Since the release of the movie "Walking Through Your World" in 2016, the place of Daocheng Yading has been echoing in my mind, as well as the line that I will never forget: "There is a place called Daocheng, and I want to go there with my loved ones, to see the blue sky, the white snow capped mountains, the golden grasslands, and an autumn fairy tale." The beauty of Daocheng in the movie fascinates me and makes me determined to go there. This trip starts from Chongqing, the starting point of the movie, and goes to Chengdu, with Chengdu as the transit station for this trip. Daocheng Yading is the final destination

Travel time: June 27th, 2020- July 4th, 2020

The itinerary is as follows:

DAY 1: Chongqing - Chengdu

DAY2: Chengdu City Tour: Check in at Du Fu Thatched Cottage Jinli

DAY3: Chengdu: One day tour of Happy Valley

DAY4: Chengdu - Daocheng

DAY5: Daocheng Yading Long Line Hiking

DAY6: Daocheng Yading Short term Hiking

DAY7: Daocheng - Chengdu

DAY8: Chengdu - Chongqing

Departing from Chongqing to Chengdu on the 27th: Our group of three bought a high-speed train at 2pm from Chongqing North Station to Chengdu East Station. On the first day, we didn't plan any sightseeing spots, so we went to a pre booked accommodation in Chengdu. The accommodation in Chengdu was also a very impressive aspect of this trip. We chose to stay at the "Chengdu Backpack Ten Year Youth Hostel" for three nights in Chengdu. This hostel can be said to have the best quality environment, hardware and software facilities in China, and can be described as a five-star hostel. The three of us booked a 6-person room for 60 yuan per person per day. The location of the youth hostel is also very good, just two blocks away from Chunxi Road, a 20 minute walk and a 10 minute bike ride. It is not far from iconic attractions in Chengdu such as Jinli Wuhou Temple, Du Fu Thatched Cottage, Kuanzhai Alley, etc. The atmosphere of the entire youth hostel is also great. The first floor of the youth hostel has a coffee bar and a beer bar. If you are tired, you can go to the first floor and order two bottles of craft beer with a backpack for ten years, watch a game, or chat with unfamiliar friends to listen to a wonderful performance by a folk singer. On the second floor, there is even a pool table for book borrowing, and every night, the members of the youth hostel organize everyone to play Werewolf. The atmosphere is simply too good. We packed our luggage at the youth hostel that day and arrived on the first floor. We each ordered a beer, ordered takeout, had a drink of meat, and had a great chat.

Today, the 28th, was a very easy-going day without any special itinerary. The main experience was experiencing the slow life in Chengdu. We didn't have to wake up early until 9:30 in our sleep. We had a few more drinks last night and slept soundly. It was 10:30 when I was ready to go out. I had a bowl of Dandan noodles with Chengdu characteristics downstairs and had breakfast as lunch. Continuing forward, like starting from Du Fu Thatched Cottage, the most convenient and fastest means of transportation in big cities is still the subway. The subway takes only 20 minutes to travel over 10 kilometers. The admission fee for Du Fu Thatched Cottage is 50 yuan per ticket, to be honest, it's not cheap. I bought three tickets and went in to enjoy the vegetation landscape inside, which is more than cultural things. It seems like I went in to appreciate the green plants, ponds, and small fish in the cottage. Inside, I could meet many tourists holding DSLR cameras taking photos inside, each one appearing particularly professional. There were more people taking photos, so we took out our phones to record the charming scenery in front of us. I didn't come out of Du Fu Thatched Cottage until 3 pm in the afternoon. Seeing that the navigation guide on my phone was not far away from us, I decided on my next destination. Strolling through Jinli is actually similar to strolling through Chongqing's Ciqikou. As a native of Chongqing, I am very familiar with the ancient architectural style pedestrian streets such as Ciqikou Jinli. The things inside are all sold to outsiders, and the quality cannot be considered very good. Only the architecture and exterior decoration style inside are more attractive to me. I also took out my phone to take many beautiful photos of Jinli's buildings. After wandering for most of the day, we had to eat a good meal at night. We decided to go eat Japanese style barbecue and found a chain barbecue restaurant called Zangtan. We ate meat and drank alcohol in large quantities, and accidentally three people ate more than 700 yuan each. One person drank a 1000ml bottle of Japanese Kirin draft beer. Seeing that super large... We were all blinded by the cup, and now looking back, it's all so funny. I went back to the hostel and had two drinks on the first floor. A friend said we were going to a different place to drink at a bar. I want to say that drinking and traveling are not conflicting. Sometimes, after a drink, you may find something different when you look around you

On the day when I checked in at Chengdu Happy Valley on the 29th, I also visited Chongqing Happy Valley. Compared to Chengdu, which has a larger area, there are more projects, more fun and unique features. You can get on the bus from the bus stop a few hundred meters away from the backpack store and take it for 50 minutes. It only takes 18 stops to directly reach the entrance of Happy Valley. The ticket price for Happy Valley is about 220 yuan per person, which is a 2-day pass. The ticket price is much more expensive than in Chongqing, but it's not related to us. Tomorrow morning, we will fly to Daocheng. Have fun today and try to clock in all the projects inside. Of course, when you go to the amusement park, you have to play the most exciting project inside. If you want to say that any project is the soul of the amusement park, it must be a roller coaster. There are a total of 5 different sizes and contents of roller coasters in Chengdu Happy Valley, including the 50 meter high and 90 degree vertical roller coaster Xiyu Feitian, as well as two 360 degree rotating roller coasters Interstellar Flying, and the incredibly fast Yunxiao Flying Dragon, each of which leaves us with happy memories. In addition to roller coasters, we also went to projects such as pirate ship jumping machines and large swings that must not be missed, but we stopped moving forward under the bungee jumping platform hahaha.

The plane departed from Chengdu Shuangliu Airport at 10:55 am on the 30th and arrived at Daocheng Yading Airport early. We dragged our suitcases and were extremely excited on the way to the airport. We had been in a state of excitement since last night and couldn't get out until we boarded the plane. It gradually calmed down because I knew that in 50 minutes, we would be able to set foot on the last clean ground of this blue planet. Remember this number of 4411 meters. The highest civilian airport in the world is Daocheng Yading Airport. As soon as the plane landed, we saw some friends on the same flight experiencing altitude sickness, weak limbs, and shouting dizziness. Fortunately, the three of us had no problem. If we also started to feel dizzy, I really don't know what Daocheng Yading's trip would be like. Don't be transported back as soon as you get off the plane, haha. After leaving the terminal, I contacted the driver who was supposed to pick me up. The pick-up fee was originally 400 yuan, but now it's 300 yuan. No matter what we do here, we can cut prices and unexpected results will come. The two-hour drive from the airport to the scenic area took us to Shangri La Town, which is about 10 kilometers away. We had lunch and bought a lot of dry food to continue our journey from the scenic area. The ticket to Daocheng Yading is 150 yuan, and the sightseeing bus is 120 yuan, all of which are necessary expenses. Our accommodation was booked in Yading Village, which is about 20 kilometers away from the entrance of the scenic area. We can only take the sightseeing bus from the scenic area to enter Yading Village. The altitude of Yading Village is also 3900 meters. Due to the high altitude, every homestay is equipped with oxygen. If you have severe altitude sickness, you can get oxygen in your room separately. The price is also not low. Everyone should try to choose a good accommodation location before traveling, and you can choose to stay in Shangri La Town at an altitude of about 2800 meters. At present, the housing prices are around 150 yuan during the off-season, and by October, most of them are over 1000 yuan. Remember to book accommodation in advance. There are few entertainment projects near Yading Village, which is not convenient, but it is much more prosperous in Shangri La Town.

On July 1st, today the three of us chose to challenge the Yading Scenic Area for a long journey: Yading Village - Zhaguan Beng - take an electric scooter (round-trip cost 80 yuan) - Luorong Cattle Farm - Five Color Lake - Milk Sea (approximately 8 hours)

At 8 o'clock, I borrowed a hiking stick from the hotel and prepared Snickers compressed biscuits and other dry rations. Each person brought a bottle of water and set off. Yesterday, after dinner in Yading Village, it started raining outside. Early this morning, the heavy fog cleared and the sunshine was bright, which was not very suitable for hiking. Taking the scenic bus from Yading Village to the entrance of the hiking entrance is also the boundary between the long and short lines. On one side of the long line direction, you can choose to take an electric scooter to reach Luorong Cattle Farm or hike 6.7 kilometers to Luorong Cattle Farm before starting a 10 kilometer high-altitude hike back and forth, Luorong Cattle Farm is the place where you passed by Liyang Yang and proposed to Bai Baihe from all over the world. However, we came here in July, and it is a lush green land. If you come from mid September to November, it will be a golden land. It is also the most beautiful time of the year in Aden. The journey from Luorong Cattle Farm is at an altitude of 4180 meters, and from Luorong Cattle Farm to the highest point at 4700 meters above sea level, the Five Color Lake is about 5.3 kilometers long. You can choose to ride a horse at Luorong Cattle Farm for 300 yuan per person, and the weight must be below 200 pounds. Riding a horse can only be done one-way for 3.5 kilometers, and the back 1km is steep steps that can only be crossed by yourself on foot. The long round-trip journey takes about 8 hours. After understanding these things, we started our hiking journey from the Luorong Cattle Farm. We were all on our first high-altitude hike, and no one knew who could hold on until the end. We chose to take photos while moving forward. The scenery on both sides was really beautiful. The snow capped mountains in the distance disappeared into the clouds, and the snow water left behind from the snow capped mountains slowly flowed down into the Luorong Cattle Farm in the small stream ahead. Everything was so harmonious. Quietly, we set off at 8am and finally arrived at the Five Colored Sea at an altitude of 4700 meters at 11:30am. In an instant, we were attracted by the blue lake water in front of us and couldn't shift our gaze. It was so beautiful. Continuing along the path for a few hundred meters from the Five Colored Sea, you will arrive at the Milk Sea. The Cow Milk Sea is different from the Five Colored Sea in its deep blue color. The Milk Sea has a faint milky white color, wrapped in a thick layer of armor as shown in the picture to prevent any harm. The sacred lakes in the hearts of the locals are so sacred and inviolable. Behind them, the three Tibetan sacred mountains of Xiannairi, Yangmaiyong, and Xialuoduoji have been guarding them all along. When you overcome high altitude and challenge your physical limits, and finally climb to the highest point, you will find that everything is worth it. These two lakes are like those with the power to heal any accumulated fatigue. All difficulties and pains are like those in that moment. The clouds and mist in the sky can dissipate in an instant. The three of us don't know how many years of accumulated character made Aden, who was still crying the day before, show us its brightest smile the next day. On the way down the mountain, we also encouraged those who were challenging themselves and bravely moving forward. A simple word of encouragement or Zaxidele's encouragement to them may be several times greater than the oxygen cylinder in their hands. In the end, we completed Aden's long-distance challenge in 6 hours. My other friend and I didn't take a breath of oxygen throughout the entire journey. For many people, "Daocheng Yading is a paradise for the eyes and a hell for the body." But for us, from the moment we get off the plane, our eyes or body are already in the last clean ground on this blue planet.

July 2nd Daocheng Yading Short Line: Yading Village - Zhaguan Collapse - Chonggu Temple - Pearl Sea (approximately 3 hours)

With yesterday's experience in long-term trading, short-term trading has become much easier and simpler for us. Today's short-term trading may be more about relaxing our minds and taking a look at the beautiful scenery here. After all, we will be returning to Shangri La Town in the afternoon. On the short-term trading, there is the once glorious but now fallen Chonggu Temple, as well as the Pearl Sea, which is as famous as the Milk Sea Five Color Lake. It is like a dark jade falling into the human world. With the changing colors of the surrounding vegetation throughout the year, the colorful scenery is displayed, which fascinates everyone who has seen it. If there is a slight altitude reversal, it is recommended that everyone choose to take a short-term approach to adapt to changes in altitude. Choose carefully according to your own physical condition in high-altitude areas and never try to be brave. In the afternoon, we also returned to Shangri La and found a restaurant with the most popular business in the town. It was really good to enjoy his special dishes of barbecue and soup pot. After dinner, we sat down in the opposite pub and drank two cups of Belgian beer to listen to folk songs. It seemed that it took me back to the day when I listened to songs in the Qingba in Dali Old City.

We originally planned to take a flight from Aden to Chongqing on July 3rd, but recently all flights to Chongqing have been cancelled. Therefore, we chose the only remaining transportation option, which is to take a bus from Shangri La Town back to Chengdu and then take a high-speed rail from Chengdu back to Chongqing, The bus from Aden to Chengdu starts at 6:00 in the morning on time every day. It takes about 16 hours. It costs more than 800 kilometers. The fare is 300 yuan. We have seen many online tips before that. We roast that the bus is too tired, but we have never sat for such a long time before. We also want to try the whole experience. I want to say that it completely subverts my imagination. We left at 6:00 in the morning and arrived at Chengdu New South Gate Bus Station at 8:00 in the evening. The bus sat down all day without feeling too big and uncomfortable. The cushion of the seat is very comfortable. It is very soft and won't hurt our waist, The scenery outside the window is also as beautiful as a painting. Yaks grazing in groups can be seen everywhere outside the car window. The Tibetan people over there are really wealthy. Almost every family has hundreds of yaks and several mountains of land. I want to go there and be a cowherd, haha. Returning to the hostel where I stayed in Chengdu, I also had a meal of Chengdu barbecue downstairs. To be honest, Chongqing barbecue is the most suitable for my taste, and the hometown flavor is more intense.

On the afternoon of July 4th at 5pm, before returning to Chongqing, I went to Chunxi Road and Taikoo Li for a stroll and bought some small gifts to bring back to my family and friends. I immediately ordered a Chongqing barbecue at home, which still had the familiar taste.