On day 4 of our 9D8N Jiuzhaigou, Huang Long and Chengdu travel itinerary in China, it was time to visit another major attraction for this trip – Huang Long (黄龙)! Huang Long is known for its travertine pools and it reminds us of our time in Turkey’s Pamukkale “Cotton Castle” as well. Hence, it was also an opportunity to see the differences of both Huang Long and Pamukkale during this visit!
Breakfast Buffet at Hilton Garden Inn Jiuzhaigou
As mentioned yesterday, the breakfast buffet at Hilton Garden Inn Jiuzhaigou is very extensive. You are able to find Western options as well as local options. This morning, we wasted no time in going for our favourite noodles – dan dan noodles (担担面)! However, do note that the minced meat sauce can be rather salty, so take an adequate amount will suffice! We also had some of our other favourites like spring rolls, you tiao (fried dough), soyabean milk and banana mochi! The environment inside the buffet area of Hilton Garden Inn Jiuzhaigou is comfortable, modern and at the window seats, you can peer into the garden views outside as well. A nice ambience to start off the day. We then took some time to explore the shopping mall in the light of day this morning (as opposed to night views last night)…
九寨沟华美胜地 / 碳中和小镇 – Shopping Mall next to Hilton Garden Inn Jiuzhaigou
Although we couldn’t find the official name of this entire built up / shopping mall next to Hilton Garden Inn Jiuzhaigou on Google map, we think that it is likely called 九寨沟华美胜地 （Jiu Zhai Gou Hua Mei Sheng Di – Beautiful Jiuzhaigou) which was shown on one of its signages or 碳中和小镇 (Tan Zhong He Village) as seen on one of the models of the entire village. This morning, we saw that next to the area where we saw the camp fire and dance last night, there’s also a basketball court for you to put in some exercise as well. A cafe, known as Seventh Cafe was already opened at 8am. We were to leave at 10am this morning, so we had a little more time and not be so rushed this morning…
Huang Long (黄龙) – A Major Attraction known for its Travertine Pools
The journey from our hotel at Hilton Garden Inn Jiuzhaigou to Huang Long took about 2 hours. There was also a rest stop in between for us to have a quick toilet break and also take in the views at Min Jiang Yuan (岷江源) or the plains of Min Jiang at 11am, with beautiful mountain views in the background. At this rest stop, you could also shop for some souvenirs, although there was to be more souvenirs sold by Xiao Zhu onboard – which we bought some later as it was more economical and convenient for us as well. During this bus ride, he also shared about the Yak, commonly found in the highlands…
1. The Yak, is also known as 高原之舟 or the “boats” of the highlands. This is because in the highlands, many Tibetan tribes use the Yak to help in their transportation, including the shifting of their houses.
2. There are 4 treasures of the Yak. Firstly, their excretions (aka shit) can be used as fertilisers for plants. Secondly, their fur can be used to keep warm during the harsh winters. Thirdly, their horns can be used to make combs with beautiful striations and lastly, their meat as food.
Along the way, we also began to see goats, yaks and horses as well as Tibetan temples and structures enroute. Xiao Zhu also took the opportunity to share about Buddhism – touching on death to self. However, when we asked Xiao Zhu about “where do humans come from?”, he was not able to answer as the teachings of Buddhism doesn’t cover it – or at least not to his knowledge. So we took the opportunity to also share about humans being created in the image of God. Later on, we were to share the Gospel through a diary that we bought towards the end of the trip. That
– In the beginning, humans (Adam and Eve) were created in the image of God
– Sin entered the world when the serpent (devil) tempted Eve (and Adam) to sin against the command of God, not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden
– God is righteous and cannot condone sin but God is also love and He provided a way through His Son, Jesus Christ. This is also why Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
– Jesus Christ came to earth in human form, walking among us, understanding our pain, concerns and worries. He also showed love and shared the reason why He came – that is to die on the cross for our sins.
– Jesus’ death on the cross satisfied God’s wrath for our sins. All we have to do is to believe, because it is said in the book of John that “For God so loved the world, that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him, will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
– But Jesus not only died, after 3 days, he arose from the grave. He won the victory over death and this is also why we no longer fear death. For those put their faith in Him, he is now preparing a place for you and I, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:2-3)
If you would like to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, say this prayer to Him,”
“Dear Lord Jesus, (亲爱的主耶稣）
I believe that you died on the cross for my sins. （我相信你在十字架上为我的罪受死）
I believe in your death and resurrection and I want to receive you as my personal Lord and Saviour today. （我相信你不止为我而死，你也复活了。今天，我要邀请你成为我的救主)
I invite the Holy Spirit to come live inside me and walk with me till I see you face to face once again. (我祈求圣灵能够降临到我身上，直到我再次遇见你)
Thank you Lord. In Jesus Christ’s most precious name I pray. (感谢主。奉靠主耶稣宝贵的圣名祈求，啊门)
Amen.”
At the Huang Long lunch stop from 12 to 1:30pm, the food was ok but the restaurant itself was spacious and we were able to see scenic views to the mountains. Thereafter, it was time to get our tickets…
Inside the ticketing office, we had to queue for our tickets. The tickets for adults were 170RMB during peak season as well as 80RMB for return cable car tickets (or a total of 250RMB aka ~$50 SGD). Thereafter, it was time to join ANOTHER queue to take the cable car ride up…
The queue this time to take the cable car ride took about 45 minutes for a 5 minutes ride up. At the top, there was another electric tram that took us to the start of the walk that costs 20RMB for a return trip. While queuing, there were also touts that sold disposable oxygen tanks for 15RMB which was cheaper than when you reach the top. So if you are feeling altitude sickness, it would be a good idea to get one here. For the rest of us, just take things slowly. Climb and ascend slowly and don’t over-exert yourself and you’ll be fine.
After alighting from the tram, it was about 1.5 hours for a round trip up to Huang Long and back to the tram station. Besides the tram, there is also a walking option from the cable car station that would take about 3.2km to the start of this hike. For large groups like ours, especially with older folks like us, it is definitely recommended to take the tram and leave the energy for this final 1.5 hours hike.
The walk from the electric tram (aka sightseeing stop) to Wu Cai Chi (五彩池 – Colourful Pool) is about 700m. The boardwalk is very well constructed and kept really clean. Equivalent in standards to US National Parks in our opinion. However, the challenge about the walk here is Huang Long is the stairs that goes up and down repeatedly to overcome the undulating terrain. This also poses a challenges to quadricep muscles (on the up) and knees (on the down). At the tram area, you’ll first walk down several flights of stairs and remember, this will be the same stairs when you return later. Thereafter, the challenging part of the climb would be the many flights of stairs that eventually lead up to Wu Cai Chi (五彩池).
Along this scenic route from the tram station to 五彩池 (Colourful Pool), there are 3 main scenic spots. Firstly, the snow-capped mountains that cave in to form the valley. Through the valley, you’ll see snow-capped mountains in the distance. That’s where many people take their personal (写真) shots as well.
Secondly, you’ll pass by the Horseshoe Beach (马蹄滩), a layered area of travertine pools that is yellowish in colour when we visited. This is also probably where Huang Long (yellow dragon) got its name. Because if you take an aerial view of this area, it does resemble scales of the mystical dragon…
The third and last part is of course the Wu Cai Chi (五彩池 aka 5-Colour Pool or Colourful Pool). Here, you’ll be able to see different hues of light and dark blues. Beautiful. But it could be more vibrant if there were more sunlight during our visit. Still, it was a beautiful sight to behold…
As to where our favourite areas are, we’d say the snow-capped mountains rank top for us. Having seen the travertines in Pamukkale （Turkey） and the colourful pools at Yellowstone (USA), we’d say that the colours are not as vibrant at Huang Long but the formation does resemble the scales of the dragon as depicted. The top-down view of Wu Cai Chi is definitely a must – especially on a beautiful sunny day.
As we mentioned earlier, the route you take down to the valleys, would be the same route that you’d be taking upwards. Hence, this climb is actually not so suitable for those who are not so physically strong, especially in the legs. Along the way, we had to take several stops after climbing one or two flights of stairs because of the thinner air here at 3000m above sea level. There are many rest stops along the way, so don’t be shy to take those rests when you need them. For us, whenever we started to pant, we’d rest. No questions asked. We told each other that we’d rest whenever we needed and we did. No altitude sickness experienced thereafter.
@2bearbeartravel #Daytrip to #HuangLong aka #yellowdragon #travertine at about 3000m above sea level. Here, you’ll be able to see the beautiful travertine formations at #WuCaiChi aka #fivecolourslake . Thanks to the meticulous planning by our #Chanbrothers guides XiaoZhu and Julian, we didn’t have to climb 2 hours up and 2 hours down. A #cablecar and #tram #ride were all we needed to conserve our energy to enjoy the #scenery here. For more details, visit 2bearbear.com today! #travel #china #sichuan #szechuan #traveltheworld #travelblog #traveltiktok #travellife #nature #naturevibes #naturelover #2bearbear @Chan Brothers Travel SG ♬ WOW 아이브 배속음원 – 쩝
Eventually, we made it back to the tram area by 1630 and back to the bus by 1645 (because the cable car ride down was still relatively fast at that time). This allowed us to reach back to Jiuzhaigou Train Station for our High Speed Train back to Chengdu.
We arrived at Jiuzhaigou High Speed Train Station at 5:40pm and inside the train station, there’s only a Sichuan Flavour Impression restaurant (unlike the Chengdu East Railway Station when we departed). During this time, we just waited patiently at the gate for the manual entry counter (foreign passport) for entry to the High Speed Train.
Chan Brothers also arranged for dinner (Bento Set) to be served during this train ride back from Jiuzhaigou to Chengdu. The ride was rather smooth and there was no issue having a full dinner during the train ride. We actually enjoyed the catered food this evening with braised potato black fungus chicken, vegetables and tomato/egg. Taste was so good that Tom finished all the ingredients and rice!
We arrived at Chengdu East Railway Station at about 815pm and reached our hotel at 9pm. Antai Jinyun Jinjiang Chengdu Hotel (安泰锦云锦江宾馆）, the same hotel that we arrived at on the first night. This evening, instead of turning right to the shops that we visited on the first day (and tried out Alipay), we turned left and came upon a bakery as well as ChaPanda, where we bought a Pizza Bread (13RMB – $2.45), a red bean pastry (5RMB) as well as a Rose Milk Tea with Taro Balls from ChaPanda next door (17+2 RMB – $3.6 SGD).
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@2bearbeartravel #Beautiful day out at #JiuZhaiGou enjoying God’s #creation and #nature! For more details, visit 2bearbear.com today! #2bearbear #travel #china #szechuan #sichuan #waterfall #nature #naturevibes #naturelover #curtainfalls #beauty #lake #travel #traveltiktok #travellife #traveltok #traveler #traveling #travelblog #travelvlog #travelblogger #travelgram #traveltheworld ♬ Life is Beautiful – Deep Music
We hope you have enjoyed our visit to Jiuzhaigou and Huang Long over the last 2 days! Stay tuned as we visit yet another major attraction for us during this trip – Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, a Giant Panda zoo in Chengdu!
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