Day 4 turned out to be the most stressful day of our trip in China as we struggled to make it to Yellow River Hukou Waterfall. As with all free and easy tour, unexpected hiccups are bound to happen. So, what went wrong?
Read on as I share the travel mishap and how our spontaneity saved the day.
Don’t miss:
- Day 1: From Singapore to Beijing’s Temple of Heaven
- Day 2: Step back in time at Pingyao Ancient City (UNESCO Gem)!
- Day 3: Hanfu & Photoshoot Experience in Pingyao Ancient City
Best Hotel Breakfast at Orange Hotel (Linfen City)
(7am)
Before we venture out to conquer the second longest river in China, let’s feed ourselves well.
Take a look at this decent spread at Orange Hotel (Linfen City). The dishes were unique, nicely-presented and yummy.
See this cute herbal quail egg? Another memorable dish was Lor Mee, served with a variety of sauces. The tomato egg sauce was super tasty!
China Hotel Breakfast: Most China hotels that we stayed in (especially those located outskirt) served very simple breakfast, with limited dishes. Do expect only Chinese cuisine, and don’t be surprised if coffee isn’t on the menu.
Orange Hotel is the exception.
Unfortunately, this day that presented us with the best breakfast was also the day when we had the least time to enjoy it. With the need to reach Linfen West Train Station by 8.30am, we literally rushed through our breakfast.
Yellow River Travel Mishap: Deep Regrets till Today
(8.30am)
After breakfast, we checked out, deposited our luggage at the hotel, and took a taxi to Linfen West Train Station (see location).
We arrived half an hour earlier as we were worried – the operator hadn’t provided us with the bus vehicle plate number and boarding details. Even before our trip, we had been messaging Customer Service through Trip.com to request for pickup details. However, we were mostly attended by automated Chatbot.
When we did manage to speak with human representative, they couldn’t provide the answers. Left with no choice, we painstakingly reviewed the terms and conditions (in traditional Chinese…OMG) and found that someone was supposed to text us the logistics details the day before.
As you know, the message never came.
TIP: We booked most of our attraction tickets through Trip.com, and all were good except for Hukou Waterfall.
In hindsight, we learnt that booking tickets that require off-premises pick-ups can be risky. There would be no one you can approach should the transport fail to show up.
The Desperate Duo at Linfen Train Station
There was a tour desk at Linfen West Train Station which we’d thought would be able to answer our logistics queries. To our dismay, they told us they weren’t affiliated with any online bookings, and pointed us to a possible pickup spot about 100 meters away.
There, we approached every arriving bus, hoping to find our names on their passenger list. Unfortunately, non had our names.
Long story short, after a painful hour-long wait, we had to accept the disappointing reality that we had missed the chance to visit Hukou Waterfall, one of the key places on our China must-visit list.
This regret lingers till today, as Linfen isn’t a major tourist destination and we doubt we’ll ever return.
Hindsight Tips for Visiting Hukou Waterfall
If we could do it again, we would not book the transport online since it involved off-premises logistics coordination.
Instead, we would either purchase transport tickets at the tour desk at Linfen West Train Station, or seek assistance from our hotel in Linfen.
Now, let me share some basic research info on Yellow River Hukou Waterfall.
Where is Yellow River Hukou Waterfall?
Yellow River Hukou Waterfall (山西黄河壶口瀑布) is located about two hours from Linfen City (see location on Google & Baidu).
How to Get to Hukou Waterfall?
Visiting Hukou Waterfall requires booking the following:
- Transport from Linfen to the waterfall
- A shuttle service that operates within/near the waterfall premises
- Admission ticket
For info, the bundled ticket we’d booked included all three and cost about $33 per person.
Other than visiting from Linfen City, many also choose to visit the waterfall from Xi’An. See this post for more details. Do note that it would take about 4 hours to get to the waterfall.
Viewing the Yellow River Hukou Waterfall: Shanxi or Shaanxi?
You can view the Yellow River Hukou waterfall from either Shanxi (山西) or Shaanxi (陕西) provinces, which are located on opposite sides of the River.
Our original plan was to visit the waterfall from Shanxi side, situated on the river’s eastern bank. For those who understand Mandarin, this Douyin video compares the waterfall views from Shanxi or Shaanxi.
That’s all I can share. If you have the chance to visit the Yellow River Hukou Waterfall, do share if it’s worth a visit and how much I’ve missed.
Intensify my pain! :~)
An Impromptu Change: Heading to Jishan County Earlier than Planned
Originally, we were supposed to travel to Jishan Country (稷山) in the evening, after returning from the Yellow River. With a 7.30pm train booked, we could choose to relax in Linfen, but decided to pay a small fee to switch to an earlier train to Jishan.
China Transport Tips: I’ve earlier shared tips in taking high-speed train rides in China. If you’ve missed it, check out 12 China Travel Tips for ease of travelling across China cities.
We were trying our luck to see if we could squeeze in a “replacement” attraction – Mount Yun Scenic Area – that was originally scheduled for tomorrow.
Did you know? You are allowed to change train timing once for free. Subsequent change would incur a small fee.
Arriving in Jishan from Linfen City
(11.15am)
After a 40-min train ride to Hou Ma West Station (侯马西站), we took a 45-min taxi ride to our hotel in Jishan. This taxi driver was one of the two bad experiences we had with taxis in China.
TRAIN INFO: High-speed train from Linfen to Hou Ma West Station costs ¥18 (via 2nd class seat).
Unlike the friendly taxi driver in Linfen, this chap kept fishing details on how “well-to-do” we were (or Singapore was). For a ¥45 taxi ride – already confirmed via app – he unashamedly requested for a 40% top-up, reason being that he would return with an empty cab. Erm, no one forced him to accept this ride in the first place.
Nevertheless, given our strong SGD currency, we decided not to argue.
Check-in at Jishan Hotel: Patience in a Small Town
(12.15pm)
Being in a small town where there’s hardly any tourists, the hotel struggled to figure out how to check us in. The staff had trouble reading our English-language passport, and so we ended up translating for her – line by line.
We also had to fill out quite a bit of info on manual forms.
Therefore, for non-Chinese travellers, do ensure you have your Google Translate ready. Since most people we’ve encountered in this trip did not speak or understand English, you would need to be very adventurous. Cater extra time especially if you do not speak Mandarin.
All in all, the hotel check-in took over half an hour. Not exactly ideal given our intention to squeeze in another attraction – Mount Yun Scenic Area – that would require a full day to explore. Plus, it is located 30 minutes from the hotel.
Mount Yun Scenic Area (云丘山景区) boasts many mini attractions, and deserves a post of its own. Stay tuned for Part 2 of Day 4, where I’ll share more about this hidden gem off the beaten path.
Essential Info:
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RELATED POSTS:
- Day 1: From Singapore to Beijing’s Temple of Heaven
- Day 2: Step back in time at Pingyao Ancient City (UNESCO Gem)!
- Day 3: Hanfu & Photoshoot Experience in Pingyao Ancient City
- Day 4 (PM): Hidden Gems at Mount Yun – Ice Cave, Glass Bridge and More!
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