Of mirror lakes and waterfalls (Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan Province, China)

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(Day 128 on the road)After twelve hours on the bus from Chendu through the earthquake region of Sichuan, we arrived at the national park of Jiuzhaigou. Jiuzhaigou was the main reason for coming this far north from Lugu Lake in Yunnan, but looking back, it was well worth it. The UNESCO recognised park is famous for its crystal clear mirror lakes and its waterfalls, and we spent the whole day wandering around this beautiful landscape. On the downside, the steep entrance fee of 220 yuan plus a 90 Yuan charge to use the shuttle bus inside the park (you need it, it is huge) left a somewhat bitter aftertaste (as did the ridiculously overpriced food inside the park).

Karen had tried once before to come here when she had been to Chengdu previously, but due to the closure of the road up to a few weeks ago it was impossible to reach the area back then (unless you were flying). Annually, the park sees more than 1.5 million tourists (the vast majority being Chinese), but when we visited, there was hardly anyone there! We spent the whole morning wandering around the park virtually alone, and only in the afternoon did visitor numbers increase a bit. Further, we enjoyed perfect weather all day, which was like a miracle after a week of experiencing thunderstorms every day.

Next stop: Huang Long National Park (Sichuan Province, China).



To view my photos, have a look at pictures.beiske.com. And to read the full account of my journey, have a look at the complete book about my trip at Amazon (and most other online book shops).

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Comments

[Corina]

Neue Wege
Hallo Ben, wie ich sehe, bist Du schon weit gekommen!Super:-) Auch ich verfolge meinen Traum und habe zum 1.9 den Job gekündigt um mich selbständig zu machen. Vielleicht hast Dus schon erfahren?Schade, dass Du so weit weg bist, sonst hättest Du mir ein paar Tipps zur Kündigung geben können. Falls Du doch mal Zeit hast, schreib doch mal. Ansonsten wünsche ich Dir viele weitere schöne Eindrücke und bis dann mal, Corina

[Demi Deng]

Hello from China, wanna talk about Jiuzhaigou
Hi dear Ben, it's nice to find you having take a trip to Jiuzhaigou, just not before long about earthquake in Sichuan. Well, my name is Demi, a senior in college and i am doing my final thesis on an analysis upon backpackers in JIuzhaigou. Even though you didn't mention you come from Germany, but I find you description on it. So do you mind answering me some questions which could do me a favor about my study. 1. How do you know of Jiuzhaigou, why do you wanna go there? 2. Why not try the airplane as bus really costs a long time? 3. Do you have some expectation before trip, are you satisfied with those? If there is a full ten score to judge this spot. how many could you like to mark? Why 4.As a backpacker who speak English, is there any inconvenience for you? about the communication, customs ? 5. What impressed you most in Jiuzhaigou. Have you try some Tibetan food or performance there? 6. As you didin't mention about the accommodation, is it good or not? could you please tell me the rough expense you spent there. 7.As a backpacker, do you have any tips for the people who are meant to visit there? I will appreciate of your kind help if you spare some time and give me a response asap. Here is my hotmail mail bos: [e-mail] If convenience, could you please reply to my mail box PS, could you mind telling me your age? Looking forward to hearing from you Demi