Still alive, and Sichuan/Jiuzhaigou Photos
Am still alive and reading livejournal, though mostly skimming these days. :| I have been back in Melbourne for more than 2 months after my travels to China in September, but for reasons unclear to me, I have been very apathetic towards LJ and a lot of things. Was not depressed much, laughed at TV quite a few times actually, but part of why it took me 3 months to post was that I wanted to wait until I was in a more cheerful or in control state.
About those 2 trips to China, the first one along part of Silk Road and the second to the scenic region of Sichuan/Jiuzhaigou Valley. They were good experiences overall, and there were quite a few places where I enjoyed and wish very much that I could have spent more time there just exploring and enjoying the atmosphere of those places, but overall, I felt that it was wasted on me, a bit like how I felt about visiting New Zealand a few years ago. We originally planned on going to Tasmania at the first half of December, but I cancelled it because I didn't want to go anywhere and spend more money without any real purpose anymore. In retrospect, I went on and on about the money spent in the trips but my dawdling over the past year have cost over 3 times as much as what I spent in September. Lot of times, I think that really says all that need to be known about me.
It's woefully late for holiday card exchange, but if anyone would like a card/postcard from me, please let me know. For those of you expecting cards/packages from me, I only sent them out yesterday, so they will be late. Sorry. But better late than never I guess. Thank you to smilie117 and anyaplana for your lovely cards, and chessie_reeves for the thoughtful package! :D The desktop calendar and book really look like something I could use to hopefully make some positive changes. Thank you!
I have been meaning to post and share my travel experiences with detailed descriptions and historical background information, but as with most things with me, there are often big ideas but usually not followed through. The photo editing/organizing/uploading took me a really long time so commentary/descriptions are a bit light. I took a lot of photos and put in a lot of links so you can read more about it if you like to. Hope you enjoy the photos, and let me know if you have questions or would like a DVD for them. Picasa is not very good in producing photo slide show, so if anyone can point out an easy to use alternative, that would be of much help to me.
Before my photos, just want to point out there are some absolutely stunning photos all over Sichuan here, here and here.
Mine are actually quite bland in comparison.
Sichuan/Jiuzhaigou Travel Experience
(mainly photos and links, there are many more photos (>400) in the actual photo albums at Photobucket)
Day 1 only involved travelling by flight from HK to Chengdu(成都), capital of Sichuan province (四川). We stayed at Chengdu overnight. The next 3 days will be spent sightseeing at Jiuzhaigou Valley and surrounds (located in Aba Tibetan Qiang Autonomous Prefecture (阿坝藏族羌族自治州) in northern part of Sichuan), with the last 2 days spent around Chengdu.
Day 2 (25th September 2005): HuangLong (黃龍)
After the morning flight from Chengdu to the north of Sichuan, we took a coach from the local airport to Huanglong. The photos above are taken from the coach. Yaks!(or cattle with very long hair) in the first one. Yaks are very important to rural Tibetan families with a black one costing ~$10,000RMB (~$1,300USD) and a white one costing ~$30,000RMB (~$4000USD).
Over two third of the population in this area are Tibetan(藏族) and Qiang(羌族) (2 of the 56 ethnic groups/nationalities officially recognized in China). I didn't take any pictures of the local people, but they all have very red cheeks from sunburnt because of the high altitude and hours outside every day.
Some of the scenery at HuangLong. Because the altitude is around 4000m, almost everyone carried an oxygen flask and ascended slower than usual. There is most variety in colour in the leaves in Autumn, the ideal time we are told to be around 3 weeks after we visited.
Professional photographs of HuangLong and other places around that area.
All photos for HuangLong
Day 3 (26th September 2005): Jiuzhaigou (九寨溝)
At Nuorilang Waterfall
At Long Lake.Traditional clothing of Tibetan people for hire in the second one.
At Five Colour Pond. Even though I couldn't see the five colours supposedly in the pond, it was very pretty.
Along the way to the next sightseeing point.
Tiger Lake
At Shuzheng Waterfall
Mill House
Visiting a traditional Tibetan home, one of the richer families. There are many home like this for tourists to visit in the area.
Mirror Lake
At Panda Lake. There used to be panda drinking at this lake but they have since gone away. Apparently, a scene from the movie Hero was shot here.
Panda Lake Waterfall (just below Panda Lake)
Five Flower Lake
Pearl Shoal
Pearl Shoal Waterfall
Leaving :(
As we were leaving, the tour guide pointed out that the rock face in the middle of this photo resembles a woman's face. Everyone got really noisy asking where it was. :) (It was really hard to see. I only saw it in the photo when I got home)
Reed Lake. Normally reeds only grow at altitude of up to 800m but this is situated at ~2000m altitude. The reed-covered marsh with a clear turquoise brook zigzagging through it stretches for ~1.5km.
All photos for Jiuzhaigou Valley
Day 4 (27th September 2005):
Fairy Pool (神仙池)
As we were leaving, black yaks were frequently seen grazing on very steep hillsides. I didn't manage to take a photo of them though.
Visit to a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery
All photos for Day 4
Day 5 (28th September 2005):
LeShan Giant Buddha (樂山大佛)
In the afternoon, we travelled back to Chengdu and had Sichuan hot pot, which looks impressive and tastes good but too hot.
All photos from LeShan
Sichuan Opera
Puppet Show
Sichuan's Kung Fu Tea (功夫茶). Unlike the rest of the country, there is actually kung fu (Chinese martial art) performed for Kung Fu Tea in Sichuan. The performers illustrated about 17 different positions of pouring tea with teapots which have extremely long beak(?).
Rolling light. In which the performer moved the light on his head by using only his face, in acrobatic positions to boot. There also seemed to be a comedy woven into this act but I didn't understand what they were saying.
Changing Face/Mask is the highlight of Sichuan Opera, it's rather difficult to describe, but basically, as the masters "flourish their arms and twist their heads, their painted masks change again and again and again" in "magically quick succession".
Traditional Music
JinLi Street
It is a replica of what street used to look like in ancient times. Shops were quickly closing by the time we finished watching Sichuan opera.
Some of the food on offer.
Replica shops, inn, and tea house.
Outside on the modern street.
All photos for Sichuan Opera and Jinli street
Day 6 (29th September 2005):
Green Ram Monastery (Taoist)
At Green Ram Monastery (Qingyang Temple). The Ram (top right) is supposedly made up of parts from all 12 Chinese Zodiac animal signs(生肖): the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep (or goat), monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.
All photos for Green Ram Monastery
WuHou Shrine (武侯祠)
This place is dedicated to Zhuge Liang(諸葛亮), popularized in one of my favourite books, 三國演義,or Romance of Three Kingdoms (one of 4 great classic novels in Chinese literature). I read it between age 9 and 12 for the first time, and I was fascinated by all the strategies, tactics and characters as different factions struggled for control and unify China in that historical period. Many of today's sayings/proverbs come from Zhuge Liang and folklores in that period.
The drum is one of Zhuge Liang's many inventions. It is for signalling during the day and also is used for cooking at meal times.
All photos for WuHou Shrine
Outside the restaurant for lunch at Chengdu. This was the end of our trip. After lunch, we took a 2 hours fligtht back to HK in the afternoon.
Here are my photos from "Silk Road" trip. I am not sure whether I will make detailed posts about these, will try to, but in the meantime, just thought you may like to see them in case I didn't write about them. There are even more in this album (>600), the first 6 days are really not part of the silk road strictly speaking, but more about ancient capitals and other places.
And in case I don't post again this year, wishing all of you a safe and enjoyable holiday, spent with loved ones and doing the things that make you happy. Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! :)
About those 2 trips to China, the first one along part of Silk Road and the second to the scenic region of Sichuan/Jiuzhaigou Valley. They were good experiences overall, and there were quite a few places where I enjoyed and wish very much that I could have spent more time there just exploring and enjoying the atmosphere of those places, but overall, I felt that it was wasted on me, a bit like how I felt about visiting New Zealand a few years ago. We originally planned on going to Tasmania at the first half of December, but I cancelled it because I didn't want to go anywhere and spend more money without any real purpose anymore. In retrospect, I went on and on about the money spent in the trips but my dawdling over the past year have cost over 3 times as much as what I spent in September. Lot of times, I think that really says all that need to be known about me.
It's woefully late for holiday card exchange, but if anyone would like a card/postcard from me, please let me know. For those of you expecting cards/packages from me, I only sent them out yesterday, so they will be late. Sorry. But better late than never I guess. Thank you to smilie117 and anyaplana for your lovely cards, and chessie_reeves for the thoughtful package! :D The desktop calendar and book really look like something I could use to hopefully make some positive changes. Thank you!
I have been meaning to post and share my travel experiences with detailed descriptions and historical background information, but as with most things with me, there are often big ideas but usually not followed through. The photo editing/organizing/uploading took me a really long time so commentary/descriptions are a bit light. I took a lot of photos and put in a lot of links so you can read more about it if you like to. Hope you enjoy the photos, and let me know if you have questions or would like a DVD for them. Picasa is not very good in producing photo slide show, so if anyone can point out an easy to use alternative, that would be of much help to me.
Before my photos, just want to point out there are some absolutely stunning photos all over Sichuan here, here and here.
Mine are actually quite bland in comparison.
Sichuan/Jiuzhaigou Travel Experience
(mainly photos and links, there are many more photos (>400) in the actual photo albums at Photobucket)
Day 1 only involved travelling by flight from HK to Chengdu(成都), capital of Sichuan province (四川). We stayed at Chengdu overnight. The next 3 days will be spent sightseeing at Jiuzhaigou Valley and surrounds (located in Aba Tibetan Qiang Autonomous Prefecture (阿坝藏族羌族自治州) in northern part of Sichuan), with the last 2 days spent around Chengdu.
Day 2 (25th September 2005): HuangLong (黃龍)
After the morning flight from Chengdu to the north of Sichuan, we took a coach from the local airport to Huanglong. The photos above are taken from the coach. Yaks!(or cattle with very long hair) in the first one. Yaks are very important to rural Tibetan families with a black one costing ~$10,000RMB (~$1,300USD) and a white one costing ~$30,000RMB (~$4000USD).
Over two third of the population in this area are Tibetan(藏族) and Qiang(羌族) (2 of the 56 ethnic groups/nationalities officially recognized in China). I didn't take any pictures of the local people, but they all have very red cheeks from sunburnt because of the high altitude and hours outside every day.
Some of the scenery at HuangLong. Because the altitude is around 4000m, almost everyone carried an oxygen flask and ascended slower than usual. There is most variety in colour in the leaves in Autumn, the ideal time we are told to be around 3 weeks after we visited.
Professional photographs of HuangLong and other places around that area.
All photos for HuangLong
Day 3 (26th September 2005): Jiuzhaigou (九寨溝)
At Nuorilang Waterfall
At Long Lake.Traditional clothing of Tibetan people for hire in the second one.
At Five Colour Pond. Even though I couldn't see the five colours supposedly in the pond, it was very pretty.
Along the way to the next sightseeing point.
Tiger Lake
At Shuzheng Waterfall
Mill House
Visiting a traditional Tibetan home, one of the richer families. There are many home like this for tourists to visit in the area.
Mirror Lake
At Panda Lake. There used to be panda drinking at this lake but they have since gone away. Apparently, a scene from the movie Hero was shot here.
Panda Lake Waterfall (just below Panda Lake)
Five Flower Lake
Pearl Shoal
Pearl Shoal Waterfall
Leaving :(
As we were leaving, the tour guide pointed out that the rock face in the middle of this photo resembles a woman's face. Everyone got really noisy asking where it was. :) (It was really hard to see. I only saw it in the photo when I got home)
Reed Lake. Normally reeds only grow at altitude of up to 800m but this is situated at ~2000m altitude. The reed-covered marsh with a clear turquoise brook zigzagging through it stretches for ~1.5km.
All photos for Jiuzhaigou Valley
Day 4 (27th September 2005):
Fairy Pool (神仙池)
As we were leaving, black yaks were frequently seen grazing on very steep hillsides. I didn't manage to take a photo of them though.
Visit to a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery
All photos for Day 4
Day 5 (28th September 2005):
LeShan Giant Buddha (樂山大佛)
In the afternoon, we travelled back to Chengdu and had Sichuan hot pot, which looks impressive and tastes good but too hot.
All photos from LeShan
Sichuan Opera
Puppet Show
Sichuan's Kung Fu Tea (功夫茶). Unlike the rest of the country, there is actually kung fu (Chinese martial art) performed for Kung Fu Tea in Sichuan. The performers illustrated about 17 different positions of pouring tea with teapots which have extremely long beak(?).
Rolling light. In which the performer moved the light on his head by using only his face, in acrobatic positions to boot. There also seemed to be a comedy woven into this act but I didn't understand what they were saying.
Changing Face/Mask is the highlight of Sichuan Opera, it's rather difficult to describe, but basically, as the masters "flourish their arms and twist their heads, their painted masks change again and again and again" in "magically quick succession".
Traditional Music
JinLi Street
It is a replica of what street used to look like in ancient times. Shops were quickly closing by the time we finished watching Sichuan opera.
Some of the food on offer.
Replica shops, inn, and tea house.
Outside on the modern street.
All photos for Sichuan Opera and Jinli street
Day 6 (29th September 2005):
Green Ram Monastery (Taoist)
At Green Ram Monastery (Qingyang Temple). The Ram (top right) is supposedly made up of parts from all 12 Chinese Zodiac animal signs(生肖): the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep (or goat), monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.
All photos for Green Ram Monastery
WuHou Shrine (武侯祠)
This place is dedicated to Zhuge Liang(諸葛亮), popularized in one of my favourite books, 三國演義,or Romance of Three Kingdoms (one of 4 great classic novels in Chinese literature). I read it between age 9 and 12 for the first time, and I was fascinated by all the strategies, tactics and characters as different factions struggled for control and unify China in that historical period. Many of today's sayings/proverbs come from Zhuge Liang and folklores in that period.
The drum is one of Zhuge Liang's many inventions. It is for signalling during the day and also is used for cooking at meal times.
All photos for WuHou Shrine
Outside the restaurant for lunch at Chengdu. This was the end of our trip. After lunch, we took a 2 hours fligtht back to HK in the afternoon.
Here are my photos from "Silk Road" trip. I am not sure whether I will make detailed posts about these, will try to, but in the meantime, just thought you may like to see them in case I didn't write about them. There are even more in this album (>600), the first 6 days are really not part of the silk road strictly speaking, but more about ancient capitals and other places.
And in case I don't post again this year, wishing all of you a safe and enjoyable holiday, spent with loved ones and doing the things that make you happy. Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! :)