Jiuzhaigou National Park (10-2)

Monday morning we woke up early again so we could get to the park fairly early. April had asked the hostel receptionist to purchase return tickets (You can’t purchase round trip bus tickets.) to Chengdu, but he hadn’t done that. We had tried to purchase them when we arrived, but we were too early, as they only sell tickets three days in advance. Since he hadn’t done that yet and we wanted to be sure to get an early bus, we went to the bus station before going to the park.

Tickets in hand, we were happy and ready to enjoy our day in the park. We had to wait only a few minutes to go through the entrance and then several more to get on a bus to the top of the park. The buses, for which we paid 90 yuan ($15) run regularly, and  you can hop on and off at various stops. The park is shaped like a Y, with the first valley going straight in and then a valley to the left and one to the right.

Our bus took us to the top of the left valley, which took half an hour and we arrived at 9:15. The altitude there is 3000 meters/9840 feet. Long Lake is the first scenic spot. It’s the largest lake in the park. 

From there we walked down to Five Color Pool where we enjoyed the clear, blue water and some reflections.

Next we took the bus to one of the Tibetan villages open for tourism. There are nine villages in the valley, thus it’s name which means “Valley of Nine Villages.” We spent two hours in the village, wondering around the beautiful, colorful houses. Most of these are shops selling various souvenirs to tourists. 

One had a room where a woman was selling tea; so we sat on a bench and enjoyed a bowl of traditional Tibetan tea and some bread. Later we succumbed to a bowl of instant noodles, which were the only food sold in most places.

After eating, we walked to Nurilong Waterfall, the biggest waterfall in the park. It is very wide and loud as the water tumbles over the cliff in streams.

From there we walked on to Mirror Lake. Since we were on the inside path, we enjoyed the trees and rushing streams along the way. 

It started to rain very lightly; so the lake wasn’t very mirror-like, but it was still lovely. Close to the shore there were some reflections of trees. I was fascinated here—and at most of the clear lakes—with the fallen trees underwater that were so clearly visible.

An hour after leaving the waterfall, we arrived at Pearl Shoal. It’s named so because the water rushing over the rocks looks like pearls. 

It’s massive and loud. Many trees grow in the shoal’s water. We thought we’d walked all around the path on the map, but later I realized that we must have missed one part because we missed the waterfall. It’s probably similar to others that are after almost every lake.

From there it’s a short walk to Five Color Lake, which is considered to be the jewel of Jiuzhaigou. By this time, it was no longer raining and the lake was perfectly smooth and clear. Reflections of the trees and mountains were beautiful. The water was turquoise and green and various colors from the reflections.

After relaxing and enjoying the beautiful lake, it was time to get a bus back down. By the time we arrived at the entrance, it was 5:30. Having left the hotel at 7:30 and walking most of the day, we were ready to be back. We were also ready for a real meal. It felt food to sit at a restaurant and eat dishes.

I purchased a ticket to go back to the park on Tuesday, since I wanted to spend my time there. April opted for a day in the village. When it’s not the high season, tickets are good for two days. But not now.

The weather was overcast and cold all day. I wore my hood and gloves all day to keep my head and hands warm. With three layers on my chest and all the walking , I was warm enough.

Tuesday morning, the official National Day, I arrived at the park at 7:45. When I left the hostel, I could tell that the weather was going to be better, since it was already warmer than it had been on Monday. And it was. In the afternoon, I shed a layer, and I didn’t need my hood or gloves all day.

There were several tour groups organizing in the entrance area, but I got through the gate with no waiting. Since we went in a left gate on Monday and the bus went up the left valley, I gambled that if I went in a right gate, the bus would go up the right valley. I was correct. So at 8:15 I arrived at Arrow Bamboo Lake. The low clouds gave it a mystical feeling. I had decided that I would walk down to the next lake. So on I went. I went down on the inside path, on the side of the lake away from the road. 

Although the lake itself wasn’t very colorful, it was calm, and I enjoyed the stunning reflections of the trees, mountains, and clouds. As I descended, I enjoyed the trees in the forest. There were only about a dozen other people walking at that time; so I was alone much of the way, which I also enjoyed. On the other side of the lake, I could see a stream of people on the path and was glad I had chosen the forest path. 

After the lake, there’s a small waterfall, 

and then there are streams of water descending down the mountain to Panda Lake.

By the time I arrived at Panda Lake, more people had arrived. Panda Lake is named for pandas that were there in the past (but I think not now) and for the black shadows sometimes in the lake that are like the black on pandas. Since the sun had come above the mountain by this time and the lake was calm, the water was turquoise. 

Of course, there is another waterfall after the lake. This is a high one from which the water streams around the trees on the mountainside. 

With the increased number of people, there was a steady stream walking down to Five Color Lake. I hadn’t planned to go there again, but it was such a lovely day and I was enjoying walking; so I continued on down the mountain.

Since it was such a lovely day, the lake was more colorful with better reflections than we saw on Monday. And, since I was hungry, I lingered at the lake to eat and relax. 

I especially enjoyed an area that had green moss-like plant growing underwater like an underwater forest.

Then it was time to take the bus down the mountain. I stopped at Nurilong Waterfall again because I’d noticed that there is a good overall view from the road that we had missed on Monday. 

Then I decided to stop at another lake on the way down that we’d seen from the bus and walk in that area a bit. So I got off at Rhinoceros Lake, which has reeds and a view of the higher mountains that are also reflected in the lake. 

From there I walked to Tiger Lake. Again I took the path away from the road. And again, very few people were on that path and I had silence most of the way. I walked through more forest with trees on one side and water rushing around the trees most of the way on the other side. I enjoyed both.

Tiger Lake is named for the waterfall that sounds like a tiger’s roar and for the yellow color when autumn leaves are reflected in the lake. It is another lovely, blue lake with great tree reflections. This lake had trees growing in it along the shore. After going around the lake, I came to the mill house. 

There I saw a sign to Shuzheng Waterfall. Being so close, I had to walk up to it. I’d missed it because it’s on the road side of the lake. There is a tremendous quantity of water streaming down the mountain around moss-covered rocks and trees.

At the top of the waterfall, I enjoyed the other side of the lake. Then I noticed another Tibetan village across the street and decided to stop there briefly. I wasn’t really in the mood to do much shopping, but the views of the lower valley from the top of the hill were beautiful.

Then it was time to take the bus to the bottom and leave the park for the last time. I walked for most of the eight hours I was in the park and was ready to leave, but I was glad to have had this extra day there.

                                                         

In the park, there are toilets at regular intervals. They were pretty clean. Some had replaceable, biodegradable bags that covered the seat and caught the waste. There was a sign saying that these were available. When you finish, you push the button and, instead of flushing, the bag folds up, drops, and a new one takes its place. Pretty cool.

After a short stay in the room, April and I went to the nearby market to do some shopping, but we didn’t find anything we wanted. We had a sit-down dinner again and then headed for the cultural show. Outside we were greeted with a group of men and women singing. When we entered, everyone was given a traditional white scarf. 

The show was quite enjoyable—a nice combination of traditional Chinese dance, traditional Tibetan dance and singing, and modern dance and singing. When we arrived, every seat had a cup of a non-alcoholic drink. At the end of the first dance there was a toast in which we flicked a bit to the right and to the left and then drank the rest.

This ended our wonderful holiday in Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou.

Wednesday morning we went out to catch a taxi to the bus station. However, there were none. In fact, there were hardly any cars going that direction; it was almost like the traffic was being controlled and reduced. There was a steady stream of cars and buses going the other way—out of town. So I knew that it would take us about an hour to get out of town. We ended out walking the whole way to the bus station—half an hour—and arriving just on time. The sidewalk was packed with tourists going to the park. When we passed the entrance, we saw that the whole area was packed solid with people. We were really glad we’d gone early and avoided the extreme crowds. I think people had worked on Monday and traveled on Tuesday; so they were at the park on Wednesday. After we passed the park, we were walking against the masses going to the park. It was really good to arrive at the bus station and get away from that. There was a steady stream as far as we could see.

After waiting half an hour for the rest of the people, we finally left. And I was correct: it did take an hour to get out of town. We saw masses of people walking almost to the next part of the village. So our nine-hour journey had become ten and a half hours and we were hardly started. It was going to be a long day.

Half way back traffic stopped. There must have been an accident ahead that closed one side of the road because only one lane moved at a time. The line of vehicles went as far as we could see. Only one lane of traffic moved at a time. Cars coming the other direction had a police escort. When it was our lane’s turn to move ahead, cars from behind moved into the left lane; so both lanes were packed solid. Of course, those cars had to be let into our lane before vehicles coming the other direction could move ahead.

It took an hour to go about nine kilometers. (We had recently passed a sign to the next town.) So the trip back to Chengdu took 11.5 hours. Then we had to take a taxi home because it was too late for a bus. We left the hostel at 7:15 and arrived home at 9:00. A long day, but good to be home again.