A Spontaneous Trip to Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong

This trip was hastily decided after a drinking session, so much so that when I woke up the next morning, I wondered if it was a joke. But regardless, it felt a bit like 'truth spoken under the influence.' I've been stuck in this southern city for a long time, always wanting to get out and explore, but various unfounded excuses kept putting it off. My friend was right—don't make excuses; if you want to do something, just do it. If you deny your own thoughts today, you might never have any ideas tomorrow. So, after five days of insufficient preparation, we flew to Sichuan.

On the first day, as soon as we got off the plane, Chengdu came into view. I thought it would impress me, but it turned out to be the opposite—it felt a bit like old Changsha. It was already 10:30 in the morning, but the sky was still gray, a sign of some air pollution. Since it was the weekend, there weren't many cars on the road, and we quickly arrived at the booked hotel.

Although Chengdu's modern architecture isn't particularly distinctive, its ancient alleys and streets have a unique charm. Our first stop was the entrance of Kuanzhai Alley. As we got out of the car, an old hotpot restaurant appeared right in front of us. We were already starving, and the aroma of hotpot floating in the air led us straight into the restaurant.

But to be honest, the hotpot wasn't as delicious as I had imagined. Even though we were hungry and ordered a table full of food, we didn't feel that lingering satisfaction. I wonder if we didn't get the most authentic one. Next time, I'll definitely Baidu to find out which place is the most authentic! After eating and drinking our fill, we started strolling through the alley. At the beginning of the alley, there was a row of snack stalls, with all kinds of snacks neatly displayed, filling the air with their aroma. Red chilies, green coriander, yellow sesame oil... They were cleverly combined, a feast for the eyes. On both sides of the street were rows of dazzling small shops, decorated in ethnic styles, with colorful goods inside.

Kuanzhai Alley consists of Kuan Alley and Zhai Alley. Although Kuan Alley is wider, it couldn't handle the large number of visitors. We slowly moved forward with the crowd. After walking through the alleys with their unique layout, we took a taxi to Jinli Ancient Street. The two attractions weren't far apart—about a 10-minute drive. Compared to the combination of simple design and ancient architecture in Kuanzhai Alley, Jinli has a stronger ethnic flavor. All the buildings are antique and charming, and the goods sold focus more on ethnic culture. However, the commonality between the two is that everywhere you look is colorful. Perhaps due to generations of heritage, the people of Chengdu seem good at color matching. Whether it's food, clothing, or daily items, they all have a bright hue—not jarring, but very beautiful.

We visited the two attractions from 12:00 noon until about 5:00 PM. After dinner and buying some snacks for the rest of the trip, we returned to the hotel to rest. The hotel we stayed in that night deserves a special mention.

Location: The hotel is located in Kuanzhai Alley, known as 'Chengdu's living room.'

Metro: The entrance of Kuanzhai Alley is right at Metro Line 4.

Location: The location is really fantastic! It's right inside the Kuanzhai Alley scenic area, so you can go out for a stroll and eat whenever you want. It's very convenient. Chunxi Road, Taikoo Li, Tianfu Square, etc., are not far away. You can take the metro or a taxi—if you take a taxi, it costs about 10 yuan.

Hotel Style: I really liked the overall style of this guesthouse. The room design is Japanese-style, made of pure wood. The room has a unique fragrance that is very soothing. There are also handmade Shu embroidery in the room, and a wren painted by a famous artist.

The hotel has many calligraphy works and antiques, which the owner went to great lengths to acquire. Every detail is thoughtful and impeccable.

Room: The door uses an electronic lock for security. The entire room, including decorations and the bed, is made of phoenix wood, giving off a faint woody aroma that is very relaxing.

The room has a dedicated dining area, and the lunch and dinner options are quite good.

Bathroom: When I go out, whether staying in a hotel or guesthouse, the thing I care about most is definitely the bathroom. Its cleanliness can absolutely affect my mood. I give full marks to the wren's bathroom! The details show understated luxury. It's a super five-star luxury setup: Carnation brand linens, King Koil mattresses, Kohler bathroom fixtures, TOTO smart toilets. Even turning on the faucet makes you feel the owner's attention to detail.

Vanity Area: Worth mentioning is that the vanity area is separated into wet and dry zones. You can take a shower or lie in the bathtub for a soak. The hotel also provides bath salts.

The three-piece toiletries are from June Jacobs (a high-end spa skincare brand from New York, USA). I used this brand before at a Sheraton in Guangdong and loved it. I didn't expect to use it again in Chengdu. Moreover, according to the butler, June Jacobs specially customized a set of techniques for the hotel, combining local culture, environment, climate, and some traditional Chinese medicine physiotherapy methods to create the hotel's unique 'Wren Nest in the Forest.'

Bedding: Lying down is so comfortable; I fell asleep instantly. The quilt and mattress are very soft and skin-friendly. I like buckwheat pillows, and the hotel thoughtfully provided me with one.

The biggest highlight is the hotel butler, a group of very enthusiastic young people. When I was about to arrive at Kuanzhai Alley, the butler contacted me in advance and even came to the alley entrance to pick me up. Along the way, they also introduced the culture of Kuanzhai Alley. That alone made me feel very favorable toward the hotel. After arriving at the hotel, the butler learned that I can't eat spicy food and specially prepared non-spicy wontons for my breakfast.

To avoid booking hotels and tickets for various places individually, we booked a three-day, two-night tour from Chengdu to Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou for the 25th to the 27th. Looking back, this was a very wise decision. Having the tour guide arrange everything for meals, accommodation, and transportation saved us a lot of trouble. Since the departure time was 5:30 AM, we woke up at 4:00 AM the next day. Groggily packing up, we waited in the hotel lobby for the pick-up. This is one of the advantages of a group tour—you don't have to arrange transportation yourself. It's an 8-9 hour drive from Chengdu to Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou. To ensure we had time to visit Huanglong that day, tour groups usually depart very early. We obviously didn't get enough sleep. After getting on the bus, we listened to the guide's lengthy introduction and instructions, and then the whole bus quickly fell asleep. By around 7-8 AM, when the sky was just getting light, the guide started talking again. Since we hadn't eaten much in the morning and were tired from the journey, combined with the buzzing sound of the guide talking about the Wenchuan earthquake and how many people died, my stomach started churning. I really wanted to shout 'Shut up!' but didn't have the courage to offend the person who would be controlling my life for the next few days. Motion sickness medicine is really important for long bus rides! Fortunately, we stopped at a rest point, and getting off for some fresh air saved me from vomiting. The restrooms at the stops along the way were run by local residents, so they charged 1 yuan each. The conditions were disgusting, and I don't want to recall them. At noon, we arrived at a hotel for lunch—or rather, just to fill our stomachs. The guide had already warned us about the food. I don't have high expectations for meals anyway, but even I found it bad—truly awful. But there was no choice; we had to make do. Next time, I'll definitely bring my own Lao Gan Ma chili sauce or something—then your meals will be delicious and you'll feel great! After eating, we set off again without delay, winding up the S-shaped mountain road. The mountains on both sides became steeper, and the colors of the vegetation increased, creating an illusion of entering a paradise. But the constant swaying of the bus kept pulling our longing back to reality. After twisting and turning until about 2:00 PM, we finally reached the nearest medical service station to Huanglong Scenic Area. After the bus stopped, a staff member came on board to explain the scenic area tour and precautions for altitude sickness. Regarding altitude sickness, we hadn't done much research beforehand. We simply bought a box of Rhodiola rosea capsules, not knowing that they need to be taken a week in advance. Taking them on the spot wouldn't help much. But for the sake of our health, and since I was already starting to feel a bit of chest tightness and shortness of breath, I reluctantly bought a box. I must emphasize here that altitude sickness should not be underestimated. If you plan to visit places with high altitudes, be sure to prepare in advance—whether by taking medicine beforehand or buying oral solutions on the spot. They are much cheaper outside the scenic area. If you really haven't prepared, don't risk not taking any just to save a few yuan. After all, good health is the foundation of everything. Not long after taking the medicine, the bus arrived at the entrance of Huanglong Scenic Area, but it didn't stop. Instead, it continued forward along a long line of tourists. The queue stretched back three to four hundred meters, even longer than the peak season line at Chimelong! My heart sank. How long would we have to wait? The guide was also a bit anxious and urged us to get off and line up before the bus even reached the end of the queue. As soon as we got off, a cool breeze hit us. We were now at an altitude of about 3,200 meters. Although the sun was shining, the temperature was quite low, so we wrapped our clothes tighter.

The scenic area entrance is built in a valley between two mountains that are not far apart. Looking up, the blue sky and white clouds looked like a narrow, gorgeous oil painting covering the mountaintops. To the right of the queue was a small stream, flowing gently with clear, melodious water. I don't know exactly when, but every scene before my eyes turned into a beautiful picture—that must be the charm of this place. After queuing for about 40 minutes, we got on the cable car going up. Perhaps because there are many tourists every day, the cable car runs relatively fast. I advise those afraid of heights to definitely not open their eyes—it's really thrilling! As the cable car ascended, our view gradually escaped the confines of the valley and was filled by distant towering mountains. Whether due to the rapid ascent or the sight of the magnificent peaks, my heart beat faster and faster. But this feeling quickly disappeared upon reaching the top—honestly, I felt a bit unfinished.

After getting off the cable car, we followed the boardwalk, enjoying the scenery of the primeval forest along the way. The single-direction boardwalk is a common feature of scenic areas here, protecting the landscape from damage and ensuring visitor safety. Huanglong doesn't have many attractions; we mainly wanted to see the Five-Color Pond, which is at the highest point of the scenic area, so we had to walk all the way along this boardwalk. At first, we were attracted by some tall or oddly shaped trees, but as time passed and our energy waned, such scenery no longer held our attention. Moreover, Guo Feng had started experiencing altitude sickness, making the walk even harder. After stopping and going for about one-third of the distance, at the first viewing platform, I saw snow-capped mountains on the plateau for the first time. The majestic peaks towered into the clouds, and the snow on them sparkled under the blue sky. White clouds lingered at the mountaintops, unwilling to leave. Sunlight poured down through the thick clouds like Buddha's light—a truly spectacular sight. I had seen snow-capped mountains in movies, TV shows, or novels before, especially the Changbai Mountain in "The Lost Tomb." Reading about it was shocking, but I couldn't fully appreciate its grandeur. Now that I saw it with my own eyes, I understood it more deeply and felt a desire to visit Changbai Mountain.

After admiring from the viewing platform for a few minutes, we continued along the boardwalk toward an attraction closer to the snow-capped mountain—Huanglong Five-Color Pond (I emphasize Huanglong because there is also a Five-Color Pond in Jiuzhaigou). This stretch was even harder. Guo Feng's altitude sickness worsened. Fortunately, we had bought a bottle of oxygen while queuing, otherwise, I was afraid she might faint. She walked for a while and then had to take a couple of puffs of oxygen, looking like a high-risk patient. My arm naturally became her solid support. She wore high-heeled boots, making a clicking sound that attracted the attention and surprised/awed glances of people around. Her face was full of resignation; I think she was internally devastated. =_=" When we reached two-thirds of the boardwalk, it started to go uphill. I was also a bit out of breath, but it felt similar to climbing up to my 8th-floor apartment. I suddenly felt lucky to live on the 8th floor, allowing me to breathe normally at an altitude of 3,500 meters. All these discomforts vanished the moment we saw the Five-Color Pond. Huanglong's Five-Color Pond consists of over a dozen pools of various sizes, each like a palette, independent yet complementing each other. The colors are mainly green, blue, and yellow, with other shades interspersed. Looking at it from afar, it's like a exquisite painting displayed between heaven and earth, intoxicatingly beautiful. At that moment, the snow-capped mountain stood majestically at the end of the valley, like a serious and loyal guard, protecting this sacred paradise for thousands of years. How much favor has nature bestowed upon this land to give it such beauty! How wonderful it would be to lie by the Five-Color Pond, close my eyes, and feel its peaceful atmosphere! But the pond was surrounded by people like a solid city wall—impossible to get close. Alas, this is a common phenomenon in popular tourist attractions. I managed to take a few photos on tiptoe and then reluctantly headed downhill.

It's true that going downhill is harder than going uphill. Going up, you have excitement to support you, but going down relies entirely on willpower. Although the downhill boardwalk passed several other scenic spots, none were as beautiful as the Five-Color Pond. Plus, time was limited, so we walked silently and quickly ahead. Guo Feng's 'two highs' (altitude sickness + high heels) had completely drained her fighting spirit. I supported her as she limped down. It was already quite dark, and we were past the meeting time set by the guide, which made me a bit anxious. I thought that if I had the strength, I would have carried her and run downhill without a second thought. By about 6:40 PM, we finally stumbled out of the scenic area gate on the verge of collapse. A simple downhill path had taken us nearly two hours. At that moment, I just wanted to shower and sleep quickly! But we weren't the latest to come down; two other groups from our tour were still out, including a group of six elderly people. They were six old men and women from Shenyang, chatting and laughing along the way, not looking like their average age was already 60. Sometimes seeing them made me wonder: when I get as old as them, will I be able to walk such a difficult path like they did? Will I still have friends willing to accompany me to see the great rivers and mountains of our country? Thinking about that, I felt a bit sad. We waited in the bus for about half an hour, and finally, they came down. One of the aunties had quite severe altitude sickness and was vomiting heavily. It was admirable that at such an age, they still climbed Huanglong with a highest altitude of 3,700 meters! But I also worried for them. At 8:00 PM, there was originally a complimentary ticket for a show, but due to the delay on the mountain and everyone being tired, we unanimously agreed to cancel it. That night, we stayed in Chuanzhu Temple at an altitude of about 3,000 meters. When we got off the bus at the hotel, we immediately felt the deep chill of this place; my teeth started chattering, and my feet trembled involuntarily. After a dinner we had no expectations for, we went to our respective rooms to rest. Since we had gone directly from Chengdu at 500 meters to over 3,000 meters, the guide specifically advised us not to shower or wash our hair to avoid catching a cold. We were also told to sleep on our side to prevent altitude sickness while sleeping. I thought the day was over, but my companion's altitude sickness didn't disappear after descending.

Around 1:00 AM, I was awakened by heavy breathing and the light. Guo Feng was sitting weakly on the bed, her face pained, saying she felt like a heavy stone was pressing on her chest, making it hard to breathe. I got up to boil some water, planning to give her the Rhodiola capsules we had prepared earlier. Originally, I didn't want to drink the water here. The guide had said that the water here is rich in minerals. Although clear, it's not suitable for drinking; drinking it could lead to kidney stones. But we had no choice; the bottled water we bought earlier was gone. After the water boiled, Guo Feng took a sip and felt it burned her throat. Finally, she took the medicine with cold bottled water. After getting up and fussing for a while, I had no sleepiness left, but Guo Feng showed no signs of improvement. She said she still felt very uncomfortable and wanted to call the guide. I hesitated—it was the middle of the night, and calling someone awake wasn't ideal—but since the medicine hadn't helped, I had no choice but to dial the guide's number. However, the phone that claimed to be 24/7 was switched off. I tried two or three times, and it was the same. My heart sank again. Guo Feng suggested going to the hotel front desk to find out which room she was in. Thinking of the cold wind outside, I was quite scared, but seeing Guo Feng in pain, I gritted my teeth and went out. We were on the third floor. Before closing the door, I looked around and saw no one. It made sense—it was the middle of the night, cold, and who would be outside? The hotel was built in a '口' shape, so you could see the entire corridor at a glance. Because it was an enclosed structure, the echo was very obvious. Every step I took produced one or two footsteps, which was quite eerie. Whether due to the cold or to save electricity, the corridor lights were very dim, a mix of dim yellow and pale white. I had to use my phone's flashlight to light the way, creating multiple light sources and several shadows on the ground. Every step I took, I looked around, and the corners of my eyes couldn't help but catch my own shadows on both sides. I knew it was just me, but I still imagined many things—the atmosphere was terrifying! I walked nervously to the first floor, thinking I would soon see someone at the front desk, but it was empty. The hotel's main door was open, which made my scalp tingle. Although the walk here was scary, I had always believed that someone would be at the front desk. If something happened, I could shout for attention. But now, I was sure that I was the only person in this empty, silent environment. My heart raced faster, and the horror clips I usually watched played in my mind on a loop. I wished I could teleport back to my room! I originally wanted to go out and buy some medicine, but through the glass wall, I saw outside like a pitch-black bottomless abyss, its mouth wide open waiting for me to walk into it. I immediately gave up that idea. I looked for a contact number at the front desk but found none. I immediately turned around and walked back. Strange—the more scared you are, the more you try to act calm, thinking that will intimidate others. Now I think it's just a way to comfort yourself. If someone were lurking in the darkness, they would only care about whether you have money, whether you're good-looking or not—who would care whether you're calm or panicked! After what felt like a long, long time of fear, I finally returned to the room. Only after confirming that the door was locked did my racing heart finally settle. Luckily, Guo Feng had vomited shortly after I left and felt much better. It was already 3:00 AM. If we had to wake up at 5:00, we still had two hours of rest. So I quickly got into bed and fell into a daze within a couple of minutes.

At 5:00 AM, the familiar yet annoying alarm went off again. After struggling for a few minutes, I reluctantly left the warm bed. The 26th was the most important stop of this trip—the fairy tale world of Jiuzhaigou. We had the whole day to enjoy the scenery. Guo Feng had basically recovered her strength—a great blessing! Otherwise, if it were like yesterday, this trip would have been in vain. The weather that day was a bit gloomy, with dark clouds gathering over the mountaintops. A heavy rain was inevitable. How I missed yesterday's weather in Huanglong! But we had raincoats and umbrellas; even if it hailed, it wouldn't stop us from enjoying the scenery! While waiting to get tickets, I saw a father and daughter from our tour group. I had heard from Guo Feng that when she was carsick and vomiting on the bus, that uncle had handed her tissues. He seemed very gentle and refined, so now seeing him up close, I couldn't help but notice him more. His hair was slightly gray, but he looked very spirited, wearing glasses and smiling at anyone he made eye contact with—a truly warm person. His daughter was quite young, probably around 20 years old, with a delicate appearance and a warm smile like her father. In this day and age, I hardly ever see someone traveling alone with their father at such an age. I felt a bit touched, but when I discussed the reason with Guo Feng, she suggested a less touching one—maybe the mother had passed away. That made me feel somewhat sad.

Thinking and walking like this, we arrived at the entrance of Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area. The entrance gate was much wider than Huanglong's, and we didn't need to take a cable car, so the queueing process was relatively quick. While waiting to board the sightseeing bus, it indeed started to drizzle, and soon it became heavier. We had to take out our raincoats and put them on. At that moment, I could have slapped myself. The raincoat I had bought in advance was in my suitcase on the bus, not in my small bag. Now, I only had a very flimsy complimentary raincoat, which was a pullover. Looking at myself all bundled up like a bun, countless curses ran through my mind. I really wanted to tear that raincoat to shreds. But in the end, reason triumphed over impulse. I took out my umbrella and put the raincoat over my small bag, then waited in line to board the sightseeing bus. Jiuzhaigou has three developed valleys, each of varying lengths. The longest takes over half an hour by sightseeing bus to reach the end, while the shortest takes ten to twenty minutes. Walking is impossible unless you spend three days here, so the mode of sightseeing relies on over 600 sightseeing buses shuttling constantly. The junction of the three routes is the only visitor service center in the valley and the only place where smoking is allowed. All sightseeing buses are dispatched from here to decide which valley to go to first. Once decided, the bus will drive all the way to the highest point of each valley, and then visitors can walk back along the boardwalk. Attractions that are far apart have stops, so we could view one attraction and then immediately take the bus to the next. The first valley we visited was Rize Valley. Following the guide's advice, we didn't go all the way to the primeval forest at the highest point of Rize Valley but got off at Arrow Bamboo Lake. Actually, on the sightseeing bus, the guide had already briefly introduced the origins and legends of various attractions, and we had already caught glimpses of this picturesque scenery. But when we finally got off and walked into this fairy tale world ourselves, we were deeply shocked. These lakes of various sizes are called 'haizi' here, each with its own legend and characteristics. Now before us was Arrow Bamboo Lake. Since it is the innermost lake in this valley, compared to the outer lakes, it has a deeper and quieter quality. The water surface wasn't very wide, with many reeds-like plants on the shore. Because it had just rained, the plants along the boardwalk were still covered in crystal-clear water droplets. When the wind blew, they fell onto the water, creating ripples.

As we continued down the boardwalk, we arrived at Panda Lake. Panda Lake gets its name because the lake surface has colors of black and green, resembling a giant panda. Panda Lake is much more open than Arrow Bamboo Lake, with no water grass on the surface, calm like a mirror. By then, the rain had stopped, and the sky above was filled with blue sky and white clouds, which were reflected on the water, making the lake even more tranquil blue.

When one's vision is fully satisfied, the sense of taste becomes insignificant. We had breakfast at 6:00 and then headed to Jiuzhaigou. From 8:00 AM until now at 12:00 PM, we only felt hungry then. So we had a simple snack at the Panda Lake rest area and then boarded the bus to one of the highlights of Jiuzhaigou—Five Flower Lake.

If the lakes of Jiuzhaigou are masterpieces of nature, then Five Flower Lake is a divine creation! Seeing it, you feel that all the hardships of the past few days—whether the 7-8 hour bus ride or the soreness from going up and down mountains—are worth it. Its beauty can heal everything. It's a beauty that intoxicates you beyond recovery; a beauty that cannot be described with any words; a beauty that makes you willingly endure all kinds of hardships to find. Those who see it can't bear to look away, afraid of missing even a second of this encounter. Those who see it instinctively take out their cameras to capture its beauty, because in such a short time, you can't fully absorb this moving sight. Those who see it temporarily forget all their worries, filling every corner of their hearts with its image. I have always dreamed of beautiful scenery, but I have never dreamed of seeing something as beautiful as Five Flower Lake. Unfortunately, the lake was surrounded by people reluctant to leave. With reluctance, we left this fairyland one step at a time, turning back frequently, but our hearts couldn't calm down for a long time.

Continuing down from Five Flower Lake, we arrived at Pearl Shoal Waterfall. The grandeur of this waterfall cannot compare with large waterfalls around the country, but this patch of white within the specific scenery is unique. Moreover, this waterfall was a filming location for the 1986 version of 'Journey to the West,' attracting many onlookers taking photos.

Further down from the waterfall, we reached Mirror Lake. However, with Five Flower Lake as the great pearl in front, other lakes had somewhat lost their charm. Continuing down, we returned to Nuorilang Visitor Center, where we took a short rest before boarding the bus to the next valley—Zechawa Valley. This is the longest of the three valleys, but with relatively few attractions—only four. Going up along the way, we decided to visit just two of the attractions—Long Lake and Five-Color Pond. After half an hour's bus ride, we reached the highest point of the valley—Long Lake.

Long Lake is like the mother of all the lakes in Jiuzhaigou. Because of its high elevation and location at the foot of a snow-capped mountain, its water volume is stable in every season, and it supplies water to other lakes. Standing on the viewing platform looking down, a pure blue expanse comes into view. Although the sky above is blue with white clouds, the lake does not reflect them; instead, it deeply absorbs the blue of the sky into its body, teasing visitors' eyes through the ripples stirred by the clear breeze. The pristine snow-capped mountain stands at the end of Long Lake, selflessly offering its love and protection. If Long Lake is the mother, then the distant snow mountain is the fatherly mountain. Beside the viewing platform below Long Lake, there is a magical pine tree with branches growing in one direction, like an old butler silently welcoming guests from afar. The boardwalk from Long Lake to Five-Color Pond is the steepest section in Jiuzhaigou. By this time, my calf and right knee began to ache. I don't know if it was due to walking too much in recent days or catching a chill. This section was also a bit tough. Just when Guo Feng's altitude sickness was gone, my knee started acting up. Indeed, visual pleasure comes at some cost.

Descending from Long Lake, we reached the second highlight of Jiuzhaigou—Five-Color Pond. The Five-Color Pond in Jiuzhaigou is different from the one in Huanglong. It is a single pool, relatively small, but it has another color that other lakes don't possess. Besides the clear and bottomless green, there is a special fluorescent green. I don't know if it's due to light refraction or unique minerals in the pool. The interplay of deep and shallow, movement and stillness, adorns Five-Color Pond with a breathtaking beauty. Because it's small, the pond was even more crowded, making it hard to get close. I managed to take a full view with a selfie stick, but the photo was filled with other people's phones. It seems that for great beauty, everyone's aesthetic is the same.

Leaving Five-Color Pond, we boarded a sightseeing bus that took us directly out of the valley. Arriving at Nuorilang Visitor Center, it was already 3:30 PM. The guide had set the meeting time at 5:30 PM, so we only had two hours left. We still hadn't visited Shuzheng Valley, which is toward the exit, so we didn't rest and immediately boarded another bus. Thankfully, the highlights of Jiuzhaigou were already deeply etched in our minds. Along the way, we only made brief stops at Rhinoceros Lake, Spark Lake, and Bonsai Beach before quickly exiting the scenic area gate. This time, we came out relatively early, reaching the bus by 5:00 PM. The sky over Jiuzhaigou had already begun to darken. This day was really tiring, but it was also 'tired but happy.' Interestingly, the young couple sitting next to me seemed to be arguing for some reason. The woman looked very angry, and no matter how the man tried to appease her, it was useless. Every time he put his arm on her shoulder, she coldly pushed it away. The situation was a bit awkward, but I found it a little funny. Before this, they would chatter non-stop from the moment they got on the bus until they got off, but now they were completely silent. I didn't pay too much attention and soon fell asleep. When I opened my eyes, the bus was empty. For a moment, I thought I was dreaming or experiencing something supernatural. Although a bit startled, I knew that staying calm is the key to solving any problem, so I remained still in my seat. It wasn't until Guo Feng came to call me that I learned an hour had passed since we got on the bus. It was part of the tour itinerary—visiting a Tibetan family. Everyone else had gotten off the bus, but I was sleeping and hadn't noticed the bus stopping or the guide's voice. How could I not hear it amidst all that noise? I was impressed by myself! But I was too tired, so I told Guo Feng to go by herself while I stayed in the bus to rest, waiting for them to return. I waited for an hour until they came back, marking the end of the day's itinerary.

On the 27th, we still woke up at 5:00 AM and departed at 6:30 AM. Since it was the last day back to Chengdu, I felt a bit reluctant. Although it was the last day, we visited three attractions in the morning that were ostensibly about understanding minority cultures but were actually shopping spots—one silver jewelry store, one local specialty supermarket, and one silk product store. Despite being commercialized, they still gave us some insight into minority customs and cultures, which was another kind of gain.

After leaving the silver jewelry store and getting back on the bus, I noticed that the young couple next to me had made up and were back to their usual chatter. The woman had a silver bracelet on her wrist. Indeed, shopping is the best way to appease a woman! At 2:00 PM, we set off from the silk culture center in Chuanzhu Temple, beginning our 8-hour return journey. The bus first had to cross a snow-capped mountain at an altitude of about 4,200 meters before we could drive out of the mountains. Since it was daytime, we could enjoy the beautiful scenery on the snowy mountain up close. Although I was very sleepy, I couldn't bear to close my eyes. Despite my reluctance, the blue sky, white clouds, and towering mountains gradually receded from my sight. The bus kept winding up, and Chuanzhu Temple at the foot became smaller and smaller. When we reached the highest point, looking out the window, the continuous snow-capped mountains appeared starkly before us. Unlike the previous views of snow mountains that seemed lofty and untouchable, now they felt incredibly close. The shock of seeing them at eye level was incomparable to looking up. I suddenly had the illusion that the bus would break through the guardrail on the cliff and drive straight into the snow mountains. I wondered if there were bronze doors and Zhang Qiling inside those mountains? The majestic snow mountains were so beautiful and spectacular! I didn't expect to enjoy such a beautiful view on the last day. In one word: worth it! Unfortunately, I didn't have time to take photos from the bus. After going down the snow mountain, the scenery became plain and unremarkable, like descending from heaven to earth, and I finally allowed myself to sleep. The drive out of the mountains felt excruciatingly long because there was no anticipation to sustain me. Every time I dozed off and woke up, only a few minutes had passed—each day felt like a year. The only thing to be grateful for was that I didn't feel motion sickness at all. Maybe I had gotten used to this swaying driving style over the past few days. I don't want to elaborate on the details of the hardship. After jolting for 6 hours, the scenery outside gradually took on an urban feel. Oh my god! We had finally driven out of the mountains! The bus stopped on Jinniu Ba Road, on Chengdu's Third Ring Road, marking the end of our group tour. Our guide had many shortcomings, especially on the night Guo Feng had altitude sickness, but overall, she was dutiful during the process, so I am still very grateful to her. After getting off the bus, we planned to take a taxi to the hotel we had booked, but the road there was closed. So we had to book another hotel near the drop-off point. After checking in, it was already 11:00 PM. We were so hungry that we had to get a burger from the nearby McDonald's. Finally, we didn't sleep until 12:30 AM.

That night, I slept very comfortably. When the alarm went off at 7:00 the next morning, I thought I was dreaming. Since our last day's itinerary was to go to Chongqing, and we had bought a high-speed train ticket at 10:50 AM, I didn't dare to sleep in. After washing up quickly, we rushed out. We arrived at Chengdu East Station at 10:00, picked up our tickets, took a last look at the city of Chengdu, and then plunged into the waiting room. On the train, I kept recalling the details of this trip, not even enjoying the scenery along the way. Before I knew it, we arrived at the mountain city—Chongqing. The name 'mountain city' is well-deserved. Looking out the window of the taxi, I could see high-rise buildings as numerous as mountains everywhere. The roads were rugged and narrow. The car would go up a slope after every two steps, and the slopes were not just gentle—even in the city center, you could see low hills. Therefore, the city has a high degree of greenery. Mountain city—mountain comes before city. It's not that the mountains adapted to the city's development; the city yielded to the immovable mountains. The taxi driver recommended a pretty good Chongqing-style noodle with pea and meat sauce near Liberation Monument, which he said had been featured on TV shows. Since it was close to Hongyadong, we stopped by to try it. To be honest, it was just okay. I don't know why, but as soon as I got off the train, I had an inexplicable dislike for this city, not even half the good impression I had of Chengdu. Maybe it's because I felt the people in Chongqing were relatively indifferent. After eating, we dragged our luggage, not knowing where to go. Dragging suitcases around to visit attractions is really not a wise choice—there were so many people, and it felt awkward. So when we reached the entrance of Hongyadong, I decided to stay behind and watch the luggage instead of going in. Guo Feng didn't find it fun to go alone, and she was also feeling a bit unwell, so she came out soon.

Since the taxi driver had mentioned that Chongqing's roads are narrow with many one-way streets, traffic jams are severe during peak hours. To avoid traffic, we took a taxi to Beichuan Airport at 4:00 PM and arrived at 5:00 PM. Our flight was at 8:30 PM, so we spent the last three hours of our trip in a buffet restaurant. At 10:30 PM, the plane landed at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, and our trip truly came to an end.

Throughout this journey, there were hardships and surprises, but overall, it was very worthwhile. This spontaneous trip started in Chengdu and ended in Chongqing. It allowed me to appreciate the wonders of nature and also experience the different personalities of each city. If there is one regret, it's that I didn't stay longer at Five Flower Lake. But regret is the motivation for the next time. The beauty of Jiuzhaigou is something you can never tire of, even after seeing it a thousand times. However, next time, I must choose a direct flight to Jiuhuang Airport and avoid the 8-hour bumpy ride again.