Travel Diary: 4-Day Trip to Chongqing and Dazu
In July 2020, the domestic epidemic was under control, and domestic independent travel opened up. I had been wanting to visit Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong because the flight and hotel prices were at their lowest just after tourism reopened. I booked a Jiuzhaigou itinerary: fly from Shanghai to Chongqing on July 23, transfer to Jiuzhaigou on the 24th, and fly from Jiuzhaigou to Wuxi on the evening of July 26, then take a high-speed train back to Shanghai. But things didn't go as planned. After arriving at the airport on the 24th, I was informed that the flight to Jiuzhaigou was canceled due to weather, and there were no subsequent flights to Jiuzhaigou. In August 2017, I had booked flights and hotels planning to go to Jiuzhaigou, but then an earthquake happened. This was already the second time I failed to visit Jiuzhaigou. Since I was already there, I decided to make the best of it. I canceled the flight from Jiuzhaigou to Wuxi, rebooked a flight from Chongqing back to Shanghai on the 26th, and settled in for a three-day Chongqing tour. Shortly after booking the Jiuzhaigou itinerary, inter-provincial travel was opened, and flight and hotel prices started to rise. It would be hard to get such prices again next time. To avoid regrets, I plan to make a third attempt to visit Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong in the near future.
I had visited Chongqing five years ago, when I spent six days there. I had basically been to all the attractions in Chongqing, but at that time I had two regrets: not visiting the only world cultural heritage site in Chongqing, the Dazu Rock Carvings, and not fully exploring Ciqikou. Since I couldn't go to Jiuzhaigou, this trip was meant to make up for the regrets of my previous Chongqing visit.
July 23, D1: Shanghai -> Chongqing (Stay: Chongqing Yishe Hotel (Chongqing Hongyadong Branch))
Flight: Air China CA4556, 20:00 Pudong T2 => 23:00 Chongqing Jiangbei T3
July 24, D2: Chongqing (Stay: Chongqing Huixianlou Hotel)
Sightseeing: Mountain City Trail, Royal Crown Grand Escalator, Liziba Metro Station (light rail through building), Ciqikou, Yangtze River Cableway.
July 25, D3: Chongqing (Stay: Chongqing Ciqikou Manxin View Hotel)
Sightseeing: Dazu Rock Carvings (Baodingshan and Beishan), Ciqikou
July 26, D4: Chongqing -> Shanghai
Sightseeing: Ciqikou
Flight: West Air PN6373, 14:35 Chongqing Jiangbei T2 => 17:10 Shanghai Pudong T2
July 23, D1: Shanghai -> Chongqing (Stay: Chongqing Yishe Hotel (Chongqing Hongyadong Branch))
I took a day off on Friday. After work on Thursday, I headed to the airport with immense excitement. The long-awaited Jiuzhaigou, here I come (I didn't know the next day's flight would be canceled yet).
Had dinner at the airport, met up with my travel companion, went through security and boarding, and flew to Chongqing smoothly.
Flight: Air China CA4556, 20:00 Pudong T2 => 23:00 Chongqing Jiangbei T3
The flight arrived early at Chongqing Airport. I had booked a car to pick me up and take me to the hotel.
Since I planned to go to Jiuzhaigou the next day, I didn't have time to see the Hongyadong night view or eat Chongqing hotpot. I asked the driver to take us to Hongyadong first.
We arrived at Hongyadong around 23:30. While waiting at a red light in the car, the lights of Hongyadong were still on, but a few minutes later when we arrived at Hongyadong, all the lights were off, so we couldn't see the night view.
We wandered around the Hongyadong commercial street for a while, then went to a Chongqing hotpot restaurant for a late-night snack.
We chose Dongfu Laohuoguo, not far from the hotel and Hongyadong. Shen Teng had been to this restaurant.
We arrived at the hotpot restaurant around 12:30. We ordered a yuanyang (split) pot and specifically asked the server for less spicy in the spicy broth, just a tiny bit of spice.
There weren't many people at the hotpot restaurant at midnight, but a few tables were still occupied, showing how much Chongqing people love hotpot.
Even the mildly spicy broth was too spicy for us, so we could only eat from the white broth. Chongqing hotpot dipping sauces don't have satay sauce; the sauces are light. If you don't eat spicy food, I feel Shanghai hotpot is better.
After eating, we paid the bill. Two of us spent nearly 300 yuan, which wasn't cheap.
We used walking navigation to return to the hotel. In Chongqing, walking navigation will take you uphill along mountain paths. Bicycle navigation is much easier.
The hotel was nice and cost-effective. The linens and bed were very comfortable.
July 24, D2: Chongqing (Stay: Chongqing Huixianlou Hotel)
Originally, I was supposed to fly to Jiuzhaigou tonight, so I arranged a tight one-day itinerary in Chongqing.
Checked out of the hotel in the morning. Took bus 322 to Zhongxing Road, near the Yuzhong District Court, to the Mountain City Trail.
The trail went uphill, with creative small shops and snack stalls. I bought two rice cakes for breakfast.
It was still early, so many coffee shops and small stores hadn't opened yet.
In the afternoon or evening, this area is probably a gathering place for artistic youths.
The first half of the trail had some shops and a riverside road, while the second half was forest.
From the riverside road, you could see bridges. Chongqing was still under construction, with many bridges and buildings being built.
The weather was hot, and we were soaked with sweat before long.
Approaching the forest section, we took a fork downhill and navigated to Qixingang Metro Station.
Then took the metro to Lianglukou Station, where the famous Royal Crown Grand Escalator is located. Huang Bo and others had filmed "Go Fighting!" here.
The Royal Crown Grand Escalator is the second-longest escalator in the world, connecting Lianglukou Metro Station and Caiyuanba Railway Station.
The escalator itself is just a tool for people to go up and down the hill, nothing special. It costs 2 yuan per person to ride.
This attraction is not highly recommended.
After that, we continued by metro to the popular Liziba Metro Station to see the light rail passing through a building.
There were quite a few independent and group tourists here, witnessing the iconic Chongqing light rail passing through the building.
It was already past 11 a.m. We planned to have lunch at Ciqikou, eating theε€ιηΉθ²ιΈ‘ζ (ancient town specialty chicken gizzards).
Took the metro to Ciqikou. We strolled through the ancient town to the specialty chicken gizzard restaurant in the center.
The restaurant owner said his house was over 300 years old.
Again, we asked for mildly spicy when ordering, and again, even the mild spice was too much for us.
We had to dip the food in hot water to wash off the spiciness, but that also washed away the flavor.
After eating, we continued exploring the ancient town. It was heavily commercialized.
There were a few small alleys and coffee shops that were more artistic and quiet, but we were in a hurry and didn't explore them thoroughly.
Leaving Ciqikou, we took Metro Line 1 to Xiaoshizi to experience the Yangtze River Cableway.
As soon as we exited the metro, someone told us that the cableway would have at least an hour's queue. We ignored them and went to buy tickets.
When we asked the staff, there was no queue at all. Those scammers probably wanted us to follow them to other attractions.
The cable car took us across the Yangtze River. We rested and took some photos.
Then we took the metro to the airport, walking to the metro station on the way.
We got our boarding pass, went through security, and reached the gate. When boarding time came, the announcement said the flight to Jiuzhaigou was canceled due to weather. At that moment, I felt terrible, extremely disappointed, but there was nothing to be done.
Went back to the airline counter. There were no flights to Jiuzhaigou tomorrow morning either. I decided to give up on Jiuzhaigou.
Canceled the Jiuzhaigou hotel, car, tickets, and the return flight from Jiuzhaigou to Wuxi.
Feeling down, regretful, and annoyed, I took the metro back to the city center.
Went to Zhao's Courtyard near Hongyadong for another hotpot meal. This restaurant was better than the previous night's; the mild spice was tolerable.
While eating, I booked the hotel for tonight, a charter car for tomorrow's Dazu trip, and tickets.
After eating, I went to see the Hongyadong night view, but my mood was understandably low.
After a tiring day, I felt exhausted. I walked to Jiefangbei to take a photo.
The Huixianlou Hotel was a last-minute booking with high online ratings. But it was just average. It was in a large building with a river view. It seemed a bit old and not very clean.
Hotel room window view of the river.
July 25, D3: Chongqing (Stay: Chongqing Ciqikou Manxin View Hotel)
At 9 a.m., the charter car driver picked us up from the hotel and took us to Dazu.
Traffic was a bit congested. It took about two hours to reach Baodingshan Dazu Rock Carvings, the highlight of Dazu.
The scenic area was large, with an exhibition hall, museum, restaurant, etc. The actual rock carving area was not very big.
Entered the scenic area and took the sightseeing bus to the entrance of the Dazu Rock Carvings area to visit the Baodingshan carvings.
I like ancient history and relics, so I bought a WeChat audio guide and listened to the history and meanings of the carvings while visiting.
The carvings are in the mountains, and the mosquitoes here were quite fierce.
After visiting, I took the sightseeing bus from the exit to the restaurant near the museum. Had a vegetarian buffet, which was tasty.
Then visited the Dazu Rock Carvings Museum, which mainly had photo introductions to various rock carving arts from different places.
Finally, took the sightseeing bus out of the scenic area and continued to the next stop: Beishan Rock Carvings.
Beishan Rock Carvings are much smaller than Baodingshan. Listening to the guide, you can finish quickly.
On the hill opposite the Beishan exit, there were two large Buddha statues and a Duobao Pagoda. Despite being tired, I climbed up for a look.
On the way back, I asked the driver to drop us at Ciqikou. I stayed at Ciqikou tonight to make up for not exploring it thoroughly before.
Checked into the Manxin View Hotel by the river. The hotel was nice, with a direct river view.
I explored the ancient town thoroughly, going to every corner.
Had dinner at Yangji Longfu, not far from the ancient town. This restaurant also has a branch in Shanghai.
Ordered a special fish dish, which was tasty. The spicy chicken was so numbing I couldn't eat it.
Walked back to the hotel, strolling through the ancient town along the way.
By then, the daytime hustle had faded, and most shops were closed. A few quiet bars were still open, with live singers.
Returned to the hotel to rest.
July 26, D4: Chongqing -> Shanghai
It rained heavily in the middle of the night. In the morning, the air in the ancient town was especially fresh, and the temperature had dropped significantly.
Left at 10 a.m. to continue exploring the ancient town. The rain had stopped by then.
Had breakfast at Dawang Youcha.
Arrived at the metro station around 11 a.m. and headed to the airport.
West Air operates out of Jiangbei T2. Since T3 terminal opened, T2 has been very quiet.
Arrived at the airport around 12 p.m. and got the boarding pass. Had lunch at the airport β expensive and not tasty.
After security, there were a few good restaurants.
The flight from Chongqing to Shanghai was delayed by another three hours.
Flight: West Air PN6373, 14:35 Chongqing Jiangbei T2 => 17:10 Shanghai Pudong T2
Left the airport and went home around 9 p.m.
This trip wasn't very lucky, with flight cancellations and delays. I didn't make it to my most wanted destination, Jiuzhaigou, but the artistic achievement of the Dazu Rock Carvings was worth visiting. After visiting Dazu this time, I have now left my footprints at all five of China's most famous rock carving sites.
Next stop: Jiuzhaigou.
