Mountains & Mist

By Pete
06-09/05/2019
It is said in China that Chongqing girls are the most beautiful in China as it is so steep they are fit and because it is always foggy they are fair skinned. While I cant comment on the women, the reasoning is sound!! One of our female guides also noted that they were as spicy as the infamous hot pot...again no comment.

Chongqing was the starting point of our Yangtze cruise but we arrived a few days earlier so we could visit the Fairy Mountains (a few years back we entered a competition to design a resort there) and see Chongqing old town.
We arrived late in the afternoon and found the building our hostel was in... for the first time we realised we had made a big mistake... It may have been just across the road from a city centre metro station but the building was dilapidated and the abandoned cars in the forecourt didn’t instill confidence, the grimy flight of stairs that had the familiar smell of public toilet reduced our confidence further. What a surprise then when we entered the hostel to find a bright, clean hostel with friendly helpful staff and large comfortable rooms. Big thumbs up for the Traveling With Hostel.

Having spent so long in the desert I needed a western fix and a cold beer, we had read about a place in the Hongya Cave development so we took the opportunity to get our fix and see this rather impressive... and tacky, reconstruction of ‘old, stilt house’ Chongqing set on the hillside of the Jailing river. We spent the next hour traipsing around trying to find the pub being sent in all directions by the helpful, yet clueless, staff before eventually finding the gutted shell of the pub I so desperately craved.. I left a guttered shell and headed back to the hostel for cheap beer and rather good hostel food (ended up as a cheap night).

The hostel offered trips to Wulong County Geo-park, (Fairy Mountain) and the girl on reception assured us would not need to follow flag wielding guides, and it was also a lot cheaper than trying to do it yourself. This time the hostel was right, while many chose to follow the guide we were just told to be at point x at y time so could explore at our own pace, a very nice way to see this area.
It takes about four hours by bus to reach Wulong County Geo-park a dramatic landscape of deep ravines, jagged limestone karats, thick forests and plunging waterfalls.

After lunch and a brief stop at a glass platform canter leaved out over the gorge (which was pretty cool even if it was ‘additional’ to the tour) we took the elevator down to the bottom of ‘The three natural bridges’. These hollowed out karsts are the largest in the world and to wander under them is a truly unique opportunity. For 2 hours we strolled along the base of the, moss green, canyon, looking around awe.

Our bus met us all at the end of the gorge and headed to Longshui Gorge, again an elevator takes you to the base of this narrow deep gorge carved by the narrow river that still rages a the bottom. A single file path leads you down through the gorge beside or, in some cases, overhanging the river and waterfalls.

At first I was a little disappointed as this was not the area I had seen previously and could not show Bea what I had been going on about but that feeling quickly faded as the dramatic landscape unfolded before us. This area was far more spectacular than my previous visit.

The late Ming Dynasty Ancient Town of Ciqikou ‘Old Chongqing’ lies just west of the CBD and this is where we headed the next morning. This ancient town, that rises from the Jialing river, has now been fully restored into a tourist hotspot.

Once you pass under its archway and onto the Main Street you are instantly bombarded with crowds buying all sorts of snacks from the shops that now line the streets (It still surprises me how many people visit ancient towns and other historic sites purely for the pleasure of buying overpriced food).

The side streets however are far less crowded and you can certainly get a feel of the old town.

After lunch we headed to an area we had heard about that was famous for its Graffiti - imaginatively named- Graffiti street. For an un-attraction in Chongqing it’s pretty interesting, entire tenement blocks painted in graffiti murals along with street art and sculpture.

Disappointingly some less talented ‘Chen was ere’ artists have decided to tag some of the better work, or maybe that it was a clever satirical counter culture essay on the stagnation of youth expression,....or not

Beside the Hostel was a mosque under which was a local ‘halal’ hotpot place, speciality lamb, yes please. We headed there for dinner and Bea learnt what real hotpot was all about, not that mild Chengdu stuff.

We were to board the Yangtze cruise boat the next afternoon, so with the morning to kill we headed out to the fishing town fortress. We had checked on line the night before and there were plenty of train tickets available, so were surprised when we got to the station to be told that there was only one seat left, the look of dejection on our face must have been obvious as the supervisor suddenly managed to find two seats, together! Given this we felt it wise to get the return tickets at the same time, quick calculation x time for train y time for sight seeing train back at z.oclock which we promptly booked.

The guide books fail to mention that its a good 30+ minutes by bus from the train station or 15 by cab. We jumped in a cab got to the fort and realised this was not a ‘big’ tourist site and no cabs in site for the return. Another 10 minutes to arrange a cab to pick us up at what time exactly and buy tickets - ok 45 mins for the fort. Oh a 15 minute walk from the ticket office, ok speed walking it would be. We did make it and the fort was tranquil and picturesque, less so at the speed we were doing it at.

We arrived back with plenty of time to pick up our bags and head to the Yangtze River and Victoria Lines, MS Selina.