In Jiouzhaigou

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A 12 hour bus ride (including a 1.5 hour stop due to a bus accident) from Chengdu landed the five of us in Jiouzhaigou, home to a nature reserve which boasts beautiful hiking, pandas, monkeys and a few Tibetan villages. We bedded down at a new hostel (thanks to Sim of Sim's Cozy Guesthouse). That night, Yael realized her passport was missing (along with her whole money belt) so she split the next morning back to Chengdu.

The four remaing travelers took off for the nature reserve which was outstanding with great views, crystal clear rivers and lakes and lush greenery. We did run into some large crowds of Chinese tourists at some popular spots but the two days of walking around the reserve were refreshing. We even spent a night at one of the Tibetan villages in the reserve (which is not exactly allowed). Unfortunately, we did not see any pandas or monkeys.

Now it's off to Songpan for some horse trekking.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Larry

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Photos

Bus Accident
During our 10 hour bus ride from Chengdu to Jiouzhaigou, we were delayed 1.5 hours due to this bus accident. The roads are tight and the driver's are very aggressive..it is amazing there are not more accidents. Luckily, no one was hurt. Anon and I did help clean up the road so traffic could continue.

Tibetan Kids
With my new blonde hair, I am a favorite among the Tibetan people

Posing for the new Guesthouse
Our group down to 4 people as Yael lost her passport/money and jetted back to Chengdu, we pose with the proud manager of the new guesthouse in Juiouzhaigou.

Hiking in Jiouzhaigou
Crystal clear water and lush forestry make Jiouzhaigou Nature Reserve a popular place with Chinese tourists. Luckily, we found some time to hike undisturbed by the masses.

Village inside the Reserve
Beyond the numerous small waterfalls is the Tibetan village we stayed in for the night (even though it is not technical legal to do so).

Men in Tights
Given the cold temperatures, I wore my thermals under my clothes....and of course my friends made fun of me for it.

Hot Peppers
As we ate our dinner, this group were preparring the red peppers for the next day's meals.