Andrew Aigner-MuehlerChapter 21.. My return weekend back to Datong
June 17th 2009 11:41
This must be the best job in the world, when someone like myself can take so many weekend trips away to parts of China, just last week I was able to pop down to Xian, Luoyang and Zhengzhou and now this weekend popping back to Datong for four days to see what I misses out the last time.
On the Thursday, a friend and myself left Chengde on train service K7712 at 1330pm to Beijing (hard seat - 41rmb). We arrived into Beijing at 1748pm and spent the few hours in the evening walking around before catching the train to Datong.
The train to Datong which is service number 1133 leaves Beijing West station at 2303pm and arrives into Datong at 0520am the following morning (hard sleeper – 102rmb).
As I was with a friend who hadn’t travelled to Datong before, and I had. I was willing to return back to some of the tourist attractions that I already had visited on a previous visit. If I was not a good friend, as well as, if it was a place that I did not like the previous visit, I would not have done it.
We did the same route or timetable that I mentioned on my previous trip to Datong, with going to the Hanging Temple at 6am Friday morning, then followed by going to the Yuncang caves in the afternoon.
On this visit, I noticed a lot of changes happening with both of the attractions, this time the lake/ river in front of the Hanging Temple was bone dry due to building work happening a little further up from the temple, and the builders needing the river/ lake as a road. This ruined a perfect picture for any tourist. Also with the Yuncang Caves all the shops and buildings in front of the caves were knocked down leaving rubble and mountains of dirt. The nice grassed area outside of the Caves was also gone. So many changes in less than a month.
The following day, we headed out to Yingxian to visit the Wooden Pagoda. The best way to get to the Wooden Pagoda according to the English speaking guys in CITS is too take the local bus, bus number 30 to the terminus from the railway station, it will cost you 1rmb. Bus number 30 will also take around 45 minutes to reach that terminus.
Once at the terminus, the bus will stop by the gate, walk down the back towards the office and/or waiting room and buy your tickets for the public bus, it will cost you 20rmb to Yingxian.
The bus to Yingxian will take 2 to 2 and half hours.
The bus is also quite slow as every half an hour or so, it will stop at some checkpoint for a check, you will have something like 6 checks.
When you reach Yingxian, the Wooden Pagoda stands out from the main road entering Yingxian, so does the long distance bus station. You will not get lost.
In reading books, a lot of books will say Yingxian is a small village, really it is a small town but quite big. On the other hand the city does look like a small village with all the traditional buildings. Down by the Pagoda, you will agree with me, if you go there, that down by the Wooden Pagoda in Yingxian it is quite attractive and beautiful.
When you walk out of the long distance bus station turn left and walk almost a kilometer, once you walk this much keep a look out on the left hand side, down a street, you will see it.
The Wooden Pagoda will cost you 60rmb to get in.
The Pagoda is set in a garden which is cemented with a lot of flowers.
You can walk up to the third level of the Pagoda but not any further. The stairs are quite steep and still in its original condition. What I could see the Pagoda has never been restored, the beams are rotting away, the signs on the third floor are faded and never been touched up.
It is interesting to see how the beams were locked in.
On the ground floor you have a giant Buddha statue that you can walk around and view from the front and back, though you can not take photos of it, but people do.
Out the back you have a few temples that you if you practice the Buddha religion, you can say a prayer.
You will not spend more than 45 minutes here. Yeah! It is a long way to go for 45 minutes but it is a place to see in China. It is the best Pagoda to see.
On leaving the Wooden Pagoda take 15 minutes or so to look at the architecture down the main streets adjacent to the Pagoda, as mentioned already it is really attractive.
We managed to leave at 1pm on the bus back to Datong, which took again 2 and half hours to get back, because of the distances you need probably a day to do this unless you can do a deal with a taxi. We were given an offer that was for 280 yuan, to leave the station at 8:30am and head down to the Wooden Pagoda at Yingxian, spend 45 minutes there after a one and a half hour taxi ride, and then head out to the Great Wall which is between Datong and Hohhot, take a walk in the mountains and a walk on the wall, in parts where it is crumbling and then a taxi back into Datong. We both regretted we did not do this. I strongly agree you do this.
The next morning we left Datong at 0833am on train service number K616 and got back to Beijing West station around 1415pm in a hard seat costing 54rmb.
Before I end another chapter of my travelling, I have still have to say that nothing changes my view on this city, yeah the outskirts may be dirty and run down, but the city is still hustling and the people here are still way more polite and friendly than anywhere else I have so far visited.
On the Thursday, a friend and myself left Chengde on train service K7712 at 1330pm to Beijing (hard seat - 41rmb). We arrived into Beijing at 1748pm and spent the few hours in the evening walking around before catching the train to Datong.
The train to Datong which is service number 1133 leaves Beijing West station at 2303pm and arrives into Datong at 0520am the following morning (hard sleeper – 102rmb).
As I was with a friend who hadn’t travelled to Datong before, and I had. I was willing to return back to some of the tourist attractions that I already had visited on a previous visit. If I was not a good friend, as well as, if it was a place that I did not like the previous visit, I would not have done it.
We did the same route or timetable that I mentioned on my previous trip to Datong, with going to the Hanging Temple at 6am Friday morning, then followed by going to the Yuncang caves in the afternoon.
On this visit, I noticed a lot of changes happening with both of the attractions, this time the lake/ river in front of the Hanging Temple was bone dry due to building work happening a little further up from the temple, and the builders needing the river/ lake as a road. This ruined a perfect picture for any tourist. Also with the Yuncang Caves all the shops and buildings in front of the caves were knocked down leaving rubble and mountains of dirt. The nice grassed area outside of the Caves was also gone. So many changes in less than a month.
Wooden Pagoda -Yingxian
The following day, we headed out to Yingxian to visit the Wooden Pagoda. The best way to get to the Wooden Pagoda according to the English speaking guys in CITS is too take the local bus, bus number 30 to the terminus from the railway station, it will cost you 1rmb. Bus number 30 will also take around 45 minutes to reach that terminus.
Once at the terminus, the bus will stop by the gate, walk down the back towards the office and/or waiting room and buy your tickets for the public bus, it will cost you 20rmb to Yingxian.
Wooden Pagoda -Yingxian
The bus to Yingxian will take 2 to 2 and half hours.
The bus is also quite slow as every half an hour or so, it will stop at some checkpoint for a check, you will have something like 6 checks.
When you reach Yingxian, the Wooden Pagoda stands out from the main road entering Yingxian, so does the long distance bus station. You will not get lost.
In reading books, a lot of books will say Yingxian is a small village, really it is a small town but quite big. On the other hand the city does look like a small village with all the traditional buildings. Down by the Pagoda, you will agree with me, if you go there, that down by the Wooden Pagoda in Yingxian it is quite attractive and beautiful.
The view of the surrounding street around the Wooden Pagoda
When you walk out of the long distance bus station turn left and walk almost a kilometer, once you walk this much keep a look out on the left hand side, down a street, you will see it.
The Wooden Pagoda will cost you 60rmb to get in.
The Pagoda is set in a garden which is cemented with a lot of flowers.
You can walk up to the third level of the Pagoda but not any further. The stairs are quite steep and still in its original condition. What I could see the Pagoda has never been restored, the beams are rotting away, the signs on the third floor are faded and never been touched up.
The third floor of the Wooden Pagoda
It is interesting to see how the beams were locked in.
The interlocking rotting beams, Inside the Wooden Pagoda
On the ground floor you have a giant Buddha statue that you can walk around and view from the front and back, though you can not take photos of it, but people do.
The Giant Buddha inside the Wooden Pagoda
Out the back you have a few temples that you if you practice the Buddha religion, you can say a prayer.
Inside one of the temples set away from the Wooden Pagoda
You will not spend more than 45 minutes here. Yeah! It is a long way to go for 45 minutes but it is a place to see in China. It is the best Pagoda to see.
Outside of the Wooden Pagoda
On leaving the Wooden Pagoda take 15 minutes or so to look at the architecture down the main streets adjacent to the Pagoda, as mentioned already it is really attractive.
The view of the surrounding street around the Wooden Pagoda
We managed to leave at 1pm on the bus back to Datong, which took again 2 and half hours to get back, because of the distances you need probably a day to do this unless you can do a deal with a taxi. We were given an offer that was for 280 yuan, to leave the station at 8:30am and head down to the Wooden Pagoda at Yingxian, spend 45 minutes there after a one and a half hour taxi ride, and then head out to the Great Wall which is between Datong and Hohhot, take a walk in the mountains and a walk on the wall, in parts where it is crumbling and then a taxi back into Datong. We both regretted we did not do this. I strongly agree you do this.
The next morning we left Datong at 0833am on train service number K616 and got back to Beijing West station around 1415pm in a hard seat costing 54rmb.
Before I end another chapter of my travelling, I have still have to say that nothing changes my view on this city, yeah the outskirts may be dirty and run down, but the city is still hustling and the people here are still way more polite and friendly than anywhere else I have so far visited.
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