12/3/2006 China Day 69: Huangguoshu Falls, Bus Anshun --> Guiyang, Guizhou, Train Guiyang --> Chongqing - Avoid Canned Chinese Attractions

When will I learn? No matter how good a guidebook such as Lonely Planet says an attraction is, if it's within 3 hours of a major city and made for Chinese tourists, it's not going be good.


Chinese tourism =

1. Ride a bus for < 3 hours to tourist attraction.


2. Walk around the attraction for 1-2 hours takinng pictures of yourself and your friends - especially in front of any signs proclaiming what venerable attraction it is.


3. Continue to next attraction.
   

Today, I am of course referring to Huangguoshu Falls. Yesterday I could have been referring to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (Yulong Xueshan) outside Lijang, Yunnan or Tian Chi outside of Urumqi, Xinjiang.

It takes 1 hour to get to and from Huangguoshu Falls from Anshun on the municipal bus (10 RMB). I visited the falls for about 2 hours and snapped a few pictures. The weather wasn't great for visiting - being grey and overcast. It's also the dry season for the falls, so the water flow wasn't as great as it is in the summer months. Still, it's no Niagara Falls in terms of height, breadth, or water flow - not that I'm in love with my childhood memory of Niagara Falls.

There's a natural cave behind the water curtain of the falls, which was probably very interesting at some point, but now the cave has been completely paved with cement and steps so as to be completely characterless. And unfortunately, the water flow at this time of year wasn't great enough to completely cover the cave mouth.

Typical of Chinese greed, the entrance fee (70 RMB discounted from 90 RMB during high season May-October) to the Falls is not enough. When you finish the tour at the bottom of the Falls, there is a "Great" escalator to take you to the top, for 30 RMB. This is a ridiculous fee to climb about 100 m (33-42% of the original ticket price), which I was able to do on foot in about 10 minutes (running). Apparently the Chinese thought so too, because I didn't see too many of them taking the escalator up either. Happily, park management has done away with the former 10 RMB fee to visit the cave behind the waterfall (at least in low season).

Nearby Huangguoshu Falls there is another waterfall (Steep Slope Falls) and a scenic area with a potted landscape (Star Bridge Scenic Area/Tianxing Qiao Jingqu) that you used to be able to see without additional charge, but now you must pay an additional 40 RMB for each sight. Add to that taxi fare to Tianxing Qiao Jingqu of 15 RMB each way, and it's another 110 RMB. Given my disappointment with the main attraction, I decided to skip the side attractions.

In fact, I decided to be done with Anshun completely - especially given my distaste for the city as well. And no, my initial impression of the city upon arriving last night didn't improve upon waking up this morning. I had originally intended to see Zhijin Cave (the largest in China and one of the largest in the world) tomorrow, but I think it would just be more canned junk, probably replete with colored spotlights on the walls and music, like the Chinese have dolled up several other caves.

So when I got back to Anshun, I caught a bus to Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou . It's a short 2 hour bus ride (20 RMB). When I got to Guiyang, I was greeted with a mild curiosity. So many random people outside the bus station were holding the same laminated white placard with 4 characters on them. I looked at some of the people, and they didn't look that badly dressed - certainly not well to do, but not homeless. Eventually, I stopped to ask 3 women holding the sign what it meant - warning them first not to be offended or laugh at me because I couldn't read Chinese. They told me that it meant looking for work. From which I deduced that there is a job shortage in Guiyang and the economy is in trouble. Later, I asked a local shopkeeper if this is the case, and she said it was. I think the economy in all of Guiyang province may be a more general problem.

I had a 3 hour stopover in Guiyang before catching a 7 PM train to Chongqing (101 RMB). I spent the time taking a few pictures of the poor conditions in Guiyang and then stocking up on food at Walmart for the train ride and the boat ride that I intend to take down the Yangzi river once I get to Chongqing.


I almost missed the train to Chongqing because I cut the time a little too close, but I just made it. The train was a shiny new train - clean and comfortable. The train ride was uneventful for me because I was too tired to socialize with anyone. I just slept on my berth, and before I knew it, we had arrived at 6:05 AM.