yellowcat

I'm going with a group of 4-5 travellers on a one-week tour of the Shanxi province, starting with Datong in the north and making our way to Pingyao in the south.<BR><BR>We desperately want to visit Wutaishan which is between Datong and Taiyuan, but info on transportation seems quite hard to get because of the mountainous area.<BR><BR>We don't really want to travel with a tour group so we'd like tips or ideas on whether we can charter a car/minibus from Datong to take us to Wutaishan and would like to know how much that would cost, jow long it'll take, where to stay, etc. We're not on backpack budget so we have some flexibility.<BR><BR>Any other ideas would also be very much appreciated.

PeterN_H

Wutai Shan is a major tourist destination, so there's no shortage of transport on the ground (try to avoid weekends if you can, and any major public holiday--it can be packed). Comfortable aircon Iveco minibus services run a few times a day from Datong to Wutai Shan (Taihuai) and will drop you at your hotel, taking six hours. So there's no need to charter a vehicle unless you really want to. They also run very frequently from Wutai Shan to Taiyuan, where you can change to a similar vehicle to get to Pingyao.<BR><BR>CITS in Pingyao, or, at least the railway station office, is actually quite helpful. It runs one-day tours to the three main out of town sights (Hanging Monastery, Wooden Pagoda, Yungang Caves) for Y100 ($12) per person with an English-speaking guide. Usually any one tour visits two of these, but with a new road being built, perhaps three may be seen by now. <BR><BR>They'd be sure to double the price on you, but you could also ask about getting a private vehicle to Wutai Shan if you really want one. Call and ask for the pleasant and helpful Gao Jinwu (English spoken). 0352/510-1326; or fax 0352/510-2046. <BR><BR>Taihuai is one of those tourist towns with not quite enough accommodation for peak season, but far too much for most of the rest of the year, so it's best just to turn up and pay half the rate (unless you actually are going at a peak time). If you are looking at recommendations in books (although, as everywhere else, there will be a lot of newer hotels than they are able to list) you may note there's a cluster of upper three-star hotels just outside the centre on the road to Taiyuan. The centre itself is bedlam, so you'd be best to stay there. Note that food, especially in the centre, is of poor quality and overpriced. Many vehicles roam the streets looking to be chartered to take you around the other peaks, and will pounce on foreigners at every opportunity.<BR><BR>Hope that helps.<BR><BR>Peter N-H<BR>http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html

yellowcat

Peter,<BR><BR>That's very helpful as always!<BR><BR>Given that there are good and regular bus transportation from Datong/Taiyuan to Taihuai we'll stick to your recommendation of the Iveco buses.<BR><BR>We're traveling there in the first week of April, so I think we avoid the busy season (correct me if I'm wrong), but may run into freezing weather (have to check). Yup, we're going on a weekday, so no hordes of tourists hopefully.<BR><BR>Any suggestions on how much we should pay to charter a car at Datong to visit the Hanging Monastries/Yunggang Cave and maybe even the Pagoda for the day?<BR><BR>We may also charter one within Taihuai to visit the peaks... any recommendations on going rates?<BR><BR>Many thanks to any advice from anyone!<BR><BR>

PeterN_H

Sorry, obvious error in the first posting (I must try and wake up before I do these things): the CITS mentioned is in Datong, not Pingyao.<BR><BR>Working without notes (which are buried somewhere), my memory is that taxis in Datong are Xiali, and you won't squeeze five into one of those. They are now Y1.2 per km, normally, but you shouldn't have to pay more than the equivalent of Y1 per km maximum for a long out of town trip. But there are miandi (minivans) around, if you can bear those, and they should be even less. The drivers will have the usual cartoon-style revolving yuan signs in their eyes when they see you, and you'll find a lot of vehicles on the station forecourt. I would have thought (but I'm going out on a limb, slightly not recalling the exact distances) for the pagoda and monastery Y200 or so should be plenty. The monastery is about 65km out of town, as I recall. The Yungang Caves are not far out of town at all and are easily reached by public bus, so unless you are really short of time, I would use any hired transport just for the more remote sights.<BR><BR>Taking the tour would work out more expensive, of course, but although I'm not a fan of tours either, I've taken the CITS one twice (out of three visits to Datong) because of its convenience--but then there was only one of me. If you are a group of five, the chances are you'd be the majority of the passengers (it's only a minibus).<BR><BR>In April for all chartered transport, you should no trouble getting a decent rate by just asking and walking away a few times--supply will be greatly in excess of demand. I'm afraid my notes on this are well buried somewhere, but if I come across them I'll post some details. I mainly just jumped on buses leaving town in the right direction, and hopped off when they passed the monastery I was interested in, then flagged down passing buses to go back. But again, with five, that's less ideal.<BR><BR>Peter N-H<BR>http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html

PeterN_H

I meant to add that you should be sure to leave time to see some of the very ancient monasteries in Datong proper (Shanhua Si and Huayan Si) with original Jin and Liao dynasty buildings (very rare). Also, on the way down from to Taiyuan you pass the two oldest surviving wooden temple buildings in China, a short distance off the road, and rarely visited. The easiest of access is the Nanchan Si (note different from the Nanshan Si), built in 782, just off the road, and with another Jin dynasty hall behind.<BR><BR>The Wooden Pagoda at Yixian is also supposed to be the oldest surviving of its kind. Shanxi is rather good for this sort of thing. Perhaps it was so poor and backward that even the Red Guards couldn't muster the energy to do as much damage as they did elsewhere.<BR><BR>On the way to Pingyao, stop to see the mansion where Raise the Red Lantern was filmed--it's about halfway there. But there are numerous other 'dayuan' around many of which have yet to make the guide books. If you have enough time in Pingyao, get a taxi to take you south to the Wang Jia Dayuan, the biggest of all. Quite heavily restored, but it seems almost endless, and is in two sections on high ground split by a small gorge, with its own private bridge between the two.<BR><BR>Peter N-H<BR>http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html

yellowcat

Very cool! I'm definitely very excited about the area now. We have quite a bit of time/flexibility so we may just check out the other less-traveled sights you mentioned.<BR><BR>I'll have to convince my traveling companions, which should not be too hard hopefully. Will be sure to share our insights after our trip if we can make it to those spots.<BR><BR>Many thanks again Peter. Love your book and this real-time help is priceless.