[Cotton·Treasure Memory] ❤ Lugu Lake. I Only Wish to Stay for You...

My dream is to travel around the world, holding hands with my loved one, and embracing my friends.
Weibo: @Yan Xiaomian | WeChat: Xiaomian's Little World

Life always needs a few spontaneous trips.
The three of us are exactly the kind of people who will stop at nothing for travel.

Many people have asked me what the background music is for this travelogue.
It's a song I absolutely love — "If You Want Me" by Glen Hansard, the theme song from the movie Once.
If you haven't heard it yet, go give it a listen, and while you're at it, watch the film. It's truly moving.

And So, the Journey Begins

For us, the trip to Lugu Lake felt like a "pilgrimage of fulfillment."
We had done our homework in advance — figured out how to get there, where to eat, what to do. Only with that confidence did we dare to just go.

November at Lugu Lake had weather so perfect it was almost unreal.
Blue skies, sunshine, seagulls, the lake — everything was just right.

Three of us, Lugu Lake.
From left to right in the photo: Irene — Me — Zichen.

Day 1: Chengdu → Xichang

We got off work at 6 PM and rushed to Chengdu Railway Station.
The train was scheduled for 8:02 PM but was delayed by over ten minutes.
The next morning at 6 AM, we arrived in Xichang.

After exiting the station, we hopped on Bus No. 12 right outside (1 yuan/person, no change given) and headed to the bus station near Torch Square, where we could catch a bus to Lugu Lake.

The early buses depart at 8:10 AM and 8:50 AM, tickets costing 82 yuan/person.
If there are enough passengers, extra buses will be added.

Friendly tip: Call the Xichang Bus Terminal (0834-3223865) ahead of time to confirm the schedule, so you don't make a wasted trip.

Day 2: Xichang → Lugu Lake

We got lucky. At the Xichang bus station, we snagged the last three seats on the 8:10 AM bus.
That meant we could arrive at Lugu Lake earlier.

After over seven hours of winding mountain roads — and I mean really winding, with endless switchbacks — we finally reached the Lugu Lake ticket gate around 3 PM.
The bumpy ride had left us feeling a bit irritable.

But the moment I laid eyes on that azure lake, I instantly felt — it was all worth it.

Lugu Lake entrance fee: 80 yuan. Student ID gets you a 50% discount.
At the gate, there were plenty of drivers offering rides to Lige Village, Luoshui, and other spots.
We had booked a guesthouse called "Wucai Lige" (Colorful Lige) on Lige Peninsula, so we shared a ride with two other girls — 20 yuan/person, about 40 minutes.

Lige Peninsula isn't big. You could walk from one end to the other in maybe ten minutes.
But if you take your time, you can easily spend an entire afternoon exploring.

We had booked the Pink Pavilion at Wucai Lige a month in advance.
Originally, we wanted the Blue Pavilion, but the owner said the Pink Pavilion had the best view, so we went with it.
As it turned out, that was absolutely the right call.

How to book: - Booking hours: 9:30 AM – 11:30 PM; text only outside those hours. - Phone: 15108871508 (ask for Sitiao) - After paying, remember to post a confirmation on the forum's "Booking" section.

After dropping off our luggage, we started exploring Lige Peninsula.
The sun at 4 PM was still warm, and the three of us snapped photos nonstop.

For dinner, we went to the highly recommended Lamu BBQ.
The owner was super friendly and straightforward.
This place actually has two locations on Lige Peninsula — one called Amu BBQ and the other Amu Restaurant — both serving grilled food.

Must-try dishes: pork belly, suckling pig (50 yuan per serving, enough for three people).
The owner even gave us extra meat and some of his homemade liquor on the house.

After eating and drinking our fill, we stepped outside, looked up — and saw a sky full of stars.
I mean really full — you could even make out the Milky Way.
No photo could ever capture what we saw with our own eyes.

This starry sky photo took Zichen a long time to capture.

Day 3: Lugu Lake One-Day Tour

Sunrise & Feeding the Seagulls

Many guesthouses on Lige Peninsula offer boat trips to watch the sunrise.
We booked tickets the day before at one of the inns — 10 yuan/person.
We took a traditional pig-trough boat to the foot of the mountain opposite, waiting for the sun to rise.

We gathered at the dock at 6:40 AM.
We brought biscuits but no bread, so we could only watch other people play with the seagulls.
I'd recommend bringing some bread or snacks to feed them and have some fun.

We waited quietly. And when the sun finally rose, it was breathtakingly beautiful.
The adorable seagulls also became the stars of our photos.

Friendly tip: It gets very warm at Lugu Lake during the day, but it's especially cold when you go out on the lake at dawn. Dress warmly.

Cycling Around the Lake

After breakfast came the main event — cycling around Lugu Lake.

Many inns on Lige Peninsula rent out bicycles and e-bikes.
Bicycles cost 30 yuan/person/day. We rented ours from the inn where we booked the sunrise boat trip.

Make sure to use sunscreen.
None of us applied any, so we had to rely on hats and shawls to survive.

The ride was all uphill at first — absolutely exhausting.
At one particularly winding section, we just got off and pushed our bikes.

Something funny happened along the way:
Zichen and I, both "strongmen," zoomed ahead, leaving Irene far behind.
Suddenly, a van pulled up in front of us, and a group of people started chattering away in a language we couldn't understand.
I asked Zichen, "What are they saying? I can't understand a word."
Zichen, totally calm, said, "They're asking if we want to go to Caohai (Grass Sea)."
And then we realized — Irene was missing.
We waited a bit, and when she finally caught up, she said, looking utterly pitiful, "I fell into a ditch just now, and those people in the van laughed at me!"
Only then did we understand — they were actually saying, "Your friend fell into the ditch!"

Along the way, we met other cyclists.
This photo was taken by three girls we met on the road — they ended up cycling even farther than we did.

The scenery at Lugu Lake can absolutely rival Jiuzhaigou.
We also stopped for a group photo under the Lover's Tree.

Luowa & The Marriage Bridge

After lunch, we called Driver Yang to pick us up and take us to Luowa.
Pro tip: Contact the driver before you start eating, so you don't waste 20–30 minutes waiting.

Driver Yang took us on a half-loop around the lake, filling in the sights we missed while cycling.
We arrived at Luowa around 4:30 PM, and then headed to the Marriage Bridge.

Just as we were wondering how to get to the Lover's Bridge, we met Driver Cao.
He was really nice — charged us only 15 yuan for the three of us to take us to the other end of the Marriage Bridge.
He said that way we wouldn't have to walk back and forth. We were truly grateful.

Driver Cao's phone: 13988842738 (call him if you need a ride around Lugu Lake).

The grilled goose eggs and small apples at the Marriage Bridge were delicious — highly recommended.

That night, we stayed at Legend Inn in Luowa.
The owner was very kind and even helped us buy return bus tickets to Xichang in advance (82 yuan/person).
On the morning we left, he personally saw us off at the bus station.

Five years ago, when I first came to the Lover's Bridge, it was summer, and the Grass Sea was green.
Now it's autumn, and the Grass Sea has turned yellow — a different kind of beauty.

Day 4: Lugu Lake → Xichang

At 8 AM, the innkeeper's arranged bus tickets took us back to Xichang.
Another seven-hour ride, and we were finally back.

We stayed at Jingyue Inn in Xichang, a hostel-style place with bunk beds.
The owner had a three-month-old Alaskan Malamute — absolutely adorable.

This trip to Lugu Lake gave us great travel companions and perfect weather.
We were lucky enough to see both the sunrise and a sky full of stars.
Both drivers were honest and kind.
The BBQ owner was a generous Mosuo local.

Everything was simply perfect.

Final Thoughts

If you're planning a trip to Lugu Lake, here are some key tips:

• Transport: Chengdu → Xichang (train), Xichang → Lugu Lake (bus). Confirm schedules in advance.
• Entrance fee: 80 yuan, half price with student ID.
• Accommodation: On Lige Peninsula, try Wucai Lige (Pink Pavilion has the best view). In Luowa, try Legend Inn.
• Cycling: 30 yuan/day. Don't forget sunscreen.
• Sunrise: 10 yuan/person. Book in advance and dress warmly.
• Food: Lamu BBQ (pork belly, suckling pig), grilled goose eggs and small apples at the Marriage Bridge.
• Driver: Driver Cao (13988842738) — reliable and affordable.

Lugu Lake, I only wish to stay for you.
If I ever get the chance, I will definitely come back.

This travelogue is copyrighted by @Yan Jia Xiaomian. Reproduction in any form requires the author's permission.