Off the Beaten Path

Off the Beaten Path: Moon Bay Wetland Park, Chaohu, Hefei||On the first day of the Chinese New Year, the weather was great, so I started my third trip around Hefei: Moon Bay Wetland Park, Chaohu. I had originally planned to go straight to Chaohu City to visit the museum, Gushan Temple, Er Street, Chaoyangmen Market, and the ancient city wall. But my nephew wanted to drive along the lakeside road and visit Moon Bay. So Moon Bay Wetland Park was added to the itinerary before Chaohu! It takes 10 minutes to drive from Tongyang (1 hour from Hefei via the lakeside road). We passed by the former residence of Li Kenong, but there were many cars parked at the entrance, so we skipped it. The former residence of Li Kenong is very close to Moon Bay Wetland Park, less than 5 minutes by car, so you can visit both places. I will write a separate one-day or two-day itinerary for the ancient towns and other attractions around Chaohu. Free parking is available at the park! After getting out of the car, we walked along the wooden plank road. The vast Chaohu Lake, the rocks, and the waves crashing against the shore made me feel like I was at the seaside. The sky was blue and the lake was clear. The rocks on the shore were jagged, and the shoreline was winding. The curve of the lake shore on the left looked like a crescent moon, hence the name Moon Bay. Standing quietly by the water, I looked up at the vast expanse of water, where the waves broke the sunlight into silver dots. Looking at the water, the waves were stacked. As they got closer, the waves turned into a white wall of water, crashing against the shore. One wave after another, I started to feel dizzy. Ignoring my staggering feet, I quickly jumped between the rocks to escape from the shore. The sun was warm and the wind was gentle! Standing among the rocks, I quietly looked at the trees around the lake. It was winter, but it didn't feel desolate. I suddenly liked this place very much. It was perfect for reading a book alone in a quiet corner, doing nothing for a day. I decided to add this place to my list of spring outings. Thinking about the tight schedule for the rest of the trip, I only stood by the lake with my nephews and took some photos for them. Then we walked along the embankment. We found rows of metasequoia trees on the inside of the embankment. We found another beautiful spot to take photos of the autumn scenery. The wetland park is not big, so it's perfect for individuals, couples, or families to drive here on a weekend, set up a tent, and relax for half a day or a whole day. After visiting Moon Bay, we drove along the lakeside road to Chaohu! The scenery along the lake was even more beautiful than Moon Bay, so I decided to drive around Chaohu alone, stopping and playing along the way!