Huanglong 黄龙: Nicest Natural Pools on Earth

The picture above is 100% real with no photoshop.  Even seeing it up close it was hard to believe, for a while I thought they were man made.  These are the pools of Huanglong.  Huanglong means yellow or golden dragon and is supposed to resemble a dragon curving through the mountainous terrain of the area.  Like Jiuzhaigou, Huanglong is also a UNESCO site and is deserving of the title.  It is absolutely beautiful up there and seeing it with your own eyes is hard to describe.  Also, the coloring which varies from green to yellow to blue are all caused by calcite deposits in the water just as in Jiuzhaigou.

上面的照片是百分之百沒有用photoshop真的。連親眼看見很難相信，有一段時間我感覺是人造的。這是黃龍的彩池。爲什麽叫黃龍呢？因爲地區好像跟一條龍爬山一樣。黃龍也是一個風景名勝區，跟九寨溝一樣。黃龍鎮美麗，你絕對想不到。而且，顔色從綠色到黃色到藍色都由鈣化引起的。

以上の写真は本当に百パーセントフォトショップを使わなかった。自分の目で見ても信用しにくい。人造だったと思った。これは黄龍の池だ。なぜ黄龍の名前をもらったか？その地区は黄龍が山を登るように行きそうだからだ。九寨溝のようにユネスコ世界遺産だ。形容できないほど美しい。九寨溝のように水は方解石が入っている原因で緑色、黄色、青いがある。

I know it looks like an excellent place to swim, but keep your shirts on... We need to protect the beauty of the pools so it is strictly forbidden.  

我知道好像是個非常好的游泳的地方但別脫衣服，我們需要保護美麗所以禁止入水。

泳ぐのがよさそうだがシャツ脱がないで、美しさを守らなければならないから禁止入水。

Tree growing on an island...reminded me of Hawaii for a little bit

一棵小樹在小到上面，我想起了夏威夷
木が小さい島の上で植わる、ハワイの出身を覚えた

Getting to Huanglong

到黃龍
黄龍に到着

Actually we went straight from Jiuzhaigou to Huanglong which is possible.  You just need to pass through some towns and make some stops.  The bus ride there takes you high up into the mountains.  You are actually at a very high atltitude at Huanglong and you might notice it is a little difficult to breathe, as you still need to do some considerable walking.  At some snack stations you can buy some oxygen, where you will see various Chinese tourists catching their breath.   

其實我們從九寨溝一直到到黃龍，這時可能的。一直去的話你會順停在一些小村拿水等等。大巴車到山的高地。其實因爲高度很大你會意識到呼吸比較難，再説你還要爬樓梯。在一些小商店你會看見有中國的遊客買氧氣喘口氣。


実は九寨溝から黄龍までまっすぐ行った。黄龍に行くついでに水を取ったり、おトイレを使ったりするの。バスは大きい高度になるから呼吸するのが難しくなるかもしれない。後はまだ歩かなければならない。ある商店で酸素が買えて、呼吸が正常に戻る中国の観光客が見られる。

The Huanglong Experience

黃龍的經驗

黄龍の経験

Huanglong is like a miniature but not less awe inspiring version of Jiuzhaigou.  The blue in the pools of Huanglong however, is much more vibrant.  You will literally feel as if you are in heaven, as you are very near the clouds and surrounded by beautiful nature.  Huanglong is definitely one of China's finest.

黃龍好像是個小九寨溝但還是驚人的。彩池的藍色比九寨溝的明麗。因爲離美麗自然和云很近你會感覺到你到了天堂。黃龍一定是中國最好的地方之一。

黄龍は小さい九寨溝のようだがまだ驚嘆するレベルが同じだ。でも黄龍の池は九寨溝の湖の青さよりも明るい。黄龍に行けば周囲は全部美しい自然と曇りだから天国にいる感じになる。黄龍は確かに中国の最高のところの一つ。

Lonely Planet:  China

Below is the Lonely Planet Guidebook for China.  I would highly recommend this as I often used this as a reference for a wide range of things from finding places to sleep to transportation to eating, and more.  The important thing about traveling in China and most of Asia in general if you are on a budget is to get to know the prices of things.  Guidebooks like Lonely Planet do a pretty good job at telling you approximately what price things should be so that you don't get ripped off.  Click on the image and it will take you to amazon.com where you can purchase your own copy of the book.  

China (Country Guide)

Jiuzhaigou 九寨沟: Valley of Nine Villages

Looking for the most beautiful place on earth?  You need look no further than UNESCO site, Jiuzhaigou.  Jiuzhaigou, located in Sichuan Province literally means, "Valley of Nine Villages," and is named such because of the nine Tibetan villages located in the area.  Fortunately we had the privilege of talking to some of the local Tibetans there, a very nice and hospitable people.  Since the area is environmentally protected, agriculture is no longer practiced there, and the local population relies heavily on tourism to support their living.

Why the green color?

After taking a look at the lakes in Jiuzhaigou one can definitely come to the conclusion that these lakes are indeed special.  They have a tint of green in them and the water has a high concentration of calcium carbonate, giving it the color.  Depending on the lake, the water can be very clear, and even have fish swimming in them.  We ate some of the fish the first night staying at Jiuzhaigou, really delicious.

Nuorilang Waterfall (诺日朗瀑布)

One of the most spectacular sites was Nuorilang Waterfall .  It was a wide waterfall that felt so nice because of the mist it generated on that hot day.  It is supposedly the widest highland waterfall in all of China.

Nuorilang Waterfall

Jiuzhaigou Fishies

Getting to Jiuzhaigou

We took the hard way.  This involved taking a bus from Guangyuan straight to the mouth of Jiuzhaigou (the town right before the site).  Because of the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan, the road was BUMPY... and I mean in the worst sense.  People were carrying and passing around black plastic bags puking the whole way there.  Luckily we could all handle the ride.  For the traveler with a little extra cash, I would suggest buying the plane ticket in.  But then again, you'll miss the cool towns and scenery along the way.

The Jiuzhaigou Experience

From interacting with an interesting local culture to seeing breathtaking views of unique lakes and landscapes, this was a trip that will definitely never be forgotten.  Luckily Yeonchang suggested we go there, as my original plans did not account for it.  How lucky to have had him make the suggestion.  Getting off the train from Xian to Guangyuan was something else.  Since Guangyuan is the main town where tourists catch the bus to Jiuzhaigou, hordes of people are waiting for you to give them business outside train station.  Don't be frightened though, for the most part the people of Guangyuan are very hospitable, and if you don't go during peak season, you can find real bargains in the area.  Be ready to practice your Mandarin though, and believe me, the Mandarin of the Chinese in Guangyuan is difficult to understand.  The journey to Jiuzhaigou sucked, I'm not going to lie.  But the memories surely didn't, and the good by far outweighed the bad.  Give Jiuzhaigou a try, you'll never forget it. 

Lonely Planet:  China

Below is the Lonely Planet Guidebook for China.  I would highly recommend this as I often used this as a reference for a wide range of things from finding places to sleep to transportation to eating, and more.  The important thing about traveling in China and most of Asia in general if you are on a budget is to get to know the prices of things.  Guidebooks like Lonely Planet do a pretty good job at telling you approximately what price things should be so that you don't get ripped off.  Click on the image and it will take you to amazon.com where you can purchase your own copy of the book.  

China (Country Guide)

Xian 西安: Ancient Capital

Western Peace

The name Xian (西安) in Chinese means western peace.   It is one of China's most important cities especially for history and culture and my experience there was nothing less than wonderful.  My time in Xian was spent with my three Korean friends that I brought from Beijing with me.  Minchul (민철), Sunghyun (성현), and my other friend Yeonchang (연창), set off to Xian to accomplish three things.  Climb Mt. Hua, see the terracotta warriors, and see one of the biggest fountainshows in China.  Well we accomplished what we set out to do, and it was a blast.  This wasn't without the pain though.  In a rather ill planned move, we decided to take all of our gear (computer, clothes, snacks, and some water) with us up Mt. Hua.  This was over 2000 m of pure stairs... our legs were hurting for weeks after.    

One of the peaks of Mt. Hua

Most of the Chinese climbing Mt. Hua do it with minimal gear.  The drawback to this is that you need to buy the overpriced bottled water that the locals haul up the mountain everyday on their back.  I guess this is ok seeing that it is how they make their living.  Do not be fooled though, it is a general rule of thumb that the higher you go, the more expensive the water.  Sometimes the locals will try to charge your more at the lower levels though, so just bargain a little saying that if you don't make it a little cheaper, you'll just go to the next pit stop and buy.  Also, keep in mind that at the top, you will most likely want to eat something.  There are small places you can buy water, pastries, and instant noodles on the way and on the top, but the instant noodles are a million times more expensive than what they are worth on the ground.  So plan accordingly if you are traveling on a budget like we were.

On the way down Mt. Hua

Terracotta Warriors

The terracotta warriors (兵马俑) were to be honest, less spectacular than I thought.  Ok history buffs, don't get too mad.  It's just that before I got to the site, I could have sworn that I've seen pictures that were much more spectacular than what I saw.  What is interesting though, is to see that there are still Indiana Jones' doing their research on the warriors and digging them up.  BUT, even if it wasn't that spectacular, I would still say that it is a must for people coming to visit China.  I mean, isn't that what most people would ask you when you get back from a trip to China?  "Did you see the terracotta warriors?"  If you say no... then boo on you.

View of dug up terracotta warriors

I believe this was a swordsman without the sword in his hands

Notice the difference between this archer and the swordsman above.  There were generals, and horsement among other warriors too, each with their specific jobs, and different appearances to reflect that.

Yangrou Paomo (羊肉泡馍)

After seeing the terracotta warriors boy were we hungry.  We decided to eat the unique food to Xian... Yangrou Paomo or literally, "Lamb Meat Foam Pieces," tastes better than it sounds.  If you go and eat some, don't be fooled by the pieces of bread that are placed on the table before you.  You are supposed to pulverize those pieces of bread with your bare hands until you make very small chunks with them.  Stick the chunks in your bowl, and when everyone is ready, call the waitress over.  She will take those chunks to the kitchen where the chef will pour the special soup and lamb chunks over the pulverized bread you just made.  Add your own cilantro after if you like, or any additional condiments.  What you end up with is a Xian-licious meal.

Seonghyeon (right), Minchul (middle), and Vincent (left) making their bread chunks

Xian Musical Fountainshow (音乐喷水)

Not only do you get to see a musical fountainshow in Xian, but you also get to play in it.  This was totally unexpected, but we saw other Chinese making their way into the fountainshow when the show started to get intense.  This was definitely one of the most fun and memorable events in all of my travels.  It starts around 8pm nightly and is definitely a good way to enjoy yourself if you are on a budget... it is FREE!

Xian Musical Fountainshow

The Xian Experience

I was in Xian for only two days but experienced so much.  This was the beginning of a long journey that began in Beijing and went through China and Southeast Asia and eventually to Japan.  Xian is an ancient city but it is still vibrant and hip.  Young people are out and about during the night and enjoying stuff like the fountainshow.  I would recommend Xian to anyone wanting to travel to China.  Ancient history and modern culture rolled into one... I know it sounds like most Chinese cities, but trust me, Xian is special.

Lonely Planet:  China

Below is the Lonely Planet Guidebook for China.  I would highly recommend this as I often used this as a reference for a wide range of things from finding places to sleep to transportation to eating, and more.  The important thing about traveling in China and most of Asia in general if you are on a budget is to get to know the prices of things.  Guidebooks like Lonely Planet do a pretty good job at telling you approximately what price things should be so that you don't get ripped off.  Click on the image and it will take you to amazon.com where you can purchase your own copy of the book. 

China (Country Guide)