This is a long-planned trip-driving from Chengdu to western Yunnan and see blue skies and white clouds, watching red-billed gulls soar, and watching the sunset set west.

It was originally planned to be implemented in early December 2020, but the imported virus in Piitong District in Chengdu suddenly made the already calm epidemic tense. We also responded to the call not to go out and pressed the pause button for travel.

Finally, two weeks later, the epidemic was contained. Friends discussed off-peak travel before the Spring Festival and put the 2020 plan into early 2021. We set off on January 8, 2021, with two cars and 7.5 people. The 0.5 person was a little princess aged 2 years and 8 months. Having her on this trip added a lot of fun to our tiring self-driving tour.

The plan for this trip was formulated by me, and I rolled out a map to start a strategy. I synthesized everyone's ideas and varied the draft. When finally implemented, we made adjustments at any time based on weather changes and everyone's physical condition.

First, submit a plan diagram

On the morning of January 8, we set out. Unfortunately, the country has experienced a cold wave of the century starting from the 8th. We set the departure time at 9:00 a.m., which is wrong for people working. At this time, snowflakes were already falling in the sky in Chengdu. Everyone was all in high spirits, thinking that Yunnan would be a place where spring is all year round. Coincidentally, at 24:00 pm on December 31, 2020, the Chengyizhao Expressway was opened, shortening the journey by one hour, so we chose the road from Yibin Shuifu to Yunnan.

The journey was very smooth, but in Zhaotong, we encountered snow and covered the mountains with snow. We drove carefully and enjoyed the beautiful snow scenery.

It was already 19:00 in the evening when we arrived at the ancient city of Huize in Yunnan, and the temperature was 0 degrees. It was so cold. After settling in the pre-contacted B & B, we went out to eat. I found a nearby fish hot pot restaurant on the reviews, and the telephone communication was still open. That little princess is really a good child. Like us, she just started dinner now and didn't cry at all. Everyone likes her very much.

After dinner, we walked back to the B & B in the cold wind.

On the morning of January 9, the temperature in Huize was minus 3 degrees. According to the plan, we would go to the Dongchuan red soil to take photos. After checking the weather forecast, the temperature was slightly higher than Huize, so everyone discussed and followed the plan. If the temperature is very low when we get there, we will go directly to the Kunming destination.

There was no tour of the ancient city of Huize on this trip, so after packing your luggage, I went to Huize Park to take pictures of the world's largest copper coin when leaving Huize. I wanted to follow the plank road through the money eye, but unfortunately the deck of the plank road was already frozen. As soon as I stepped on it, I immediately froze. I had to take photos below and drive towards Dongchuan.

Shooting while resting on Dongchuan Road

As soon as I entered Dongchuan, I was overjoyed. The temperature in Dongchuan was 16 degrees and the sun was shining high. I was grateful for our decision. When he got off the car, he took pictures crazily.

Grandma, the car is here!

The little baby is well coordinated with us, and she also points her small hand to the sky.

The texture of the land, the prospect of a bumper harvest.

Leaving Dongchuan, we headed straight to Kunming.

It was already 20:00 p.m. when I arrived in Kunming. I had dinner in the restaurant. I had no talk all night and rested early.

January 10th. The original plan was to go to Dianwei Village, but the weather forecast that the cold wave would also come to Kunming, and the temperature dropped to 3 degrees. So everyone discussed adjusting the plan. They would rest in the hot springs in the morning to relieve the fatigue of two days of long-distance driving, and then set off in the direction of Dali in the afternoon. Chasing somewhere with sunshine. After some cleaning up, I came to the Hot Spring Villa.

After resting at the villa, we drove to Chuxiong in the afternoon and divided the road to Dali into two sections to make the trip easier.

January 11th. After breakfast in Chuxiong, we set off for Dali. At this time, the cold wave followed us all the way. The road from Chuxiong to Dali is a road for cars to travel through the mountains. When they enter the shade of the mountain, dense fog is filled, visibility is very low, and the speed is very slow; as soon as they enter the sun of the mountain, they suddenly feel enlightened. At noon, we arrived in Dali smoothly and passed by a restaurant called March 3rd. We got off the bus for lunch and made a special recommendation. The food was really delicious. There were many succulent plants in the backyard, many of which could not be named. The store was also very enthusiastic, and some local folk songs and dances were performed during the meal.

They are all meaty

There is a Fusui Yunhai Inn on the edge of the Erhai Lake in Dali. The owner is a sister who has settled in Chengdu from her ancestral home in Qingdao. I have never met her on WeChat for many years. Before departure, WeChat told her that we were going, and she warmly received us. Although we arrived in Dali at noon, the strong winds of cooling also blew into Dali. After entering the inn, everyone settled down, lit the fireplace, took out the tea set, and boiled water to make tea. Looking out the window at the leaves that were rolled up by the strong wind and sitting in front of the warm fireplace, everyone drank tea, chatted, ate snacks, played games, and played mahjong leisurely.

This inn is relatively large in scale, with three floors. The first floor is the lobby, kitchen, and staff lounge, and the second and third floors are all guest rooms. You can see the Erhai Lake from the window of every guest room, and you can see the sunrise and sunset when you lie in bed. The room is very exquisitely decorated, and the bathroom is also very carefully decorated. We each choose a room that satisfies us. The inn also has a huge garden. Although it is winter and many flowers have withered, the garden is still tidy and refreshing.

Boil tea and roast potatoes over the brazier.

My friends were playing mahjong, and I wandered around the garden and took pictures of the night view of the garden.

Lying in bed, you can see the sun rising

The scenery outside the window is intoxicating

In the morning, eat in the sunny restaurant and feel happy all day long

When I woke up on the morning of January 12, the wind had stopped and the temperature was still very low. Of course, it was still much warmer than Kunming. After breakfast, we decided to drive around the Erhai Lake.

The innkeeper recommended Gusheng Village and Longkan Wharf to us. After we decided on the navigation, we started to follow the Erhai Lake Highway to Gusheng Village first.

Only when I came to Gusheng Village did I realize that this is a Bai village with a long history. In 2009, the village implemented ecological renovation of the Erhai Lake to improve the appearance of the village and show the cultural characteristics of the Bai people. In 2014, the villagers had a per capita net income of tens of thousands, and they lived a happy and prosperous life. In 2015, the General Secretary inspected Gusheng Village and spoke highly of the high-quality ecological environment of Erhai Lake. Green waters and green mountains are invaluable assets.

Bai temples in the village

The big stage in the village

There is a big tree in the center of the village, facing the large stage in the village. This reminds me of Mr. Lu Xun's "social opera" and the children climbing on the tree to watch the opera

The next attraction is Longkan Wharf. To get to the dock, we have to pass through the ancient city of Dali. Everyone has been to the ancient city many times, so it was not the place for our trip this time. It was just lunch time and we decided to go to the ancient city to eat fungus soup pot.

The firecrackers in the ancient city bloom luxuriantly and are photographed as you please.

Nezha is definitely a child's favorite

After lunch, we left the ancient city and headed straight for Longkan Wharf. This is an abandoned dock that the local government has turned into a tourist attraction. When we went there, we were still under construction, and the prototype had already emerged. The scenic spot is not open to the public, but the small door in the park leading to the dock is open. After we entered, the first thing we saw was a Japanese dry scenery. Across the dry scenery was a small forest with a long reinforced wooden plank road, and then there is the endless Erhai Lake.

Longniche Wharf under construction

Outside Longkan Wharf Scenic Area

Push open the small door and enter the scenic area, presenting a dry Japanese scenery in front of you

Outside the dry scenery is a forest

On the edge of the woods are the former pier and the newly built plank road

Standing on the plank road and looking at the endless Erhai Lake. Due to the cold wave, the sky is gloomy, and the photos of Longniche Wharf are like ink paintings.

After coming out of Longkan Wharf, we returned to the inn. The meat and vegetables that we entrusted to the innkeeper to buy for us have been put in the kitchen. Everyone started cooking and cooking in the inn themselves. It was so lively. After dinner, Mahjong began and there was no talk all night.

January 13th. Today's plan is to go to Shaxi Ancient Town in Dali. Shaxi is 99 kilometers away from Dali Inn, an hour and a half drive.

Today is sunny and the temperature is 16 degrees. Our group of people chasing the sun finally ushered in an extremely sunny day. Although this is the third time I have been to Shaxi, I still like it here very much. It does not have the hustle and utilitarian nature of Lijiang, nor does it have the affectation and vulgarity of Shuhe. It is only authentic, tranquil and simple.

On the way from Dali to Shaxi, I saw hard-working villagers

After parking the car in the parking lot, we entered the ancient town. The beams of Shaxi Inn are covered with cured meats, which can be seen as preparations for the Spring Festival.

Stroll through the alleys of Shaxi Ancient Town.

Most of the ancient towns in Yunnan are in the Sifang Street model. There is a square square in the middle of the town, which used to be a trading market. There are alleys at the four corners of the square leading out of the town. Sifang Street has many functions. It is not only a market, but also a cultural and social center of the town, because there must be temples and stages on Sifang Street, and the spacious Sifang Street is also a place for local people to dance and compete in songs. Sifang Street in Shaxi Ancient Town is no exception, and the stage building in Shaxi is very beautiful and magnificent.

Panorama of Shaxi Sifang Street

Sifang Street in Shaxi is surrounded by coffee shops, restaurants and small shops selling souvenirs

There is a temple on Sifang Street in Shaxi, but we didn't enter it because it sold tickets. It can be seen from the carving process of the cornerstone of the temple gate that this temple has some history.

The stage building on Shaxi Sifang Street has a triple roof with high eaves, which has a good amplification effect. Without loudspeakers and broadcasts at that time, the wonderful design of the building could transmit sound far.

Looking out from any window in the quiet and simple ancient town of Shaxi, you can see a picture scroll.

When my hair reaches my waist, I also ask my mother-in-law to comb it with colorful pigtails.

This is the only preserved relic of the ancient tea-horse ancient road in the ancient town. It is said that whenever it rains and floods, horse gangs enter the village and bring the sediment from the river outside the town to the town. In order to keep the town clean, the villagers carried many stones from the river outside the town to pave the road. Over time, the hooves of horses had stepped on the hard stones and left many marks. Even now, we can still clearly see the horseshoe prints on the stone. However, compared with the "Qin Wuchi Road" at Dousha Pass, this ancient road is still "young".

We followed this alley out of town.

In ancient my country, whether it was a city or a town, most of them had rivers outside. One was to provide drinking water for local residents and livestock and irrigation for farmland. Another important function was to protect the city and resist foreign invasion. Shaxi Ancient Town was no exception.

This is Ma Market and also the place for running horses on the school grounds

The river outside the town is cool and the scenery is beautiful. It should be the moat of Shaxi Ancient Town.

It is said that the caravan left the town through this bridge and traveled to the barbarians to do trade.

When Shaxi Ancient Town came back, we discussed going back to Kunming tomorrow. Because the sun was back in Kunming, we would also go after it.

On January 14, we packed our bags to bid farewell to the innkeeper and returned to Kunming. There is a resort town "Ideal State" between Dali and Kunming, 40 kilometers away from Dali and only about 40 minutes 'drive. It is a resort town built along the Erhai Lake and has the style of Santorini in Greece. Okay, we can't travel abroad because of the epidemic, so let's go there.

This is a real estate project. The houses there are rented and sold to the outside world. They are inlaid among the blue sky and white clouds of the Erhai Lake in Dali. They have a bit of a Greek flavor. It's just that this kind of scenery is suitable for taking photos in summer. We wrapped ourselves in down jackets and looked round. We took some photos and left.

On January 15, in Kunming, the weather was sunny, the temperature was 17 degrees, and the human comfort was just right. I have long planned to go to Dianwei Village to shoot metasequoia trees on the best day. Dianwei Village is 65 kilometers away from Kunming and takes an hour and a half by car. This is the place I want to go, and it has to be in winter. In winter, the leaves of metasequoia are withered and withered. Under the sunshine and the blue sky, the metasequoia forest will appear red and red.

It was already noon when we arrived in Dianwei Village. Considering the little baby, we decided to have lunch in the village before going on a tour. We went to a black goat stew shop in the village for dinner. To be honest, the decoration of restaurants in Yunnan is relatively old, and the tables and chairs are also very simple. Friends said that if we were in Chengdu, we would definitely not go in such a store, but the food is delicious.

We asked fellow villagers about a dirt road that could drive to the edge of the Metasequoia forest. With the intention of giving it a try, we found a dirt road and drove in. The road was narrow and uneven. It took about ten minutes to drive, and the road was a little wider. While everyone was discussing how to park the car, a fellow villager came over and asked about it before realizing that there was a huge building similar to a biogas digester in front of it. It was relatively spacious and you can park your car. You can walk from there for a few minutes to reach the edge of the forest. We were overjoyed and quickly found the round pool, parked the car, packed our clothes, and walked down the slope happily.

We saw the red metasequoia from afar, and everyone became excited. Even the little baby didn't want to sit in the stroller. He got off the bus and hobbled along with us.

Wow, the scenery in front of us is really amazing. It seems to be a lake here. The metasequoia trees are all growing in the water, the leaves are all red, the sky is blue, and the water surface is also blue against the sky. The sun, breeze, and the water surface is shining, and I can vaguely see a white bridge passing through the metasequoia forest. Where have we ever seen such a stunning scenery? Cheers and screams are endless. More importantly, there is no one else here except us. It is completely our exclusive venue.

I followed the steep path by the lake and slipped to the other side of the lake. A long-distance camera photographed the small bridge and my friends on it. I wanted to go around the lake for a week, but it was too far away from my friends, so I just walked to the other bank and returned.

The metasequoia forest under the blue sky and white clouds.

Panoramic view of the White Bridge through the Metasequoia forest. The bridge has been in disrepair for a long time, and many of the railings on the bridge have been broken.

I was shuttling through the metasequoia forest and heard a voice. I followed the voice and saw two old men fishing with a pole. I came forward to chat and knew that this was the Songhuaba Reservoir. In November every year, the reservoir will flood the metasequoia forest. The purpose is to purify the water quality. In March of the following year, the water will be released for farming, and the metasequoia forest will grow young leaves and return to green. Oh, fortunately I didn't go around the lake. This is a reservoir, and it's almost impossible to walk back!

How beautiful it is here. Why don't the local area build it into a tourist attraction?! We unanimously lamented that the best time should be December, because when we came, almost all the metasequoia leaves had fallen, and it looked a little hopeless.

We reluctantly left Dianwei Village and returned to Kunming. It was already 18:00 in the evening, and the sun was setting right now. We decided to go to Haiyan Village next to Dianchi Lake, where there was a photography base dedicated to filming the sunset in Dianchi Lake.

When the car drove into Haiyan Village, the road was very tortuous and narrow. Vehicles would be parked in the slightly wider area, and it was impossible to meet cars in the alleys of the village. There are also many villagers setting up barbecue stalls in the center of the village, where many people eat roasted tofu and baked potatoes. Just when we were worried that there was no way to park the car, the villagers enthusiastically instructed us to park the car in front of his house and charged us a parking fee of 10 yuan. Then he told us to follow this path to the Dianchi Lake to watch the sunset. The time was almost up. This is a photography base. There are many people who come to see the sunset. Parking fees have become a living for local villagers. We happily paid the parking fee, thanked the villagers for watching the car for us, and walked quickly to Dianchi Lake. It turned out that there were already many people here. In order to allow tourists to watch the sunset well, the villagers also built a long cement plank road that stretched out to the center of Dianchi Lake. There were many people standing on the plank road. This season is when Siberian red-billed gulls fly to Yunnan for the winter. Tourists are taking photos of the red-billed gulls feeding. Although the wind is gradually rising and the night is cold, we are completely unaware of the excitement of the sunset.

A long cement plank road that stretches into the center of Dianchi Lake.

The red-billed gulls returning at night danced in the sunset.

The sunset clouds fly together with the lonely birds, and the autumn water shares the same color as the sky.

Throw a stone, and the splash of water is stained with the color of the sunset.

dear to each

flying

A dedicated photographer

sunset

Today is a fulfilling and satisfying day. The day after tomorrow is the day when you plan to return. Tomorrow's contents are very loose. Adjust your physical condition to ensure a smooth return trip.

January 16th. Today's plan is to play in Kunming Wetland Park, a 4A-level attraction. Coupled with the sunny weather, we rented a multi-person bicycle in the park, rode around and took photos. The multi-person bicycles here are very good, and children have special places.

We danced to the background music of the park.

January 17th. I started to make the way back home today. Judging from the weather forecast and navigation conditions, it would take a short time to return to Chengdu from Zhaotong, but the cold wave once again hit Zhaotong and the temperature dropped to zero again. The roads in Zhaotong and Bijie sections were frozen. The Yaxi Expressway in Panzhihua and Xichang has a temperature of 8 degrees and good road conditions. Considering the little baby, we decided to take the Yaxi Expressway back. Although it was a long journey, we would stay in Xichang for one night. Kunming is 513 kilometers away from Xichang and a 7-hour drive. After settling down in the hotel, we went to Xichang Barbecue Street. Coming to Xichang without eating barbecue is equivalent to going to Beijing without going to the Great Wall. If you find a well-received barbecue restaurant on the reviews, you will naturally enjoy it.

On January 18, we set out from Xichang and returned directly to Chengdu. Xichang is 435 kilometers away from Chengdu and a 6-hour drive. The road was smooth and the weather was quite strong. If you saw the snowy mountains and the Yaxi Expressway, which is known as the most beautiful expressway in China, you would definitely have to take photos.

We drove to Hanyuan, Ya 'an, and decided to go to Jiuxiang Town, where there was a huge grain and oil farmers' market. Everyone happily bought meat for their families to prepare for the New Year.

The 11-day self-driving tour ended smoothly, with the entire journey of 3,407.4 kilometers. The little baby performed very well. She did not cry or make a fuss along the way. She still insisted on learning children's English every day. The grandparents who accompanied her loved her very much.

Everyone returns to our warm and happy home safely.

The final implementation plan is as follows. We didn't have the time or strength to go to Jianshui Ancient City. Due to the cold wave, we didn't go to Lijiang. All other plans were implemented, especially the long-awaited visit to Songhuaba Reservoir to watch the red glasequoia and Haiyan Village to take the sunset in Dianchi Lake. It was achieved during this trip. Thank you to the little babies and friends who have traveled along the way.

The previous itinerary for this trip.