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| Map of Lanzhou, Gansu, China |
Hostel (6 nights) : CNY40 x 6 = CNY240 (Love Hostel - dorm)
Food: CNY172
Bus: CNY22
Taxi: CNY10
Train: CNY93 x 2 + CNY186 (Xian > Lanzhou > Xian)
Entrance fee (Bing Ling Cave + Stone Forest) = CNY35+25+CNY60 (Senior)
Shuttle vehicle (Bing Ling Stone Forest) = CNY10
Speed boat (Bing Ling Cave) = CNY120
Sundries: CNY20
Food: CNY172
Bus: CNY22
Taxi: CNY10
Train: CNY93 x 2 + CNY186 (Xian > Lanzhou > Xian)
Entrance fee (Bing Ling Cave + Stone Forest) = CNY35+25+CNY60 (Senior)
Shuttle vehicle (Bing Ling Stone Forest) = CNY10
Speed boat (Bing Ling Cave) = CNY120
Sundries: CNY20
Lanzhou ramen (beef noodle), Yellow river, the silk road trail, the new Lanzhou-Urumqi (1,776km) high speed train ride at a speed of 200km/hr; this summed up why I decided to come to Lanzhou ! Lanzhou is no longer a polluted city since 2010 ! So you can enjoy some fresh air and take your time to explore this city in greater depth !
For this visit, my dream of seeing the Bing Ling Cave & Temple (an UNESCO site) has been fulfilled. You need a full day trip to visit Bing Ling Cave, so start your bus ride from Lanzhou in the early morning to Liujiaxia (2 hrs). On arrival you have a choice of taking a slow ferry boat to Bing Ling Cave (3 hrs) or a speed boat (CNY120 return) which takes about 1 hr each way. Local taxis at the jetty offer a service package ( CNY120) which covers a speed boat ride to Bing Ling Cave & return plus a taxi drive from the jetty to the bus terminal in the town centre. As Bing Ling Stone Forest is located along the way, our boat driver gave us an hour to visit the Stone Forest before heading to Bing Ling Cave. We had about 3 hrs to visit the Bing Ling Cave & Temple and the boat picked us up at 16.15 for our return trip to Liujiaxia. To catch a public bus back to Lanzhou, I suggest you take a cab to the town centre instead of trying to flag one at a T junction outside of the jetty ! So a little homework is required for this day trip to avoid any hiccups.
The Lanzhou-Urumqi high speed train (commenced operation in Dec 26 2014) is the longest bullet train ride I had ever taken in China - a total of 11 hrs but it was comfortable & less stressful in comparison with the normal train which takes about 23 hrs. This new high speed train passes through 19 stations (including 2 popular tourist destinations ie Zhangye & Jiayuguan Pass) covering the provinces of Gansu, Qinghai (Xining) & Xinjiang. Other main stops are Liuyuan (Dun Huang), Hami & Turpan.
In May, the day temperature is around 20c but at night, it would drop to 12-15c .
I stayed for a total of 6 nights in Lanzhou, a simple visit with no frills & a really relaxing one !
1) Water Wheel Garden, Lanzhou, Gansu - old traditional water wheels on display in the garden, used in the olden days to irrigate farmlands around Lanzhou - amazing indeed !
For this visit, my dream of seeing the Bing Ling Cave & Temple (an UNESCO site) has been fulfilled. You need a full day trip to visit Bing Ling Cave, so start your bus ride from Lanzhou in the early morning to Liujiaxia (2 hrs). On arrival you have a choice of taking a slow ferry boat to Bing Ling Cave (3 hrs) or a speed boat (CNY120 return) which takes about 1 hr each way. Local taxis at the jetty offer a service package ( CNY120) which covers a speed boat ride to Bing Ling Cave & return plus a taxi drive from the jetty to the bus terminal in the town centre. As Bing Ling Stone Forest is located along the way, our boat driver gave us an hour to visit the Stone Forest before heading to Bing Ling Cave. We had about 3 hrs to visit the Bing Ling Cave & Temple and the boat picked us up at 16.15 for our return trip to Liujiaxia. To catch a public bus back to Lanzhou, I suggest you take a cab to the town centre instead of trying to flag one at a T junction outside of the jetty ! So a little homework is required for this day trip to avoid any hiccups.
The Lanzhou-Urumqi high speed train (commenced operation in Dec 26 2014) is the longest bullet train ride I had ever taken in China - a total of 11 hrs but it was comfortable & less stressful in comparison with the normal train which takes about 23 hrs. This new high speed train passes through 19 stations (including 2 popular tourist destinations ie Zhangye & Jiayuguan Pass) covering the provinces of Gansu, Qinghai (Xining) & Xinjiang. Other main stops are Liuyuan (Dun Huang), Hami & Turpan.
In May, the day temperature is around 20c but at night, it would drop to 12-15c .
I stayed for a total of 6 nights in Lanzhou, a simple visit with no frills & a really relaxing one !
1) Water Wheel Garden, Lanzhou, Gansu - old traditional water wheels on display in the garden, used in the olden days to irrigate farmlands around Lanzhou - amazing indeed !
2) Sun Yat-Sen Bridge (Zhongshan Qiao), Lanzhou, Gansu - The First Bridge across the Yellow River. An old narrow ironwork bridge, a great pride to the Lanzhou people
3) Yen Thong Da Qiao (Bridge), Lanzhou, Gansu
4) Sculptures of the Mother River ( Yellow River ), Lanzhou, Gansu
5) White Pagoda Mountain - great view of Lanzhou city from the peak especially at night
6) Lanzhou Niuroumian (beef noodle) stalls - plenty in Lanzhou, every street corner has one or two, if you want to know more about the story & history of Niuroumin (beef noodle), come to Lanzhou !
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| CNY6 per bowl - cheap lah ! |
7) Street food in Lanzhou & seeing the daily lives of Lanzhou people, eating my breakfast & lunch - local style !
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| Grilled pork knuckle - CNY10 |
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| My breakfast - CNY4 |
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| Different varieties of hot porridge |
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| Cold noodle dish -CNY5 |
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| Sweet potatoes & sweetcorn |
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| Mobile hawkers |
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| West Lake wet market |
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| Lanzhou fresh fruit |
8) Xiguan Mosque of Lanzhou, Gansu
9) Old County Temple, Lanzhou, Gansu
10) The Little West Lake, Lanzhou, Gansu - favorite spot for locals to enjoy a morning or evening stroll
11) Five Spring Mountain & Five Spring Square, Gansu
12) Zangye Underground Shopping Mall, Lanzhou
13) Green Corridor along Binhe Road, Lanzhou, Gansu
14) Plump Mother Mutton Rice Restaurant - most popular in Lanzhou
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| CNY50 per kati for mutton meat with bone dish |
15) Bing Ling Cave Temple & Bing Ling Stone Forest, Gansu
The start of the speed boat ride at the Jetty of Liujiaxia Reservoir to Bing Ling Cave Temple
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| Speed boat ride CNY120 return to Bing Ling (1hr each way) |
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| Normal ferry takes 3hrs each way |
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| The start of the speed boat/ ferry ride to Bing Ling Cave |
Danxia Landscape over 1.2 million years ago
Gansu Bing Ling Danxia Stone Forest - 1.2 million years old - Entrance CNY25 (Seniors) + CNY10 (shuttle vehicle)
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| The Park covers 27 square km |
Arriving in Bing Ling Cave, Gansu
Bing Ling Cave Temple (UNESCO World Heritage Site) - located 35km south of Yongjing County. The cave was first cut in 420AD and continued for a thousand years. There are all in 216 cave niches, more than 800 images, about 1,000 sq m of mural painting and 50 pagodas. More than 400 pieces of cultural relics are kept in the museum. The star of the caves is the 27m high statue of a seated Buddha
16) High Speed Trains from Lanzhou > Urumqi
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| Lanzhou West Train Station, Gansu |
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| Lanzhou>Urumqi CNY548.50 (11.5hr) |
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| Non-smoking, comfortable & cosy seat 200km/hr |
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| Each train has a name associated with the Silk Road |
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| The Train's Name is The Star of Dun Huang |
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| Short 6 minute stopover |
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| This place is near Dun Huang |
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| Jiayuguan South Station, Xinjiang |
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| Famous for Hami Melons |
17) Country side scenery from Lanzhou > Urumqi
18) Love hostel, Lanzhou - love this hostel, good location, housed in a 25th floor of a condo and a 10 minutes walk from the Gong Jiao Chit Tuan bus stop; managed by a young lady owner (Wan Wan) who loved travelling ...
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