Jinghong (景洪)
Jinghong City
Jing Hong offered a taste of South East Asia with elephant statues and green tropical trees lining its streets. All store name and direction signs had both Chinese and a Burmese looking scripture on them. I later found out it was neither Burmese nor Lao but the language of the local Dai/ Tai minority, who belong to a larger family of Tai ethnic groups living in Southeast Asia. The night I arrived, I was most glad to take a cold bath upon reaching my hostel in the humid heat of the night. My stay was extremely comfortable with air-conditioning, I had booked a bed at the hostel for 15 yuan (SGD$3) and had the whole place to myself as it was the low season. There was no bottled water for sale at the hostel though and I had only two mouthfuls of water left. It was nearing midnight by the time I washed up. I was told there was a 24 hour supermarket nearby I could purchase water from but it was dark beyond the gates of the hostel. The receptionist had retired to bed and I decided to sleep the night off to forget about my thirst. I’ll hydrate the next morning.
The next day, I decided to change accommodation as I learnt that the bus to Laos would leave from the Jing Hong Passenger Bus Station, some three kilometres away by foot. As soon as I turned into the streets towards my next hostel, there was a cooling downpour, the first I’ve seen after more than a month in China.
The manager at the next hostel resembled a Shaolin disciple, interestingly his hometown is near Dengfeng and he had chosen to relocate here from Henan.
“What do you like about Jing Hong?” I asked.
“The weather.” he replied.
“But every day is nearly the same here, there are no four seasons.”
“Nah you’ve not experienced winter in Henan before, have you? The rain here is so much better.”
He had worked at the railroads in Laos before and I took the chance asked him how much I should prepare and the exchange rate before heading to the bus station to buy my ticket to Laos. “You can try your luck at the Jing Hong Passenger Bus Station. It’s the low season though, there might not be any buses heading to Laos from Jing Hong ” he warned.
My second hostel was conveniently located between two bus stations, the Jing Hong Passenger Bus Station and the Banna Bus Station. Unfortunately at that point of time, I only knew of the Jing Hong Bus Station and the Jing Hong South Terminal Bus Station which I had arrived at the day before. I walked till I saw a bus station and went in, assuming it to be Jing Hong Passenger Bus Station. They didn’t offer international bus routes to Laos, the furthest South they could go was to Mohan, the Chinese border town. Such would mean that I would have to cross the border by myself and find transportation at Boten over at the Lao side to Luang Namtha. It was probably the low season, I thought and bought the 80 yuan ticket to Mohan at 0920 the next day. It didn’t occur to me to check the name of this bus station I was at. I only realized the next day that I was never at Jing Hong Passsenger Bus Station.
Later that evening, I strolled around the night market (星光夜市). Jing Hong was a melting pot of nearby Southeast Asian nations, with stone nagas guarding its temples and Dai style buildings which rose in height amongst the hordes of Chinese electric bikes. The Lancang river flows just beside the night market, continuing southwards into the Mekong River of Laos. Vendors were setting up their booths for the opening later at 1900. The night market was behind the Dajin Pagoda (大金塔) and next to a scenic lake where music could be heard. Whilst I could tell the lyrics wasn’t burmese, I couldn’t tell if the language was Thai, Lao or Dai/ Tai. Several dancers stood at the edge of the lake in ethnic costumes, gracefully swaying to the beat of the music till parts of the night market started business at around 1830.
I found Thai Roti at the night market! The seller relocated to Jing Hong from Thailand sixteen years ago and spoke fluent Chinese. His Thai rotis were selling at highly profitable prices too hahah but their crisp textures and condensed sweetness was worth every cent. With fried insects, tropical fruit juices and elephant print pants at every corner, there were also ethnic dance performances at around 2000.
Accomodation and what’s nearby
Nanian Zhuzhe International Youth Hostel （景洪那年住这国际青年旅舍）
Length of Stay: 1 Night
Type of Room: Bed in 4 people dormitory (15 Yuan per night)
Address: China, 景洪勐海路辅路 风情园国税局小区3栋•+86 153 9383 5626
Air Conditioning: Yes
Towels: Not provided
Personal Locker: Not provided
Location: This hostel is within walkable distance from the Jing Hong South Terminal Bus Station. It is a good option if arriving from Kunming at night and if you would like to head to the famed Manting Park nearby. The hostel also offers tour options to Laos and around Xishuangbanna.
Further Comments:
For lower prices, book it on CTrip
西双版纳那些年青年旅舍
Length of Stay: 1 Night
Type of Room:
Bed in 4 people dormitory (20 Yuan per night)
Address: 西双版纳景洪市民族工艺品市场庄洪路建巷 18 号
Air Conditioning: No
Towels: Not provided
Personal Locker: Not provided
Location: This hostel is conveniently located between two bus stations. To get to the Star Light Night Market (星光夜市), you will need to cross the bridge over the Lancang River to the other side of Jing Hong city.
Further Comments: This hostel can only be found on Ctrip and only accepts Chinese speaking travellers
The Yunnan leg of the Xinjiang-Singapore Overland journey is completed!
Click below to return to continue towards another country, Laos!