Jiuzhaigou Off The Beaten Path

The next morning we got a very early bus, which brought us in 12 hours to a city, where we could take a train to Chengdu.

All the way the Chinese couple helped us, bought tickets and translated.

We arrived in Chengdu around midnight.

We finally reached the small hotel at the entrance again. We were completely exhausted. We ate a bit in the basic restaurant there. NO way to take shower. Only a bit hot water to wash our faces.

The next day people told us, that there was no bus to take us into the direction of Chengdu. I got a bit nervous, because I had to be in Hongkong in about 10 days.

But luckily a Chinese couple helped us to get a bus to Nanping, a small town about 40 km from Jiuzhaigou.

Enroute to Jiuzhaigou from Chengdu, the bus will make several pitstops at various villages. One of the more famous village is Maoxian which produces apples.

Besides getting that breather and stretching your legs, the friendly village children will hover around the van. You can also take the opportunity to snap good pictures of the rugged landscapes.

Many tourist come to Jiuzhaigou and leave on a rush. If you have time, you should spend at least 2 days doing simple trekking along the well marked trails. It is definitely worth it considering the breathtaking scenery.

Xi You Ji, have you ever heard of it? It's about Tangseng with his four prentices (Sunwukong, Zhubajie, Shaheshang, Bailongma) . Definitely, all of the chinese ppl can tell you some stories about it.

Many snippets of The Xi You Ji Tv play are shoot at Pearl-shoal. You may realize it if you have seen the play. It was placed in an important scene. Which part? Ask any chinese guy beside you, then you will get it. :)

Mirror got its name for the surface without wave almost. You could see everything's shadow arround the lake. Just like a mirror made of water, the blue sky the clouds and the colourful trees...
In my opinion, the shadows are more beautiful than the real stuffs... don't you think so? :)

The water is pretty limpid. You can see everything under the surface. The boles fell into the lake, and never disappear or perish. Since the water is full of Calcium.
The native people named this kind of boles in the lake as "Shushanhu" -- tree coral

In winter, Jiuzhaigou becomes especially tranquil and serene, poetic and picturesque. The mountains and forests are clad in white, the waterfalls and lakes are pure and clear, the ice layer on blue lake shines with wonderful wrinkles in the sunrise and sunset; and amidst the ice-clad waterfalls, small streams send out affecting music.
It's a pity, Jiuzhaigou will be closed after Dec. for the reason of safety. So it's a secret for us of the dreamworld in winter now.