Travelling in August (maybe Yunnan, maybe Xinjiang)

[Alex Whiteman]

I'm thinking about taking a 12/16 day trip in August and then (maybe) saying goodbye to China for some years - so I want to see something significant but also different from what I already saw (the 4 big cities, HK, Guilin and a bit of Dongbei).

 

I was thinking about either:

- Kunming-Zhongdian; in big part because I'm still a bit crazy about seeing the Tibetan Monastery in the later.

- a distant second would be a "Silk road" kind of trip.

- a distant third would be Sichuan

- fourth? Guizhou? no idea. . .

 

. . .but with so many people in different forums saying China's touristic spots are overcrowded in summer, the weather problems, this or that being fabricated to attract tourists, I'm at loss. . .

 

Crowds: Last year I went to Guilin around 十一, before the actual date it was ok, after it, "downtown" Yangshuo was just ridiculous; luckily I kind of got away from it cycling, climbing, etc. . . but if the Ganden Monastery (Zhongdian) gets crowded like that then it's seriously going to suck. Crowds in commercial areas I don't mind so much. 

 

Weather: Rain in Yunnan, scorching heat in the west. Anyone been to Yunnan or Xinjiang in the summer?

 

"Fake" stuff: I heard, I think in these forums, that the architecture in Dali and/or Lijiang has been heaviliy refurbished or even fabricated for tourists? Anything worth seeing there? I wouldn't mind skipping them altogether. I know those two pagoda's in Guilin city were made in the last 10 years so I wouldn't be surprised. I saw some Zhongdian building pics with multicolor lights that. . . ew. . . not good.

 

So. . . please enlighten me. Any recommendations for the north of Yunnan, the far west or alternatives welcome. . .

[889]

Lijiang was rebuilt after the earthquake, and Dali was rebuilt because that's what they do in China. The old part of Zhongdian, which wasn't much to begin with, was destroyed in a fire.

 

If you want to get away a bit in Yunnan, the Nujiang area is nice, though I haven't followed whether proposed dam construction has progressed. It's the nature that's nice in that area, not the towns, and it's an area that gets few tourists. But yes, August can be wet and cloudy.

 

I don't find the heat in summer Xinjiang overbearing; it reminds me it's summer, not the rainy season. But that's a personal issue. The main issue with Xinjiang is that it's pretty spread out without that many major sites, so you'll probably include Gansu and Qinghai in your visit as well. That means you're going to be spending lots of time on trains and buses and even planes, which can be tiring.

[uni419]

Xishuangbanna in Southern Yunnnan is pretty nice. Great hiking up in the hills, and locals are super willing to do home-stays. Also, cheap motorbike rentals, although these are not good for travel on major roads as there are fairly regular PAP checkpoints set up for drug interdiction. 

 

That said, if you enjoy hiking and minority culture, just make sure to spend as little time in the city as possible. and you'll have a ball. 

[Angelina]

889, you say tiring, I say adventure. I spent 35 hours on the train from Hangzhou to Kunming, then took a train to Dali (Xiaguan). Then spent a week there, then took a 15-hour sleeper bus from Xiaguan to Deqin. And Deqin (a county in Diqing Prefecture) is where you should go Alex. Obviously had to include a flight on my way back because reality check

https://www.facebook.com/angelina.zarkova/posts/10153731683719502?pnref=story

These are some photos me and a Chinese friend took, it's only photos we took with our phones, but you can see how beautiful it is. You have to go there.

The area around Deqin is not overcrowded like Dali, Lijiang and Zhongdian to a lesser extend. I hope it stays that way. People should visit, yet, please don't turn it into Lijiang or Yangzhuo.

[889]

There's sitting on a train. And then there's adventure. 这是两回事。

[Angelina]

Maybe places to visit in Xinjiang are spread out way too much. Or maybe we have different thresholds.

[daveonhols]

I have done about twelve days trip in Gansu and Xinjiang, which was Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Hami, Tulufan and Wulumuqi. I've also done a similar trip in Yunnan, Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Zhongdian. They are both really amazing. Yunnan is so beautiful, Gansu and Xinjiang is more interesting for history, but maybe some parts are not so safe now. Which is beyter depends what you are interested in though. Around Zhongdian is really really beautiful.

[daveonhols]

Just to add, the monastry and Zhongdian in general was not crowded at all, it is pretty much off the tourist trail.

Also, the other highlights in Xinjiang is food. So much delicious stuff

[Angelina]

Wow Dunhuang ❤️ This is the Silk Road trip OP might be interested in.

I don't want to think about the monastery because I don't want to cry. RIP!

[abcdefg]

Weather: Rain in Yunnan, scorching heat in the west. Anyone been to Yunnan or Xinjiang in the summer?

 

Lots of rain here in August, especially Kunming and NW Yunnan where you are thinking about going. Less rain in most of Xinjiang at that time of year.

[Angelina]

Are the roads safe when there is that much rain? I do prefer to travel like a local and meet real people from the villages. I think that even they would avoid unsafe roads. April is fine for NW Yunnan. 

[liuzhou]

I liked Dehong in southern Yunnan. West of Xishaunbanna and a lot less touristy. Ruili is an insane border town. Outlaw territory. Illegal gem salesmen  from Burma, massive prostitution, guns and drugs. But utterly beautiful.

 

Get out of town and find the villages. Dai, Bai etc minority villages like Xishuanbanna but without the tour groups.

 

Well, it was in 1998. Getting old!

[Angelina]

Ah 1998, or was it 1997? I had my first summer camp with my brother and some other friends from primary school. We went to a beautiful national park. I remember I fell on some grass while running, that's how I discovered the grass was called nettle and this grass can make your skin swell. My brother cried. Getting old. Still want to travel the entire Silk Road this summer.

[abcdefg]

...so I want to see something significant but also different from what I already saw (the 4 big cities, HK, Guilin and a bit of Dongbei).

 

That really leaves a whole lot of possibilities.

 

August is not ideal for a trip like this one described below, although Jingmai Shan 京迈山 and Aileng Shan 唉冷山 both at least have paved roads and definitely won't be crowded. (The main roads are cobblestone and are built to withstand heavy rain.) Inexpensive guest houses; stunning scenery.

 

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/48134-south-yunnan-tea-mountains/

 

Agree with @Liuzhiu about SW Yunnan being well worth a look. Anything west of a line drawn from Nujiang 怒江 down through Baoshan 保山 to Lincang 临沧 will give you lots of wild country, interesting minority villages, and very few tourists.

 

Weather will be hot, with intermittent rain. But they usually don't have day-long drenching downpours. The usual pattern is for it to get hotter and hotter 4 or 5 or more days in a row until it's almost unbearable. Then it finally rains. Everyone is happy because it has a cooling effect.

 

The farmers also welcome it. Once I casually complained about the rain, and someone behind me on the bus called me down. "It's not raining water from the sky. It's raining money. We would all be broke and starve without the rain. Don't talk bad about it. Ever. Not even as a joke."

 

The Baoshan area itself is pretty fine, set near a cluster of high volcanic mountains. Nearby you have Heshun ancient city 和顺古城。It's on a mountain half an hour from Tengchong 腾冲。The area is famed for woodwork and jade, with lots of the raw materials being brought over from nearby Burma. 

 

Ruili 瑞丽 is not as wild now as it was in 1998. (Well, I really shouldn't say that since I was not there during the last century.) But I was surprised to like it when I was there last year. Still had something of a "wild frontier" feel, especially at night. But I was visiting with locals, so I may have been spared the worst. Beautiful waterfalls just outside the city.

 

Lots of interesting exotic cuisine in those parts. Some originated in Burma, and some is thanks to the indigenous mountain tribes. They use lots of wild-gathered mountain vegetables, edible flowers, roots and berries. In August those will include fabulous wild mushrooms. Some of the best in all of China.

 

One night I watched a broadcast of CCTV news dubbed into Wazu 佤族 language。 Caught me by surprise. Out there it's like being in another world instead of mainstream Han China.

 

Well, several of us could easily ramble on all night. Time for the Original Poster to return and give us some further guidance.

 

--------------------------------

 

Edited to add a map of West Yunnan.

 

[Alex Whiteman]

Thank you.

 

I'd do the north Yunnan trip but prefer drier/colder weather for hiking so I'm thinking (for now) about Xi'an-Zhangye-Xining-Dunhuang-Urumqi instead.

 

The south Yunnan stuff posted seems interesting so I'm gonna look it up.

 

Also I have to look what's up in Guizhou; heard the weather there is nicer in summer; hopefully is less crowded than Yunnan/Sichuan.

[abcdefg]

I edited the SW Yunnan post above to add a map showing some of the places mentioned. Will repeat that it's not the best time of year to go there because of heat and rain.

 

This August I tentatively plan to go to Xinjiang.

[liuzhou]

 

Lots of interesting exotic cuisine in those parts. Some originated in Burma, and some is thanks to the indigenous mountain tribes. They use lots of wild-gathered mountain vegetables, edible flowers, roots and berries. In August those will include fabulous wild mushrooms. Some of the best in all of China.

 

One night in Ruili, I met a Burmese man. We had a couple of drinks together and he suggested we go to eat. He grabbed a cab and we ended up in the back of some apartment block to the west of town. There he found this tiny restaurant where he was obviously well known.

 

Food arrived. Delicious Burmese curries etc. Then Burmese whiskey.

I started to think I had been an utter idiot and was being scammed. So obvious!

 

The bill came and he paid it, firmly refusing my efforts to pay, then he paid for the cab back to my hotel, too. Lovely man.

I felt so guilty for mistrusting him, but in the wild west...

 

[abcdefg]

Great story @Liuzhiu.

 

I started to think I had been an utter idiot and was being scammed. So obvious!

 

The bill came and he paid it, firmly refusing my efforts to pay, then he paid for the cab back to my hotel, too. Lovely man.

I felt so guilty for mistrusting him, but in the wild west...

 

I know exactly what you mean. I've had dozens of experiences in which I have been generously befriended for every time that I've been cheated. (Of course I must confess to not having spent much time in Shanghai.)

[Alex Whiteman]

@Daveonhols

 

Did you visit the Fire Mountain in Tulufan? Is it even doable in summer?

 

I'm beginning to consider Tulufan as a possible day trip from Urumqi.

[roddy]

Alex, how was your trip?