When I was preparing for my trip, Zhang Jiajia’s film was released. I decided to watch it after the trip, because it has a special meaning to me. Before, I always felt that I had no time to deal with things in life and work, let alone travel. Later, I accidentally read Lao Zhang’s book, and then I realized that there are many things worth trying in life. Besides monotonous life and work, we also need proper travel to act as a condiment, adjust our state of mind and embark on a new journey. After being full of energy, we can bring more positive energy to life and work.
Because we started from Chengdu, we chose the bullet train at first. Due to the short distance between the cities, it only takes about 2 hours. As a result, I unexpectedly met my college best friend M and her husband Mr. W in Chengdu. After playing in Chengdu for two days, we went to Chongqing by Mr. W’s car. There are four great joys in life, and meeting M made me extremely happy. It also fulfilled the great joy of “meeting old friends in a foreign land”. Before going to Chongqing, I didn’t have many expectations for this city. Maybe it’s because the city is too low-key, and there isn’t much publicity in city promotion and some travel magazines, so I don’t have much impression of Chongqing. Even because it was the last two days of the trip, my body was already a little tired. I came to Chongqing with the mentality of passing by and taking a look.
We left in the afternoon and arrived at a small hotel in Chongqing. It was getting dark. I looked at the time, it was already 9 pm in Chongqing. I was tired all the way, and I couldn’t wait to go to the hotel to take a bath and sleep, and I didn’t even have the mood to eat dinner. But W was very excited. After a short rest in the hotel, he pulled us out of the hotel and walked towards the street with more people. Maybe because the hotel is located in the city center, the surrounding streets are still very noisy.
After turning a corner, we came to a street similar to a bar street. The street was full of red lights and green lights. Young men and women in fashionable clothes embraced each other and walked into bars one by one. From time to time, there were drunk people, laughing or talking loudly. It seems that no matter which city you are in, there is such a place that is noisy in the dark. We found a barbecue restaurant, ate skewers, chatted, and gradually we also blended into this short-lived prosperity like these young men and women. It was already very late when we returned to the hotel, but we were also unusually happy. This is my first impression of Chongqing: lively and noisy.
The next morning, C and I got up and got ready to leave. This is a habit we developed during our travels. No matter how tired we were the day before, we would definitely get up early the next day to set off. We both cherish this trip. Our destination this morning was the famous “Chaotianmen Wharf” in Chongqing. It took about an hour and a half by subway, and then we walked a bit to get to the river. The gloomy sky was like a thick cloud, worthy of the title of “Fog City”.
Because it was already after the National Day Golden Week, there weren’t many crowded crowds near Chaotianmen Wharf, but there were still many tourists visiting. On the shore were cruise ships with 2-3 decks, and from time to time you could hear announcements on the ships about the day’s itinerary, attracting tourists. There were also cargo ships passing by, carrying heavy goods, slowly sailing on the river. Besides tourists, there are also many vendors selling snacks on the shore, the most common being sour and spicy noodles and Chongqing noodles.
I was attracted by a lady making dragon beard candy. I stood by the stall and watched her make it by hand. First, she put a transparent golden piece of something like jelly (I guessed it was sugar syrup) into the flour, and then used her skillful hands to stretch and wrap the syrup around and around. After about 5 or 6 minutes, the original large piece of syrup had turned into something thinner than hair, like dragon beard. I was amazed and interested in this thing. I thought such handmade products would sell for more than 10 yuan a box, but when I asked, it was only 5 yuan a box. And the taste is soft and sweet just right. I instantly fell in love with this snack. I finished a box in three bites, and then took another box for M before leaving contentedly. Later, I also ate small glutinous rice balls (2 yuan a small bowl) and delicious rock sugar pear soup along the way.
We walked and ate all the way to Chaotianmen Wharf. Chaotianmen Wharf is located at the confluence of two rivers, a bend. You don’t feel anything from one side, but when you really walk to the middle of the wharf, the confluence of the two rivers, you can truly feel the momentum of Chaotianmen. The two rivers are the Yangtze River and the Jialiang River. Because the water colors of the two rivers are different, you can clearly see the dividing line at the confluence of the river. One side is a muddy yellowish brown, and the other side is a clearer green. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring a camera, and my phone couldn’t capture the distinct colors. Besides watching from the riverbank, you can also walk up the high platform built in Chaotianmen to view the entire river scene. Near the wharf, I also found a subway station under repair. I guess in the near future, you can directly take the subway to watch the river scene. As soon as you get off the subway, you can see the river scene of Chaotianmen. But when I thought about it, I lost some interest. After all, you missed the fun along the way.
The legendary “Bangbang”
At noon, we rushed back to the hotel to check out and get our luggage. We also ate a bowl of authentic Chongqing noodles next to the hotel. A full bowl only costs 7 yuan, and it is guaranteed to be authentic and spicy just right. In the afternoon, we switched to a hotel near Chongqing North Station. Because we booked in advance, we could check in directly. Speaking of hotels, I think this is the biggest discount of this trip. Because it was the Golden Week, Baidu Maps subsidized accommodation a lot. The original planned accommodation fee was halved, and the hotel environment was also good. Here I recommend a hotel called “Shangke You”. The decoration style is fashionable, simple, beautiful and affordable. Travelers can learn more about it in advance.
After a short nap, the four of us still went out separately. Because our travel purposes and preferences were not quite the same, and we were unwilling to change the original plan, M and W went to Jiefangbei to reward their stomachs, while C and I went to the Chongqing Art Museum. Speaking of going to the art museum, C and I searched for a while before finding it. It was clearly on the map nearby, but we couldn’t find the entrance.
I think friends who have been to Chongqing should have had similar experiences of getting lost. There’s no way to avoid it, because it’s a mountain city. It’s originally a place of twists and turns, a city built along the mountain. So you often see this scene in Chongqing. The top floor of this building may be at the same height as the first floor of the building behind it. Buildings are always stacked layer upon layer on both sides of the street. You basically can’t see any bicycles. You keep going up as you walk, and when you are tired and out of breath, you will encounter a downhill road for you to rest. No wonder they say that Chongqing girls have good figures. It is a skill they have cultivated since childhood.
After walking around and going up a platform, we finally found the entrance to the Art Museum. It was also built on a high ground. After going up, we found a fountain square. Adults, children and even pets were relaxing here, especially children and puppies, running around and laughing, which made you feel a lot better. Chongqing Art Museum really has a lot of works, and the styles are diverse. It is definitely worth visiting. The entire Chongqing Art Museum building is a fortress of modern art.
After leaving the Art Museum, I knew there was a famous place called Hongya Cave nearby because I had done my homework beforehand. So I dragged C to go there. We didn’t take a car, and it wasn’t too far to walk. We found a place called Hongya Cave along the roadside. I thought it was a large local-style building. Who knew that when we reached the railing and looked down, wow, it was amazing. It turned out that the road surface of this road was much higher than the other road next to it. We were at the roof level.
It turned out that Hongya Cave is a wooden house built against a cliff. The main landscape is the “stilted building” with the characteristics of traditional Bayu architecture. It is built along the river and against the mountain. After counting, there are about 9 floors in the entire Hongya Cave. Each floor has been developed into a commercial street, and each floor is different. It has become a major feature of Chongqing. The stilted building style is unique, and there is also a small waterfall on the cliff next to it. I don’t know if it is a man-made landscape or a natural one. In any case, it is very unique. When we left Hongya Cave, the sun was setting. I heard that the lights of Hongya Cave are very beautiful at night. However, we didn’t wait and left.
Because Hongya Cave is also very close to Jiefangbei, we walked to Jiefangbei to see if M was still there. However, they had already left when we got there. Jiefangbei at night is full of people. It’s probably the most lively place in Chongqing. A tall stone with the words “People’s Heroes Monument” stands in the center of the commercial street. It seems that no matter which street you walk on, you will eventually gather here. There are mostly shopping malls and snacks around, making it a good place to go shopping and eat. Don’t miss it if you pass by.
The first day’s itinerary is about to end. I have fallen in love with this city, I love its hustle and bustle, I love its food, and I love this city full of fireworks.
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