Summer Vacation: Taizhou-Henan Road Trip
From July 9 to 15, one car, a family of three, with a single driver, completed a road trip from Taizhou to Henan, covering over 3,200 kilometers. Below I will share the details of this road trip.
Many people might have some questions: Is Henan fun? Why drive to Henan? Since Taizhou to Henan is so far, why not rent a car in Henan? Why take a detour to Wuhan on the way? Why didn't you visit Shaolin Temple when you were in Henan?
First, I want to say that Henan is indeed not a popular tourist destination, nor is it an ideal summer travel spot, and very few people attempt a road trip from Taizhou to Henan. So why did I decide on such a trip? The reasons are as follows: 1. I have never been to Henan, so it's a good place to go. 2. Driving to Tibet has always been my dream, but I had never taken a road trip before. In over a decade of driving, I had never left Taizhou. So before starting my dream journey, I needed a more reasonable target to practice. 3. Although Henan is not a hot tourist spot, it has history, culture, and famous mountains. These attractions are somewhat scattered, so self-driving is more convenient. Hence, Henan became the backup destination. 4. I didn't rent a car locally because I wanted to test my driving limits and my car's performance. But since it was my first time driving such a long distance, I was worried I couldn't handle it, so I arranged a stop in Wuhan for a night's rest and also to see the Yellow Crane Tower. 5. Due to work reasons, I only had one week for travel. Given the long distance, I chose attractions based on my personal preferences and driving route. I skipped many places like Shaolin Temple, Yinxu, Red Flag Canal, and Dikengyuan, leaving them as excuses for another visit. 6. As for choosing a hot time to travel, I think anyone with school-age kids understands.
With the confusion clarified, let's start the action.
Preparation stage: 1. List all essential items for the trip to avoid forgetting anything. 2. Collect information on major attractions in Henan, their visiting times, and local food. 3. After reserving time for the round trip, select the most interesting attractions based on remaining time. 4. Plan the driving route according to the cities where attractions are located, calculate driving times between them and visiting times, and decide on overnight stays. 5. Search for hotels and food in corresponding cities, book rooms, and roughly pick a few places to eat. 6. Adjust the itinerary by adding or removing attractions based on schedule density. 7. Book tickets in advance if required. 8. Continuously optimize and supplement before departure.
Arrange work, get in the right mindset, and go!
Tips: 1. Long-distance driving is really tiring, especially single driving. It's easy to get fatigued, so you must rest every 3 hours. Driving while fatigued is very dangerous. 2. For the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan, the guide says the best photo spot is at Simenkou Yellow Crane Tower Station Exit C of the subway. It's indeed good, but very crowded, and many paid photographers occupy the spots. So I just took a quick photo from afar. 3. Luanchuan's Laojun Mountain: "A glimpse of the world's splendid beauty, far away to the breathtaking scene." The scenery is nice, but it depends on luck. When I entered the "Ten-mile Painting Gallery," there was some mist, giving the feeling of stepping into a fairyland. But later the mist got thicker, and by the time I climbed to the Golden Summit Taoist Complex, it affected the view. Also, I recommend buying both the round-trip cable cars for the two levels. 4. Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang currently do not offer night tours, and some caves are under renovation. Overall, the protection of the grottoes and the service at the scenic area are not very good. 5. Yuntai Mountain in Jiaozuo is a World Geopark with ten national titles. The scenic area is large, and the natural scenery is nice (very rare in northern China, but might be less impressive for southerners). You can arrange 2-3 days there. I only spent 1 day, and climbing the mountain was very tiring. 6. In Kaifeng, at the Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden, you can buy a ticket for the evening "Tokyo Dream" performance. Daytime entry is free, and you can spend a whole day there watching various shows. For shows that only run once or twice a day, you must plan ahead, especially "Yue Fei's Spear Duel with the Little King of Liang" and "The Battle of Tokyo Defense." You need to reserve a spot early. I arrived 50 minutes early for the Battle of Tokyo Defense and still ended up sitting on the stairs. 7. Museums are free, but it's best to book in advance to avoid being turned away if daily tickets are full.
Attachment: This trip's route: Taizhou — Wuhan — Luanchuan Laojun Mountain — Luoyang — Jiaozuo Yuntai Mountain — Kaifeng — Taizhou. Fuel cost about 1,800 yuan, tolls about 1,480 yuan, accommodation a bit over 2,000 yuan. Other expenses not counted. Feel free to ask any other questions.
