Entry #2

Leaving Chengdu on a bus destined for Jiuzhaigou, the skyscrapers and smog quickly gave way to mountain peaks shrouded in mist and steep, winding mountain roads. Surely the mountains should be visible from Chengdu, but the pollution makes any kind of view out of the question.

The bus ride (11 hours in total), was a bit of an adventure in itself. It seems that China has no traffic laws or, at the very least, no citizens who obey them. Passing lanes don't exist, and so drivers indicate their intention to pass, the fact that they're passing, and their satisfaction at having successfully passed another vehicle by using their horns with excrutiating frequency. Nevermind that there may or may not be oncoming traffic in the opposing lane. The insidious horn, combined with Chinese music videos, some sort of Chinese Idol television show, and really bad (read: not remotely funny, as none of the Chinese bus passengers were laughing) Chinese comedy at high volumes meant that we arrived in Jiuzhaigou with throbbing heads. On the other hand, we were well taken care of on the ride up by a Chinese woman across the bus aisle from me. She took it upon herself to make sure we were well-fed throughout the day. She had us try all kinds of Chinese confections, including coconut rice pies and puffed corn snack bars. She and her family also brought (and bought along the way) various dried frutis and other snacks. I managed to draw a picture explainging that I don't eat meat, so Jen was the only one who got to try some sort of small hermetically sealed snack meat. It is my understanding that it tasted like some kind of brined and cured rubber band.

After some confusion, we located our hostel. Not quite as nice as the previous two, but passable. The Park, however, is the reason we came to Jiuzhaigou.

Jiuzhaigou is a national nature reserve, a UNESCO listed National Heritage site, and a UN World Biosphere Reserve. The name "Jiuzhaigou" means "Nine Village Gully," which refers to the nine Baima Tibetan villages located in the river valley. Legend has it that Jiuzhaigou was formed when a jealous devil caused the goddess Wunosemo to drop a magic mirror, a gift from her lover, the warlord God Dage. The mirror shattered, creating 118 turquoise lakes. And they are -- bright turquoise. High levels of calcium and magnesium together with yellow green algae give the pools their strong color. The Park is something like Montana's Glacier National Park, if Glacier were only comprised of the Going to the Sun Highway, and there were about 50 tour buses departing from every scenic overlook every 5 minutes. Bus traffic aside, the park is truly stunning. We managed to avoid the buses most of the day by hiking along the boardwalk footpaths through the Park. In doing so, we also managed to avoid many of the throngs of Chinese tour groups who only got off the buses to check out major attractions such as Nuorilang Pubu (Promising Bright Bay Waterfall).

Walking back to the hostel after leaving the Park, we stopped by a stall to try some bread made by a local Tibetan woman. Understanding that we wanted ours with scallions, seasonings, and sesame seeds, but without the meat, she made ours special, and it was worth the wait. Speaking to us in Tibetan, she was delightful, even though we couldn't understand a word she said.

We leave Jiuzhaigou on the reverse bus route back to Chengdu tomorrow morning. It has been terrific, and I only wish we had the time to venture into Tibet. Here, in Northern Sichuan, we rest between 2000 and 4000 meters, making the cool, fresh aira welcome respite from the humid congestion of the cities. We're in the midst of China's rainy season, and the high altitudes are no exception, but I find the near constant drizzle refreshing and comforting.

Uploading photos to this blog will have to wait until our return because China has more or less blocked access to Flickr. I understand that the one photo I tried to upload (of the Great Wall) sort of worked, but China has also blocked access to this blog itself, so I only know what I'm told. Somehow, I'm able to post entries with relative ease, but I cannot view them, so if anyone has left comments, we're very grateful and will look forward to reading them at some point down the road. Thanks!