Jiuzhaigou, a watery wonderland hidden deep in a valley in the Min Mountains on the fringes of the Tibetan plateau, is widely rated as China's number one national park. And when something is rated number one in China, you have to sit up and take notice. Unfortunately so do one billion other people. Since most Chinese cities are mired under an unrelenting pall of smog it's no surprise that the burgeoning middle class is increasingly keen to experience water free of heavy metals and air unburdened by particulate carbon.
The park itself is about 10 hours by bus from Chengdu, but fortunately China's breakneck development means one can also fly into the remote Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport, the third highest in China. From there, it's only two hours to the park and more importantly, only two hours to dinner.
Carbo loading for the big day tomorrow. Not to be confused with carbon loading, which is what one does when breathing in a Chinese city.
The early bird gets to avoid waiting in a two hour line to get tickets. Thank goodness for still being stuck on the wrong time zone.
A couple of months removed from a visit to Yellowstone, Team J00ster is ideally placed to judge Superpower Showdown: National Park Edition. Forget who has the most ICBMs, the real bragging rights are in boardwalks and interpretive signs.
Jiuzhaigou opens with a strong hand, the towering, snow covered peaks of the Minshan range that skirts the edge of the Tibetan plateau.
But the absence of thundering bison herds and the presence of thundering megaphone-toting tour groups hands the early advantage to Uncle Sam. At least until China sells a fistful of Treasuries and buys the Tetons.
The park spans a Y-shaped valley with each branch of the Y stretching up into the lofty surrounding mountains. The best way to explore is to start at the top of a branch, in the rarefied air of the primeval forest, and then work your way down to the lush swamps and lakes at lower altitudes.
Along the way is some of the most spectacular scenery you'll see anywhere in the world. Even better, the government appears to have finally realized that not every piece of land needs to be converted into a new condo development; although cynically that might have something to do with the rather exorbitant entry fee multiplied by 12,000 visitors a day.
Here's something for next time a congressman needs some ammunition for another "Those Chinese are stealing our jobs and our intellectual property" rant: not only are they copying Windows, they're copying Yellowstone's boardwalks too!
An ancient Chinese saying holds that once you see the incredible waters of Jiuzhaigou you never need to see water again. Some might say the same thing about posts on this blog, although perhaps not quite for the same reason.
It's not surprising that Yosemite is on the advisory board for the park. Geologically the parks are quite similar; both consist of a long valley surrounded by towering peaks. But Jiuzhaigou does have one big advantage: no cars allowed. Instead visitors are ferried around by ultra-frequent electric shuttles.
Incoming double trouble. If you haven't hidden by now it's too late for you, might as well accept your fate and start cleaning.
Nature always puts things in perspective. Out here no one cares if GDP growth comes in at 7 or 8%.
Did we mention the water? It's so clear you can see right to the bottom where fallen trees form mysterious underwater forests. The other plus is if Rock drops his camera in again it will be easy to spot.
The only road in the park is so torturous there's a mirror at every nasty hairpin corner. Which means there's basically a mirror at every corner. Be glad they don't let Chinese motorists on it, it's bad enough that they can't manage to stay in their lane on a dead straight eight lane highway. Be even more thankful they don't let Rock on it.
Stand by for the never-ending lake montage.
It's like Milford Sound, except without the sandflies.
Since Mei's mum can't work out how to operate a camera, it looks like we'll have to take turns. Don't tell me the cultural revolution frowned on selfies?
Did we mention the water?
The valley floor consists of a series of terraced lakes, where water meanders from one to the next in a series of spectacular waterfalls. Interestingly, the geology is strikingly similar to Plitvice National Park in Croatia.
Dead trees never looked so good.
The good news is most the tour groups don't venture beyond the bus parking lots. Just like any national park around the world, you only need to walk a hundred meters to have the place to yourself.
The park is too high for a lot of wildlife, but it seems fish don't get altitude sickness.
One of the things that sets Jiuzhaigou apart is the shear variety of scenery packed into one valley. The Pearl Shoal is one of the most unique sights you'll ever come across: an entire river spreads itself out over a broad 45 degree slope in a thin veneer of whitewater.
Pictures don't really do it justice. Especially pictures taken on a phone since the camera Rock trashed in Duluth proved unrecoverable.
It's like the entire hill is sliding downwards in a continuous loop. Remarkable.
The whole show culminates in a giant waterfall at the bottom of the slope. Even better, the roar of the falls drowns out the roar of the incessant megaphone as another tour group spills out of the bus.
Turns out this bootleg Milford Sound is just as good as the real deal. Probably even made in the same factory.
The valley may be a national park, but the native Tibetans still call it home. Check out their ingenious water-powered prayer wheels. The idea behind a prayer wheel is that when it spins it churns out prayers. Attach a waterwheel and bingo, you've got your favorite invocation on infinite loop. It seems constant nagging works, even with the big guy.
Did we mention the water?
This is just to prove that Chinese tourists don't have a monopoly on breaking the rules. Rock really has no excuse since the No Touching signs are, by UNESCO mandate, conveniently available in Chinese, French, and English.
So many spectacular sights in one day, but this one might top them all.
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