Fashion & travel: October 2022

Detian waterfall, mingshi village and zuojiang huashan rock paintings

guangxi province, south west china on the Vietnam border

MINGSHI VILLAGE - 明仕田园

This is one of the most beautifully preserved natural heritage in this area. like Guilin without the crowds. it is mainly inhabited by the Zhuang minority group, the biggest minority group in China mainly living in Guangxi province 广西省

https://www.asiaculturaltravel.co.uk/zhuang-ethnic-minority/

how to get there:

from NANNING

1- direct bus from xixiangtang bus station 西乡塘客运站 1 bus at 3.10pm 67rmb 224km bus to 明仕田园 mingshi tianyuan

2 - direct bus from langdong bus station 琅东客运站 to 明仕田园 mingshi tianyuan 2 buses 08.30 / 11.30 65rmb

option 1 & 2 approx 3.5h

there is another option but it is not direct and needs a change

3 - get a regular shuttle bus to daxin town daxin xiancheng 大新县城 then change for a bus to mingshi 明仕田园 mingshi tianyuan

4 - visit after visiting Detian waterfall,

get a bus from Detian waterfall to Shuolong town / Daxin county, then transport to Mingshi village

https://www.visitourchina.com/nanning/attraction/ming-shi-countryside.html

we got the late afternoon bus as I needed to wait for Malik as he arrived later. It was super hot for October but thankfully the bus had AC so at least when we were cool when we finally got on. The views are beautiful along the route. lush green valleys and mountains. lots of mango and banana trees growing in the fields. farmers living simple lives in beautiful surroundings. the buildings and people are few and far between. a peaceful area once you start to get closer to the border and plenty of small villages and scenic spots darted along the way. I would love nothing more than to bring a tent and randomly camp in a field and gaze at the stars in the night. awoken by the local roosters rather than a construction drill or car horn like one does in the city.

we arrived just as it was getting dark, randomly finding a small b&b to stay in rather than one of the expensive hotels. due to covid and because its so far and out of reach there weren't many tourists. we strolled around and sampled some of the local food stalls and bbq. having a chilled night planning to get up early to go the the waterfall at the border of Vietnam.

misty morning

we got up with the rooster and briefly explored in the morning. the area is known for rafting as there are lots of small rivers nearby. we organised a car to take us to the waterfall. we were briefly stopped by border police wanted to check our passports and stamps - speaking chinese comes in handy as they couldn't speak a word of English (had to show them our information pages, visa and entrance stamps and explain why I didn't have my passport, instead a visa application ID page as I was applying for mine)

because we stayed close and headed early we were some of the first visitors and therefore the tourist buses were half empty (much better for photos!)

(reminds me of TAM COC of northern Vietnam)

lots of mango and bananas growing!

Detain waterfall (Nanning)

1. Take a bus from Nanning Langdong Bus Station to Detian Pubu (Detian Waterfall). The bus departs at 8:30 and 11:30 in the morning and the bus fare is CNY75.

2. Take a bus from Nanning General Bus Station to the waterfall at 8:30, and the returning bus departs at 15:00.

as we were already nearby however we arranged a local driver to take us, beating the queues as we went early ahead of the tours coming fro Nanning!

https://www.world-of-waterfalls.com/waterfalls/asia-detian-waterfall/

Ban Gioc Falls – Detian Falls is a collective name for two waterfalls on the Quây Sơn River that straddle the international border between China and Vietnam; more specifically located between the Karst hills of Daxin County, Guangxi, and Trùng Khánh District, Cao Bằng Province

It is currently the 4th largest waterfall along a national border, after Iguazu Falls, Victoria Falls and Niagara Falls

https://www.world-of-waterfalls.com/waterfalls/asia-detian-waterfall/

you can do a hike (many steps) afterwards and relax and buy snacks in an area, it started to rain lightly which was nice and refreshing after the intense October heat in Nanning the day before (start of October, the chinese golden week)

LONGHU MOUNTAIN RESERVE 龙虎山 08:30 am - 06:00 pm, 60rmb

we went there on the way back from detian waterfall, its on the way to Nanning. you just get off en route. getting back was trickier as the buses weren't regular, but it's close so we just called a didi (chinese uber) Longhu mountain reserve - its called dragon tiger mountain, but monkey mountain would have been more suitable, but not really a mountain either. it's not amazing but if you have time and not much else to do its nice to visit, but not that special

https://www.chinahighlights.com/nanning/attraction/longhu-mountain-natural-reserve.htm

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ZUOJIANG Huashan rockart左江花山岩画 90RMB 8-6

Chongzuo - ningming- minzushanzhai - boat (Tuolongqiao Dock (驮龙桥码头) 12.30/3.30 35rmb (Huashan) 3_ hours

青秀山 20RMB

The Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape is an extensive assembly of historical rock art that were painted on limestone cliff faces in Guangxi, southern China. The paintings are located on the west bank of the Ming River which is a tributary of the Zuo River.

They date from the period around the 5th century BCE to the 2nd century CE. In a surrounding landscape of karst, rivers and plateaux, they depict ceremonies that have been interpreted as portraying the bronze drum culture once prevalent across southern China.

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1508/

cock fighting

traditional drum performance

after the tour you stop on an island to watch the local native minority groups do a musical performance with drums and to explore.

From Nanning to Ningming

Option 1 - by Bus

Take a bus from Jiangnan Bus Station (江南客运站) to Ningming

Address: 236 Xinguang Ave. Jiangnan District, Nanning 南宁市江南区星光大道236号

Service Time: 6:55am-5:20pm

Bus Fee: CNY 65 per person

Option 2 - by Train

Take a train from Nanning Railway Station to Ningming

Train Schedules: No. 5517 7:40am (Nanning Station) - 10:54am (Ningming Station)

No. 7311 11:45am (Nanning Station) - 4:49pm (Ningming Station)

Train Ticket: CNY 26 per person

From Ningming to Huashan Rock Art Scenic Area

As Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art is in the Ningming countryside and the public transportation is limited, there is no direct bus from Ningming to Huashan Rock Art Scenic Area.

From the train or bus station, there are pedicabs (CNY 30 to CNY 50, 40 minutes) trundling to Tuolongqiao Dock (驮龙桥码头). All the visitors need to take a boat at the dock(驮龙桥码头) to reach Huashan cliffs by the river which bear the murals.

There are only 2 cruise boats owned by the cruise companies offering the round-trip journey. The cruise boat departs at 12:30pm and 15:30pm, and the duration of each cruise is usually 2.5 hours. Outside these times, you can hire a private boat.

as it was the end of the holiday and also off the beaten track there were very few who took the boat tour. I arrived about 30minutes before the tour shortly followed by a few families and retirees.