Weekly Photo Challenge: Boundary ( Jiuzhagou 2)

Here are two more pictures taken in Jiuzhagou, China.

I must admit that they illustrate more of serene scenery than mere boundaries.

The first one appears to me to be an infinity pool with water flowing towards the temple.

Somewhere between the lake and the temple must be a boundary – a boundary which is hidden by the fact that there is a fall between them.

The picture was taken at a high altitude in Huanglong, a few thousand metres above sea level.

In the second picture, there is a definite boundary – a timber fence which separates the visitors from the hills and lake below.

Mentally, the boundaries are just invisible, as you have become immersed in Nature!

 

Huanglong Travertine Pools in China

At about 10,000 ft. above sea level in Huanglong, China where the view is Alpine, we have breathtaking views of these pools.

They are literally breathtaking,  as at this level, we were short of breath (oxygen).

This is how Wikipedia describes it:

Huanglong Valley 黄龙沟 – The total length of the travertine in Huanglong Valley is 3.6 km and it is thought to look like a huge golden dragon wheeling through the snow-capped mountains of the valley. The main landscapes are travertine banks, colorful ponds and travertine waterfalls and caves. The main body of water starts from the ancient Buddhist/Benbo temple at the top of the valley and ends at the Guests Welcome Pond in the north with a length of 2.5 km and a width of 30–170m. The colours of Huanglong’s waters consist of yellows, greens, blues and browns.

On these two pictures, I am showing the blue waters.

This is in sharp contrast to the Pamukkale travertines I showed in my last post.

Up here, the scenes are more Alpine and tranquil.

A Wonderworld of Water – JiuZhaiGou (九寨沟), China

We flew from Chengdu to Huanglong airport which is 11,311 ft above sea level. We were glad that we did not suffer any altitude sickness. The moment we stepped out of the airplane, we realized that we were in a different world. Jiuzhaigou (九寨沟) is a stunningly scenic region in the north of the Sichuan Province in China. The name ‘Jiuzhaigou’ literally means ‘Valley of Nine Villages’, and features nine ancient Tibetan villages where life carries on in pretty much the same way as it always has.

They say a picture says a thousand words, that cannot be truer than Jiuzhaigou. The stunning beauty of the valley makes it impossible to take a bad picture here.

Surrounded by snow-capped mountains and featuring hundreds of lakes, waterfalls, trickling rivers and thick forest, the area is breathtaking (mind you, the air is thin and we have to ascend slowly).

Jiuzhaigou is a world of water. . . . . . water is the soul of the place, giving life to the mountain lakes and waterfalls.

Everywhere, we found ourselves surrounded by water of different colors, flowing at different speeds, in different directions, either gliding along as sheet flows, trickling in small streams, powerful as in waterfalls or placid in the azure lakes.

Jiuzhaigou is just a dreamy wonderland which has an Alpine feel.

The area around Huanglong has a feel of Pumakule in Turkey, except that it is much bigger in extent and has an Alpine setting. The water is crystal clear and there is no restriction to walk on or bath in it. We were a little too early for the colored leaves of Autumn, which usually start to appear in the second week of October.

The water  is so clear that you not only see the bottom of the lake but schools of a special fish ( with very small scales)  and dead tree trunks which have fallen to the lake bed.  Walking into Jiuzhaigou is just like walking into a 3D fairy-tale world of colors.

The water in Jiuzhaigou is crystal clear, yet presenting many colors with  twinkling refractions of the depositions in the lakes from the  dissolved limestone and many minerals.

The colorful placid lakes are the main theme of Jiuzhaigou. The Mystical Colorful Pond and the Five-flower Sea are famous throughout China. The water there exhibits different colors like blue, green, yellow, red and so on. It is said that the color of the water depends on the depth of water, the changing color of mountains and the weather condition. When these factors change, so does the color of the water.

It is a world of birds and other animals, too. Golden monkeys, pandas and other rare fowls and strange animals are living here. Swans and mandarin ducks like this fascinating place……

In many of the lakes, the water is calm and the surface is just like a bright mirror reflecting the surrounding mountains.

We stood in awe on this board walk overlooking the blue azure lake, enjoying the heavenly  sights of Jiuzhaigou to the fullest!