A Word A Week Challenge: Water

This week’s Word is Water.

I like water in nature, be it waterfalls, lakes, seas, rivers, water features etc.

My posts have variously covered waterfalls and seas. What I would like to feature this time is running water.

These pictures were taken in JiuZhaiGou, China.

There, I found myself surrounded everywhere by water ( I got the same feeling when I was in Plitvice Lakes in Croatia too).

But this is different, water basically runs in a sheet like form, over vast areas.

The images look as if the whole area was inundated with water ( sorry to mention this, this may occur in areas during flooding, but here, the water is running like this all year round).

There is a sharp contrast between the  surrounding green trees and the water.

It was just amazing to look at the water!

Travel Theme: Liquid

Liquid is the theme for this week at Where’s my backpack?

In my view, water (H2O) is the most precious liquid, without which we cannot survive.  It is abundant, but clean freshwater is becoming more and more scarce.  In the future, it may become one of the most important resources in the world.

Let’s look at some statistics: 70% of earth’s surface is water; 75% of human body;  and 90% of human blood is water too. Of all the water that’s there on earth, 97%  is in seas and oceans and 2% is icecaps. Of the remaining 1% fresh water, only a  small percentage is accessible. And from what’s accessible, 98% water is used  for agriculture and industrial use. Water, as a liquid may have many colors.  High up in Jiuzhaigou , China, there are dozens of blue, green and turquoise-colored lakes.  Originating in glacial activity, they were dammed by rockfalls and other natural phenomena, then solidified by processes of carbonate deposition (travertine). Jiuzhaigou’s water has a high concentration of calcium carbonate, making it so clear that the bottom is often visible even at great depths. The lakes vary in color and aspect according to their depths, residues, and surroundings.

The blue colored water in this picture taken at Jiuzhaigou contrasts sharply with the green trees on the upper part of the image. The water is so clear that the bottom of the lake is highly visible. However, not too many creatures can survive under such high concentration of calcium carbonate; among these are some fishes with a special kind of scales on their body.  Water. . . . . . . . . . . what a precious and wonderful liquid!

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!