Not sure, but probably about 20-30 km from where I live, there is a beautiful scenic spot and small town. There are many like that. It's great because you can just take a local bus. It takes time but it's easy.
This was Yuyao, Ningbo, China.
When I arrived in that town, I took another bus, a very local one, which took forever to come, to an even smaller town. That is where the scenic spot is. To get there by car from where I live, it would only be about 40 minutes, tops.
After arriving in this even smaller town, that is situated beside a river, that has been altered and controlled by man, making it more functional, I went to eat at some local place. The locals there, are really local. I was trying out my Mandarin with them but even that was difficult.
Soon after that I found an inexpensive hotel, about 160 rmb per night, like 30 bucks, which isn't bad at all. At all. I checked in, took a short nap then off to the scenic area; it took maybe 20 minutes to walk there, and it is a classic Chinese scenic area: a sealed off beautiful area with a ticket booth in front. It was 60 rmb per person, I paid and started off on the path into the foresty, mountainous area with a beautiful river running through it.
The weather was quite hot, and I took my time just strolling on the paths and swimming in the river. My days off are Mondays and Tuesdays, so the crowds were nill. Love the feeling of just being in nature and having plenty of time.
Here is part of the pathway lined with bamboo trees, which are definitely in abundance in China's wilderness.
The next day, I waited for the bus to go back into Yuyao but first went to take a dip in the near by river.
Then, I went to temple scenic spot in the town and paid some more....
I spent, probably, the whole afternoon there, just walking around. The sun was beating down hard, which made it difficult, but I persevered and moved slowly.
Check it out:
You can actually go up this pagoda without having to pay extra: 5-6 floors with a beautiful view from the top, which you can see below:
That evening, I took off and headed back into the city. I didn't get all the way back home, just about half way, got off the bus, found a cheap hotel then later went out to eat.
Nice!
