The three-year "mask" was finally removed, and the depressed emotions accumulated in my body also had a chance to be released. At the beginning of 2023, my wife and I began to plan this year's travel. Where to go? Hunan.

As a working-class worker, I don't have the right to "leave", so I still have to plan well. In my past travel experience, I planned my own route based on the time, booked hotels online, and did not follow a group. Drive your own car for short distances, and for long distances, fly first to the provincial capital city, rent a car and follow the predetermined route to play. Off-peak tours are a must. Not only is the price low, but there are relatively few tourists in the scenic area, and the sense of experience can be greatly improved. There were a total of four people traveling on this trip, my wife, my mother-in-law and her grandson (who was a big fat man). The time is from June 2 to 11, avoiding the peak of tourism after the college entrance examination.

Ctrip has been my travel dependence for many years, and I have long known about the private customization function of its travel routes. At the end of February this year, I couldn't wait to log in to Ctrip. com and put forward the request of "privately customized 10-day tour to Hunan", and chose one based on the plan and service experience of the two "customizers" provided by it. After continuous communication, the tourism plan has been improved. It is important to mention here that the prices of air tickets and hotels have been high this year, and we have made some adjustments accordingly. I gave up the plane and switched to a green leather train soft sleeper, saving less than 9,000 yuan in price.

The planned route this time is as follows:

At 18:00 on the first day, I took a soft sleeper and rushed to Changsha, which took about 18 hours.

At about 11 o'clock the next day, I arrived at Changsha Station, picked up the car, checked in at the hotel, and went to Taiping Old Street in the afternoon for dinner.

On the third day, I checked out after breakfast. I first visited the Hunan Museum, then navigated directly to Yueyang Tower. After playing, I checked in at the hotel for dinner.

On the fourth day, I rushed to Zhangjiajie, checked into a B & B on Xibu Street, and headed straight to the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon in the afternoon.

On the fifth day, we visited Tianzi Mountain, Yuanjiajie (suspended mountain), and Shili Gallery. (Due to rain, the itinerary was adjusted and changed with the itinerary for the sixth day)

On the sixth day, Huangshi Village and Jinbian Creek.

On the seventh day, after checking out, I drove to the urban area of Zhangjiajie. After visiting Tianmen Mountain, I drove to Furong Town and checked into the hotel.

On the eighth day, I started from Furong Town, took a little detour to see the Aizhai Bridge, and then rushed to Fenghuang Ancient City and checked into a hotel.

On the ninth day, I returned to Changsha, checked into the hotel, rested, and returned the car.

On the tenth day, Meixi Lake Park and Wuyi Square, at about 18:00, we took the train back to Tianjin.

On the eleventh day, I returned to Tianjin at 11:00.

With the extension of high-speed rail lines, the fatigue of the journey is no longer a problem. But the 8-hour drive from Tianjin to Changsha is not short. For a seat, space is limited and you can't move around at will. It's definitely hard work. Coupled with the emergence of seat bullying and slapping incidents on the train, this is one of the reasons why I chose "green skin".

June 1st, a pleasant journey

At about 17 p.m., we gathered at Tianjin East Railway Station and boarded the Z206 train heading south. The train route puzzled me. First it arrived in Langfang, then it arrived in Fengtai, Beijing, and then it merged into the Beijing-Guangzhou line. The train and roast chicken are a perfect match. Eating the roast chicken and drinking wine, we share happiness with friends and family along the way.

On June 2, check in Taiping Old Street and Internet celebrity restaurants

Passing through Wuchang in the morning, the train crossed the Yangtze River and passed under the Yellow Crane Tower. However, due to the proximity, the Yellow Crane Tower was above Snake Mountain, so it had to be close to the window and looked up to see it, and it was fleeting. Even so, it adds fun to the journey.

At Wuchang Station, there are many tourists getting off the bus. They are senior luxury groups organized by travel agencies and their destination is the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River. The cost is 4,800 yuan, which is not low.

At about 11 o'clock, I arrived in Changsha and picked up the Chevy Cruze I had ordered in advance. The car is a new car this year and also comes with a fixed speed function. This is something I attach great importance to, saving the trouble of speed limits between sections on the road.

The navigation software is very powerful. From the "certain virtue" more than ten years ago to the "certain degree" now, I have accompanied me through no less than 20 provinces and cities. The navigation successfully arrived at the Exotic Impressions Hotel in Changsha International Financial Center. The hotel is in a good location, facing Juzizhou in the west and Taiping Old Street in the east. I asked for two rooms with river views, one on the 19th floor and the other on the 6th floor (the price is slightly lower). The room is close to 60 square meters. The intelligent remote control system in the room is not outdated. After taking a bath, you can sit in front of the window and see the entire "Orange Island". The fly in the ointment is that the windows cannot be opened flat, and the outside of the glass is dirty. When I want to shoot Juzizhou, the focus is always wrong. I can only take a drone to the riverside park opposite the hotel to fly.

Before coming here, I did a guide to Changsha, and the food bloggers that I paid attention to introduced Changsha many times, and I also had a preliminary understanding of Changsha's online celebrity food. There was no specific itinerary in the afternoon, so we went to Taiping Old Street nearby. As soon as we entered the street, we saw "Tea Beauty" and "Black Classics". As we continued to walk in, we looked for the first online celebrity restaurant "Stupid Radish" that we wanted to experience. Turn in from an alley next to a theater building, and you will reach it within a hundred meters. We arrived around 4:30 p.m. and there were not many empty tables left. The hotel is located on the second floor of the street shop and is directly accessible by a slightly narrow escalator. The interior decoration is relatively simple and the area is large, and it can accommodate more than 200 people dining at the same time. Although there was no queue for a seat, we had to wait until after 5:15 before ordering food in our area. The waiter told us that we could scan the code first to browse the menu and place an order directly after the time. The speed of serving the food depends on your hand speed. While waiting, I went out to buy a bottle of wine and coke, when thirty to fifty people were already waiting for a seat. There are at least seven or eight young chefs working on the stove in the back kitchen, so the speed of serving food is not slow. We ordered stir-fried fresh beef, stir-fried rice noodles with pickled cabbage, stir-fried golden eggs, stir-fried fat sausage, a stir-fried green vegetable and a soup, together with rice, for a total of 179 yuan. Hunan cuisine is still very good with rice. It tastes average and is not very spicy. Perhaps it is to adapt to the taste of tourists across the country, but it is far less sweaty than Tianjin Hunan Cuisine Restaurant.

The night view of Juzizhou is good (of course, it cannot be compared with Fenghuang Ancient Town), but I drank a lot of alcohol and didn't fly a drone. I turned off the lights in the room in the hotel and photographed Juzizhou.

June 3, from Hunan Museum to Yueyang Tower

I slept well and got up early (I have the habit of going to bed early and getting up early). I got up at around two o'clock in the morning. I originally wanted to fly a drone, but the weather was not beautiful and it rained heavily, so I could only go to the hotel. Douyin in the lobby. The hotel's business is good, and guests check in from time to time.

The hotel's buffet breakfast is ok with a complete range of varieties. Shaomai in the south is not wrapped in meat filling, but glutinous rice soaked in broth. Hunan rice noodles are a must-order. As a foreign tourist, I don't know how to match salty or sour side dishes and seasonings, and I feel average.

Perhaps it was because of the rain at night, the morning in Xiangjiang River was still relatively cool. The four of us came to Riverside Park one after another. There are many people doing morning exercises, dancing and playing cards here, all of whom are local residents, and the atmosphere is good.

It was almost time, after checking out, we drove to Hunan Museum. There are similar attractions in other provinces and cities, but there are really not many that can be called museums. Although the number of ancient tombs in Hunan is not as large as that in Shaanxi, previous novels such as "Tomb Robbing Notes" and "Lao Jiumen" on the Internet have left a deep impression on me. I really want to see the treasures left behind by "Zhang Qiling". Tickets need to be booked in advance, but this is not a problem. Ctrip's customizers have already completed it, so we only need to show our ID card. The museum's exhibition area is divided into "Hunan People" on the second floor and "Mawangdui" cultural relics unearthed from Han Dynasty tombs on the third floor. There is no manual explanation here, so I had to rent a self-service explanation headset on the first floor (sometimes there is a problem of delayed response). With my knowledge reserve, I don't listen to the explanations and just look at the cultural relics. I am far from being able to appreciate the connotation. The process of the visit will not be detailed here because it cannot be described in words. However, then again, the cultural relics unearthed from Mawangdui are indeed worth seeing.

After the visit, we drove directly onto the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway. The distance of 160 kilometers is not too far. With the help of the fixed speed function, the two-hour journey is not tiring. Along the wide Yueyang Avenue, we entered Yueyang City.

Yueyang Tower, together with Yellow Crane Tower and Tengwang Pavilion, is also known as the "Three Famous Buildings in Jiangnan". I first learned about it when I was in middle school. Although the original text of "Yueyang Tower" has been forgotten, the grandeur of "holding the distant mountains and swallowing the Yangtze River" has never been forgotten.

Entering the scenic area, the trees are flourishing in the garden. The small fish in the water stream are afraid of seeing people and are always ready to crawl into the cracks in the rocks. The frog does not know where to hide, but can only hear its loud cry. The corridor displays steles and inscriptions of famous people from past dynasties. I am not very interested in them, so I hurried through them. Passing a fountain is a model of Yueyang Tower from past dynasties, which attracted my attention. On a small island surrounded by a ring of water, there are copper microscopic models of Yueyang Tower from five dynasties: Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing. It is said that the model of Yueyang Tower in the Tang Dynasty was made after research and deliberation based on architectural and historical archaeological information at that time, and it looked quite crude. The rest are imitations based on portraits in palaces of past dynasties. Among them, the hexagonal buildings of the Ming Dynasty are more unique, while I prefer the ones of the Song Dynasty (unfortunately, the photos were mistakenly deleted). Not only was the design of Yueyang Tower in the Song Dynasty more complex, but it was also more vigorous in momentum. After taking some photos, I still took out the drone. I wanted to appreciate it from another angle.

Perhaps it was due to the semi-cloudy day, the lake was mixed with some fog, but it was difficult to conceal the golden waves on the water. However, it lacked the contrast of the blue sky, which made the golden color of the roof of Yueyang Tower slightly inferior. My wife couldn't wait anymore. She stood upstairs and couldn't find my drone. She called to urge me and left her a shot of looking down from the sky.

Tonight's Hampton Inn was on the way here and was easy to find. The south side of the hotel is next to Nanhu Park, and the scenery is also good (unfortunately, the window sash still cannot be opened flat). The morning buffet was exhausted, and I booked a private room in the restaurant after checking in. I took a simple shower and went downstairs for dinner. Dinner was treated by my mother-in-law. The standard was not low, 300 per person. They were wary of Hunan's spicy food and ordered slightly spicy food when ordering, but they still didn't sweat much during the meal.

June 4, I first met a beautiful tour guide, Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon

I have experienced the facilities and breakfast at Hampton Inn and should be above standard. After enjoying the breakfast buffet, we checked out and drove along the Hangzhou-Swiss Expressway towards Zhangjiajie. The journey is about 320 kilometers, and we arrived at Yunxi Mountain House on Xibu Street at 1:30 noon. There is already a petite and lovely beautiful tour guide (booked on Ctrip. com, surnamed Lei, Tujia girl) waiting for our arrival. My mother-in-law is nearly eighty years old, and she and the "big fat man" are resting in the B & B. I drove "Lei Dao" and my wife to the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Scenic Area.

Let me explain here first that since I am no longer young and do little exercise, I am very afraid of walking on mountain roads, so I asked for more transportation instead of walking in the scenic area. There are still many days to go in the future, and some attractions that must be climbed can only give up.

It had just rained here in the morning, but the sky was still cloudy. In addition, the scenic area stipulated that drones could not be flown, leaving some regrets. We took a sightseeing bus up to the top of the canyon and passed through a hall. Our eyes suddenly became clear. A glass bridge lay flat between the two mountain tops. I still felt a little scared when I just stepped onto the glass bridge. I only dared to stand on the white steel beam. The first step forward was to make up my mind and dare not look down. Director Lei took my wife's arm and strode past me. The bridge deck is more than 300 meters away from the bottom of the valley. My wife also keeps her eyes open. Although the words she says are very tough, her nervous expression and slightly stiff steps betray her. Walking to the center of the bridge, the fear subsided slightly. Seeing that there was a bungee jumping platform directly under the glass, out of curiosity, I asked Director Lei about the price of bungee jumping under my feet. Director Lei told me that the minimum would be 1998 yuan. He was shocked and broke out in a cold sweat. He hurriedly explained,"Give it to me in 1998 and I won't jump." Standing by the bridge and looking at the bottom of the valley, a green creek fascinated me. The water surface is calm. There are cruise ships making slight ripples on the water surface, which has the artistic conception of Enshi, Hubei. After crossing the glass bridge, we stepped into the glass plank road hanging from the cliff. After experiencing the baptism of "Tianyun Ferry"(another name for the glass bridge), this plank road is no longer a problem. You need to take the elevator to get down to the bottom of the valley. When I swiped my ID and entered the elevator, I met a two-month-old baby, lying in the arms of my dad, sleeping soundly. I guess he should be the smallest tourist in this scenic area, not one of them. My wife also likes looking at the baby very much. She insisted on taking a photo with him when she got off the elevator. The nursing father was also very generous and fulfilled her wish.

Arrived at the dock, boarded the cruise ship, and chose the first row of seats for more convenience when taking photos. The creek originally had two names, Lanchuan Gorge and Luanquan Gorge. It is unknown where its water source came from. I only saw a man-dug canal (also called Hongqi Canal) halfway up the mountain. There was a "gap" at the edge. Water kept falling for more than ten meters, hitting the protruding stones on the cliff and falling into the stream. The amount of water in the waterfall is not large, and its decoration effect is not bad, but the traces of artificial carving are still quite obvious. This reminds me of the waterfalls I saw in Mianshan, Shanxi Province in 13 years, but I personally feel that the waterfalls in Mianshan are rather poor.

The cruise ship set sail, and the mountains on both sides were green, and even the stone walls were green. The stream water was even more eye-catching green. Only the imperial green of the top-quality jade could match it. The stream flows in the bay, and after more than a hundred meters, it reaches the end. After embarking on the trail, the water in the stream around me became much less, bypassing the larger rocks and flowing shallowly. After walking not far, I turned back and saw a dam at the dock. Only then did I realize that it was its obstruction that gave me the fun of sailing on the water.

There are not many tourists here. The pedestrian trails are winding and winding, and we can't see anyone before and after walking for a while, and we feel at ease. Director Lei introduced the local customs and customs and the story of the bandits. I couldn't help but sigh. I had just started working when I watched the Battle of Bandits in Wulong Mountain, and most of the characters had been forgotten. Only Shen Junyi's image as the Diamond Mountain Leopard was buried deep in my memory. Unconsciously, they were approaching the end of the canyon, and there was another dock ahead. They boarded the boat and sat down, resting while continuing to enjoy the endless scenery.

Back at the B & B, the sky was getting dark, and we had dinner at the nearest "Fuzheng Yi Sanxiaguo Restaurant". The so-called three-pot pot refers to a delicacy in which farmers cooked three main ingredients (usually bacon, tofu and radish) into the pot in three times in those days (underdeveloped times), similar to the stew in Northeast China. I am not "caught" about this, but I am very interested in scrambled eggs with wild onions and fried bacon with garlic sprouts.

June 5th, the surprise and discomfort in the rain

Breakfast at the B & B is relatively simple, but fortunately there are rice noodles. It rained, and the original itinerary of the Yuanjia Boundary Qiankun Pillar was adjusted to bring the third day of Huangshi Village and Jinbian River to that day. They didn't want to face the rain, so only Director Lei and I went.

You can really enjoy different scenery in the rain. Before entering the scenic area, the scenery in front of me is intoxicating. The light rain washed away the dust on the trees, making it so pure green. Originally, the brown peaks were slightly green, some protruding from each other, or piled on top of each other, surrounded by appropriate mist, making a masterpiece of ink and blue painting natural.

When you take the cableway up the mountain, the clouds and mist gradually become thicker. When you reach the top of the mountain, you are even more entangled by it. In the distance, there is a vast expanse of white, and even the nearby peaks are faint, making it difficult to distinguish their true appearance. I had no choice but to go down the mountain.

Director Lei comforted me from time to time and led me into the Golden Whip Creek. Not far from entering the valley, there is a tall and strange peak on the right, with sharp edges. This is the Golden Whip Rock. Lei Dao introduced that it was the "Golden Whip" once used by Qin Shi Huang, and the stream under its feet was named "Golden Whip Creek". The mountains on both sides are steep, ancient trees stand tall, and from time to time there are curling clouds and clouds floating in the continuous peaks and forests. The stream winds and stretches, quietly passing between the peaks and valleys. Director Lei kept explaining,"Seeking scriptures from the Western Heaven" and "splitting mountains to save my mother", as if there must be a legend everywhere. I asked Director Lei, didn't Chenxiang cut a mountain to save his mother? Director Lei replied, the attack was wrong. Haha, in fact, I also understand that in each scenic spot, a story must be made up based on the shapes of mountains and stones, so as to attract tourists. For example, this stone shaped like the head of Ji Gong is really lifelike. Because of the rain, the stream rolled and turned yellow, and the mood for playing was relieved. There were no tourists on the "swinging bridge" on the roadside. I asked Director Lei to take a video for me with his mobile phone. I swayed alone on the bridge wantonly. Tragically, I slipped and almost fell. Not bad, this material has been preserved. Moving on, I still felt boring when I arrived at the scene where the three dozen white bones were shot, so I decided to return (if I continued walking, I would have to go out through another scenic spot gate).

Back on Xibu Street, Director Lei recommended a restaurant owned by Uncle Bo's local chef. The fried bacon and braised pork with garlic sprouts here tasted good. Because the slightly spicy we wanted, we still didn't feel sweating. I stayed on the street for a while in the afternoon, bought some local bacon, vacuum-packed it, and then delivered it back to Tianjin. Nearly half of the stores on Xibu Street have closed, which should be due to the impact of the epidemic. The night view was almost unaffected, so some photos and videos were taken. The street entrance of Xibu Street is brightly lit with lights and many people are visible. However, if you look into the street, there is still some darkness and there are very few tourists. I found a pedicure shop and had a pedicure, just to prepare for tomorrow's formation.

June 6, Tianzi Mountain and Yuanjiajie

This is the third day since arriving in Zhangjiajie, and the sky finally cleared up. Get up early in the morning and take a drone to bird's eye view of Xibu Street. The small river next to the south of Xibu Street is Jinbian Creek. The stone mats on the river block the way of the water, and the river also appears wider. By flipping the control lever of the remote control, a square wooden tower came into the camera. The drone flew around the wooden tower, afraid of encountering trees, constantly adjusted the height and angle of the PTZ, and finally discovered the difference. I didn't see the base of the wooden tower. The bottom part was completely surrounded by a two-story house, and it was the kind with a ridge. The wooden tower above the ridge has at least four floors, and there are double towers on the top of the tower. I wonder if there are still layers hidden. Crossing the spire and raising the height, green peaks are lined up, forming a mountain barrier, blocking the wonder inside the mountain, but not losing the current beautiful scenery.

Breakfast in folk customs is still simple. I ate it in a breakfast shop not far away. There are freshly made wontons here. I ordered a bowl. There are at least fifteen or six wontons in one bowl. The soup is relatively weak, unlike Tianjin's bone soup, the "sesame cake" is sweet. After barely eating it, I ordered another steamed bun and was basically full. Director Lei came and guided us to the east gate of Zhangjiajie Scenic Area.

To enter the scenic spot, you must first take the transportation bus in the scenic spot. Although it was Tuesday, the number of tourists was quite high, and there was a long line in front of the station. We originally planned to go to Yuanjiajie first, then take the Bailong elevator up the mountain, and then to Yubi Peak and Helong Park. There were too many tourists on this route, so Lei Dao decisively chose the reverse route. The vehicles kept turning in the mountains. Being unfamiliar with the place, I had long lost my direction. Following Lei Dao's guidance, I came to Yubi Peak on Tianzi Mountain.

Not far away is a cluster of rocks of varying thicknesses, staggered and juxtaposed, standing straight in the canyon. Several of them have cracked vertically and vertically, seemingly crumbling, but they can withstand the erosion of wind and rain, still pointing towards the sky. There are many peaks around them, short but magnificent. The valley is full of green, and behind it is a brown cliff, which serves as an excellent background for the picture.

There are not many tourists here, so you can fly drones.

Near noon, we arrived at the "Shijia Estuary", which has a snack street where dozens of merchants sell various delicacies. We chose a table by the window, ordered a few "pre-made dishes", and simply filled our stomachs.

First we took the eco-friendly car and then took the Bailong elevator down, and we arrived at Yuanjiazhai. My wife was afraid that her mother would be tired, so Lei Dao led her to take a shortcut to the next scenic spot to rest. We waited in situ for Lei Dao to return.

"Avatar" has brought popularity to the entire Zhangjiajie scenic area, and the Qiankun Pillar (called Hallelujah in the movie, also known as Floating Mountain) has become famous around the world. Looking down from the railing, you can see lush trees in the valley and various stone peaks. Several stone peaks rose from the ground, among which one of the round stone pillars was slightly abrupt, like the divine needle of the Great Sage Sun, inserted into the valley. Pine and cypresses are grown all around, hanging from vines, and there is another stone peak to the right, as if four people are standing side by side. A tour guide holding a flag asked, is it like an 80-version 100-yuan bill? Haha, it's indeed a bit similar.

To make an aside, the floating mountains in Avatar (released in 2009) have made Zhangjiajie scenic spots world-famous, but this is not the first time it has appeared in a movie. As early as 2001, it was shown in "The Legend of Shushan" starring Zheng Yijian, Cecilia Cheung and Wu Jing. It is unknown whether Cameron was inspired by it to make the suspended mountain more amazing.

The number of tourists is gradually increasing, and the narrow roads are full of people. It is difficult to avoid other people's arms even when taking pictures with mobile phones. It is even more difficult to fly drones. The main reason is not only to avoid pedestrians when taking off and landing, but also to always pay attention to the dense trees. There were more solutions than difficulties, and the drone still flew into the sky swaying. After passing the Qiankun Pillar, we arrived at the first bridge in the world along the winding mountain road. According to the tour guide, the bridge was formed by the fusion of two collapsed mountains. My wife suggested taking a look on the bridge, but I felt that I couldn't see the shape of the bridge if I got on the bridge. It was no different from walking on a mountain road. The first bridge from afar spans between two mountains and is majestic. The bridge railing is covered with red silk and gold locks, mixed with green, but also removes the monotony of the color.

The highlights of the Yuan family's realm have passed. On the one hand, it is to save physical strength, and on the other hand, it is also necessary to meet with my mother-in-law as soon as possible. Lei Dao led us directly onto the main road, no longer winding the mountain, and soon met with our mother-in-law. The next road is not difficult to travel. When you arrive at the station, you take a bus and rush to Shili Gallery.

This is not the only place known as the "Shili Gallery" in scenic spots across the country. The Shili Gallery in Yangshuo is better than its beauty, and the Shili Gallery in Zhangjiajie highlights the "singularity". The small electric train slowly shuttled between the peaks, and the loudspeaker always introduced various wonders at the right time. Looking up, I searched hard for the old man picking medicine, a family of three, three sisters, Xiang Wang reading military letters, etc. The truth is three-quarters depends on looking and seven-quarters depends on imagination.

Shopping in the scenic spot is a must. Director Lei took us to a tea shop to drink tea. The waitress recommended us berry tea and eucommia male flower. My wife did choose a 2017 black brick tea, which was not cheap. After drinking enough tea, I found another Xiangxi local restaurant. Tell the hotel waiter in advance to put less peppers and try to keep the spicy taste of Xiangxi local dishes. The fish head with chopped pepper tastes good and is perfect with "white dough noodles".

On June 7, climb Tianmen Mountain and enjoy the night view of Furong Town

Director Lei lives in Zhangjiajie City, and she will wait for us in Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area. After checking out, we drove 35 kilometers to arrive according to Lei Daofa's positioning. There are many tourists today, and you need to queue up to take the cableway. Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area is quite humane. With his mother-in-law's ID card, Lei Dao took his mother-in-law to wait for us at the check-in counter inside, avoiding the pain of queuing.

We took the cable car directly up to the top of the mountain.

First, on the glass plank road, the fat man's fear was written on his face. He leaned close to the cliff, holding grandma in one hand and holding the cliff in the other, and slowly moving forward. It was nearly noon, and we had a simple lunch and rested, so that we could go to Tianmen Cave. Not far away is the entrance of the escalator station. The escalator down the mountain is very long and steep, buried in the mountain belly. Later, after calculations, there were seven in total. Get off the escalator, follow a corridor, and enter Tianmen Cave from the back. The roof of the cave is very high, at least more than a hundred meters. The cave is wide and can accommodate hundreds of people without being crowded. The area where tourists are allowed to stand is not large and has a solid cement roof. It is probably to prevent falling rocks from hurting tourists. If you are in it, you can fully feel the refreshing coolness. Looking north along the mountain pass, you can see white clouds floating in the air as high as yourself. Under the white clouds are the Lotus Airport in Zhangjiajie City. Nearby is the winding winding mountain road, and at the foot is the 999-level climbing ladder. I admire those hiking climbers, but I don't have the courage. My wife walked down more than a dozen steps, turned around and took photos to prove it, pretending to be a warrior coming from the steps. Her posture with her chest chest and head held high formed a sharp contrast with the real climber behind her. Follow the stone corridor on the right and enter the mountain belly again, continue to take the escalator down to the platform of the "upper ladder". The best position to look up at the Tianmen Gate here is. Compared with the "strange" scenery of Zhangjiajie Forest Park, it can be said to be "strong". Looking at Tianmen Cave here, it is like two giant rocks squeezing each other and holding up the rocks at the top. There is a straight stone footpath in the middle that leads directly to the Heaven Gate, as if you can enter the heaven. Unfortunately, although there are clouds in the sky, there is no auspicious fog from the Immortal World that flows out from the door, and no "wing-wearing flying" flies across the sky.

The entire scenic area is within the drone no-fly zone. No matter how you operate, the drone's blades will not move at all. It may be that it is too close to Lotus Airport, and there is also a saying that "wing-suit flights" are often here, so I have no choice but to give up. You can still take a cableway down the mountain. This time, the car is very large and can accommodate 26 people, but there are not many tourists going down the mountain. You can walk around at will in the car and lean your mobile phone out of the window to take pictures.

When I arrived at the foot of the mountain, I settled the new expenses for four days (small transportation in the scenic area), bid farewell to Director Lei, and did not forget to give her a five-star praise before leaving.

The next journey was about 80 kilometers. The navigation was wrong and we took the provincial highway. We arrived at Furong Town at about 17:00. Tonight, we stayed in Tusi Xuanfu. Vehicles are not allowed to enter Furong Town. The staff of this house drove an electric tricycle to pick us up.

The hotel is located on the east side of the waterfall and has a wooden decoration in Tujia style. The courtyard in this house is well decorated. Because it is built against the cliff, there are a total of three floors of courtyards, which are also arranged high and low. The flower beds and water features are arranged in an orderly manner. Although the decoration is not luxurious, it also exudes a simple atmosphere.

There is no waterfall in the guest room, and some can only see the river water. But the dining table in the courtyard provides a panoramic view of the waterfall. I couldn't wait to take out the drone and consume the drone's sufficient power to my heart's content.

The afterglow of the setting sun painted the houses in the distance gold, and also lit up the food on the table for the family. They tasted delicious food and wine while enjoying the beautiful scenery of the waterfalls. The life of an immortal was just so much. A few days ago, there were several heavy rains here. The water in the waterfall was relatively large and the water returned to green. The sky is already dark. Looking down from a high altitude, the observation decks of each family are full, the lights of the town are lit. Colorful spotlights take turns hitting the waterfalls, sometimes pink and sometimes blue. The lights in the town must be carefully designed, with the waterfall as the core, spreading and distributing around, with clear layers. The buildings closest to the center are particularly bright. From the spotlights on the roof to the tassel on the walls, from the floor lights on both sides of the stairs, to the light strips on flower beds and pools, Furong Town is immersed in neon brilliance. The food was completely cooled, and a hot dish was added. I drank the wine while feasting on the light feast.

On June 8, the quiet morning in Furong Town and the noisy night in Fenghuang Ancient City

At about 4 o'clock in the morning, after I had finished washing, I was in the small courtyard alone counting the last lights in the town. I was thirsty and didn't want to go back to my room to disturb the "big fat man"'s good dreams. I directly opened the freezer and took out a can of cola. The morning in Furong Town was already refreshing, and coupled with the coolness of the cola, it finally temporarily suppressed the fire in my stomach. The drone took off again, greedily grabbing the red spot in the eastern sky. The waterfall poured down tirelessly. When it fell, it still splashed up the yellow sand in the pool, and finally slowly melted into green. It is 5:30, and the east is already golden. The "Youshui" river surface is like a mirror, reflecting green mountains and morning glow. The drone reached the top of the waterfall. The waterfall is divided into three stages. The first stage is at the turn upstream of the stream, with a drop of less than two meters. The second and third levels are relatively close, facing the south. The height is more than 5 meters by visual inspection. The cliffs on both sides are also relatively open, making it convenient for tourists to see from a distance.

Every time I visit a scenic spot, I have the habit of going out to take photos in the early morning. In 2014 in Hongcun, Anhui Province, the photos of "Painting Bridge" and "Moon Marsh" taken at 5 a.m. were quite satisfied. The main reason was that there were no tourists disturbing them and the pictures were clean and tidy.

The west side of the waterfall is the center of the ancient town. From the "jumping rock" above the second-level waterfall, you cross the stream and enter the quiet ancient town. The stone street in the ancient town is not wide, and the ground is paved with bluestone slabs. There were almost no people on the streets, and even if there were, they were local elderly people cleaning. Most of the buildings on both sides are made of wood, with the eaves tilted outwards, and the second floor extends outwards. Efforts are made to expand more business area by taking advantage of the terrain.

Sporadic restaurants have opened their doors, and shop assistants are steaming, frying, or cooking breakfast in preparation to welcome early visitors. I told a sister-in-law in charge that I wanted to go to the observation deck to have a look, and her sister-in-law readily agreed. Due to the proximity, this family can only see part of the second-level waterfall, while the third pole is hidden under the cliff.

We arrived at the next restaurant. The location of this one's platform is obviously better. You can clearly see the two waterfalls, but the distance is still relatively close, so it is not as easy to see from the distance, but the effect is not good. But as we walked forward, the cliff turned, and only one corner of the waterfall could be seen, leaving only a pool of water, becoming the protagonist of our vision. I suddenly realized that among the nearly 30 shops on the West Bank, there are only three or four shops that can be regarded as having good locations, and their room prices are said to be 2,000 less.

It is said that the best location for viewing waterfalls here is the "Tuwang Palace" Hotel on the east coast. Tourists who do not live in this hotel will have to charge for entry. Even so, every evening, there is a long line of people taking photos in ethnic costumes. Back at the hotel where I stayed, the location was much better than the other side, and you could see the entire waterfall from head to head.

Today's trip is relatively short (less than 120 kilometers). Fenghuang Ancient City is mainly for viewing the night view. The time is relatively abundant, so you can stop for a while longer in the morning. After breakfast, sit at the tea table, make a pot of Jasmine Tea that is "Zhengxing Seven Scented Scenes", and carefully taste the aroma of the tea. The aroma overflowed, which attracted the admiration of the hotel's landlady. She asked what tea it was and quickly made her a full cup and asked her to taste it. They went out to take pictures, and I was here while swiping Douyin and sipping fragrant tea. It was so comfortable.

At 10:30, the accounts were settled and we were ready to leave. Take a detour and see the "Aizhai Bridge" first, which can be a way to kill enough time.

The bridge is built between two mountainsides, with a maximum height of about 350 meters from the ground, which is quite spectacular. Vehicles passed through the tunnel and drove over the bridge without feeling much shock. Get off the nearby toll station and turn onto the winding road next to the bridge. There is a parking area here that charges 10 yuan, which is a lot cheaper than the ticket cost of more than 200 yuan per person.

It is relatively open here, and the drone takes off smoothly. The bridge spans more than one kilometer. There is nothing under the bridge except red steel beams. White slings are fixed to the bridge towers on both sides and extend into the mountains on both sides. Viewed from the sky, the Aizhai Bridge is indeed majestic, once again proving the strength of the "infrastructure maniac".

Return to the highway and go straight to Fenghuang Ancient City. When we arrived in the ancient city, we first contacted the inn. The landlady of Jiuqi·Fenghuang Shuidiaogetou Hangjiao Building brought the clerk to pick us up and help us carry our luggage. The guest room is on the second floor and has a small balcony facing the Tuojiang River. The room is not large in area, and the sanitary ware in the bathroom is very ordinary. The main reason is that it is close to the parking lot, which saves the trouble of carrying luggage. Due to the reduction in hotel prices, the landlady asked us to book the hotel online again, charged the actual price, refunded the difference, and praised the landlady.

The temperature here is not low, and the sun is scorching the tourists on the street. Fortunately, the west bank was still shady, which supported me to move forward aimlessly. It is said that the commercial atmosphere in Fenghuang Ancient City is too strong, but the actual measurement is true. There are shops everywhere on both sides of the river, most of which are inns. The price of pedicure shops is very low (be careful of traps). Shops that rent ethnic costumes also send makeup and follow-up photos. Beef jerky and ginger candies are stacked very neatly in local specialty shops. The bar is relatively quiet during this time, and the small restaurant is still full of wine.

After crossing Hongqiao, you will find the ancient city. The towers and city walls are still preserved. On the outside of the city wall, the shops on the water side should be a product of the development of tourism. The Tuojiang River flows through the ancient city. I wonder if it has anything to do with Tuopai Qu Liquor. haha. There are many bridges on the Tuojiang River, which is also the most poetic beauty in the ancient city. Hongqiao, Wind Bridge, Snow Bridge, Fog Bridge, and Cloud Bridge have different shapes. Together with the "jumping rock" and unknown small bridges, they constitute the distinctive and unique business card of Fenghuang Ancient City. The night view is the focus. Go back to the inn and rest quickly.

After dinner and looking at the streets filled with beautiful women dressed in ethnic costumes, Fenghuang Ancient City has become a well-known tourist photography base. My mother-in-law and my wife couldn't help but rent a set of clothes with ethnic characteristics and made an appointment to return it the next morning. The couple had been here in 2017 and rented two sets of costumes to take photos at that time. This time, they visited the old place again and continued to sigh.

Only at night can I appreciate the changes of the ancient city, because I have seen their original photos. The building is still the original building, and the bridge is still the original bridge. Compared with six years ago, what has changed is the comprehensive upgrade of the overall sound, light and shadow of the ancient city.

From the perspective of the drone, the light belts put on a golden coat for the building, and the Wanming Tower is exuding a dazzling look of jewelry. The cruise ship in the river has lit up the red lights and slowly streaked across the water. The fountain is illuminated by spotlights, and from time to time it will be used as an image curtain, reflecting colorful neon. White mist sprayed out from the shore to gently brush the water, making the night more blurred. The water curtain under the wind bridge tunnel is dyed in various colors by lights, and dancers on the water stage danced to music, like a dream and strange. The singing drifted out slowly from the bar, the bartender's arms danced up and down, and the bartender boy was particularly busy. The bridge and the shore have long been occupied by beautiful women. Following the photographer's instructions, they showed their graceful figures in front of the camera. Of course, there will be exceptions. haha

Suddenly, the remote control screen lost color, indicating that the drone had lost contact. It should be too far away and the low mountain on the left blocked the signal. I quickly moved forward in the direction of the drone, and finally the screen returned to normal. I quickly controlled the drone to return, causing a false alarm. After taking off again, he increased his altitude and no longer dared to sail far along the river.

Put down the drone and continue the day journey. The ancient city was much busier at night. The singing in the bar drifted out slowly, the bartender's arms were flying like dragons and dragons, and the bartender boy was particularly diligent, dealing with the house full of drinkers. The bridge and the shore have long been occupied by beautiful women. Following the photographer's instructions, they showed their graceful figures in front of the camera. Of course, there will be exceptions. haha

June 9, morning in the ancient city

Last night, my mother-in-law monopolized the rented clothes, and it was only put on by my wife this morning. Before 7 o'clock, my wife put on light makeup and took me all the way along the river to take photos. Finally, we reached the water-friendly platform next to the "Rock Jump", where she left beautiful photos many years ago. I also know her purpose, to pursue beautiful memories from the past. A photographer holding a "SLR" took the initiative to step forward and approached him while peddling business. I took more than ten photos in a row, but in the end, I still took extra photos again and again. After paying the money, we went back the same way we came. Because it was too hot, she took off her coat. I called her to turn around and took a photo. This time, her smile made us very satisfied.

There are more and more pedestrians on the streets of Gucheng, and sanitation workers follow the waterwheel to wash the originally clean and quiet streets. The buildings on the street still maintain the characteristics of penthouse buildings, but the closed doors tell of the fatigue of last night.

After breakfast, the sun filled the small balcony, so I had to hide in the lobby of the inn and still drank tea and watched Short Video.

The journey back to Changsha today is a long one, more than 420 kilometers, and the journey takes about 6 hours. The journey was smooth and we arrived at the Wyndham Hotel in Lugu, Changsha at about 15 p.m. This hotel has been open for less than half a year, and its facilities and services are highly rated online. The room is 38 square meters, which is considered reasonable. The small housekeeper is the highlight. Turn on the lights and close the curtains at your command. The sanitary ware and shower in the bathroom are good. The water volume is large and gentle, and there should be soft water facilities.

I booked a room at Zeng Mansion that evening. The restaurant had good taste and the service was okay. I didn't order too much, but the combination of meat and vegetables was delicious.

After several days of journey, although the last two days were not tiring, my physical strength was at the end of my life. Back at the hotel, I fell asleep.

On June 10, the first explosion occurred

He got up obviously late and didn't go downstairs until 5:20. Although the sidewalk in front of the hotel is wide, we still go to the open space in Times Square opposite to fly drones. I have just practiced flying, and my skills are very poor. The "shot" movement is too fierce, the camera is unstable, and many materials cannot be used. After flying for a while, I wanted to practice circling flying techniques again, so I flew around the monument in the square. Suddenly, the screen of the remote control suddenly trembled, and the picture disappeared instantly. The first time the plane exploded. There were almost no people in the square, so it was impossible to hit pedestrians. After nearly an hour of searching for the wreckage of the drone, he returned to the hotel resentfully.

The hotel's breakfast is ok and has a wide variety of varieties. In the past few days, I have gained experience in eating rice noodles. I have added more hot sauce and pickles, and the taste is much more abundant. The big fat man has a lot of food. I can't control him if he keeps eating.

I originally wanted to visit Meixi Lake Park, but I lost the mood. Check-out at 11 o'clock, store your luggage at the train station, and then return the car. It takes exactly 8 days. The rent fee is 2400 yuan, excluding fuel and highway fees.

Take a taxi to Wuyi Square and check in for "Cooking Cigarette Sauteed Beef"(Wuyi Huafu Store). It was already past noon when we arrived, so queuing was a must. Arrange stir-fried beef beef, chopped pepper fish head, and pickled pepper preserved eggs one by one. Drink some wine to relieve fatigue and relax your heart. hehe

We successfully boarded the Z208 train, which was the same train we had taken when we came (the flight attendants were familiar). We took out the leftovers we had packed at noon and the liquor we had "lucky" mixed on the train, and had another meal.

June 11, the first thing after arriving in Tianjin

At about 11 o'clock, I returned to Tianjin, picked up my car and went directly to the Dajiang drone store in Joy City to handle insurance claims. After waiting for approval, you can get a drone of the same model.

In summary, this tour lasted for 11 days, with a total self-driving journey of more than 1200 kilometers, and a total cost of more than 25350 yuan. Excluding my mother-in-law's expenses, it is estimated to be less than 2000 yuan. The average is 6800 yuan/person.

Travel experience, although there are not many scenic spots for climbing during this trip, mainly concentrated in Zhangjiajie, which requires high physical strength, and the number of days can be extended appropriately (but the ticket time limit must also be considered). My arrangement of the order of scenic spots generally is that ordinary scenic spots are placed at the front, better scenic spots are second, and classic scenic spots are as far as possible. This arrangement can have the effect of gradually getting better and better. Of course, we must also consider the distance and avoid going back. We can also consider going the other way around for our trip this time. Everyone will see their wisdom.

The most important point: Be sure to travel off-peak. Today, I saw the circle of friends posted by the owner of Fenghuang Ancient City B & B. On July 28, Fenghuang Ancient City was crowded and had no sense of travel experience. Send a screenshot and make your own judgment.

I wrote it intermittently for nearly two months, and then selected photos and videos, and then edited it. It's finally completed today, and I hope it can be of help to everyone.

July 29, 2023