October 7, 2009

jui zhai gou valley. sichuan. china.
april 23rd – 26th. 2009

Jiuzhaigou valley. part of the Min Mountains on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau. Unesco World Heritage site. World Biosphere Reserve. one of many stunning locations in Zhang Yimou's film 'Hero'. otherworldly. an intense bus ride through the Northern part of earthquake devasted Sichuan Province. as we enter the valley, staring out the window down the side of huge precipices. truly humbling and breathtaking moments. the hotel is nestled among a very small village, there is little here outside of infrastructure for visiting the park. we sleep early tonight as it is an early start and full day tomorrow. arriving in the park the next morning, we take a bus from the lowest elevation to the highest elevation and spend the entire day meandering down. it is raw, natural beauty and we absorb it all in. hundreds of photos. azure lakes. waterfalls. stunning foliage. stoic trees. words really can't describe the sheer beauty, our photos try to do it justice. and we get to come back tomorrow. continue exploring. getting to see it at our own pace with the handful of others who chose to walk the length of the park instead of just busing to the key sites. we don't even scratch the surface here but are truly awed and grateful for the experience. 

namaste.
w r i t t e n  b y  l a u r e l

 

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