Because It's Beautiful, Don't Miss It...

Since you're in Chengdu, you should take a trip to Jiuzhaigou... because it's truly beautiful... Let me first share a few pictures of blue skies and white clouds to sweep away Chengdu's foggy overcast and instantly change your mood.

Since I planned my route, I directly bought a bus ticket via WeChat. The bus departs from Chengdu Bus Station at Xinnanmen at 7:40. There were two buses, and one of them seemed to have all tickets booked through Ctrip.

Along the way, we followed the Min River upstream; the altitude kept rising. The highest point was around 3,500 meters, but luckily I had no reaction. On the train back to Beijing, a lady said she felt unaccustomed to Qinghai Lake with headaches and altitude sickness.

The bus drove for a whole day with frequent rest stops. The toilet charged 1 yuan, and there was a supermarket claiming that things are expensive at high altitudes but cheap there. The last supply stop had instant noodles. Buying down jackets and such was really unnecessary. At noon, we arrived at a place with a buffet lunch that was passable—20 yuan was barely acceptable... But earlier I heard someone bought a bowl of noodles, and here you even had to pay to soak them... Including that guy selling oxygen water for altitude sickness...

An altitude of 3,500 meters seemed to be a dividing line. Before reaching Wenchuan, the mountains were covered with shrubs, similar to the north, feeling as dry as Beijing. After passing 3,500 meters, green plants became more abundant.

Actually, Aba Prefecture in Sichuan is a great place with many tourist resources. After checking into the hotel, I took a photo for future use.

The hotel I booked was a bit far from the entrance because it was still during the National Day holiday, so I made a reservation, though it wasn't really necessary since it was near the end. The hotel I stayed at had a very low occupancy rate, and there are hotels developed several kilometers away from Jiuzhaigou.

At night, I took a photo of the entrance. The door design was very distinctive since I was going into the valley the next day... A girl from Shanghai was taking photos, so I chatted with her for a while. Inside the valley, there are buses—not electric carts—because it's quite far. Although the roads are well-built, the elevation gain is considerable. Basically, at each scenic spot (which are essentially pools), buses shuttle back and forth.

The center of the Y-shape is the visitor center, Nuorilang, where you can eat and rest.

The water in Jiuzhaigou is not green; it's a color similar to indigo blue, said to be due to many calcium ions in the water.

I've posted many pictures above because it's so beautiful, without adding text. Finally, I'll end with the entrance gate. All beautiful scenery is far from the bustling world. After the tour, how to go home? For me, who doesn't want to retrace my steps, which route should I take back?