Beilun Jiufeng Mountain: beautiful, close, great exercise

九峰山旅游区售票处 Beilun Jiufeng mountain  is a scenic spot near NingBo. I took three buses to get there and it took about 1 1/2 hours. When I arrived, I really didn't know where I was. The bus dropped me off in a small little town, and the bus driver just pointed in a direction and said it was over there. If it wasn't for baidu map, a Chinese map app just like Google maps, I wouldn't really be able to get anywhere; all you need is your location in Chinese. 

 From the bus station, I walked and walked, and then I saw the sign. I followed it and headed to the mountain area. 

I walked a couple kilometers I think. I paid the entrance fee which was 30 RMB which isn't bad for China, about 6 cdn.  

I headed in: (It is a much bigger area than I had thought.) 

                  I first went to the temple and pagoda: 

The pagoda was closed and couldn't go up it. Mostly I think that is how it is in China because usually you can't go in them. 

So, I just walked around it and took a picture:

Then I continued on.

And up and up..

Until I reached the top:

By the time I got up to the peak of the mountain, I was exhausted, hung out for quit some time and then headed back to the entrance. 

On the way out I saw:

I defiinitely didn't see all the sites in this scenic area but would go back!

On the way home, I got off the bus at a street that looked crowded with vendors and people.

Xuedou Shan - scenic spot, not a national park, in Ningbo - more cool mountains

Took the bus, then subway to the long haul bus station, which was in the building next to the train station. From there, I took a 10 rmb bus to Xue Dou Shan. Shan means mountain.

At the top of the mountain

After reaching the bus station, I took a car (uber, didi - Chinese one) right to the scenic area, which was about 20 minutes away and through the city. At the point, I wasn't sure if I was going to stay overnight or not. I reached the scenic spot, bought the entrance ticket for expensive, 150 rmb, like 30 bucks Cdn, boarded the shuttle bus which took me up to the top of the mountain.

The waterfall with theChinese 
writing beside it is 
the most famous site there.

On top of the mountain

From there, I just followed the map that I was given when I bought the ticket to all the different sites. It was a beautiful day, full of sunshine. The views were spectacular, the air was fresh and the crowds were thin.

In front of the temple in Xuedou Shan

The big Buddha!

The next day I explored the city. It was more interesting than I had imagined. On the edge of the city was another scenic spot situated along side a river and small mountain with a pathway leading up it and all around it.

Along side the river, scenic city spot

Gazebo on top of the mountain in the city

Later, I took the bus out of town to a beautiful, serene lake in a very non-touristy area. I loved how easy it was just to get out of the city and into the mountains. 

That evening I took off and headed back to Ningbo, another refreshing trip into nature. 

Hangzhou: ultra modern China

Hangzhou was unexpectedly awesome and quite impressive. It is about 2.5 hrs from where I live (Ningbo), and I went there by bus, subway and then train. The train was not too expensive, about 70 RMB. 

When I arrived there, I went directly to the national Park called xixi wetlands. It was about 40 minutes from the train station by bus, a lot of traffic. 



It was named that because it's a very large area with dozens and dozens of small lakes and rivers divided by small land masses. There are also a lot of beautiful gardens and it's wonderfully kept. 

I went during the week, so it wasn't too busy, which was great. I can imagine on the weekends it being ultra busy! I walked around there for about three hours or so, but I could definitely see spending the whole day there.

After leaving the national Park, I went to check into the hotel,  then went to check out a night market and then to a walking street. I'm always impressed by and enjoy a walking street in any city. I think every city should have one.

The next day, I went to West Lake. It's quite a large lake that's right on the side of the city. 

At west lake, I took a ferry boat to an island that's in the middle of the lake. The island is made up of small lakes, more like large ponds, separated and surrounded by strip of land that have walking paths and gazebos.

After that, I went to a temple. To go to the temple, I had to get on another ferry, leave the island and walk to the temple. The main temple area has a pagoda. The pagoda is ultra modern with an escalator going up to it and an elevator right in the centre of it, so you don't have to walk up each flight. 

I went up the escalator and then up the elevator to see the beautiful view from the top floor, and then I walked down, stopping at each flight to check out all the artwork on the walls, which was impressive, especially the wood work.

That evening, I went to the new town, city center. I went to see a building that is shaped like a huge golf ball. After that, I wandered out to the back of the building where there were many people waiting around a fountain, a very large one. 

I felt like they were waiting for something specific, so I waited there also and not long after the water show in the fountain begin. Music was played over a loudspeaker and the fountains danced and played along with it. The buildings that surrounded the area, and there were many, were all completely decked out with LED lights and were displaying many changing, cool images.

Following this, and in the same area, was an outlet mall. The most modern outlet mall I've ever seen in my life: built on two floors, indoors and outdoors, with escalators and wide staircases connecting it all and along side a river with even more buildings lit up with LED lights and walk ways. 

The next day, I woke up not too early and went back to Ningbo.

Nanxi hot spirigs in Ninghai, Ningbo China - in a valley in the mountains

Started off from my apartment. I live at the edge of the town in Zhenhai, Ningbo. I took the bus to the subway and then subway to the train station. I didn't book the ticket in advance but just bought it there. I did check online before hand to see when the train would be departing to Ninghai and if there were seats available, and there were, a lot. But, when I arrived at the train station and got my ticket, I was informed that there was only standing room available. No problem, it was only 30 minutes away.










Arrived in Ninghai, I walked to the bus station and showed the person at the counter the name of the hot springs that I wanted to go to.  She pointed me to one place, then I asked someone else, and they pointed me to another place, then I found the right bus, got on the bus. It was cheap, 5 rmb.  It was a rickety old bus, and I really enjoyed the ride from that city up into the mountains. I always like the trip from the city and going into nature.  

 


I arrived at my destination, which was about 30 minutes from the city. The bus driver let me know when to get off, but I think it was the last stop anyways. I got off the bus and wasn't sure where to go from there, so  I walked around for a while and went into a few  of the hotels in the vicinity and asked where the hot springs were.  It turned out that the Hot Springs where exactly where the bus let me off. I went there, went in and asked the price.

The first place they told me it was really high 228 RMB. I kind of said jokingly that it was expensive, in my best Chinese, and that, maybe, they can lower the price. And they did. I paid 150 RMB.  I paid and they gave me a rubber wristband which was for my locker. The wristband looks like a watch, and the would be watch part has a sensor in it and can be swiped at your locker to open it. You put all your stuff in the locker, including the clothes that you are wearing, and the locker, manager, guy, comes and gives you a robe. You only wear a bathing suit.

Then I went up a few flights of stairs to the men's bathroom, which was full of numerous shower stalls. There I took a shower and then went into the next area. The first pool was just like a normal pool, coolish water, where you can kind of swim with a few areas in the pool that look like lounge chairs with water jets.

Following that, I went through the doors and into the outdoor hot springs area. They have a map posted there, so you can where all the hot springs are. I think there are about 12 to 15 different pool.

I went up the staircase and was surrounded by mountains and streams. It's basically in a valley.  Very sloppy, I went from one hot pool to the next. They all had slightly different temperatures and different purposes. I didn't really know what the purpose for each pool was because it was all in Chinese. One of the pools, have the type of fish that eats your dead follicles, skin. That was very ticklish:)

The weather was great. I spent about three or four hours there and then slowly made my way out, took a shower, went out of the hotel and started walking down the mountain.

 I decided to try and hitchhike because there were no more buses.  I flagged one down, and the person was going where I was going which was back to the main town, Ninghai. It turned out that this car was a taxi, an uber, and there were two people in the back already. So I got a ride into town with them.






Beautiful day. If I ever go again, I would go much earlier because on the way up, from the bus, I saw many trails that, I guess, go up into the mountains and looked like it would be great!

A few hotels pics and the breakfast buffet: