Datong and Pingyao (21st - 25th February)
We
boarded the train to Datong from Beijing at 7.08am. The ride was pleasant enough and 7.5
hours later, we arrived in Datong. We even snuck some great views of the Great Wall of China on this train trip too!
We paid
45 Yuan ($9 AUD) per person for a hard seat, and purchased these tickets at the Beijing Railway Station.
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We stayed at the Jinjiang Inn Hotel in Datong. The hotel was central and a good place to stay for a short visit to the city.
The Hanging Monastery/Temple
(60 Yuan ($12AUD) entry fee per person)
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We were very impressed with this attraction, and spent a
while here admiring the beautiful gardens, frozen lakes and
waterfalls and amazing temples hanging on the steep cliffs. The original temple was constructed by one man - Liao Ran over more than 1600 years ago.
The Yungnan
Grottos
(120 Yuan ($24AUD) entry fee per person, and seniors were
able to enter free)
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These Grottos were absolutely amazing. Constructed in the fifth Century AD, some have been reconstructed, however many of them are still in their original state.
Pingyao - The ancient great walled city
An overnight sleeper train took us from Datong to Pingyao.
(This train ticket was purchased online via
www.china-diy-travel.com, your tickets are purchased in China, an E ticket is sent and you pick up the tickets with your passport from any railway station in China. This trip cost us 220 Yuan ($42AUD) per person, in a four berth soft sleeper + $10 AUD booking fee).
We arrived at our hotel - Cheng Jia and were welcomed by the family, including their adorable little dog, who we nicknamed 'Nihao'!
This ancient walled city was founded in the 14th Century and still has a lot of charm.
Within the old city, there are many souvenir shops, restaurants and hotels.
Outside the walls is like any other city, we found the walk around the outside of the walls to be very pleasant.
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