A bus from Wenzhou to Taizhou (Dec. `04) cost us Y23 per person.
I was just talking to my Ex. It appears we actually paid Y27 per person.
After we had purchased the tickets we were given the option of taking a faster route, on toll freeways. This cost us an extra Y4.
If you go, tell them you want the cheaper route.
At Taizhou we transferred to a smaller bus which charged us Y10 for the seven of us.
The prices on these smaller busses, unlike the long distance busses, are negotiable.
Being the only white person in the group I hang back out of sight while the rest negotiate the price, this allows my family to get a lower price than if the person they are bargaining with knows there is a foreigner along.
When leaving, for home, we took a small bus to Taizhou where we arranged for a bus to take us to Wenzhou. This time they asked us if we wanted to take the fast route or the slow route. We opted for the slow route. They charged us Y25 per person.
The route back was the same as the route out, for which they had charged us an extra Y4, saying it was a faster route.
LEE A. WOOD
Yan Dang Mountain Forest Park is a tourist spot for everyone though it is more inclined, I say that with tongue in cheek, for people who are energetic.
To see all the sights requires a lot of climbing, steep stairs that is. However, MOST of the attractions are along, level, paved trails. If you want to loose weight, through walking, this is the place.
For those who don't want to climb there are; orange groves, majestic mountains, and picturesque markets in the nearby town of Taizhou
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(The following pictures were taken from a small bridge that is only a few feet West of where the busses park.)
It was a dry winter season and cloudy without rain, or sun. Therefore I was never sure which way was North.
 LOOKING NORTH, BEHIND WHERE THE BUSSES PARK, THE LOCALS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE DRY WEATHER TO HANG THEIR LAUNDRY OUT. |  LOOKING SOUTH, SOME DRY THEIR LAUNDRY ON THE ROCKS OF THE STREAM BED. |
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Because it was not tourist season, upon alighting from the bus, in the little village of Xiang Lin Tou, we were, instantly, surrounded by tour guides.
We travel light, but still, we didn't want to pack our backpacks around with us, so, the first thing on our agenda was to find accommodations.
Ignoring the persistent tour guides, we wandered about the center of the village until we realized we were in the center of the village.
Finding a hotel wasn't difficult once we realized that nearly every building was a hotel.
The buildings are very small of footprint. That is to say, they are not very wide.
A small lobby and a set of stairs that lead to several, small, floors. Each with 3 or 4 small rooms.
By finding narrow lanes we found cheaper hotels
 A NARROW LANEWAY LEADS OFF THE MAIN STREET (Note the pedicabs at the entrance to the lane. They are directly across the street from the bus turnaround and parking area.) |  A SIGN GIVES THE NAME OF THE ALLEY |
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 ONE BUILDING WITH TWO HOTEL LOBBIES. EACH LOBBY LEADS UP TO FIVE FLOORS WITH THREE ROOMS ON EACH FLOOR |  WE STAYED IN THE BUSINESS ON THE RIGHT TAKING ONE ROOM ON THE THIRD FLOOR AND TWO ON THE FOURTH |
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We rented rooms in the Hui Yue Lou Hotel #2 Kang Le Lane.
After we were settled in our rooms we wound our way through the mob of tour guides and bus drivers that awaited us at the mouth of the alley and across the little bridge behind the bus turn-around.
(The next day, while exploring, I found that the lane our hotel was on, connected to another lane which, again, connected to another lane. Each of these lanes had at least one hotel on it.)
Crossing the little bridge we started along a road that led, West, out of town. One bus continued to follow us and the guide continued to offer rates and trips.
After walking a ways, past small stores and some empty buildings, we reached an agreement with the guide on the small bus.
The bus took us past a couple of tourist spots, into the mountains, and up a steep, narrow, winding road. This was an experience. When he would meet a vehicle coming down the hill, there was barely room for the two vehicles to be side by side. It was particularly hair-raising when we would meet them in a very tight corner, of which there are several, as well as some hair-pin turns.
Having safely descended to the base of golden belt peak the bus took us further west, to the end of the canyon, and into a tunnel, through the mountain.
After coming back through the tunnel and down the canyon towards Xiang Lin Tou we stopped at another tourist attraction that required much walking, but was well worth it, despite the fact that the waterfall was a mere trickle rather than a cascade, because of the dry seasonal weather.
One last stop before we went back to town for supper.
I was too tired to go all the way and when I ran out of film I used that as an excuse to turn back and join the ladies who had remained at the bus, leaving the younger members of our group to carry on.
Back in town we had supper.
After supper we walked North of our hotel and found a tourist spot. It was within a five minute walk of the hotels and looked very interesting but we never went to it.
On out second morning we walked back across the little bridge and up the valley to the place we had seen the day before. To reach the Jing Yuan Tourist Area you follow a winding street between a few houses and reach a gate that will give access to Jing Yuan Flat (scenic Area) and the Jing Yuan Holiday Village.
On our second afternoon in Xiang Lin Tou, we took a leisurely stroll along the road, from Yan Dang Village, past orange groves, to Taizhou. It took us an hour.
We were too tired to walk back so we took a small bus.
After supper we took a stroll along an unlit street, past the Cave To The Sun, to another tourist attraction but it was off season and closed in the evening.
We then walked back. It was a pleasant evening but a bit dangerous as the road was narrow and the cars, though few, whizzed by.
On our third morning we caught the bus back to Taizhou where we boarded the larger bus to Wenzhou where we went shopping in the rain before catching the over-night train to Shanghai.
All in all a very enjoyable experience. I would have liked to stay for a couple of days more and explore more of the sights but our trip was limited due to other commitments and the availability of train tickets during the Xmas season. A week stay during a period when the creeks ware full would make for a much nicer trip, especially to get the grandeur of the waterfalls.
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A SIDE STREET THAT LED TO A TOURIST SPOT WE WOULD VISIT THE NEXT DAY
GOLDEN BELT PEAK Pictures of the Fang Dong Plank Road.
BIG DRAGON WATERFALL SCENIC AREA Pictures of Scissors Peak and a waterless waterfall.
LING YAN VILLAGE Pictures of a long winding trail up a canyon with tourist sights along the way.
HUANG YI MING AND HIS NEW BRIDE ENJOY A TASTY MEAL
THE CAVE TO THE SUN More pictures of the Cliffside, a background to Xiang Lin Tou Village.
JING YUAN FLAT Pictures of a long narrow canyon that encompasses caves and a resort.
TAIZHOU Pictures of streets in Taizhou.
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