First Trip of 2023 - Self-Drive to Luoyang
From 2020 to 2023, the three years of the pandemic made traveling a luxury. Although we did go out occasionally, every time we were filled with fear. In 2023, restrictions were finally lifted. After much hesitation, we decided to drive from Beijing to Luoyang, Henan. We made a simple itinerary and set off.
January 15, 2023 – Day 1: Beijing → Handan → Linzhou
We drove four hours from Beijing to Handan just so my husband could eat a bowl of "Big Bowl Vegetable" (Da Wan Cai), a dish he had been craving for 20 years. He once worked in Handan when he was young and said he used to eat it often. To be honest, it was really affordable: one bowl of big bones, one bowl of small crispy pork, three bowls of rice, and two bowls of big bowl vegetables – total 90 yuan. The dining environment wasn't great, drafty from all sides, but the food was delicious. Our son said, "Dad is eating for the memories." We didn't sightsee in Handan, just walked around the streets. The festive atmosphere for the Chinese New Year was strong. Then we continued our journey.
Our destination for the first day was the Red Flag Canal (Hongqiqu), and we planned to stay at the Red Flag Canal Welcome Hotel. We navigated directly there. Upon arriving at Red Flag Canal Welcome Avenue, even in winter, the avenue retained its beauty. The Red Flag Canal Welcome Hotel was large, like a resort. However, since it was winter, most people were heading south and didn't stop here. Additionally, the pandemic had just been lifted, so there were very few guests. Notably, the central air conditioning was not turned on; each room had its own unit, and the staff gave us two electric heaters, yet it was still not warm enough, especially for children. There were no restaurants near the hotel, so we had dinner at the hotel.
Day 1 expenses:
Toll: 202 yuan
Lunch: 90 yuan
Red Flag Canal Welcome Hotel accommodation: 619 yuan
Dinner: 166 yuan
Total: 1,077 yuan
January 16, 2023 – Day 2: Linzhou Taihang Grand Canyon → Wanquan Lake → Luoyang
On the morning of the second day, we had breakfast at the hotel – the best breakfast of our entire trip. Afterward, we drove to Taihang Grand Canyon, navigating to Peach Blossom Valley (Taohuagu). Actually, the navigation already showed that Peach Blossom Valley was closed, but we clung to hope that the grand canyon itself wasn't. The snowy scenery along the way was beautiful, and we thought it was fortunate we came after the snow; if it had snowed while we were driving, we probably wouldn't have been able to go up the mountain. We were looking forward to seeing the snow-covered scenery in the scenic area, but when we arrived, we were informed that the roads inside were icy, so it was closed. We quickly turned back and headed to the next destination.
This year, after the pandemic was lifted, many scenic spots across the country offered free ticket reservations. I managed to get free tickets for Baiyun Mountain. We navigated to it, and the navigation showed one hour. After driving for an hour, we arrived at a remote small village, where someone stopped us and said the mountain was closed due to snow. I asked the villagers again: "Is that small mountain over there Baiyun Mountain?" They said yes, and that was the only road. However, before leaving, I had called the Baiyun Mountain scenic area and was told it wasn't closed. I called again, and was told the same thing. Then my husband rechecked the navigation, and another Baiyun Mountain appeared. We had gone to the wrong place. Our spirits sank. We didn't know there was also a Baiyun Mountain in Linzhou; we were supposed to go to the one in Luoyang.
On the way back, we saw Wanquan Lake Scenic Area, so we decided to stop and take a look. It was also free, and we even saw small ice formations. Most of the attractions inside the scenic area were open, but there were very few visitors – almost no one. There were also accommodation options, small courtyard-style houses. Through the glass, they looked really nice, but they weren't operating.
From Wanquan Lake, we navigated directly to Luoyang and checked into the Hanting Hotel. In the evening, we ate at Donghua Grand Restaurant in Luoyang. From the outside, it looked very upscale; if you were timid, you might not dare to enter, but the value for money was excellent. After dinner, we strolled through Luoyi Ancient City. If you're not taking photos, you don't really need to go in – it's full of young people dressed in ancient costumes.
Day 2 expenses:
Roasted sausage and fish tofu: 22 yuan
Toll: 120 yuan
Dinner: 172 yuan
Pomelo (papa orange): 17 yuan
Egg waffle: 10 yuan
Hanting Hotel: 240 yuan
Taxi: 14 yuan
Total: 595 yuan
January 17, 2023 – Day 3: Guanlin Temple → Longmen Grottoes → Yingtianmen → Shizi Street Night Market → Lijingmen Night Market
We grabbed four free tickets for Guanlin Temple. After breakfast at Hanting, we drove to Guanlin Temple. We entered by scanning the QR code or using our ID cards. There were quite a lot of people, many locals. It was close to the Spring Festival, so everyone came to pay respects to Guan Yu, praying for peace and protection.
We have seen grottoes at several places; each has its own characteristics. We were amazed by the craftsmanship of the ancient artisans, and saddened by the weathering of the grottoes.
Yingtianmen, Shizi Street, Lijingmen
Day 3 expenses:
Guanlin Temple parking: 10 yuan
Lunch (old renowned halal knife-cut noodles): 48 yuan (very cheap)
Roasted sausage: 10 yuan
Snacks: 13 yuan
Glow stone (fake, just fluorescent powder): 15 yuan
Small toy: 10 yuan
Dinner (Che Lao Guai): 169 yuan
Hanting Hotel: 240 yuan
Taxi: 20 yuan
Tiankongmen Sky Curtain Show: 90 yuan
Beef: 133 yuan
Longmen Grottoes sightseeing car: 40 yuan
Total: 798 yuan
January 18, 2023 – Day 4: White Horse Temple → Shaolin Temple → Stay in Anyang
We got two free tickets for White Horse Temple and bought a student ticket, which was a good deal. The visit to White Horse Temple took less than two hours. Outside, there were vendors selling cat and fish food. If traveling in winter, don't buy any – there were no animals inside, only pigeons. Other small trinkets were very cheap and could be bought as souvenirs.
It took about an hour to drive from White Horse Temple to Shaolin Temple. We didn't find a suitable place for lunch, so we ended up having instant noodles at the entrance of Shaolin Temple: 15 yuan per box, frozen knife-cut noodles 25 yuan. We regretted not eating in Luoyang – prices suddenly shot up. The main reason we brought the kids to Shaolin Temple was that my husband wanted them to see it. We didn't hire a guide and just strolled around roughly. Just touring Shaolin Temple took four hours, and we didn't even go to Mount Song; we were exhausted like dogs.
We fed the pigeon feed bought at White Horse Temple to the pigeons at Shaolin Temple, and the cat food also came in handy.
It was around 5 PM when we left Shaolin Temple. After weighing our options, we decided to drive back and stop wherever we could. Finally, we chose to stop in Anyang, planning to visit the Yinxu (Yin Ruins) site the next day.
Day 4 expenses:
Breakfast (donkey meat soup restaurant): 37 yuan
Hanting Hotel accommodation: 250 yuan
Lunch instant noodles: 70 yuan
Roasted sausage: 15 yuan
Toll: 131 yuan
Dinner: 212 yuan (the Hanting staff recommended an old restaurant, but we arrived just before 9 PM and it was already closed – they said all dishes had been sold out)
Strawberries: 37 yuan
Shaolin Temple tickets: 120 yuan
White Horse Temple student ticket: 17.5 yuan
Parking: 20 yuan
Total: 978.5 yuan
January 19, 2023 – Day 5: Anyang → Baoding → Beijing
We had breakfast at Hanting in the morning. When we saw that the Yinxu Royal Tomb Museum was closed, we headed straight back. My husband wanted to stop in Baoding for lunch – he craved the long-missed "Dry Pot Spicy Duck Head." After eating, we drove directly back to Beijing.
Day 5 expenses:
Toll: 198 yuan
Dry Pot Spicy Duck Head: 181 yuan
Total: 379 yuan
Total trip cost: Fuel 1,963 yuan + 3,827.5 yuan = 5,790.5 yuan. It's possible that some small expenses aren't fully recorded, roughly around 4,000 yuan. Overall, the cost of living in Luoyang is reasonable; once we reached Zhengzhou, it skyrocketed. We were pressed for time since we had to get back for the Spring Festival. My husband said he didn't get enough of Luoyang and looks forward to returning in spring or summer.
