Sichuan Province - MinShan Mountains

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Sichuan province is the land of spicy food and home of the Panda. Chengdu is the capital, geographically akin to St. Louis - the final post of the eastern part of the country before the vast and much less populated western frontier. We flew into the capital, Chengdu, and then flew north to JiuZhaiGou (Valley of Nine Villages) about 4,000 meters above sea level (13,000 feet) and at the southern end of the Minshan mountain range. JiuZhaiGou takes its name from the nine Tibetan villages that line the valley. The valley is famous for its lakes and waterfalls - crystal clear and incredibly blue in color due to the high calcium carbonate content. This is a poor part of the province, with farming the main source of income. The people are peaceful, laid back and friendly - Sichuan is known for its teahouse culture. The highlight of the trip was Songpan - a tiny farming and livestock raising village that has somehow been left off the guidebooks except for its horseback riding tours in the surrounding countryside. In this town Han Chinese, Islamic Hui, and Tibetan Buddhist emigrants live together in peace.

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