Si Chuan is really the Jewel province of China. It embodies lots of natural and cultural contents and sites, a very good starting point for any foreigner to learn more about China. It’s not like the coastal cities, Shang Hai or Guang Zhou, which are over crowded. Cheng Du is really laid back, very unlike the typical China. The world famous Jiu Zhai Gou is located in Si Chuan Province, some 300+km from Cheng Du. It’s deep in the mountains. To get there, you can either travel by land (13 hours of mountain roads) or by air. The obvious answer is the latter, although it’s not as easy as it sounds.
The nearest airport to Jiu Zhai Gou is Jiu Zhai Huang Long Airport. Why such a long name? It’s because the two main landmarks that the airport serves are Jiu Zhai Gou and Huang Long. The airport is situated at 3448m above sea level, the third largest high altitude airport in China. High altitude sickness is not to be taken lightly, but it’s really complicate and abstract with regards to who may get it. However, the symptoms can range from massive headache, swollen eyes, diarrhea to oxygen deprivation and death. The best cure is... just get the f*ck down. To prepare for such low oxygen condition, you can take certain herbs to increase the red blood cell in your body. However these are just to reduce the risk, not eliminate it. If you don’t exercise to begin with, you are just asking for trouble. There are also portable oxygen canisters for purchase in case you need the extra gasp of air. They are just like spray paint cans with a nozzle for you to breath in.
There is no specific reason to who will suffer from high altitude sickness, so everyone was kinda nervous. We will know when we get there. The Jiu Zhai Gou area is also populated with both Tibetan and Qiang people, both are minority groups in China. The high altitude and inaccessibility of the region means resource is scarce. The lower atmospheric pressure also means it’s impossible to bring water to 100 degrees because water will boil before it reaches the temperature. This means cooking is much harder here than at lower altitude, which also means food suck generally although I don’t really think it’s bad at all.
Dude riding a bicycle up the mountain at close to 4000m above the sea level.... talk about CRAZY!!!
Back to the journey, since Huang Long was much closer to the airport, we were shipped there first. Snow arrived before we did and the mountain top were blanketed. Along the way, we could see Tibetan villages and the cute hairy cows. These cows are unique to Tibet and they brought them to this region, which is already much lower in altitude. The population is sparse, but the colors are striking. It was quite refreshing to be in such a pure place with brisk air….. oh, brisk air, that’s right, air that makes you giddy.
Bill board at 4000m above the sea level.... sigh.
See, it takes about an hour to get to Huang Long from the airport, so the bus stopped over at a over-look area in the mountains to let us take some photos. I got off the bus and snapped the mountains, then walked over to the Tibetan monuments to snap more, and then turn back and headed to the bus. Right as I made my walk back, I suddenly felt a moment of dizziness. High altitude sickness kicking in? Perhaps, but for the first time, I realize that I forget to breath. You see, in lower altitude, there is more than enough oxygen that we don’t need to breath as much as we think we are. Here, I forgot to breathe since I was taking photos, and the subsequent breaths were not enough to replenish my lungs, causing the lack of oxygen intake. After a few moments seated, I was back to normal. It was nothing to be worried about, but this was my first experience of the mountains. For the rest of the way, I can hear the oxygen canisters being used on the bus. It’s much like the breathing sound of the Darth Vader without the corny voice.
Huang Long is a scenic site managed by the Chinese central government, just like Jiu Zhai Gou. Hardware wise, I have been really impressed so far. The airport is really well maintained, much better than many of Taiwan’s airports, and to think that it’s built at such remote place, it’s definitely a feat. The roads here are top notch too, very well paved, very well maintained. Again, much better than Taiwanese roads. The facility at Huang Long, obviously, are well maintained too, except the forever spitting Chinese.
Inside Huang Long is a long stairs that takes you up the mountain slope. Huang Long is famous for its pools of clear water stacked along the slope. It’s hard to figure out how the pools are formed, but I think it’s the accumulation of minerals as the water flow over an edge, causing walls to build up. But what do I know? I’m not some expert geologist. In any case, there is a long portion where the slope is lined with yellow crescent shaped pools, like a scaly skin. That’s why Huang Long is named this way, which means “Yellow Dragon”.
There is not much more to explain about the beauty, so I will let the photos do the talking.
More photos HERE!!!
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