Two days and one night in Yueyang, Hunan, New Year's Eve 2024

It's another weekend, and it's the New Year's Day holiday of 2024. I decided to take a walk to the Yueyang Tower next door. Starting from Tianmen, Hubei, the entire journey takes 2 hours on the highway. Day 1: We had originally planned to set off early on the 30th, but we ran into the worst fog in the country for the past year, so we were delayed until about 10:30 in the morning. We drove directly to the Dongting Lake (1, 2, 3, 4 pictures), walked around, and then found a restaurant for lunch. In the afternoon, we went straight to Dongting Lake Town. There was no entrance fee, but there was an outdoor playground for children inside, which required an additional fee to enter. The main focus is walking, taking photos and checking in. The theme changes every month. The pumpkin-themed photos taken by others before were so beautiful. When we went there, it had changed to a New Year theme, which felt average. There is a folk museum inside, and the children learned paper cutting here. (Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, 9). After touring the town, we set out for Yueyang Tower. It was already dark by then, so we didn’t get to see the Yueyang Tower. Instead, we started strolling around Bian Street, eating and shopping along the way until we arrived at Baling Square. There were fireworks and sky lanterns being set off by the lake. Luckily I was able to walk in and watch. I also bought some fireworks and sky lanterns to set off myself. I enjoyed the scenery for an hour or two and was reluctant to go back. It was a romantic moment that you can only encounter once in a while. Finally, we went back to the B&B, ordered some Yueyang barbecue, and drank some beer to end a wonderful day. (Figures 11, 12, 13, 14) Day 2: After breakfast the next day, we originally planned to go to the Flower Language World to feed the animals. However, halfway through the journey, there was a severe traffic jam. We saw many cars turning around, so we turned around too. So we went to the Sheng'an Ancient Temple which we missed yesterday, burned incense and worshipped Buddha. We kept climbing the mountain but still didn't reach the top. The kids were upset because they didn't see the animals and didn't want to go up. After we hurriedly finished, we went to Zhangguying Ancient Village which was 1.5 hours away. Tickets are affordable at 23 yuan each. The small village is surrounded by mountains and is close to the water. It is very interesting to follow the tour guide and listen to the ancient stories and the significance of the buildings. The dinner was neither good nor bad. We just found a restaurant in the village and sat by the river to eat. Then we went home and ended our two-day and one-night trip to Yueyang. The schedule for this trip was tight and I didn’t have time to see the ten giant pandas that had just opened. I will go there again next time I have the chance.