Today we're off to Jiuzhaigou Valley. Thanks to Mr. Chan's lucky umbrella, we're blessed with no rain.
The lakes and mountains are beautiful. The water is incredibly blue in some of the lakes due to the unique mineral content. The fall colours are emerging with splotches of red and yellow, and then there's the sugar dusting of snow in the mountaintops. Our guide tells us there are eco-tours available to camp and hike in the park. I think that would be an awesome experience and something I'd want to try if I ever had the opportunity to come back. It'd be great to enjoy the landscape without the crazy crowds.
Beautiful wedding pictures...cold, cold brides.
Our merry band of travellers. We take the shuttle bus higher up the mountains to see Long Lake and the Five-Colour Pond. At different times, you're suppose to be able to see different colours in the water, but I can only see the brilliant aqua blue.
Check out these crowds! You have to elbow your way to the edge and then try to take your picture while trying not to get the people posing on each side of you and the annoyance of a person tapping you on the shoulder, trying to get you out of their way so they can take their shot.
There are lots of boardwalks and steps with patches of ice, so I hold on to Auntie Lucy so she won't slip.
As beautiful as the landscape is, the crowds are conversely not so pleasant. There are little shuttle buses that take us from site to site and visitors are corralled into a fenced queue with a small opening. Once the shuttle arrives, there is such pushing and shoving to get on. Elbows out, friends! I don't understand the rush as the shuttles are quite frequent, but the fight to get on is ferocious. Thanks to Mr. Chan and other members of our tour who help hold back the crowd, our group is able to scramble on to the bus all together.
In the evening, we see another elaborate theatre show. No heat in the theatre, so it's a chilly show. Dance Panda, Dance!!
