Jiuzhaigou Valley is part of the Min Shan mountain range on the edge of the Tibetan Himalayan Plateau and stretches over 72,000 hectares. It is known for its many multi-level waterfalls, colorful lakes, and snow-capped peaks. Its elevation ranges from 2,000 m to 4,500 m.
Jiuzhaigou (literally "Nine Village Valley") takes its name from the nine Tibetan villages along its length.
The remote region was inhabited by various Tibetan and Qiang peoples for centuries. Until 1975 this inaccessible area was little known.
The cold misty morning greeted us as we took a 10minutes walk from the hotel to the park entrance.
As we took the bus ride from the gate entrance up to our first stop, the sun pecked the behind the mists and cast her orange glow upon the crystal clear waters flowing down the valley.
While water is plentiful, the most of it within the park is not safe for consumption as it flows through the line stone system, picking up substantial amounts of calcium and copper ions, this making many lakes appear to have blue- ish appearance.
The size of Jiuzhaigou alone is slightly bigger than Singapore Island. The many waterfalls, lakes and waterways is the valley are a tight to bewild, though the sheer amount of tourists coming to this 25km by 30km park is somewhat of a damper.
That and the numerous cell towers dotting the landscape at conspicuous, strategic and this photogenic sites, marring its unspoiled natural beauty with mast of metal, another testament to China’s crude flirtations with modernity and little regards to aesthetics.
At around 1600hrs the rain picked up and we decided to call it a day.
In the evening we went to a Tibetan banquet and then to a Tibetan culture performance. It was a good experience.
heavenly...
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