JIUZHAIGOU MAY 2006
Day 4
12 May 2006
Huang Long Valley
Unlike the previous morning, this day
was sunny and the scene outside the hotel room was green with no snow. Our itinerary
today was 2 hours drive to Huanglong Valley. The drive took us over mountains
and along the valleys, along the Fujiang River.
We only had a few hours to view this
breathtaking and stunning scenery. Huanglong was not at its best in early summer as not sufficent snow has
melted for the river to fill the cascading ponds. Nevertheless the views were
still awesome.
From
China Exporation website
Located
in Songpan County, Sichuan Province, the Huanglong Area is a rare site of
limestone landscapes.
The 7.5-km Huanglong Valley is located at the foot of
snow-capped mountains, near the source of the Fujiang River. At the end of the
valley, near the foot of Green Jade Peak, water from melting snow mixes with
limestone water from underground, flowing down the mountain terraces,
depositing calcium carbonate from the limestone water on the rocks, stones and
fallen branches in its path. The calcium carbonate, in turn, reacts chemically
with organic and inorganic substances, resulting in various kinds of calcareous
deposits that shine golden in the sunlight, just like a huge yellow dragon
flying down from the snow-capped mountain, hence the name of the place.
When the water flows into two separate streams, it turns into
more colorful ponds and waterfalls. At the end of the gold-reflecting river is
the Bathing Cave Waterfall, plunging 7 m down a cliff to turn into a water
curtain. Nearby, the Brilliant Flying Waterfall, fed by the ponds on the upper
reaches, cascades 10 m downward, with a width of 60 m. The jigsaw-like cliffs
at the top of the waterfall split the water into small streams or curtains of
water, creating a most fantastic sight. Of all the colorful pools, eight are
most famous, i.e. the Flower-washing Pool, Bonsai Pool, Mirror Pool,
Rhododendron Pool, Jade Plants Pool, Riot of Color Pool in the south, the Stone
Pagoda Village Sea Pool and the Turning Flower Pool in the north
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