Tuesday, December 04, 2007

HUANGLONG VALLEY

Early next morning after breakfast we were driven to visit Huanglong Scenic Area. Huanglong Valley literally means Yellow Dragon Valley. The 'World Wonder' and 'Fairy land on Earth' are names enjoyed by the Huanglong Scenic Area.

Huanglong's beauty is beyond mere words, you need to see it in person to truly appreciate this "Fairy Land on Earth".

This valley was added to the Natural World Legacy List in 1992. It took quite some hours (think is about 3-4 hrs coach ride) to reach there and as Huanglong is way up in the mountains, (at an altitude of over 3000 meters..) we drove by many many mountain peaks...all covered with snow...!!!!!!



Look at this picture carefully you will see a coach travelling along the other side of the mountain...






Then the coach stopped for us to take some photos with 'snowman'









Snow snow everywhere..Dadda and Daniel with this snow man...Lucky thing nobody saw them taking photo with 'this guy' cos you gotta to pay to take photos with them....."The owner" of one of the snowman chased some of the other tourists into the coach cos they refused to pay after taking photos...finally the coach driver paid him!!


Then we continue our journey....Had Lunch at one of the restaurants
Look at this 'bucket of rice'
Very simple dishes....
Upon arrival one can either take the cable car up to the top to see its " magical landscape of limestone formations " and then walk down or walk up then take the cable car down... or whatever....BUT THE TOUR GUIDE NEVER TELLS US THAT after getting off the cable car we gotta walk a long looooooooooong way (about 2 hours)
before we reach our destination!!! Then we gotta climb some few hundred steps .....to see the "the best of all", the Five-Colour Ponds (Wu Chai) which perch atop the highest part of the valley, at the back of the rear temple. Since there is no transportation in the valley visitors must walk all the way, it proves to be a tough trip with its high elevation. Mumsie is proud to say that mumsie was able to do all that .....(quite a few of us..including Linny gave up!)

We decided to walk down after seeing the Five-Colour Ponds ....and not via the cable car and again the Tour guide never warn us that it will take at least 2-3 hours to walk down!!!
This site feels more crowded than Jiuzhaigou because everybody has to walk the same trail and there ar no buses to skip parts.
Somebody here doesn't know how to spell...




These stone houses with up-curved roofs, have been here since Ming dynasty.
Due to varied depth of the ponds and all kinds of mineral pigments and deposits on the bottom, the water reflects a variety of charming colours.

About every kilometre or so there is a hut where oxygen is supplied for free...See this lady is 'sucking' oxygen

Many of the Chinese visitors were carrying their own oxygen cans also, but luckily the altutude didn't bother mumsie at all (after already having visited Tibet). It is better to get acclimated by visiting Jiuzhaigou the day before @ 300 meters then do Huang Long instead of the other way around because the altitude is really uncomfortable for those not used to it.





Huanglong has been acknowledged for its karst features such as travertine pools and limestone shols. Calcite deposition has lead to the pools being rich in algae and minerals, which results in orange, yellow, blue and green coloured waters. (In fact at first Danny Boy suggested that the pools were "artifically coloured"
Huanglong's scenic network of travertine pools
is similar to those at Pamukkale (Turkey)..which mumsie visited some years back ..except
that they were not so many of them.
Huanglong consists of a section of highly mineralised stream that flows through the length of the park. The minerals leave a yellow deposit and accumate into pools (see phot), and forming dozens of waterfalls. The water is inhospitable to microlife, therefore the water is blue and crystal clear.

Due to its layered calcium carbonated deposit patterns, the valley resembles a golden dragon winding its way through the virgin forest stone mountains and glaciers..Along the valley are scattering numerous colorful ponds of different sizes and shapes, which are strewn with gold colored limestone deposit giveing a shimmering golden hue to water, so in sunlight a golden dragon seems to surge forth from the forest. Thus it was named 'Huanglong Valley ' (Yellow Dragon Valley)








These amazing ponds are paved with golden lime deposit.
All along our long walk down the valley this is what we see..dotted along the valley are the 'colorful ponds'












Not to be excluded there are also waterfalls!



Finally after more than 2 hours+ we managed to come out of the scenic area of Huanglong..AND ON TIME!!! BUT that is not the same with most of our travelling companions who came out nearly 2 hrs late!!! And for those of us who are on time got to wait in the cold for them.....REALLY COLD...about 2-3 degree centrigrade and the coach doesn't has HEATER......


And believe it or not we reach Maoxian @ nearly mid-night then had our dinner/supper


After a quick makan we rushed off to BED

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