Getting to Mongolia from China on a Budget
Getting to Mongolia on a Budget isn't as big an issue as many might imagine. Most people get to Mongolia from China on an expensive train from Beijing, that train costs about $250. However, there is a cheap alternative to getting to Mongolia from China without breaking your bank.
Step 1. Get to Erlian (二连): This is the border town on the Chinese side. You need to get here to do the border crossing. You can come via Beijing (北京) (8hrs) or Hohhot (呼和浩特) (7hrs).
Step 2. Spend the night in Erlian (optional): Most travellers opt to spent the night here in town so they can hit the border crossing into Mongolia first thing in the morning and ensure they can catch the train to Ulaanbaatar that often fills up.
Step 3. Cross the border: It's a pain to cross the border, but you do have 3 options. The train is the easiest way, but only leaves from Erlian to Zamiin Uud a couple days a week. It also only leaves in the afternoon which makes it more tricky to catch the night train to Ulaanbaatar. Your second option is to take a bus from the bus station to Zamiin Uud, which is the Mongolian border town. The problem with this, is not only do you have to deal with the shit border proceedings, the bus only leaves a couple times a day in the afternoon. The most popular option is to catch a jeep. You can catch jeeps at Dinosaur Square in Erlian. They should cost between 70-100 Yuan per person. The crossing is a pain in the ass, but if you get to Dinosaur square around 8am, you should be in Mongolia by noon at the latest and get a ticket on the train that night.
Step 4. Get to Ulaanbaatar: You can catch either a bus, private car, or the train (which has sleeper cars) to UB. The train is comfortable and takes between 12-14 hours.
For more information on the crossing to Ulaanbaatar, head to my blog where there is more in depth information: (Coming Soon)
Linxia travel, China 4K
Linxia City travel, China Tourism 4K, Linxia city China, The mosques and mausoleums of Linxia City
Colorful market town located in the mountains south of Lanzhou. Sometimes called the Mecca of China, many consider it a main center of Hui Muslim culture in China.
See in Linxia City, China
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Numerous mosques (qing zhen si) and Islamic mausoleums (gongbei). Start with Da gongbei (大拱北) of the Qadiriya Brotherhood near the Red Garden (红园), which displays mostly Sinified outlook, than proceed to Bijiachang Gongbei (毕家场拱北) and Huasi gongbei (华寺拱北) of Hufiya and Naqshbandiya Brotherhoods respectively -both are clearly more Arabicised.
Do in Linxia City, China
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Hike up the escarpment of the loess plateau north of town, to the pagoda of Wanshou Guan, a Taoist temple, for the great views of the Daxia River valley in which Linxia City is located.
Buy in Linxia City, China
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Bank of China branch exchanges currency.
Throughout town there are vendors that sell the skullcaps of the local Muslim Hui ethnic minority in a variety of styles.
Antique Market, (Along one of the main streets). Has real and fake antiques. The selection there includes locally made bronze teapots, Tibetan metal and leather products, and porcelains. One product that travelers should NOT BUY are the furs. The skins of spotted leopards, an endangered species, appear on open display in the market. Leopard skins and other fur products have been poached in China or in neighboring countries. Asia's wildlife is quickly disappearing as China's appetite for illegal animal products increases. Please do not contribute to this crisis.
Transport
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Linxia City is the main transportation center of Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture. It is the junction of the prefecture's two main roads. China National Highway 213 (G213) runs from the northeast to the southwest, from Lanzhou via Yongjing County and Dongxiang Autonomous County to Linxia City, and then continue via Linxia County to Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Provincial route 309 (S309) comes from Lintao County in Dingxi City (to the east of Linxia Prefecture), and crosses Guanghe County and Hezheng County on its way to Linxia City; it then continues further west to Jishishan Bonan, Dongxiang and Salar Autonomous County. Because it connects in Lintao County with a Lanzhou-bound expressway, it actually provides a faster way to travel from Linxia City to Lanzhou than G213 does.
Another important route, not yet designated as a national or state highway, allows for an alternative connection between Linxia City and Liujiaxia Town (the county seat of Yongjing County). It goes north from Linxia City, crosses a section of Linxia County and then, using ferry, the Liujiaxia Reservoir, and arrives to Liujiaxia Town from the west.
There are three bus stations in Linxia City.The South Bus Station, situated near the Daxia River bridge over which S309 enters the city from the southeast, is served by for frequent (hourly or half-hourly service) buses to Lanzhou, Xiahe, Hezuo, Kangle, Hezheng. The same South Bust Station and the West Bus Station (located on G213 in the northern part of the city) also have a number of departures every day to major cities throughout Gansu and to Xining in the neighboring Qinghai. The East Bus Station, located on G213 on the northeastern outskirts of the city, is primarily the hub for shuttle buses serving major towns in nearby counties.
There are no railways, airports, or navigable waterways near Linxia City, but the popular Lianhua Tai (莲花台) dock, also known as Lianhua Gudu (莲花古渡, Lianhua Old Ferry), at the Liujiaxia Reservoir in the neighboring Linxia County serves as Linxia City's marine gate of sorts.
The city is served by a local public bus system with 13 routes.
Bus Trip, Hechuan: Chonqging: China.
A bust trip though Hechuan
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