Blue Moon Valley, Lijiang

-
Blue Moon Valley actually is an extremely blue river meandering through a lush valley of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Seen from a distance, it resembles a blue crescent moon inlaid at the foot of the mountain. That's how the place got its beautiful name! However, blue is not the only colour of the river. If it rains, the white mud and limestone rubble at the riverbed will be swirled up, making the water as white as milk. Therefore, local Naxi people name it White Water River (Baishui River).

Blue Moon Valley is a popular spot inside the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Scenic Area, 15 kilometers (9 miles) away from Lijiang Old Town. You can either take a through bus or charter a minibus to get to the Snow Mountain first.
  • Take a through bus at Yuhe Parking Lot near the northern gate of Lijiang Old Down. You can buy the ticket in Tourist Service Center at the northern end of Lanhua Street, opposite Tianyu Hotel. The bus leaves for the Snow Mountain at 8.30pm and returns at 4.30pm; the bus fare costs CNY40 per person.
  • Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is 22 kilometers (14 miles) away from Lijiang Old Town. You can charter a minibus at a charge of CNY200~300 for a round-trip; a one-way trip should take around 40 minutes.
  • Upon arrival, take a sightseeing bus at the visitors' center near the gate of the scenic area to the valley; the fare is CNY20. Other spots inside like Spruce Plateau, Yak Plateau, and Glacier Park Cable Car Terminus can also be accessed by sightseeing bus.
  • You can also signed up for any local tour agencies which you can find at Lijiang Old Town. You can compare for the best price especially when you have a larger group. Please watch out of "shopping tour". You can ask to clarify. Usually they will be honest with you or else just check their price after your few survey. If there is a tour that's cheaper almost 50% of your surveyed price, most likely it is a "shopping tour".
  • I signed up for a tour which cost me CNY400 per pax which includes trip to Blue Moon Valley, Jade Dragon Mountain, lunch, pickup from my hotel and transportation.

We are given 1 hour to walk around the valley. There is a man-made pathway for us to walk and optional you can hire a sightseeing car to travel between Blue Moon Valley and Spruce Plateau, Yak Plateau, and Glacier Park Cable Car Terminus. To be honest, 1 hour is not enough for me to enjoy this amazing breathtaking view of the valley. 
Snow mountain and blue lake is one of the perfect combination gifted by our mother earth. This amazing landscape can only be truly enjoyed if you witness it by yourself. Picture is just telling you 10% of the whole story.
The White Water River is fed by melting snow and ice running down from Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The water is freezing; even in summer, and people still cannot bear the piercing cold when they dabble in the river. But it is a favorite iced drink in summer. 
Legend has it that, when two Naxi youngsters fall in love, the boy will be tested by standing barefoot in the cold river in winter to show his committed love for the girl. Folks believe that this tested love will last forever in the presence of the holy snow mountain. So, the river is considered the Love River in local people's mind.
There are four lakes divided by small waterfalls or giant rocks along the river, namely Jade-Like Wine Lake, Mirror Pond, Blue Moon Lake, and Wave-Listening Lake. The lakes form a natural mirror reflecting the grand snow mountain, surrounding cliffs, and lush plants. 
There are small shoals dotted among the water, breaking the smooth surface of the lakes. You can take good pictures anywhere along the river. But the best point is the White Water Terrace on the upstream. It is made up of fan-shaped stairs with the river running down from each step, looking like shining shells under the sunlight.
Shuttling between Spruce Plateau and the valley by ropeway, you can have a bird's-eye view of the deep and serene river valley, with the river as a jade girdle around the flourishing vegetation.
There are many photo spots you can take and it is up to your imagination on how to make it more interesting. But do not try any stunt like this. It is for the professionals. Hehe...
The whole Jade Dragon Snow Mountain area including Blue Moon Valley is closed up like a national park. You need to get a pass to enter. You can get a 2 days pass which is a combo ticket which allows you to visit Combo ticket the Jade Dragon snow mountain, Yushui Village (also called Jade Water Village), Dongba Valley, Yufeng Temple, Yuzhu Qingtian Scenic Resort, Dongba Kingdom, Dongba Gods' Garden and Baisha Mural) for CNY230.
This one hour journey to the Blue Moon Valley is very worth it. You can choose to visit Blue Moon Valley only by paying the park entrance only but it is too expensive. So you have to include the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain trip no matter what. Since Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is the hottest tourist spot in Lijiang, so you wouldn't mind at all. As for me who have visited the snow mountain, I would rather stay longer at Blue Moon Valley. You will know why in my next post.
Total Price: CNY130 for the entrance to the park and you can visit Blue Moon Valley and Ganhaizi Grassland for free.
Operating Hours: 6.00am - 6.00pm
Recommended?: 5/5
Location: Hei Shui Duan, Yulong Naxizuzizhixian, Lijiang Shi, Yunnan Sheng, China

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bao Seng Durian Farm, Balik Pulau

-
Image
Have you ever stay in a Durian Farm before? No? At Bao Sheng Durian Farm, you can do it! This 6.7 acres durian farm has been established in Balik Pulau since 1959. It really took them full 60 years to get the fruit of their hard work. Their villa is well equipped with air-con, hot shower and LCD TV with hundreds of Blu-Ray quality movies in it! They have existing queen size or king size bed and extra bed can be requested. To get close and personal with the King of Fruit...the accommodation charges will be Deluxe Villa is charged at RM280/night and standard villa will cost you RM180/night. They only have 1 Deluxe Villa and 2 Standard Villa only. So it is very easy to be fully booked during the durian season. Advance booking is greatly recommended for at least 3 months ahead so that you will be able to choose the right schedule for the durian you wish to taste. Why stay in a durian farm? This is what you see when you open the window with all the durian trees around you. The fre
Read more

Hawker Center @Jalan MacAlister, Penang

-
Image
What will people think first when we talk about Penang? Penang Hill? Batu Feringghi? Hard Rock Cafe? I doubt any of them come first but their local food! Penang famous with their local foods and that is the reason there are a lot of hawker center at Penang. One of them is at Jalan MacAlister. No name for this hawker center but the local good foods are concentrated here. A lot of hawker stall like this here. There are just too many to choose from. Prawn Mee @RM5.00 Outlook: 3/5 Creativity: 3/5 Taste: 3/5 Price: 2/5 Overall: 2/5 - As I mentioned in my previous post at Raodifang, I just hate to eat a prawn mee with small prawns in it. Loh Mee @RM5.00 Outlook: 3/5 Creativity: 3/5 Taste: 2/5 Price: 2/5 Overall: 2/5 - Nothing special for an expensive small portion. Carrot Cake in chinese style @RM6.00 Outlook: 3/5 Creativity: 4/5 Taste: 4/5 Price: 3/5 Overall: 3/5 - We ordered two plates and one plate is very delicious and fragrant but another one is too s
Read more

Sports Shooting Club Hatyai (SSC)

-
Image
Most of people think if you travel to Hatyai and not visiting their temples, you are just wasting your time at Hatyai. As for my personal opinion, if you come to Hatyai and did not go to Sports Shooting Club (SSC) Hatyai to experience the shooting experience with a real gun, I think you are not just wasting your time at Hatyai but you are wasting your time being a human. You only live once and there is no better way to understand these guns than coming over to SSC.   Their gun selections are enough to satisfy your urge. From rifle, pistols, revolvers to shotguns. You would be surprised that their rifle is the cheapest. The price is stated from 890 baht nett for a 15 rounds.  I have tried the rifle, beretta and this Smith and Wesson 4506 .45 ACP. This 45 is my favorite among all with 50m shooting range and 8+1 capacity. One of the most expensive gun to rent here. Basically you are shooting at the target paper like this. You can adjust the range of the target to your prefer
Read more

Kedai Kopi Lotus, Kota Kinabalu

-
Image
Kota Kinabalu doesn't have huge hawker center like you will see in Peninsular Malaysia or Kuching but I have to reckon that the best hawker center in Kota Kinabalu is in Kedai Kopi Lotus. Kedai Kopi Lotus themselves do serve their own food which was very terrible and beyond edible state. So do not eat anything from this restaurant. You just pick the stalls beside this restaurant. There are 4 stalls which I will introduce one by one to you but the only stall which will not be introduced is the stall which is selling Guo Tie ( a kind of dumplings) -  not my favorite. The best and the most popular stall of all is this chicken wing stall. Everyone is there lining up for them either taking away or dining there. You may need to wait for 15-20 minutes for it. However, it will be definitely worthwhile. RM2.65/pc for this chicken wing. The reason it is taste so good is because of the perfect combination of the honey and the BBQ fragrance. They blend it so well inside the fresh and
Read more

Gua Tempurung (Tour 1 - Golden Flowstone), Gopeng

-
Image
Talking about caving, at East Malaysia, we will surely talk about Gua Niah . While at West Malaysia, many of us will think of is this, Gua Tempurung. So here I am at the entrance of one of the famous caves in Malaysia. A little history about this cave for you to know more. These are the prices and packages that you can choose from based on the difficulty and the adventure you would like to experience. Please take note on the number of people as well in your group. Tour 3 (Top of the World & Short River Adventure) & 4 (Grand Tour) have to be minimum of 8 pax. Tour 2 (Top of the World) is 4 pax and for any lesser than that will be Tour 1 (Golden Flowstone) .  Here are the sample pictures of what you going to experience depending to the tour you took.  So you have a good picture on what you will be experiencing. If you only have three pax or below and you do not wish to go for the tour 1, you have 2 options; 1) Wait for other visitors to come. NOTE: Not many visi
Read more

Skyline Luge, Sentosa

-
Image
After taking the cable car from Harbourfront to Sentosa Island, Skyline Luge is what you will see when you reach there at Imbiah Lookout. Riding this can get you faster to the Siloso Beach and extremely exciting too! The price is as above and as you can see there is an express queue charges if you got bored of queuing. Luge is a very light sled where over here it is functioned by wheels instead of skate. It slides down the hill without using engines to run it. They have two types of trails which are Dragon Trail and Jungle Trail. Choose either one you prefer but if you choose more than 1 ride, you should try both! Luge is the most dangerous sports in the Winter Olympics. So it is the same goes to this. You must adhere to their warnings and instructions at all times to avoid any unwanted accidents happen which will spoiled your entire day.  The first thing to do is to get the right size of helmet. Then, you listen to the instruction on how to control the luge. Do not a
Read more

Trang An Boat Tour, Ninh Binh

-
Image
It’s known as the Ha Long Bay of the land. About 150 kilometers from the famous Vietnamese bay where hundreds of islands form a natural wonder is another equally as impressive landscape. This one, known as Trang An, is nowhere near the coast, though. The mountains are connected by rice paddies, not water. You can cycle to them, not sail. And – best of all – they are not full of foreign tourists. Such is the joy of a Trang An boat tour. Trang An Heritage Complex is a part of Ninh Binh province, it is about 100km away from Hanoi city center. If Halong holds an impressive and magnificent beauty, Trang An will be its best rival. Though smaller in size, you will be lost in a wonderland with the karst mountains, lush green forests, sparkling and crystal-clear river and the endless rice field running to the horizon. In general, the cost of entrance fees & boat trip of three routes is the same ( 200.000vnd/ person) on a shared- rowing boat (maximum 4 people/ 1 boat). You can ch
Read more

Champ's Bowling Centre, Sandakan

-
Image
Not really much entertainment in Sandakan even though they are just beside the sea. No nice beach for water activities and the nearest island like Pulau Selingan and Turtle Island are about 90 minutes away. As for the town itself, basically is this bowling centre called Champ's which has a very nice and good condition bowling alley, bowling shoes and bowling bowls if to compare with bowling centres like in KL.  Not very big at all for their bowling centre which only has 12 lanes. Their shoes look so new! Here is a demonstration on how to bowl. Looks pro...I wonder how is the end result. So what do guys think? Is it a strike? They have a lounge here as well. And a cafe too! The price of the bowling is cost at RM4.80 per game per pax. We went at their most peak hours so their price basically has not much different than our KL City price. As for the bowling shoes is chargeable at RM2.00 per pax. FYI, the prices not inclusive government tax of 6%. Seriou
Read more

Restoran Makanan Laut Lau Heong, Bandar Baru Sentul

-
Image
This is my first time dining at Sentul and glad to know this great Chinese restaurant which is known as Restoran Makanan Laut Lau Heong. This is the crowd at 6.00pm on Sunday. Crazy right? Let you see from another angle. They just own one shop lot but seems like owning an extra 4 parking space but still they are people standing and waiting for their seat including me! Curry Fish Head @RM25.00 Outlook: 4/5 Creativity: 4/5 Taste: 4/5 Price: 3/5 Overall: 3/5 - This is their signature. You can choose a normal fish meat or a fish head like this. The curry is not really spicy at all. It contains more coconut milk taste than the curry itself. The fragrance of the curry and the coconut milk work perfectly. I can smell it before it is served. The fish heads are soft, tender, fresh and delicious. Highly recommend to everyone to try. Ginger Squid and Prawn @RM18.00 Outlook: 4/5 Creativity: 5/5 Taste: 5/5 Price: 2/5 Overall: 4/5 - Hardly taste the ginger but what makes me
Read more

TWG Tea @Pavilion

-
Image
That day my dream comes true when I finally able to have my tea time at TWG Tea with my two beloved ladies in my life. Yay! I always meet my Elayne jie whenever I am at KL. Sometimes I feel I am going to make her very bored already but I just love to find her even we do not have to talk a lot. Back to the topic, this is the menu of what you will see from the entrance. They do not just serve tea and bread only. They do serve western meal too but I prefer this place for a great tea time because of their exquisite outlook and comfortable seating. A tea book. Yes, you choose your desired tea from here. There are so many tea to choose from and you will get spoiled with choices. I took almost 15 minutes to choose my desire tea but in the end no result out of it. I had to get a waitress from Shezhuan, China with very fluent English to help me to decide. If you ever wonder what does TWG stands for, it stands for "The Wellness Group". It is established in 1837. If you ar
Read more