This year's National Day holiday is connected to the Mid-Autumn Festival. There are eight days of holidays. If you take a few more days off and make up for the rest days at both ends, you can make a long holiday of more than ten days. Although more than ten days are not enough for western Sichuan, choose a few. Let's go. After studying the Lower Loop Line and Small Loop Line, we roughly made a route. Because it is self-driving, it can be changed at will according to the situation. In fact, when walking in western Sichuan, uncertain factors can occur at any time, so we can only go with the situation and adjust at any time. The final line is:

D1September 28, Wuxi-Kunming

D2September 29, Anning-Maitreya

D3September 30, Maitreya-Anning

D4October 1, Anning-Xindu Bridge

D5October 2, Master Lotus Peanut's cultivation place

D6October 3, Xindu Bridge-Bamei

D7 October 4, Bamei-Luhuo

D8October 5, Luhuo-Cuoka Lake-Luhuo

D9October 6, Luhuo-Jiaju

D10 October 7, Jiaju-Markang

D11 October 8, Markang-Suining

D12 October 9, Suining-Yichang

D13 October 10, Yichang-Chaohu

D14 October 11, Chaohu-Wuxi

Preparation Chapter:

This is not the first time I have entered Tibet, so there is nothing special to prepare. Eating rhodiola two weeks in advance still feels useful. Bring sleeping pills, Sanlitong, and VC Yinqiao tablets. These are must-have for going to high-altitude areas. A good sleep can greatly relieve altitude reaction. There is a large temperature difference between morning and evening in western Sichuan. A thin down jacket is very useful. It is short sleeved at noon and a down jacket in the morning and evening. It is simple and light. In Tibetan areas, weather forecasts and driving times can only be referred to and cannot be taken seriously. It is normal for rain in the sun. Also, pay attention to sun protection and bring snacks that can fill your stomach. You can't guarantee three meals a day while traveling.

Departure on September 28

I booked a flight from Wuxi to Kunming because my friend Aji bought a house in Anning, Kunming. They had already driven to clean up the house half a month ago. The original flight was booked at 8 p.m.. I flew from Wuxi to Kunming, and the little beauty Yuyu flew from Shanghai to Kunming at 8:30 p.m.. We arrived in Kunming at about the same time. Aji would just pick us up at the airport. As a result, the day before departure, I was notified that the flight I booked was cancelled, and the departure was advanced to 3:30 p.m., so I studied the Kunming subway and airport bus again, and finally decided to pick me up first. After arriving in Kunming, I would spend time near the airport, waiting for the little beauty. When we arrived, we picked up Anning together.

When I arrived at Wuxi Airport, I used a super member of Ctrip to get a VIP room for free. The time passed easily by after having a cup of tea and brushing my phone. During the epidemic, the route was not so busy. The plane was very punctual and landed at Kunming Changshui Airport three hours later. After Aji picked me up, he went to a place called Huaqing Village near Jiyang to kill time for dinner. After dinner, I walked around the village. It turned out that this village and several neighboring villages were doing airport business. Most of them were inns and restaurants, as well as several specialty stores. After the epidemic, it became much colder. When I walked around, I had nowhere to go. I went back to the restaurant where I had dinner to rest. The lady boss was very kind and gave us a handful of chestnuts. They peeled them raw. Looking back, I saw that they were around the small low table and peeling them happily. It was like we were chewing melon seeds, chatting and laughing, and then cleaning up and dispersing after eating. Chestnuts are wild on the mountain, crispy and have the taste of sweet potatoes eaten raw when I was a child. It is just that it is a little troublesome to peel. What I taste is a kind of enthusiasm and friendliness.

After receiving Yuyu, we drove to Anning. The highway before the festival was dressed up and brightly lit. It was early morning, but there were still many cars. However, it was normal for traffic jams every day on weekdays. The long water machine was 60 kilometers long in Anning. If it was relatively smooth, it would take an hour, and it would be past 2 o'clock when we finished sleeping.

Raw chestnuts given by the landlady

September 29 Anning-Yiliang Jiuxiang-Mile

Take a two-day tour around Kunming. The plan is to go to Jiuxiang first, then to Shilin, then to Maitreya to stay, visit Maitreya the next day, and then return.

Yiliang is 52 kilometers away from downtown Kunming. The main attractions are Jiuxiang Scenic Area and Yanquan Scenic Area. We went to Jiuxiang Scenic Area. Due to the epidemic, tickets for Yunnan attractions were 50% off. Tickets for Jiuxiang Scenic Area were 30 yuan/person. We mainly visited a cave. Jiuxiang Karst Cave is called the "Karst Cave Museum". In fact, I have little interest in the Karst Cave. I can't remember what stones are. Then there are various lights. The more distinctive ones include the underground Grand Canyon, rock terraces, male and female waterfalls, underground stone forests... The most satisfying thing is that there are not many tourists, and they are empty wherever they go, as if the entire scenic area is contracted out. Just walk along the passage inside the cave. You won't get lost anyway. You can always reach the Lion Hall, where the movie "Myth" is filmed. When I left the Lion Hall and saw the sun again, I thought I was done. Unexpectedly, I had to continue the second cave. I walked down all the way, and finally climbed more than 300 steps to get out of the cave. I still had to walk more than 2 kilometers to get out of the cave. I couldn't walk anymore. I took the cableway for 30 yuan/person, spanning the cableway between the mountains, and I could see the cave entrance I had just walked through from a high place. Walking down the two karst caves is still a little tiring, but I think I can't walk further through the Stone Forest. I change the route and go directly to Maitreya, take a break in the hot spring, and go to the Stone Forest tomorrow.

Jiuxiang Guide Map

Male and female double waterfalls

Contract the entire scenic area

The mountain peak you can see from the cable car contains heaven and earth inside.

It is nearly 100 kilometers from Jiuxiang to Maitreya. Mile City is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture. Mile City has many scenic spots. We chose Keyi Town and Jinping Mountain Scenic Area.

Keyi Town, in my opinion, is a demonstration site of a new socialist countryside, mainly reflecting some features of the Yi people. We drove straight up and drove around. The town was very quiet and we didn't see any tourists or local villagers. Small yellow buildings are built against the mountains, with lush flowers and plants. It can be seen that the planning is relatively good. There should have been an inn that was open before, but now there are basically no customers. It feels good to walk around, clean and quiet.

Come down from Keyi Town and head to Jinping Mountain Scenic Area. Maitreya City is named after Buddha, and the world's largest Maitreya Buddha is located on Jinping Mountain. Mountains are like Maitreya, temples are Maitreya, Buddha is Maitreya, and cities are Maitreya, which is also a major feature. There are 1999 steps up from the foot of the mountain. We arrived late, so the car can drive directly to the top of the mountain and view the Buddha of Folle. From the highest point, we can see Maitreya City. The clouds are clearing and the rain are resting, the sky is blue, and the air is fresh. Here, it is a comfortable city.

When I arrive in Maitreya, I must soak in the hot spring. I booked a hot spring hotel and soak in the pool after dinner to relieve the fatigue of the day and prepare for tomorrow's Shilin.

September 30 Maitreya-Stone Forest-Anning

Stone Forest is a very mature attraction. It is usually crowded with people. This year is okay, except that it is a little crowded where tourists must check in.

Tickets for Shilin are half-price at 60 yuan/person, and for battery cars are 30 yuan/person. Park the car in the parking lot, take the battery cart to the visitor center to buy tickets, you need to register your ID card, and then take the battery cart to the entrance of the scenic spot. Judging from the neatly parked rows of battery cars and the fact that there are not many tourists nowadays.

This is the third time I have come to the Stone Forest. The so-called rock has no transfer, but it is still those stone forests. However, the scenic area is getting bigger and bigger, and there are more and more roads to walk. The scene that you can see as soon as you enter the door is now It's time to slowly walk in. The stone forest is like a maze. Leaving those tourist groups, you will instantly feel like you are in a deserted land. It is extremely easy to get lost. Getting lost has the benefits of getting lost, and you will have many sudden joys. The feeling of heaven and earth and people will be like watching a spider quietly. The first time around the mountain, the joke of choking the master with a cigarette, and the sudden call from behind... He talked on all the way, and the check-in scenic spots were gone, and the remote caves were dug into, and he found real fun.

Back in Anning, I walked around the community, sat on the grass and waited for the sunset, played drone shooting, and relaxed leisurely.

After dinner, I prepared to leave tomorrow. I planned to drive to Kangding in one day. After checking, I decided to leave at 7 a.m. tomorrow morning in about 14 hours.