This trip was unplanned, as I stumbled upon a promotional airfare to Macau with Air Asia. I booked the ticket first and then thought about where to go, letting the ticket guide me and the destinations follow. ... So, what's next? I thought it would be nice to visit a Thai friend who works in Guangzhou. If I meet my friend, where will we go? The keywords "Fenghuang" and "Zhangjiajie" came up. Hmmm, that sounds interesting. So, let's go, haha... Within 5 days, let's see where we can go. Let's start buttoning the first button (will it be wrong?).

We need to include Chinese characters in our rough plan so that we can ask for directions from Chinese people and show them if we have trouble communicating.

Macau ( 澳门 ) - Zhuhai ( 珠海 ) - Guangzhou ( 广州 ) - Changsha ( 长沙 ) - Fenghuang ( 凤凰 ) - Zhangjiajie ( 张家界 ) - Tian Men Shan ( 天门山 ) - Wulingyuan ( 武陵源 )

Macau - Zhuhai - Guangzhou - Changsha - Fenghuang - Zhangjiajie - Tianmen Mountain - Wulingyuan

(Fenghuang and Zhangjiajie are located in Hunan Province, China.)

And that is the Plan, the actual part that happened...

Upon arrival at Macau International Airport, board the AP1 minibus located directly outside the arrival hall. This bus will take approximately one hour to reach the Gongbei Port of Entry. After crossing the border, you will arrive in Zhuhai, China. Be prepared for potentially long lines at immigration, although numerous counters are available to expedite the process.

2. After crossing the border into China, exit the building and walk to the left (as my friend instructed). You will find the high-speed rail station. Purchase a ticket to Guangzhou and take the train for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. My friend will be waiting for me at the station. If time permits, we will grab a bite to eat before heading to the train station to purchase tickets to Changsha. The train journey will take approximately 8 hours.

3. We haven't started sightseeing yet. We need to travel further. We agreed to go to Fenghuang first. We will take a bus to Fenghuang, which will take about 5 hours. We booked our accommodation online in advance, but there are many hotels here. If you want to walk in, you can choose the location with the view you like.

Arriving in Fenghuang in the afternoon, we started exploring the town, but first we needed to find something to eat. We were starving! It seemed like we would be walking until late tonight.

Found it! The food I thought I could eat looks like sukiyaki, shabu-shabu, or tom yum head fish hot pot. It's mainly fish meat, but the soup base definitely contains dog meat. I took out the fish meat and washed it with hot water before eating.

After a satisfying meal, we embarked on a leisurely boat ride, taking in the picturesque scenery along the riverbanks.

After a 30-minute boat ride, we continued our journey on foot.

Stop by the store you're interested in. This store sells postcards.

We stopped to take photos whenever we found a beautiful angle.

The twilight light has arrived.

We didn't bring a tripod, so we placed the camera on the fence and chairs. It was okay.

Must-try grilled dishes

A wide variety of grilled meats, including pork, chicken, sausages, and even crab.

Walking since afternoon, almost midnight, my legs are sore.

Strolling and taking photos of the illuminated lights in the ancient town of Fenghuang. It was a delightful experience. The scenery was beautiful. We didn't manage to explore the entire town. If we had more time, we would have stayed another night for a more fulfilling experience. Tonight, we will sleep soundly, as our legs are tired from all the walking. Tomorrow, we will continue our adventures.

The next stop is Zhangjiajie. Tianmen Mountain, Avatar Valley. Take the morning bus to Zhangjiajie. It's almost noon. Check in to the hotel and make a travel plan. What can we visit in the next 3 days and 2 nights? Tianmen Mountain - Wulingyuan or Avatar Valley. Finally, when we checked the train schedule to return to Guangzhou, it was full. Trains in China should be booked in advance. We thought we were coming during a time when there were not many tourists, but it turned out to be a school holiday and there were even more people. There were still some trains left for tomorrow, so we decided to book them online quickly, otherwise we would definitely miss our flight back to Thailand. We got a late-night train back to Guangzhou, so we have half a day today and all day tomorrow to visit.

Today, I rode the bus around Zhangjiajie City. Tomorrow, I will climb Tianmen Mountain. As for Avatar Hallelujah Mountain, let's save it for another time.

The cable car pictured above takes visitors to Mount Tianmen.

This is a scenic spot in the park, I can't remember the name, but I know I found it while walking.

I found this on the mountain. :)

The next morning, we asked the staff at our hotel to book cable car tickets for us in advance. Then, at 5:00 AM, they took us to the cable car station. When we arrived, we understood why we had to come so early. There were so many people, it was like an ant colony. We wondered when we would be able to get on the cable car.

Arrived at 5:30 am, but didn't actually get on the cable car until 9:00 am. Sigh!

The cable car is incredibly long, stretching approximately 7 kilometers. It takes 40 minutes to traverse the city, passing over villages and offering breathtaking views.

Enjoy the scenic beauty of the mountains and cliffs.

The road leads up the mountain. On the way back, we will take a car. If we take a car up, we will have to climb 999 steps. I would rather choose to take the cable car and walk down. My knees are still good. ^_^

Get ready to get drunk on the curves when you see the road. Haha.

Upon arrival, we walked around the mountain, following the map provided. It would take approximately 5-6 hours to walk around the mountain and reach the Heaven's Gate. However, we needed to manage our time to return to the hotel and catch the 8 pm train. So, we walked around as much as we could, given the time constraints.

Cliffside path

The map provides regular updates on the location.

The Gate of Heaven, Tianmen Cave, stands at an altitude of 1,500 meters above sea level.

A padlock, following the trend, symbolizing our unbreakable bond.

With a waterfall

Once you reach the bottom, there will be a park bus waiting to take you to the city. You will have to pass through 99 curves below.

The trip did not go according to plan. After leaving Zhangjiajie, we took an overnight train to Guangzhou, where we spent the morning exploring the city and shopping. In the afternoon, we took a bus to Zhuhai, a border city on the Chinese side. In the morning, we had to cross the border back into Macau to catch our flight at noon. This border crossing is very busy, as it is a major crossing point for people traveling between China, Macau, and Hong Kong. We had to allow plenty of time for the crossing. After crossing the border, we took the AP1 bus to Macau Airport. However, we got off at the wrong stop, which was at the ferry terminal just before the airport. We couldn't cross the fence to get to the airport, so we had to take a taxi. In the end, the trip ended well, albeit in a confusing and disoriented way. Next time, it would be better to fly directly to Changsha.

The journey was not bad at all. We discovered new routes, gained knowledge, and had a wonderful travel experience. :) What did we miss?

**Trip Summary: Don't attach happiness to the destination.** (This quote is attributed to "พี่หงส์," the boss of a friend who works in Guangzhou.)

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Story by LingPle Mayuree : [email protected]

Photo by: LingPle Mayuree, Puffin Coral, Thanadol Phuwanonrungruang, At Alex.

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