Land of fairytales and magic

August 3, 2009 Land of fairytales and magic

My family went on a weekend trip to Jiuzhaigou Valley and Huanglong over the weekend, both of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and I saw some of the most astonishing and beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen anywhere. And I’m so glad that I finally got to do some real travel photography, instead of just travel snapshots. The area’s main features are its colorful lakes and many cascading waterfalls, and I know that you’re going to ask once you see the photos, so I’ll answer it now: yes, the water really IS that color. It’s unbelievable, I know, but it’s actually because of the minerals at the bottom of the lakes that give them their coloring and not the water, which itself is crystal clear. It’s too bad that I couldn’t go in the fall, because with the colorful leaves reflected in the lakes, the view would be even better.

Okay that’s enough talk. Now, the best of Jiuzhaigou:

A gorgeous meadow on the way from Jiuzhaigou to Huanglong:

Huanglong:

Now, I’m a little ashamed to say this, but I had no idea going into the area that it was mostly inhabited by ethnic Tibetans. They have beautiful architecture and we saw lots of Tibetan villages and temples, such as this one in Huanglong:

Also got some nice macro shots of the local flora:

Of course, some snapshots are still nice :)

The place was so beautiful that I almost wanted to stay and become Tibetan:

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Tags: china, photography, travel

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