Jiuzhaigou (23-25 Jun 15)

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Moving on from Chengdu, I made the northwesterly detour to Jiuzhaigou (Nine Villages Valley), a Chinese National Park Reserve and Unesco World Heritage site. It was yet another long bus ride, almost 11h, but thankfully in a surprisingly comfortable bus. What I had to contend with though was the unexpected increase in altitude en route (apparently we almost hit 3000m above sea level at one point) and the onset of some minor symptoms of sickness, though eventually it was a slight descent back to the more manageable 2000m+ that Jiuzhaigou resides on.

So what exactly is Jiuzhaigou? I have to say it wasn't a place I'd heard of until I did more research prior to this trip, and then I realised it was where they take some of those incredible pictures of multi-coloured lakes, frozen waterfalls, backed by autumn golden trees and snow-capped mountains that are occasionally shared on the internet. So having decided to start of this leg of my journey in Central China, being in its vicinity, this was pretty much a must-see.

Of course I wasn't the only one. Jiuzhaigou has probably become a must-see for much of emerging middle class China too, and rightfully so I suppose since this is indeed one of their national treasures. Despite being here somewhat before the real peak season of late summer and the October national holidays, the place was still teeming with domestic tourists, and I don't for a moment doubt the authorities' claim that literally millions of people visit the park annually. I'd seen for myself the possibe ten thousands that showed up just on one day! Memories of jam-packed Lijiang in Kunming when I visited two years ago during the national holidays...

And yet, notwithstanding the queue for the buses, the incessant noisy chatter cutting through the serenity of the environs, and the crowded boardwalks, it's hard to imagine a place much prettier, and I think coming from me that's saying something, cos I've seen some beautiful places the past three years on my travels. Legend has it that a jealous demon once struck the mirror of a beautiful goddess. And when it fell, it shattered into a 118 pieces that now form the impossibly-blue lakes that dot the park. It's almost possible to believe...

Stayed at Jiulv Holiday Hotel.

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Photos

Fighting the hoardes to buy my ticket
RMB310 in total too, ouch!

Fighting the hoardes to get on the bus
The Y-shaped route stretches dozens of kilometres, including significant elevation, so walking the entire thing is definitely out of the question.

Tourists along the boardwalk
After a while, it actually becomes somewhat endearing, the way their clothes add even more colour to the photos!

Self-Heating Box Lunch
My first encounter, and at RMB20 pretty much the budget lunch option around. There's some sort of heating pad which I presume encloses some kind of chemicals that react exothermically (I still remember my high school chemistry terms!) with the pack of clear liquid (water?) that comes with it. The rice dish then rests on top of the whole thing.

This tiny critter was for some reason attracted to my box lunch
Not my favourite type of creature but I'll cut it some slack for its size (or lack thereof).

Five Colour Lake
No prizes for guessing why it's named so.

Aunties in outfits with cute poses
Maybe one day I'll be able to muster up the courage too!