The trip that was originally planned to take place after the fifth day of the New Year was brought forward after receiving a text message from Xiao Sun. The earliest plan was to make a long-distance trip to Fenghuang, Hunan with Big Bear, Xiao Sun, Buti Bushu and others, but due to family matters, I couldn't go with them, which was a bit regretful. Xiao Sun told me on the road that highways in Henan were toll-free from the first to the third day of the New Year. After calculating, we should be able to save more than a hundred yuan in highway tolls, so we decided temporarily on the afternoon of the second day to set out early on the third day, with the destination being Xian, Shaanxi. The first day stop was Luoyang, the second day stop was Xian, and the subsequent arrangements would be decided based on the situation. The preliminary idea was to spend a few days in Shanxi on the way back from Xian. After packing our things, the main items carried included clothes, food, GPS, camera, travel books, etc. We were not very clear about what we wanted to see, and the two of us got ready to set off.
D1 (the third day) We set off on time at around six o'clock. There were almost no people or cars in the city and on the highway. We got onto the Jingshi Expressway at about 6:45. The expressway conditions were good, just a bit dark, and it was unclear whether there were any cameras or similar things, so we had no choice but to follow the speed limit requirements and move forward steadily. When we reached near Baoding, the sky began to brighten up, and we saw some farmers setting off firecrackers by the side of the highway, probably paying respects to their ancestors, which was quite spectacular. There were still very few cars on the road, and my speed also increased, basically maintaining at 140 kilometers per hour. Talking about the speedometer in the car, it was probably not very accurate. My GPS showed 140 kilometers when the speedometer in the car generally pointed to around 160 kilometers. When the speedometer in the car reached 180 kilometers (topped out), my GPS showed 168 kilometers. From a scientific point of view, GPS is relatively accurate (all speeds mentioned in the later text are the speeds displayed by GPS). After resting for a moment at the Shijiazhuang expressway service area, we hesitated and then added No. 90 gasoline, because experts recommended that No. 90 gasoline was more reliable when going out of town, and I would switch the gasoline filter core when I returned. It's worth noting that the service areas on the highway usually have boiling water for everyone to use. In cold weather, drinking hot water feels much better.
Continuing down the Jing-Shen Expressway, we were informed at the toll gate in Henan that the free period for Henan highways was from 8 pm on New Year's Eve to 8 am on the third day of the New Year. Although we didn’t get the benefit, we entered Henan. The condition of the highway in Henan was clearly not as good as in Hebei. Due to the heavy load trucks damaging the lanes, it felt like driving a train, forcing me to drive on the overtaking lane most of the time. The condition was slightly better, and the speed could basically be maintained at 130 kilometers per hour. Around 1 pm, we arrived in Zhengzhou, Henan. It didn’t feel much like a highway; there were even pedestrians crossing occasionally. However, due to fewer cars and people, while crossing the Yellow River Bridge, the speed remained at 100 kilometers per hour. The Yellow River had almost no water, just a patch of yellow soil, and it wasn’t as exciting as I imagined.
When approaching Zhengzhou city, we encountered a problem: we didn’t find the signpost to Luoyang. At an obvious three-way intersection, we had to get out of the car and ask for directions. The road was correct, but possibly due to the small or few signs, we didn’t see them clearly. After continuing on the road, we paid special attention to the road signs and observed the direction indicated by the GPS, eventually finding the Kaifeng-Luoyang Expressway. The road conditions were better than the Jingfu Expressway in Henan, but not great, and the speed could basically be maintained at 130 kilometers per hour. Around 3 pm, we entered Luoyang city. According to the travel book, the main attractions in Luoyang are the Peony Festival, Longmen Grottoes, and White Horse Temple. With limited time, we decided to only visit the representative Longmen Grottoes. Following the simple Luoyang map in the travel book and watching our GPS, it was relatively easy to find the way to the Longmen Grottoes. The Longmen Grottoes are definitely worth seeing, very magnificent. I have a deep impression of the Yi River beside the grottoes, very clear and very beautiful. There weren’t many visitors touring the grottoes, and the wind was quite strong, blowing through us quickly. Two hours later, we finished our tour of the grottoes and went back into Luoyang city to find a hotel. The hotel was booked through Ctrip, Mingyuan International Youth Hostel in Luoyang, rated two stars, with poor hygiene conditions, costing 150 yuan per night (including two instant noodles as breakfast). After settling in, we found the local famous "Zhen Budong", tasting the Luoyang specialty: water feast, where each dish has some soup, the taste is good, and the price is reasonable. The specially designed water feast package for tourists with four dishes costs only 30 yuan, but the restaurant still retains the rough style of state-owned enterprises, with poor service levels.
I want to talk about my GPS again. When I spent over 2000 yuan to buy it, it was out of passion, and I didn't use it much in the city, but it became very useful when traveling, especially in unfamiliar cities, helping to find the way back and determine the direction, which is very practical. My impression of Luoyang is: the city is not big, the urban planning is pretty good, the city sanitation is okay, the economic level is average, taxis are mainly Xia Li, there aren't many cars on the road, the buildings in the city are relatively short and old, the road signs are not obvious, and the people I met left me with not-so-good impressions.
Distance: 815 kilometers to Luoyang
Cost: Expressway: Beijing section of Jing Shen Expressway 15 yuan, Hebei section 60 yuan, Shijiazhuang to Anyang 60 yuan, Anyang to Xin Yuan 60 yuan, Xin Yuan 10 yuan, Zhengzhou Yellow River Bridge 10 yuan, Zhengzhou to Luoyang 55 yuan, total: 270 yuan
Parking: Longmen Grottoes 10 yuan, hotel 5 yuan
Longmen Grottoes: 60 yuan per person
D2 (Fourth Day of the New Year) In the morning, there was no breakfast at the hotel, so we checked out and planned to eat in the city before leaving, but found nothing to buy, so we had to hit the road. We took the Lian-Huo Expressway from Luoyang to Xi'an. The road conditions within Henan were extremely good, looking newly constructed, and the scenery along the way was different from what we usually see, resembling the Loess Plateau. The road had significant undulations, winding through mountains, and my car easily reached its top speed, the speedometer showing 180 km/h and the GPS showing 168 km/h. The noise was a bit loud, but tolerable. However, such a speed is fine upon reaching it, but not ideal to maintain, cruising speed should be 140 km/h. But the toll for this section was quite expensive, 95 yuan for over 200 km. After entering Shaanxi, the expressway conditions significantly deteriorated, and my car frequently bounced at 130 km/h, causing significant damage to the vehicle.
Around one in the afternoon, we saw the exit for Lintong, marked with signs for the Terracotta Warriors and Huaqing Pool. Seeing it was still early, we decided temporarily to visit the Terracotta Warriors first. The purpose of this trip to Xi'an was mainly to see the Terracotta Warriors, besides never having been to Shaanxi, to experience another kind of feeling. As soon as we got off the highway, we saw several people waving at us on the ramp, obviously trying to solicit business. After getting off the highway, we couldn't find the signpost to the Terracotta Warriors, so we had to ask passersby, bypassed the highway, and found the way to the Terracotta Warriors, which was still about 15 km away. Ignoring Huaqing Pool, Mount Li, and Emperor Qin's Mausoleum, we headed straight for the Terracotta Warriors. Fortunately, the road signs along the way were relatively clear, making it not too difficult to find. The parking lot for the Terracotta Warriors was under repair, so we had to drive on a dirt road, where I accidentally bottomed out. After checking under the car and finding no apparent issues, we continued forward. I won't elaborate much on the grandeur of the Terracotta Warriors, but it had a significant impact on my spirit and senses. I plan to write more about it when I have a suitable opportunity. We spent three hours at the Terracotta Warriors and started heading to Xi'an City by five o'clock. This time, we didn't take the highway but intentionally took the country roads, covering 30 km in one hour. The pre-booked lodging was the Xi'an Academy International Youth Hostel, 120 yuan per night, equipped with maps and GPS, making it not too difficult to find. A small incident occurred when I asked a taxi driver for directions right in front of the hostel and was misled, returning 20 minutes later. The hostels were ancient and elegant, well-located near the South Gate, with good hygiene conditions and warm hospitality from the staff, giving a sense of coming home. During the journey, I contacted Bingyan, who recommended places to eat and stay, for which I'm grateful! Since we didn't have lunch, after finding the hostel, we ate cool skin noodles at a nearby noodle shop, which were truly delicious! In the evening, we had some local specialties at the Muslim Street near the Drum Tower, which tasted good.
My overall impression of Xi'an is: fairly grand, somewhat like Beijing, square and evidently rich in history. People speak interestingly, and the cost of living isn't low, indicating a historical city in progress. Because my impression of Xi'an is similar to Beijing, I decided to change the itinerary, reducing the time spent experiencing history in Xi'an. On the morning of the next day, we would visit Xi'an, and in the afternoon, head to Hancheng, a historical city at the border of Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces, to explore unfamiliar places unlikely to be visited in the future.
Mileage: Luoyang to the Terracotta Warriors to Xi'an, 500 km
Expressway: Luoyang to Tongguan 95 yuan, Tongguan to Lintong 50 yuan, Lintong to Xi'an 10 yuan (actually only traveled 5 km), total 155 yuan
Entrance fee: Terracotta Warriors 65 yuan per person
Parking fee: Terracotta Warriors 10 yuan
D3 (Fifth Day of the New Year) The morning schedule was to visit the Stele Forest, Xi'an's city wall, and the Great Wild Goose Pagoda. The Stele Forest is similar to the Capital Museum in Beijing, with some steles dating back to the Tang Dynasty. The tour guide at the Stele Forest explained well, giving me new insights and understanding of Chinese history. Such places are more suitable for solitary contemplation, and we tourists are mostly just sightseers. History needs to be experienced and沉淀ed. Subsequently, we climbed the Xi'an city wall, but felt little, because the scenery inside and outside the city was not good, plus the artificial landscapes visible on the city wall were really disappointing. The adjacent south gate (Yongning Gate) looked quite magnificent, the bell tower felt quite nice, and the drum tower was completely enveloped in the smoke of the Muslim Street. We only briefly glanced at the Great Wild Goose Pagoda. Without the opportunity to visit all places in Xi'an, I think I will have another chance to come back to Xi'an in the future, hoping to stay in Xi'an for a considerable period one day to savor the charm of the ancient capital.
For lunch, we ate a bowl of beef bubble bread in an unnamed alley, premium quality, 8 yuan per bowl, very comfortable. Around 1:30 pm, we found the West-Lin Expressway, heading towards Weinan, then finding the National Highway 108 to Hancheng. Not knowing how to find the national highway, my idea was to get off the expressway at Weinan and then keep asking the way, since it was only 200 km, surely we would reach it in half a day. Before getting on the expressway, I accidentally noticed the words "Welcome to Hancheng" faintly written on the back of an Iveco van, estimating it to be a fast bus from Hancheng to Xi'an. Upon overtaking, it indeed was, so I decided to follow it to Hancheng, saving a lot of trouble. Getting off the expressway at Weinan, following the car onto National Highway 108, according to the map's route, I used the GPS as a tool, avoiding any detours. The road from Weinan to Dali was average, capable of reaching 60-80 km/h. What made me unforgettable was Dali county, where the roads were in terrible condition, full of potholes, I wonder what our officials were thinking. Right here, I lost the Iveco van, as it didn't slow down, which I couldn't do. The subsequent road was alternately good and bad, slowly coal trucks appeared, the poor road conditions were mainly due to overloaded coal trucks. All along, my car performed well, especially uphill, basically without any sensation. After passing Heyang, we entered the mountains, countless uphill and downhill stretches, some bridges were built between two mountains, followed by continuous mountain roads. My car had ample power, and the habit of high RPM developed regularly came in handy in the mountains. There weren't many cars on the road, nor many pedestrians, making the journey on the national highway not too strenuous. The tolls on the national highway were cheap, approximately every 30 km, costing 5 yuan. Entering Hancheng, there were fewer mountain roads, and I even discovered a segment of the Wei Great Wall ruins along the national highway, quite unexpectedly. Upon arriving in Hancheng city, you can appreciate that the historical city is truly deserving of its name, with all the buildings having distinctive features. However, Hancheng has a mining bureau, producing coal, and this is also an important road for transporting coal from Shanxi into the mountains, so the entire city is shrouded in black mist, with dust everywhere on the roads, and the pedestrians seem unfazed, without wearing masks or scarves, perhaps it's just a matter of habit. The plan to stay overnight in Hancheng was quickly rejected due to the harsh environment, and we decided to place the accommodation location at the destination, Dangjia Village. Dangjia Village's residential houses are introduced in many places, and they are the place we most wanted to see on this trip. Following National Highway 108, after exiting Hancheng and driving another 10 km, you can see roadside signs: "Welcome to Dangjia Village." By the time we entered the village, it was almost dark. We bought tickets to enter the village and stayed at a local household. Walking around the streets in the village, you can discover many interesting and good things, this is the most worthy place to linger.
Mileage: 250 km
Expressway cost: Xi'an to Lintong 10 yuan, Lintong to Weinan 15 yuan, total 25 yuan
National highway cost: 25 yuan
Dangjia Village entrance fee: 30 yuan
Dangjia Village parking fee: 10 yuan
Farmer's heated bed: 10 yuan per person
Meals: 10 yuan per person per meal, all home-cooked meals, personally felt they weren't tasty.
D4 (Sixth Day of the New Year) In the morning, I woke up with a sore throat, caused by sleeping on a heated bed. After eating breakfast, I hired a tour guide to show us around the village. Here, I received the greatest impact, because I saw the passage of time. The oldest house in Dangjia Village dates back to the Yuan Dynasty. For those who like history, literature, or architecture, this is a must-visit place. When you have leisure time, you should find an ancient place to settle down. After the tour ended at 11:30, I bought the local specialty "Sichuan pepper" from Hancheng and left the unforgettable Dangjia Village. The next stop was Pingyao in Shanxi Province. One rule of driving out is not to retrace your steps, and Shanxi is also a place we yearn for. Continuing on National Highway 108, the number of coal trucks on the road noticeably increased, probably the drivers only rested until the fifth day of the New Year. The road was still difficult to navigate, at a speed of 60 km/h. Soon, we reached the boundary between Shaanxi and Shanxi Provinces. Once entering Shanxi territory, the road conditions were particularly poor, full of potholes, requiring extra caution. The large vehicles also drove exceptionally slowly, and there were many broken-down vehicles. The entire road was shrouded in a haze of black smoke, with black coal blocks visible alongside the highway. Many chimneys of thermal power plants emitted white smoke, causing severe pollution. Approaching Hejin City, the road signs suddenly disappeared (in Shaanxi Province, the road signs to various destinations were complete), and at the fork in the road, we didn't know which was National Highway 108. After asking workers at a gas station, we took a road. Initially, the road was not good, clearly damaged, still resembling asphalt pavement, but after five kilometers, there was no asphalt road anymore, only dirt and rocks. I suspected I had been given the wrong direction, but there were also passenger buses from Hejin to Houma coming towards us (we intended to take the Da-Yun Expressway at Houma), so it didn't seem like the wrong road. Could a national highway possibly be like this? Doubtfully proceeding, the speed did not exceed 10 km/h, and later, it was simply a gravel road, driving me into sheer frustration—this is considered a road? Like this, after one hour, I exited Hejin City, and when entering Jishan, the road improved, and I had already driven nearly an hour. This was the biggest pain in my heart during this trip. The roads afterward were not good either, but for someone who had just experienced a nightmare, an asphalt road was already a relatively high-grade road. Following National Highway 108 to Houma, we got onto the Da-Yun Expressway, feeling as if I had entered heaven. The Da-Yun Road was exceptionally well-constructed, not much damaged, and some sections even had three lanes, allowing speeds up to 140 km/h. After driving on the national highway, my car had a slight imbalance issue, shaking a bit after exceeding 110 km/h, which was normal, tolerable until returning to Beijing. The gasoline in Shanxi was the most expensive, with No. 93 costing around 3.45 yuan, and there was no hot water at the service stations, quite substandard. Around four o'clock, we arrived in Pingyao. At the ancient city gate, we were informed that all vehicles were not allowed to enter the city. Immediately, someone approached saying that for five yuan, they could lead us in, truly chaotic. I called the pre-booked inn, and the innkeeper came out to find a gate where we could enter, and I drove in. The inn was small but relatively clean, with friendly people, costing 50 yuan per night. After settling in, I wandered out, discovering that the alleys not part of the tourist routes were very quiet, with cold expressions on the faces of the people on the road. Motor vehicles and motorcycles honked loudly, often startling people. Upon reaching the tourist street, there were hotels, places to eat, and shops selling tourist souvenirs, nothing particularly interesting. After wandering around, I didn't find anything fun, the entire city was pitch black, so I returned to the inn rather disappointed. I noticed that after visiting Dangjia Village, I had lost interest in ancient cities, compared to Dangjia Village, this place was too crude.
Mileage: 100 km on the national highway, 2 hours; 200 km on the expressway.
Cost: Houma to Pingyao, 75 yuan.
D5 (Seventh Day of the New Year) Waking up early, I wanted to see the ancient city at dawn as described in the travel book. Going out at eight o'clock, I realized I was almost the earliest riser in Pingyao, and all the streets were desolate. Strolling through such a city, my body quickly turned cold. Taking two photos at the city wall, I wanted to visit, but found that Pingyao only sold combined tickets, 85 yuan per person, and the tickets for individual attractions were not sold separately, which might not be suitable for me. Thus, I walked around the quiet streets and decided to leave. Around ten o'clock, I departed from the ancient city of Pingyao and got onto the Da-Yun Expressway. The original plan was to visit Qiao Family Compound and end the trip satisfactorily, but the stark contrast between Dangjia Village and Pingyao led me to decide against visiting and return home directly. After getting onto the expressway from Pingyao, following the signs, we took the ring road to Taiyuan and then transferred to the Shi-Tai Expressway. The Shi-Tai Expressway was not easy to navigate, with more mountain roads and some very sharp turns. There were also many vehicles on the road, including many coal-carrying large trucks. Along the way, we often saw broken-down large trucks, and there were also many privately owned cars with Beijing license plates returning from outings. The most prominent feature of the Shi-Tai Expressway was the abundance of cameras, almost one every ten kilometers. My speed generally remained around 120 km/h. Drivers from Beijing might not be accustomed to such roads, so they dared not drive fast, with speeds generally below 100 km/h, but they occupied the overtaking lane instead of using the driving lane, a typical Beijing driving style. I had no choice but to constantly overtake on the driving lane. Actually, mountain roads and bends have their own technical characteristics, but people usually don't pay much attention. During this section of the expressway, I witnessed the most spectacular factory on this trip—the power plant near Yangquan, which truly left me amazed. In fact, in Hejin City, I also saw many thermal power plants emitting white smoke, giving a sense of power. After getting onto the Jing-Shi Expressway, I found that the expressway was filled with cars from Beijing, and everyone only used the overtaking lane regardless of speed. This trip out, I discovered that drivers from other places were actually quite honest when driving on expressways, sticking to their respective lanes, whereas drivers from Beijing had no discipline on the expressway, driving in emergency parking lanes, overtaking lanes, and arbitrarily changing lanes, which was indeed embarrassing. Returning home at 5 p.m.
Mileage: 600 km
Cost: Pingyao to Jiuguan 85 yuan, Hebei section of Jing-Shi Expressway 60 yuan, Beijing section 15 yuan, total 160 yuan
Summary: The total mileage for this trip was 2425 km (both GPS and my large odometer showed this number, my small odometer showed 2468 km, which should be inaccurate), using a total of 136 liters of gasoline (432 yuan), with fuel consumption of 5.6 liters per 100 km, which I found quite satisfactory given my speed. The fees for the expressway and national highway were 710 yuan. I think I chose a good time, from the third to the sixth day of the New Year, when there were fewer people, and the truck drivers hadn't yet come out, so the road conditions were also good. Actually, traveling by one car isn't ideal; if something goes wrong, there's no mutual support. Sometimes on the road, I wanted to report the road conditions, haha... But playing alone offers greater freedom, and decisions can be made immediately. If there are more people, there's a democratic consultation process. The Longmen Grottoes, Terracotta Warriors, and Dangjia Village were my biggest gains on this trip, and their influence will change my views on certain matters. Visiting Dangjia Village was a temporary decision, but reading more travel books and naturally thinking about maps helped. Travel books are essential when going out, and I brought four books: driving maps, Shanxi, China independent travel, and Western travel knowledge books, all of which helped me in varying degrees, allowing me to stay in suitable places and eat authentic food. Regular maintenance of the car proved crucial at critical moments, saving fuel, saving worries, high-speed, and safe. The GPS helped me a lot. The convenience brought by the car shouldn't be merely convenient, but also a new lifestyle. During high-speed driving, I exceeded the speed limit sometimes, which was when the road conditions were good and there were few cars. Regardless of how fast you drive, you must have control over your actions, which is the most important thing. This flowing account hopes to help everyone with their travels.