English how about just conversation?
Thank´s Jacara the pictures are very nice 👍
Phil.
Udo, I love how you write about China.
There is of course so much to land enormous land. As it is everywhere there is good and bad.I am still having a look at some of the places you mentioned. It is as if I am travelling myself J
Essaouira is a town… one of many we visit when in Morocco with the camper. We have been 8 times now and stayed like about 4 .- 6 months there just travelling around. I have made no notice so it would be a major job to write about it all.
Maybe at some time I could put some picture here .
@yoli
Hi Yoli,
Sure, I would love reading about your adventures and experiences during your voyages in Morocco. its cultural heritage being enormous, Morocco is much nearer to Europe than fareast countries. If I had a chance to go to Morocco I would visit the oases at the northern rin of the Sahara desert. Did you go there, too?
IAnyway I am continueing my report about Chongqing and Jiuzhaigou.
jacaré4/Udo
Hi Yoli,
Sure, I would love reading about your adventures and experiences during your voyages in Morocco. its cultural heritage being enormous, Morocco is much nearer to Europe than fareast countries. If I had a chance to go to Morocco I would visit the oases at the northern rin of the Sahara desert. Did you go there, too?
IAnyway I am continueing my report about Chongqing and Jiuzhaigou.
jacaré4/Udo
More about Jiuzhaigou
I start walking towards swan lake. The boards are a little slippery from the snow. I seem to be the only one who walks here. Only one Tibetan woman is busy sweeping the snow off the boards with a broom made of twigs. Swan lake is beautiful, especially as only very few people stop here. It reflects the steep mountains whose tops I cannot see, because they are still in the mist. The water is crystal clear, I can see tree trunks which fell down into the water and will not be removed. Some ducks are diving for food. They look very much the same as those that sometimes come into my garden at home. As the park is not level, but one kilometer difference in elevation, the water flowing into the lakes and out is white with speed, especially when hitting rocks and running through narrow passages. I cannot see any animals here, but I can hear lots of birds. This valley is also panda bear area. But maybe they cannot be found here, because the bamboo is not growing abundantly.
Time is passing very quickly. I am getting hungry, but there are no restaurants or kiosks in the park. I am lucky, I find some peanuts in one of my coat pockets, peanuts I did not eat last night. The very best places in the park are the fantastic waterfalls. The water is rushing downhill first on wide flat karstic areas, which are full of small islandlike bushes with willows and other plants, then there is a kind of cliff over which the water is propelled in more than 30 individual falls, maybe twenty meters deep. What a fantastic sound. What a breathtaking sight. This really is so very very good, I spend a long time watching and just feeling awe inspired. This is the very best nature can offer. The members of a tourist group from Vancouver feel the same, although they have fantastic scenery in their own country, Canada. Here are not only these falls, but lots of these, similar and at the same time different. And more lakes, such as bamboo lake, pearl lake, panda lake and mirror lake. I must stop and take many pictures. There are also tall trees, small bamboos on the slopes at the sides, some edelweiss flowers and lots of seeds wrapped in white cotton. There are bushes with red berries, there are bundles of green lichen hanging down from the branches, and there are nuthatch birds. These usually climb up and down the tree trunks searching for food, with their head down. But I can watch them as they are looking for something eatable on the boardwalk. One is investigating a plastic straw. Everything is so beautiful here. Best of all is the five colour lake. The lake is shallow, the calcarious water has formed some travertine rocks, which make it shine all shades from dark green to blue. The larch trees on the opposite slope with their needles which shine golden in this season of autumn colours, are reflected wonderfully in the lake. Unfortunately Jiuzhaigou does not have maple trees, so the autumn colours are a little disappointing. Jiuzhaigou reminds me very much of the wonderful karstic lakes and waterfalls of Plitvice in Croatia, but Jiuzhaigou is so much bigger. Both are very similar and most beautiful. I cannot tell which one is nicer.
After visiting half the park, I take a green bus to the other branch of the Y-shaped valley. It is taking me to a lake called long lake. In Chinese it is called chang hai. The people on the bus smile as I ask the guide whether this bus is going to Shanghai. The lake is quiet and beautiful. I can buy some small dolls clad as Tibetan people. They are good souvenirs. Then I follow the others walking down to another colourful lake. Here some models have their picture taken by professional photographers. The models pose as bride and bridegroom. Very nice.
I start walking towards swan lake. The boards are a little slippery from the snow. I seem to be the only one who walks here. Only one Tibetan woman is busy sweeping the snow off the boards with a broom made of twigs. Swan lake is beautiful, especially as only very few people stop here. It reflects the steep mountains whose tops I cannot see, because they are still in the mist. The water is crystal clear, I can see tree trunks which fell down into the water and will not be removed. Some ducks are diving for food. They look very much the same as those that sometimes come into my garden at home. As the park is not level, but one kilometer difference in elevation, the water flowing into the lakes and out is white with speed, especially when hitting rocks and running through narrow passages. I cannot see any animals here, but I can hear lots of birds. This valley is also panda bear area. But maybe they cannot be found here, because the bamboo is not growing abundantly.
Time is passing very quickly. I am getting hungry, but there are no restaurants or kiosks in the park. I am lucky, I find some peanuts in one of my coat pockets, peanuts I did not eat last night. The very best places in the park are the fantastic waterfalls. The water is rushing downhill first on wide flat karstic areas, which are full of small islandlike bushes with willows and other plants, then there is a kind of cliff over which the water is propelled in more than 30 individual falls, maybe twenty meters deep. What a fantastic sound. What a breathtaking sight. This really is so very very good, I spend a long time watching and just feeling awe inspired. This is the very best nature can offer. The members of a tourist group from Vancouver feel the same, although they have fantastic scenery in their own country, Canada. Here are not only these falls, but lots of these, similar and at the same time different. And more lakes, such as bamboo lake, pearl lake, panda lake and mirror lake. I must stop and take many pictures. There are also tall trees, small bamboos on the slopes at the sides, some edelweiss flowers and lots of seeds wrapped in white cotton. There are bushes with red berries, there are bundles of green lichen hanging down from the branches, and there are nuthatch birds. These usually climb up and down the tree trunks searching for food, with their head down. But I can watch them as they are looking for something eatable on the boardwalk. One is investigating a plastic straw. Everything is so beautiful here. Best of all is the five colour lake. The lake is shallow, the calcarious water has formed some travertine rocks, which make it shine all shades from dark green to blue. The larch trees on the opposite slope with their needles which shine golden in this season of autumn colours, are reflected wonderfully in the lake. Unfortunately Jiuzhaigou does not have maple trees, so the autumn colours are a little disappointing. Jiuzhaigou reminds me very much of the wonderful karstic lakes and waterfalls of Plitvice in Croatia, but Jiuzhaigou is so much bigger. Both are very similar and most beautiful. I cannot tell which one is nicer.
After visiting half the park, I take a green bus to the other branch of the Y-shaped valley. It is taking me to a lake called long lake. In Chinese it is called chang hai. The people on the bus smile as I ask the guide whether this bus is going to Shanghai. The lake is quiet and beautiful. I can buy some small dolls clad as Tibetan people. They are good souvenirs. Then I follow the others walking down to another colourful lake. Here some models have their picture taken by professional photographers. The models pose as bride and bridegroom. Very nice.
Virginia
Mitglied
RE: how about just conversation?
Wonderful description! It's great that you are enhancing your travel log with pictures. I feel like I'm there myself 😊.
Love
Virginia
whilst I read your travel blog Udo I give you all a reason to smile
Maybe you want me to post the last chapter of my stay in the Jiuzhaigou nature reserve.
Hopefully you are not getting bored too much.
At the end of the visit, I spend half an hour in one of the Tibetan villages, the houses of which are full of interesting Tibetan folklore paintings. In one house I am invited to visit the private rooms: the kitchen, the living-room, etc. All very beautiful, and full of paintings. The village is very touristic. In almost all the houses are shops, selling postcards, CDs, clothes, articles made from yak, bracelets, etc. I get a quick glimpse of Tibetan culture. A man, obviously a European like me, is talking to me in English. But from his pronunciation I immediately know he is German. So we chat for a while. He is a Bavarian on a business trip to Beijing. His business partners have invited him to come here for a daytrip. He tells me, that in China he often is invited to visit places like Jiuzhaigou. He would also love to visit Hongkong in the same way. But his business partners have problems going there, as Hongkong is still considered a special area, not fully integrated in China. He also does business in India. What an interesting job he has got.
When it is dark, I go back to my hostel and have lunch at the same little restaurant. This time I am sitting near the door which does not keep the draught out. A terrible flow of cold air comes in. Every few minutes one of the attendants gets in or out holding a tray with lovely smelling food in her hands, to deliver to people in other houses or offices. New guests have problems closing the sliding door. So I eat my meal quickly and quietly. Today there are no interesting people at my table to keep me company. For tomorrow morning I have ordered a taxi, to go to the park again. The same taxi will take me back to the airport, as I have not found the place where I can get on the minibus. The price is, of course, much higher, the minibus would take 45 yuan and the taxi offered a special price: 160 yuan instead of 200 yuan which was the price of the colleagues.
This morning I want to go on a long walking tour into the park. At the gate they show me a small side entrance which leads to a boardwalk. Hiking is easy. However I soon get out of breath, as I am walking fast and in an altitude of over 2500 m. Here are lots of red and orange coloured trees, however no maple trees. All the time a stream is running impetuously at my side. I can see a squirrel disappearing in an earth hole. I can hear and see some noisy jays with their colourful feathers. I am all alone on this boardwalk. Nobody else for several hours. I walk through forested areas, see wrens and pheasants. I walk along reed lake. After about three hours´ walking I come to the first Tibetan village. Now time is getting a little short. I get on one of the green buses, hoping they will not check the ticket. But the guide on the bus wants to see my ticket. As I have no ticket for today, I cannot show it. So I get off at the next stop, the guide does not insist too much. There are more wonderful waterfalls. Soon I can join a tourist group from South Korea. They are all elderly people, maybe about my age. Some of them want to take a picture with me. At one place there are some special Tibetan prayer mills. Tibetans believe that there are about 50 000 bad thoughts or deeds in a person´s character which can be overcome by rolling the prayer mills. Whenever they turn it once, one bad thought will be cleared or forgiven. The idea of the water prayer mills is that the movement of the water turns the mills perpetually, thus clearing thousands, even millions of evil thoughts or deeds.
When I am out of the park, I must wait some minutes until the taxi comes. The Koreans wave heartily good-bye. The sun has penetrated the clouds. At the carpark there are some beautiful tall poplars whose foliage is shining brightly yellow against the wonderful blue sky. A young schoolgirl from Chengdu asks me: where do you come from? When I tell her, I am from Germany, she says: Welcome to Jiuzhaigou. So nice.
Hopefully you are not getting bored too much.
At the end of the visit, I spend half an hour in one of the Tibetan villages, the houses of which are full of interesting Tibetan folklore paintings. In one house I am invited to visit the private rooms: the kitchen, the living-room, etc. All very beautiful, and full of paintings. The village is very touristic. In almost all the houses are shops, selling postcards, CDs, clothes, articles made from yak, bracelets, etc. I get a quick glimpse of Tibetan culture. A man, obviously a European like me, is talking to me in English. But from his pronunciation I immediately know he is German. So we chat for a while. He is a Bavarian on a business trip to Beijing. His business partners have invited him to come here for a daytrip. He tells me, that in China he often is invited to visit places like Jiuzhaigou. He would also love to visit Hongkong in the same way. But his business partners have problems going there, as Hongkong is still considered a special area, not fully integrated in China. He also does business in India. What an interesting job he has got.
When it is dark, I go back to my hostel and have lunch at the same little restaurant. This time I am sitting near the door which does not keep the draught out. A terrible flow of cold air comes in. Every few minutes one of the attendants gets in or out holding a tray with lovely smelling food in her hands, to deliver to people in other houses or offices. New guests have problems closing the sliding door. So I eat my meal quickly and quietly. Today there are no interesting people at my table to keep me company. For tomorrow morning I have ordered a taxi, to go to the park again. The same taxi will take me back to the airport, as I have not found the place where I can get on the minibus. The price is, of course, much higher, the minibus would take 45 yuan and the taxi offered a special price: 160 yuan instead of 200 yuan which was the price of the colleagues.
This morning I want to go on a long walking tour into the park. At the gate they show me a small side entrance which leads to a boardwalk. Hiking is easy. However I soon get out of breath, as I am walking fast and in an altitude of over 2500 m. Here are lots of red and orange coloured trees, however no maple trees. All the time a stream is running impetuously at my side. I can see a squirrel disappearing in an earth hole. I can hear and see some noisy jays with their colourful feathers. I am all alone on this boardwalk. Nobody else for several hours. I walk through forested areas, see wrens and pheasants. I walk along reed lake. After about three hours´ walking I come to the first Tibetan village. Now time is getting a little short. I get on one of the green buses, hoping they will not check the ticket. But the guide on the bus wants to see my ticket. As I have no ticket for today, I cannot show it. So I get off at the next stop, the guide does not insist too much. There are more wonderful waterfalls. Soon I can join a tourist group from South Korea. They are all elderly people, maybe about my age. Some of them want to take a picture with me. At one place there are some special Tibetan prayer mills. Tibetans believe that there are about 50 000 bad thoughts or deeds in a person´s character which can be overcome by rolling the prayer mills. Whenever they turn it once, one bad thought will be cleared or forgiven. The idea of the water prayer mills is that the movement of the water turns the mills perpetually, thus clearing thousands, even millions of evil thoughts or deeds.
When I am out of the park, I must wait some minutes until the taxi comes. The Koreans wave heartily good-bye. The sun has penetrated the clouds. At the carpark there are some beautiful tall poplars whose foliage is shining brightly yellow against the wonderful blue sky. A young schoolgirl from Chengdu asks me: where do you come from? When I tell her, I am from Germany, she says: Welcome to Jiuzhaigou. So nice.
Big shock!
The last one? Not really.!
Udo, dear I so enjoy your travel stories.
I keep searching the places you mention and feel a big longing to go there as well and see it all.
The way you describe it all, even the sounds of the birds.
I always have a secret longing to see the Tibet. I feel sort of related to the Tibetan Buddhism.
It seems that the folks there have sort of kept their individualism?
Big thanks for the time you took to post it all here.
If you have more Travel Blogs, please let us see them.
How come you went to that part of the world in the first place?
Take care.
Love Yoli
Dear Yoli, this is a picture of a Tibetan "Kleiber" bird I took in the Jiuzhaigou Park. I think it looks much the same as its Central European counterpart.
Of course I will not disappoint you. I have plenty more for you to read about my trip to that part of China. I started in Northern Germany and flew via Vienna to Beijing. And I flew back from HK.
But first I want to let you read about my return to Chongqing.
jacaré4/Udo
Of course I will not disappoint you. I have plenty more for you to read about my trip to that part of China. I started in Northern Germany and flew via Vienna to Beijing. And I flew back from HK.
But first I want to let you read about my return to Chongqing.
jacaré4/Udo
Hi Udo
just had to look the bird Kleibr up in the net
Informationen
Seinen Namen verdankt der Kleiber der angeborenen Fähigkeit, den Eingang seiner Bruthöhle bis auf die passende Grösse mit Lehm zu verkleben. Dadurch hält er sich grössere und unliebsame Nistplatzkonkurrenten wie den Star vom Leib. Samen klemmt er in Baumrindenritzen und spaltet sie, indem er mit seinem starken, spitzen Schnabel wie mit einem Beil auf sie einhackt. Im Gegensatz zu Baumläufern und Spechten benutzt der Kleiber den Schwanz beim Klettern nicht. Er hält sich allein mit seinen kräftigen Füssen und Zehen fest.
Stimme
Looking forward to more post from you
Love Yoli