One of the 33-Day Long Journeys — Introduction
Time goes back to early 2017. Our family of four generations and six people traveled to the south, passing through 13 provinces and cities, driving nearly 8,000 kilometers over 33 days. This was the first time we had driven so far and for so long.
We set out on January 16, took 5 days to reach the southernmost point of the trip, Sanya, and stayed for 5 days. On the return journey, we traveled along the southeast coast while sightseeing, and arrived home on February 17. Thanks to thorough preparation, overall we had a happy time playing, comfortable accommodations, and smooth travel. We not only feasted our eyes but also enjoyed local cuisines along the way.
There were many tourist attractions along the way. We selected famous and distinctive ones, visiting nearly 30. Most of the places and attractions were first-time visits for us; some that I felt were must-sees had to be left for another day.
We tried to take highways whenever possible, with the principle of not driving at night and not overexerting ourselves. The Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Expressway (from Hebei to Hunan section) and the Shenhai Expressway were the main roads for this trip. On these routes, the southern sections mostly had two lanes, while the northern sections had three or four lanes.
The longest stretch of non-highway road was between Lianshan, Guangdong and Xuwen. To take a shortcut and avoid possible traffic jams on the Guangzhou Ring Road, we took National Highway 207 in Wuzhou, Guangxi. Now all roads are highways. We encountered two long traffic jams: one from Yangjiang to Foshan during the Chinese New Year period, and another from Xiapu to Yandang Mountain due to icy road surfaces.
In Xiapu, we encountered an entrapment-style law enforcement on the highway near Changsha. The speed limit dropped sharply, and hidden cameras caught us, resulting in points deducted and a fine. Now there are still such sections in Hunan, but the cameras are in plain sight.
To go to Hainan, we had to take a ferry across the Qiongzhou Strait. The ferry only departs when fully loaded, so boarding just before it’s full saves the most time, but it’s hard to gauge.
Both ways, we arrived at the dock at 8 a.m., just after the previous ferry had left. On the way there, we encountered a large ferry with three decks for vehicles. The wait was long, and we also had to wait at the anchorage outside Haikou Port for a berth, taking a total of 6 hours.
On the return, we took a small ferry with one deck for vehicles, which took only about 3 hours.
At that time, I thought that if a cross-sea bridge were built, crossing the Qiongzhou Strait would be much more convenient. China's bridge-building technology is already world-leading; constructing the 30-plus-kilometer-long Hangzhou Bay Bridge and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge was no challenge, let alone the Qiongzhou Strait which is only about 20 kilometers wide.
Later, I learned that building a bridge across the Qiongzhou Strait is extremely difficult, requires huge funding, and also involves national defense security. In the future, a railway undersea tunnel might be adopted.
During the southward journey, I took many photos with my phone. I love beautiful scenery but my photography skills are not good, which is a bit regrettable.
