9 Days Tour of Fairyland, Jiuzhaigou, ShenXianChi & Leshan/Mt Emei in China
The name Jiuzhaigou came from nine Tibetan villages scattered throughout the valley. It is like a nature's jewel set into the mountains with majestic and unrivalled emerald lakes, layered waterfalls, colourful forests, snow peaks and Tibetian folk villages, all blending in harmony with each other.
Itinerary
Day 1 : Chengdu / Maoxian (4 Nov 2006 )
5am, yes this is the unearthly hour that I have to depart for the airport. Thankfully my sister and brother-in-law gave me a ride in their car and we made it in good time, reaching there in half an hour. What you expect, there's hardly any traffic on the road!
At the airport, there was the usual hustle and bustle at the counters to check-in luggages and issued tickets.
Finally at 7.40am, Air China departed and I'm on my way to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan.
Our first stop upon reaching was for lunch at this place.
These 2 pictures were taken just outside the hotel where a group of them who were flying to Jiuzhaigou were staying. The rest of the group will proceed by coach to stay the night at Maoxian. We will meet up with the smaller group on the 2nd day for tour of Jiuzhaigou valley.
Along the way to Maoxian , we saw this near complete bridge which would cut travelling time to Jiuzhaigou by half the distance (currently it took at least 10 hours to reach Jiuzhaigou from Chengdu).
Day 2 : Maoxian / Jiuzhaigou (5 Nov 2006 )
Enroute we stopover at this place to use the washroom which was manned by this old grandpa.
The toilet location was chosen for a reason... this was what we saw.....and for 10Rmb we can get to sit on the maoniu (hairy bull) and pose for pictures.
We proceed to the Jiuzhaigou International Airport to pick up the rest of the group. This mountain range is seen from the airport.
Inside Jiuzhaigou, we had to charter a special bus to bring us around. This is to ensure that the environment is not polluted with the carbon dioxide emiited from outside vehicles. We saw many beautiful and colourful lakes and waterfalls.
Pearl Waterfall
Tibetan StupaThe nine white stupas in Shuzheng village symbolize the nine villages in the Jiuzhaigou Valley. They are located at the entrance to the Village
The proverbial group photo which is a must for every tour group.
We stopped at this place for lunch and shopping.
Day 4 : Shenxianchi - Fairy Pool (7 Nov 2006)
Huanglong
Day 5: Qiang Village (8 Nov 2006)
I was too sick to go down the coach - so no photograhs.
Day 6: Leshan Giant Buddha (9 Nov 2006)
Leshan Giant Buddha
Day 7: Mt Emei & Golden Summit (10 Nov 2006)
Mt Emei is one of four sacred Buddhist Mountains in China. It was so named because it has peaks that look like the brows of a moth. Its main peak - Wanfo Summit - stands 3,099 metres above sea level. Over hanging precipices, narrow gorges, quiet valleys, luxuriant pines and cypresses, flying waterfalls and singing streams has caused people to describe Mt Emei as "Beauty under Heaven".
In fact, it was recorded that in ancient times, many people, especially scholars were hypnotised by the euphoric feeling of floating above clouds that they leapt off the mountain thinking that they can fly like the gods.
Temple Builders
Gold Temple
It was such an unusual sight to see these group of Tibetan monks posing for photographs and 2 of them looking so hype with dark sunglasses. I also like the display of different facial expressions and quickly snap a shot without delay and that's why the photo is slightly blur. Luckily I did that as they soon dispersed after that.
The 3 main casts of Jinsha (Musical show). They performed in Singapore a few months later.
Day 8: Panda Research Centre & Sichun Art of Quick Face Changing Show (11 Nov 2006 )
Fantastic acrobatic acts from this couple.
Day 9: Sichuan / Home Sweet Home (12 Nov 2006)
Back to Sichuan and half a day of shopping at an underground shopping mall.
My boots had a makeover (shoeshine) for just 2RMB.
Background Info:
Jiuzhaigou County (previously known as Nanping County until being renamed in 1998) is located in the north of Sichuan Province and is part of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture.
Lying on the highest tableland in the world between the Sichuan Basin and the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Jiuzhaigou Valley covers altitudes ranging from 2,000 meters (656,168 feet) to about 4,300 meters (14,107,612 feet). With its large number of lake groups, waterfalls and rich variety of endangered plants and fauna, Jiuzhaigou was awarded the status of UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve in 1997 and was also recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.
It has some of the most beautiful and inspiring scenery on earth and some of the reserves scenic spots considered holy by the local Tibetan and Qiang people. The park is opened all year round the authorities have ensured that the fragile environment is sufficiently protected with a range of comprehensive tourist facilities.
Previous years it had been difficult for visitors to get to Jiuzhaigou due to its isolated location, however this is no longer a concern due to the construction of the Jiuzhaigou Ring Way which links the reserve with Chengdu and the Jiuhuang Airport, and has made it easier to gain access to the park. Today most visitors transfer at Chengdu onto long-distance buses or flights going to Jiuzhaigou. The route on the ring way passes through a number of attractions and is surrounded by beautiful natural scenery, providing many a distraction for anyone making the journey.
