tomorrow we head for Jingmai Mountain.")
(For more photos of Day 7, Click Here)
This is page 7 of a 12-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page.
< D6: Xishuangbana 02 | Go to Other Days | D8: Jingmai Mountain 02 >
___________________________________________________________________________________
RELATED BLOGS:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
___________________________________________________________________________________
You are at - Jotaro's Blog /AhPek Biker-Footsteps /Laos-China 2025/ D7 : Xishuangbanna To Jingmai Mountain | Go to D1/D2/D3/D4/D5/D6/D8/D9/D10/D11/D12/
If you like this, view my other blogs at Jotaro's Blog
(comments most welcomed below. If you like this pls share via Facebook or twitter)
No comments:
Post a Comment