2009 Anniversary Vacation Day 5: Huanglong and Chengdu

On our fifth day we checked out of the Jiuzhaigou Sheraton at about 7:00AM and set off for Huanglong (literally translated: "Yellow Dragon"), another UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is about a two-hour drive to the south of Jiuzhaigou, and we also needed to catch a flight to Chengdu in the afternoon, so we rented a taxi for the entire day. This afforded us the ability to stop and take pictures anytime we wanted (which would not have been the case had we decided to take the daily bus from Jiuzhaigou to Huanglong), and that meant pictures of...

Yaks!

Since this was the beginning of summer, they had already shed some of their hair

They had various color patterns (including blond, but I wasn't able to capture that)

And they even had babies!

But they also had...minefields.

On the way to Huanglong, reaching a scenic outlook at 4007km (13146 feet) above sea level

A map of Huanglong with our journey highlighted in red

We started by taking a tram (or "ropeway", as they called it) about three-fourths of the way up

Looking back at the lower tram station

Looking towards the upper tram station

A new boardwalk was under construction at the upper station and this is how the workers carried the lumber from place to place

On the right you see the older boardwalk, which we used. On the left you see the new construction.

Peering down at some of the pools (this was during the dry season, so most were actually waterless)

The "golden sand" of the Huanglong travertine bank (the longest in the world, and one which would be rushing with water if it weren't the dry season)

Entering Huanglong Cave (one of many nearby caves, but the only one that is tourist-prepped)

It was a bit of a tight squeeze during the descent

The main cavern

Grotesque wall formations (described by Katherine's mother, upon seeing this picture, as "beef tripe")

Ice forming near the cave entrance

Oxygen stations were planted all over Huanglong, so after we exited the cave...

Katherine decided to try one out

The upper pools, which are full of water even in the dry season (thank goodness :>)

A closer look at the pool tiers

A pan across the upper pools
(click here for the 720p HD version, then click the "HD" icon)

Since we had to catch a flight to Chengdu, and since the remainder of Huanglong was waterless, we high-tailed it down the mountain and back to our taxi driver. He took us to the airport (about an hour away) and we stepped into the terminal just as they were beginning the check-in procedure for our flight. Perfect.

Flying out of Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport was just as spectacular as flying in

When we arrived in Chengdu, we were inundated with people offering us rides in "private cars" (unlicensed and unregulated versions of taxis - not trustworthy and definitely more expensive). We shooed them away, found a taxi stand instead, and set sail for the Chengdu Sheraton.

The above photo, taken during that taxi ride, has a number of interesting things to point out. First, note the LCD screen positioned on the windshield above the passenger side. Many taxis had these playing movies, news, etc. On the bottom left of the frame, you'll see a small round object on the dashboard. This is one of a number of video cameras in each taxi which are fed into a central government security system. Some years ago a group of taxi robbers were on the loose in Chengdu and these little devices helped the authorities capture them in a matter of days. Outside of the car you will notice that we are cruising right alongside a steady stream of bicycle riders. The amount of bicycles used in Chengdu was staggering.

Just to drive that final point home further

After checking in at the hotel, we grabbed another taxi and ventured out to find some dinner.

Here's where the taxi dropped us off. Well...almost. On the left side of the frame, if you can see where the man is holding the yellow plastic bag, that's where our taxi let us off. Right in the middle of an intersection, with cars (and bicycles) whizzing by on all sides. At first, we weren't sure if he was serious when he asked us to exit the taxi here, but he was. This picture also serves to illustrate some of the chaos in the streets: cars, pedestrians, and bicycles are running around everywhere with little sense of law and order. Anyone, at any time, seemed to use any lane (or shoulder) which would get them where they were going. If that meant a car needed to use an on-ramp to exit a freeway, or an off-ramp to enter a freeway (putting it in the wrong lane, against traffic), so be it. It was eye-opening, chock-full of road rage, and completely different from what I have witnessed in Hong Kong.

I absolutely loved most of my experiences in mainland China, but there were three things I didn't enjoy. Being on the roads was one, the pervasive smoking (and lack of non-smoking areas) was another, and the third is coming up later in this post.

Anyway, let's go find some food...

The very interesting crosswalk lights in Chengdu

Just opposite from where the taxi dropped us off was a veritable Mecca for shopping and snacking enthusiasts: Chunxi Road...

It was wall-to-wall with boutiques, restaurants, and snack stands...and completely wonderful! The only non-wonderful thing about it was my third dislike of mainland China...

This is one of those happy-accident photographs. I was going to take a picture of something else, but I saw some action unfolding out of the corner of my eye, and I was able to turn and release the shutter just in time.

In case you can't tell, it is a very stylish woman, chatting away on her cellphone with her suede boots and her trendy over-sized handbag, bending over and hocking a loogie right into the trashcan (well, almost into the trashcan - her aim was a bit off). And when I say "hocking a loogie", I mean hocking a loogie. She, very loudly, gathered all her mucus into her throat and rocketed it at that poor receptacle. I can't imagine what the person on the other end of the line was thinking, except perhaps, "My friend is spitting, and that is normal." You see, spitting is just a way of life here. It happened pretty regularly in Jiuzhaigou too, but it was much more apparent in Chengdu. People, of all ages, spit pretty much anywhere. The more polite ones choose to aim at trashcans, but not everyone did that. It made you occasionally look down at your feet and wonder what you were stepping on. Not the most comfortable of feelings.

Still, I really did love everything else, so I was able to dodge the spitting in order to get to the good stuff. Specifically: the snack stands! Much like Hong Kong, Chengdu is a paradise for people who like to get their food to-go and stroll around town. Before finding a spot for a "real" dinner, we tried a few such oases...

A stand which specialized in stuffing large English-muffin-like pockets with your choice of filling.

The filling selections

The menu (see if you can guess what I had to try)

If you guessed "spicy pig-ear slices", you were right!

To my utter shock, they were amazingly delicious. Seriously.

Another stand, this time specializing mostly in duck parts

The selections

My choice: ribbons of duck neck, on a stick!

They were quite elastic, but also quite tasty

On to an actual restaurant, where we tried a few more snacks...

Left: Steamed buns filled with ground pork

Right: Steamed buns made with a tapioca skin and a black sesame filling

And then our final restaurant destination, which came highly recommended

The menu (for those who read Chinese ;>)

The single best dish we had on our trip: "Stir-fried Dragon Hand"
(Pork dumplings in a slightly spicy sauce made from oil, fresh garlic, and crushed red pepper)

The standard pork dumplings, without the special sauce

A dish made famous in Chengdu: "Husband and Wife Trash Slices"
(All the "unwanted" parts of a cow - like ears, skin, and tripe - sliced and marinated in a spicy sauce)

Mushroom and chicken soup
(which, I know, now seems pedestrian)

A lime Fanta!

(something I'd never seen before)

After dinner (and snacks), we strolled around Chengdu a bit more and then zipped back to our hotel for a rest.

Next up: the final day of our vacation!