Day 3 (9/17): Jiuzhaigou

After buffet breakfast at the hotel, we embarked on the highlight event of this tour, Jiuzhaigou. While the best time (for the colorful autumn view) to visit The Nine Villages Valley Scenic area (Jiuzhaigou) is mid October but it’d be very crowded and might not fit into the schedule of some of our fellow travellers. It took little over an hour for us to reach the entrance of the Scenic area. We were allocated a chartered 22-seater bus (#210) so we don’t have to wait in queue like the general public at various vista spots. The weather was very nice except for some light shower in the afternoon. In the morning between 08:00 to 10:00 is the best time to take water scene photo as there’s no wind and the water surface is like a perfect mirror. I ain’t going to describe the place as no words can do it justice. I’d rather ask you to go experience yourself or as a last alternative look at my photos. I didn’t bring a tripod for fear of the madding group. Actually I could and I should. We spent between 20 to 30 minutes at each scenic spot; enough for some but certainly not me. As Danny well said: “may take a much more leisurely trip back there in the future - spending a few days there to take in everything”

At noon we’d lunch at a food court inside a cultural market (the Tibetan and Qiang tribes). As usual we’d our VIP room. Afterwards some opt to shop at the indoor bazaar within the complex, Frank and I ventured out to the Tibetan stupa in the vicinity.

Before we continued our tour of the three villages* (the other six are not opened to the public and are said to be less scenic), we spent half an hour at a Tibetan Cultural Center where dear old Frank dressed up like an indigenous chieftain.

We’d our dinner at a roadside restaurant on our way back to the Jiuzhai Paradise. The meal was considered sub-standard but we were forewarned (by our tour operator as well as other HK tour companies about the meal standard in the area). At hindsight perhaps we should have paid extra dough and try the barbecued lamb Tibetan style back in the hotel. As compensation we’d a moon cakes party (bought by Dinny at Café de Coral at the HK Airport on Day 1) at Frank/Peter’s room. Afterwards six of us (James/Dinny, Frank, Peter, me & Maggie) spent nearly two hours at the resort’s Tianyu Spa which got a 10,000 sq m indoor infinity pool and hot spring pool.

Equipment Used: Nikon D3 + 70-200/f2.8, Nikon F6 + 17-35/f2.8 with Fujifilm Reala ASA 100 film (aka Fujifilm SLP800, the film scanner) and Lumix LX3.
Peter: Canon Powershot SD400

* The Three Villages:
Zechawa Valley: Magic Mirror Cliff, Seasonal Lakes, Five-colored Pond and Long Lake.
Rize Valley: Mirror Lake, Peacock River, Five-Flower Lake, Panda Lake & Virgin Forest.
Shuzheng Valley: Double Dragon Lake, Reed Lake, Spark Lake, Rhinoceros Lake, Tiger Lake, Shuzheng Village, Shuzheng Waterfall and Nourilang Waterfall.