Jessica and I visited the Jiuzhaigou National Park in early September with some of her relatives to see one of China’s most scenic spots. Located in northern part of Sichuan province, while not far from the capital city of Chengdu as the crow flies (152 miles), it feels like a million miles from modern civilization. Jiuzhaiguo (Juizhai Valley) was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. “Jiuzhai Valley” translates to mean “Nine Village Valley” and it was said to be named after the nine Tibetan villages that is scattered throughout the valley.
The forty minute flight from Chengdu put us in a mountainous spot that feels like being in the Himalayas. As I would have discovered later, in fact, we were sort in the Himalayas. The mountain range that is part of the Jiuzhai Valley is on the edge of the Tibetan Himalayan Plateau. (Sichuan province is located just east of the Tibet region.)
It definitely felt like the Himalayas when we landed. We went from a place that was about 25C (78F) in Chengdu to a place that was 2C (35F) as we disembarked. We hadn’t plan for these weather extreme. We heard it would be cooler, but just wasn’t sure to what degree. So Jessica scrambled to procure some outerwear as I waited for the baggage. There were shops selling winter jackets at the airport – obviously catering to shellshock tourist arriving there; a number of people were wearing shorts.
As we went outside and met up with our pre-arranged taxi, it did felt like winter. What we didn’t know (and what the airport vendors obviously didn’t tell us) is that the temperature near the park area where we would be staying would much milder. As taxi left the airport area and started the drive to Jiuzhaiguo, the “country/rural” environment quickly revealed itself. Just minutes from the airport, we stopped as someone led a small herd of cattle across the road. (I am not sure the type of bovine – Yaks are very common in this region.)
About twenty minutes from the airport, and maybe a thousand or so feet in lower elevation, the sun appeared and we can see lush green fields in the valleys as we sling around mountain edges. With the landscape of the area, the only way to build the roads through some of the stretch was to carve around the mountains. But the road itself was in fairly good shape. The road reminded me of driving through the Sierra Nevada: The fresh, cool mountain air I can feel through the small window opening and the rolling hills with pine trees. Except for a couple of spots here and there, it wasn’t until we got close to the “Park Area” that there were any meaningful settlements (shops, restaurants, hotels, etc.).
During most of the drive, our driver wanted to take us to another well regard scenic area about another couple of hours away from our hotel called Huang Long. If my head wasn’t spinning so much from the drive I may have been tempted. But all I wanted to do during the last half of the drive was to get out of the car.
About an hour and half from the airport, we arrived at our hotel around 10AM local time. While it was cool, it didn’t feel like we would need the new winter jackets we just bought. The hotel seemed to be very quiet, almost deserted as we checked in. It was mentioned that most people who goes there would go to the Park in the morning and return in the evening, such that for much of the day, there is very little activity around the whole area. We would found this to be true as we ventured outside later.
After settling into our rooms, we met up with Jessica’s cousin, aunt and uncles who had arrived the previous day. Our plan was to do some light sightseeing around the area during the afternoon spend the entire day at the park the following day. Tracey, Jessica’s cousin, asked the hotel receptionist for some suggestions, who indicated our best bet was to walk along the river toward the Park entrance, where there are some shops and restaurants along the path.
As we walked outside along the main road to begin our ‘hike’, we can see that only some of shops were open, and it was all very quiet and with hardly anyone or even cars were around. As we ventured down toward the river (Baihe or White River), we can see all kinds of shops, coffee shops and restaurants store fronts in the promenade area (Bian Bian Street) but almost all were closed. Nonetheless, the walk along the river was refreshing. The quietness of the area may have also contributed to the tranquility of the walk for us.
Some of the surrounding views that we can see in parts of our walk were quite awe inspiring as well. The valley in this area is quite narrow. One side of the river buttresses a mountain and the mountain range on the other side of the valley also feels to be right next to you on the other side. We could feel that we are right there in the middle of this majestic natural wonder place.
About a kilometer or so from the hotel, we found some restaurants opened for business. The restaurants here are fairly “open”, in the sense that they will show you the ‘ingredients’ they have for dishes, open to how you want it cooked, and even let you ‘into’ the kitchen. One of Jessica’s uncles vetted the offerings of some of the restaurants for comparison shop. We finally settled on one whose live fish seemed to pass her uncle’s quality inspection. And we were also able to get the dishes to be cooked somewhat on the milder side, to help some of us who can’t quite handle the spicy level of typical Sichuan cuisine (ok, mostly just me). The meal turned out to be quite nice. Along with the fish (which we had both steamed and cooked in a soup as well), we also had some stir fried local greens, walnut flower leaves (a distinctive black leave that turned out to be not too bad), some yak beef with peppers, thousand-year old preserved eggs, and braised tofu.
After the big lunch, we continued our walk toward the Park. About half way down, there was this small hanger like place that hosts a bazaar of shops next to a big parking lot. When we were there, there were few people around. (As we discovered the next day, a lot of bus would park there during the morning when the crowd would be much bigger.) One of the more prominent items are those made from bovine horns (Yak, Water Buffalo or Bison), which include combs, jewelry and tools. The other is various kinds of dried yak beef. I ended up picking up just a key chain on this visit. On the other side this venue is a park like promenade next to the river that would lead into the Park entrance area. On the ground of this promenade has difference languages welcoming people to the area.
Just before reaching the Jiuzhaiguo National Park entrance, there was a confluence of two rivers which one can see the very distinct color variance of the water from each branch and with very distinct line where the water from the two rivers met as their converged water flow down river.
The Park entrance has a large open plaza at the front, which during mid afternoon was sparsely filled. This turned out to be a good opportunity for us to take some group photos. Around the plaza, there were also your obligatory souvenir stores and fast food offerings – these things are pretty much standards worldwide. We tried to see if we could get tickets for the next day, but found out that you can only buy tickets on the day you want to visit. (Tickets costs RMB310; discounts available to students and people over 60.)
Jessica thought of the “ancient city” complex that we drove by on the way to the hotel, as a good place to visit to fill in the time for the rest of the afternoon. We picked up two taxis to drive us to the complex, which is about a 25 minute drive away. Once arrived, we walked around while the taxi drivers waited for us. (It would have been difficult for us to get a return taxi otherwise.) The complex was built to resemble the old local architectural style. It seems to house mostly restaurants and tea/coffee houses. Most appears to be closed. There is a big theatre in the middle of the complex. There were some pond and man-made streams (or look like man-made streams to me). A Holiday Inn sits at one end of the complex. Toward the other end of the complex there was a large circular plaza.
After walking around for about 30 minutes, it began to rain a little so we decided to head back to the hotel. Some of us played cards for a while before we headed down to the hotel restaurant for dinner. The meal didn’t turn out quite as well as the one we had at lunch, but it filled out needs. Afterwards, all of us went out to get some fresh air and to buy some snacks for the next day.
The next morning we headed to the Park taking almost the same route we had the previous day along the river. The Park opens at 7AM, but we didn’t get there until about 8:30AM or so. The Park is laid out in a “Y” shape, with the entrance at the base of the Y. Theoretically people can walk/hike all along inside the park, and there are numerous trails for people to do that. But with the vastness of the park (the core scenic area is said to cover 300 km2), most people would take the bus to the main scenic points at the park and then walk around some of the shorter trails in between scenic spots. That was the approach we decided to take.
The first stop for the bus took us about two-third of the way up the “Y” base, close to Tiger Lake. There are several lakes that are adjacent to each other in this area. With loads of buses dropping people off in this stop, there was a large throng of people walking around the village turned visitor center and along the smaller streams and ponds that starts the pathway taking people toward Tiger Lake. Most of the pathway in the park has a wooden walkway, making the walk relatively pleasant and blends into the surrounding. Along the way to Tiger Lake, we saw the first of many waterfalls that day. Our walk to Tiger Lake and then to Rhinoceros Lake provided us chance to begin soaking in the grand views of the park. And one of the things that struck us was the clarity of the water, where in many places we can see to the bottom of the stream or lake, even to depth of 10-15 meters (~30 to 45 feet) in some casess.
At a trail on the side of Rhinoceros Lake away from the road that relatively few people seem to use, we stopped for a small picnic on a mixture of the various snacks and fruits that we had brought along. The one thing that struck me as I was eating at looking at my surrounding is that how long it has been since I really had a picnic in such “natural” setting.
As we were eating, one of the park workers told us that one of the last buses to the next spot is leaving quickly that we should get going. We packed up and hurry over across a causeway to the other side. But just as we arrived, the bus took off. Figuring we may have to wait a while, some of us used the portable ‘toilets’ that were built on a bus. (Interesting concept: This enables the park to move these temporary toilets around more easily to where the demand is.) But another bus arrived inside of 15 minutes, so our wait turned out to be short. I half wondered if the park worker had wanted us to leave so she could keep the area for herself.
We took the bus up to the center of the Y, where there is a big visitor center that along with shops also had a number of restaurants as well. It was a major connection point at the park where people can take the various lines of buses to all points of the park. We got on to the bus that would take us to the farthest stop on one branch of the Y, the Long Lake. This is the largest lake at the park and one of the highest points of the park area (about 3,000 meters). The Long Lake surrounding reminded me of the Lake Tahoe area. The main difference here is that there is no development around. This is a pristine, unspoiled area that hardly a boat has been on it.
From the Long Lake, there is a nice trail that takes visitors down to Five Colour Lake, a lake that due to its mineral content and varying depth is said to reflect varying colors. It was during this part of the walk that Tracey remarked how refreshing the air is in the park. Walking along the trails in the park is truly a refreshing break from the cities in China, where blue sky and fresh air can be a rare sight.
After walking around the Five Colour Lake area, we headed back to the Tourist center to go to the other branch of the “Y”, after a rest and snack break. Most of the scenic spots off this “branch” are located near the lower half of the route. With the time we have, we figured that visiting these areas were the best use of our time.
We first stopped at the Arrow Bamboo Lake and walked our way down to the other water pools: Panda Lake, Five Flower Lake, and Pearl Shoals. What made this area memorable was the walk from one lake to the next and the waterfalls that cascade down between the lakes. These waterfalls are not big, but one can get close to it to feel its splendor and beauty. And the walks along the trails, which mostly follow the feeding stream that flow from one lake to the next, provided another smoothing stroll.
Among the waterfalls we saw that afternoon, the Pearl Shoals Falls may have been the best. It was the largest falls in terms of breath and height that we saw in the Park that day, but what makes it most interesting is the rushing rapids that this fall feeds into as the water travels downstream.
By the time we reached the bottom of the Pearl Shoals Falls, it was around 4:30PM. We decided to take the bus back out of the park. After a bit more browsing of the local shops on our way back to the hotel, we decided to eat dinner along the river bank. After scrutinizing the offerings of the restaurants close to the park entrance, we settled on one that offered the variety we wanted. The centerpiece of the meal was a fish that is fire grilled before being braised on a hot pan. The rest of the dishes were more basic comfort food variety: Tomato and mince pork with chili, stir-fry greens, chili string beans, etc.
During dinner, a number of street hawkers walked by selling their wares, from spices and nuts to fruits and vegetables. I saw one vendor swing by 3 times during our meal. We did end up buying some fruits from a couple of the vendors.
It was about 7:30PM or so when we finished and started our way back to the hotel along the river. One thing that struck me as odd was that many of the shops that were closed during the late morning/early afternoon the previous day was still closed at this hour; just curious as when some of the shops would open. The walk back in the semi-darkness was almost as pleasant as the walk in the park earlier that day. And even at that hour, a light jacket was all that were needed. Overall, we figured we walked something like 20KM that day.
On the way back to Kunming next day, we had planned a long layover in Chengdu. We took an earlier flight out of Juizhai Valley early in the morning so we can have the better part of the day in Chengdu before our connecting flight in the evening. After dropping our bags off in holding at the airport, Jessica, Tracey and I went to visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (Panda Research and Breeding Center) located in the northeast part of the city, while Jessica’s aunt and uncles headed off to the city center, where we planned to meet up later in the afternoon. (The Wolong Panda Reserve, the world’s largest Panda Reserve and an UNESCO site, is located near Juizhai Valley. But it has not been open to the public since the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.)
As it was a Saturday, we had hoped the drive from the airport (located to the south of the city) would not be too congested. But a long stretch of one of the main ‘expressway’ was closed for maintenance, which made our ride a bit bumpy and longer than we had hoped for. We arrived at the park well past 11AM but the crowd was light. (Tickets to the Center cost RMB58, a relative bargain.) Since our plan was for a relatively quick tour, once inside, we looked at the park map to see the key spots we want to hit. The park itself was laid out fairly well, with good walkway, well positioned signage and lots of green space place. The center is said to total about 260 acres, although the exhibits area covers only a portion of that.
There were a number of Panda exhibits/habitat areas, including a baby nursery, young pandas with their mother, young adult pandas, and several mature panda habitats. There was also an area for the Red Pandas, which looks more like a large raccoon than a ‘bear’. Each of the habitat area was large with plenty of room for the pandas to roam around, with platforms, trees or playrooms in the habitat. One thing that we didn’t see was the true ‘cub’ size pandas, ones that people can still hold. Think of the size of “Po” in Kung Fu Panda was when he was adopted by the noodle making goose. (The couple of “cubs” we saw with the mother were relatively large.)
The Park also has a museum, a large lake with different kind of birds and a research center, which we ended up passing. After taking what would be the analog equivalent of ‘rolls’ of pictures, we were ready to head out about and get something to eat. We had only a few bits of snacks all day and ready for something more substantial.
Chengdu is considered to be the heart of Sichuan cuisine, with its well known spicy favor. On our way back to the city, we had an interesting conversation with the cab driver, covering topics on life and money to the local food. We end up going to a local eatery that he recommended. As the person who is the lightweight on “spicy” food, I tried to make sure at least some of the dishes ordered I can handle. The thing I have to be careful is that in places with a strong spicy cuisine culture, what may constitute as “not spicy” to the locals could be quite spicy for me.
We ordered one “set menu”, which comprised of small portions of a variety of the dishes available in the restaurant, such as different kinds of dumplings, meat, noodles, vegetables and dessert. A majority were spicy, a few weren’t. When I first dug into the Dan Dan Noodles, it didn’t feel too bad initially. But after a few bites, my mouth burned. We then ordered a couple of the dishes that we thought were good; I picked one of the non-spicy ones.
After we finished, we head out to meet up with Jessica’s aunt and uncle on Jinli Old Street, a commercial street that dates back to the Shu Kingdom around 200 AD that has been refurbished to the architectural style of that region during the Qing Dynasty. This type of area is now a typical hub for locals and tourists with local/regional food specialties, entertainment and shopping for local favorites that exists in many Chinese cities. On Jinli Street, there were vendors selling regional handcrafts like paper-cutting and clay figurines, Shu embroider lanterns and puppets. Food snack vendors abound in the area, from ice cream and chocolates to sticky sweet rice and dumplings to beef balls and spicy beef jerky. There are a number of tea houses as well as a Starbuck. After walking around awhile, we stopped at a tea house for a break. At the tea house, the server demonstrated the various ways to pour from a long-necked sprout pot that is unique to the region.
We made one last tour of the area after leaving the tea house before heading to the airport around just past 6PM, ending our short venture in Chengdu.