Calcified Pools of Huanglong

M and I headed to Huanglong the next morning via Chuanzhusi on bus. I was exhausted and slept the entire way.

We got to the little town of Chuanzhusi, 40 km from Huanglong park. We picked a hotel (Gold Dragon Hotel, Y300) and negotiated a ride to the park. M's Chinese is 10 times better than mine and he got to do all the talking and negotiating. :) We got a round trip ride there for Y150. Huanglong is at 4000+ meters elevation and I was concerned about the altitude. I got a headache while I was there, but overall was OK. The drive is really steep and winding... and it was snowy.

We arrived the park at nearly 12:00 pm, and took the cable car ride up. I preferred the cable car because there was no way I was going to hike up a mountain at 4300 meters. Lots of people had oxygen cans and tanks. I had Diamox. :)

Huanglong is very unique. Terrace calcium pools are filled with multi-colored greens and blues. It wasn't as impressive as Jiuzhaigou, but it was beautiful. It is fascinating how these pools are formed though - it takes thousands of years for the calcium to harden and form. I loved the snow mountains and beautiful trees. It was quite cold, but very charming.

In Kunming now... slight change in my itinerary. I'm not sure where next. :)

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