April 24th – Chengdu
Helene, Renee, and I adventured with Bella (local Chinese Guide) to see the Leshan Buddha today, while others adventured in Chengdu with Cory and Shay. Tonight we met with the whole group for our welcome dinner and slideshow to set the stage for the next 10 days of travel in central China -- in Nature Reserves and National Parks. Dinner was the first of many feasts of Sichuan food...
April 25th – Chengdu to Dujiangyan
This morning we departed from the Shangri La hotel in Chengdu, bound for
Dujiangyan and the Dujiangyan base. We enjoyed our first encounter with giant
panda at the Panda Ark base, lucky to volunteer to pick up panda poop, clean out their accommodations and prepare fresh bamboo for their enclosures. We got even closer later, coming face-to-face with these incredible animals, lucky to share an intimate experience of feeding them carrots as treats!
An incredible lunch followed at a nearby local restaurant, then we headed back to Dujiangyan base to search for additional views of giant panda as well as the lesser/red panda. It was a hot afternoon, so we grabbed some ice-cream en route to our hotel in Dujiangyan. A delectable feast at a local hot pot spot finished the day off nicely!
April 26th – Dujiangyan to Wolong to Rilong
We ventured onward, bound for Wolong Panda Base this morning. After a drive
up into the mountains, through an incredible network of tunnels, we arrived at
Wolong. After taking the shuttle up to the top of the facility, we were greeted by an incredible sight – frolicking giant panda cubs, all around 8-10 months of age! We spent hours watching them roll down the hills, wresting with each other, and
tromping through the clover in their enclosures. We watched their keepers feed
them milk, and clean them up. The cubs took to the trees after their mid-morning snack; their aerial antics and climbing was another delight. Watching these cubs wrestle around at Wolong was a trip highlight for many.
After souvenir shopping and another fabulous lunch at a local restaurant, we hit the road again, driving higher in elevation. Our high of the day was when we hit 12,600 feet while driving through the mountain passes on our way to Rilong. Some incredible views were had today on our drive through the Wolong Nature Reserve and up into the mountains.
We arrived at our hotel in Rilong at 10,000 ft elevation and took a stroll through the village, experiencing the life of local families and horses who live here. We met a friendly local named Allen and shared some laughs and enjoyed a great
conversation. We followed up with a lovely dinner at the restaurant in the hotel
before hitting the hay for the night.
April 27th – Rilong to Four Sisters Mountains National Park
We left the hotel early this morning and headed for Four Sisters Mountains National Park. We spent the morning photographing the beautiful reflections of the mountains in the roadside lakes and checking out the mystical-looking drowned trees. We strolled along a couple of boardwalks, a little slower-going today due to the high elevation. One boardwalk took us through larch, fir and spruce forest habitat, while the other one led us along the river, where enjoyed the sunshine and incredible vistas. Had lunch with a local Tibetan family and tried goji berry greens grown right there on their farm. We enjoyed a private
flute concert after lunch and watched (and helped!) the grandmother make yak
butter tea. Following this, we had a short tour through the family orchard and farm where walnuts, apples, potatoes, corn and sunflowers grew in abundance.
We strolled around the local village before jumping back on the bus to head back home to the hotel. Had another lovely dinner featuring yak on the menu at our hotel. A lot of laughter and hilarity ensued at dinner – what a lovely group of people we had on this trip!
April 28 – Rilong to Xi’an
We left the Rilong Lotus Hotel and drove for 4.5 hours to Chengdu, dropping in
elevation and driving through the clouds as we entered Wolong Nature Reserve
again. Moira talked about scent communication of grizzly bears and giant pandas along the way. Spicy Sichuan KFC chicken burgers were on the menu for lunch in the Chengdu train station and the ice-cream misadventure at Dairy Queen. We enjoyed a relaxing 3.5 hour train ride through lush farmland and rice paddies, as well as through tunnels in the Qinling Mountains. We arrived in Xi’an about 5:30pm, traveled by bus to hotel and saw some of the sights of Xi’an, including the drum and bell towers here, as well as the city wall.
Incredible dinner next to the hotel featuring local dumplings as well as chrysanthemum tea and a local flower rice wine. A few adventurous souls ventured out to the Muslim Quarter nearby to take in the bustling alleys with neon lights and incredible smells of local dishes being prepared street-side before heading back to the hotel for a short night.
April 29 – Xi’an Terra Cotta Warriors to Guangyuan to Tangjiahe Nature Reserve
An early start to the day in Xi’an, the capital city of the Shaanxi province, en route to see the incredible Terra Cotta Warrior army of the first Emperor of China. We spent a couple of hours marveling at the sight of the life-size warriors, chariots, archers and generals. Hard to imagine these statues being meticulously pieced back together for years on end; piece-by-piece the Emperor’s army is coming to life once again.
After our Terra Cotta Warrior experience, which wouldn’t have been complete without local guide Katherine, we headed to the train station. Spicy Sichuan KFC for lunch today filled our bellies and a 2.5 hour train ride provided a beautiful backdrop, as we headed back into the Sichuan province. We got off the train at Guangyuan and boarded our bus, ready to get out of the city and wind our way up the country roads to Tangjiahe Nature Reserve. En route, unfortunately a local truck driver got carried away and let his speed get the better of him, which ended up with the rear portion of the truck cracking the corner of our bus window and breaking the exterior mirror off. Luckily it was a soft bump and we were shortly on our way again, in a new bus and on our way to Tangjiahe. With a quick stop in nearby Qing Xi village, with Muslim history obvious in this area, we made it into the Nature Reserve. We spotted Reeve’s Muntjac and some Sichuan Golden Takin on the slopes above the road, before arriving at the hotel for dinner. Looking forward to the coming days in
Tangjiahe!
April 30 – Tangjiahe Nature Reserve
Left the hotel early this morning and headed up the valley to the top of the road, spotting Sichuan Golden Takin and Reeve’s Muntjac (aka barking deer), as well as a plethora of bird life;:Mrs. Gould’s sunbird, Gray-headed flycatcher, Red-billed blue magpie, Yellow-bellied tit, large-billed crow, spotted nutcracker, laughing thrush were just a few of the species we identified. We spotted eight wild boar, including one mother and baby, and had an incredible encounter with a baby takin looking for its mother. After lunch, four hikers did the stair climb by the hotel to burn off a little steam with Moira. The group met again for the afternoon excursion by bus and on foot, and we headed to the other side of the valley and made our way to the end of the road, spotting more Takin and Muntjac (including a courting pair), as well as two Chinese Goral and nine male Golden Pheasants.
May 1 – Tangjiahe Nature Reserve
We started the morning off by heading downhill from the hotel, spotting takin and muntjac as we went. The group split; with some taking the high road on Hero’s Pass/Defense Pass , heading up, up, up a flight of stairs and then down, down, down the other side in search of moon bear, while some folks took the low road and walked along the river. Muntjac, Chinese Goral and takin were all spotted by all eyes this morning. We finished off the morning with a view of Tibetan Macaques, near the hotel.
After lunch, we headed up the hill again to our favorite panda-searching spot at the top of the road. We looked and listened, watching the low-hanging clouds blow through the trees. A Chinese painting, come to life. Some of us walked the roads for a couple of hours, spotting wild boar along the riverside, rooting through the sand for roots and tubers. Muntjac, crested kingfisher and large-billed crows were also other highlights of the afternoon. A few brave souls ventured out after dark in search of nocturnal creatures. Several frogs were spotted, as well as an incredible millipede that John found with his black light – it glowed brilliant neon yellow under the black light. The last three standing saw a takin from very close range, and watched her browse on vegetation in the rain, before heading home for the night.
May 2 – Tangjiahe to Huangyang (Golden Snub-nosed Monkey area)
The area that we are visiting for Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys is new to Natural Habitat. The area they have traveled to on prior trips as been closed by the Chinese Government and is no longer accessible to tourists. With some creativity, the group that is ahead of us discovered a new area!
We left Tangjiahe Nature Reserve early this morning and headed towards Pingwu, a city in the heart of Giant Panda habitat in the Minshan Mountain Range. From there, we headed northwest towards a town called Shuijing, and then headed north up into the mountains to have a picnic lunch of sandwiches and red-bean-paste treats from a local bakery in Pingwu. After our picnic lunch, we started our ascent up flights of stairs towards the viewing area for golden snub-nosed monkeys. When we arrived, we made friends with many local children who enjoyed practicing their English and taking selfies with many members of our group! We watched the golden snub-nosed monkeys way up the slope for a while, and then got lucky with our sightings when
the rangers put a few treats out for the monkeys. The golden snub-nosed monkeys descended from their resting places higher up the slope, and we were lucky to get incredible views of them up-close, while they picked leaves from shrubs and trees nearby to eat. After our monkey viewing, we set off in search of our hotel for the night. After a many of twists and turns of the road, we arrived at our remote and somewhat unique hotel for the night. The dinner was fabulous, with fresh spring onions and greens from the area, topped off by a toast to our 49-year anniversary (plus one day) couple, Kaz and Bruce. A night walk of the area produced toads, frogs, spiders, a distant nightjar and tadpoles galore.
May 3 – Huangyang to Jiangyou
This morning we enjoyed either the relaxed option of having a quiet morning at the hotel or an active morning heading back up into the hills in search of golden snub-nosed monkeys once again. The monkeys were doing their own thing this morning, high up at the treeline, where we watched them cavort through the trees, preen their neighbors and interact with the other monkeys in their troop. We also spotted a Chinese Hog Badger on our hike up!
We headed back to the hotel mid-morning and reunited the group, heading down from our remote mountain hotel towards Pingwu again. We arrived in Pingwu around lunchtime and Bella ordered us another fabulous feast. We headed for the Bao’en Temple in Pingwu after lunch, strolling around for just over an hour, exploring this incredible temple that had survived, undamaged in the 2008 earthquake, for the last 560 years. Incredible statues serenely watched us explore the temple grounds, before we headed on our way again.
After a few more hours by bus, we arrived at the Hongtai Hotel in Jiangyou. Some of our group decided to have a massage before dinner, with the rest of the group opting for an after-dinner massage before bed.
May 4 – Jiangyou to Chengdu
Early risers this morning headed to the local market on foot. We meandered down the alley for an hour, exploring the incredible edibles on offer. Market stalls were filled with chickens, ducks, eggs, vegetables and fruits in all colors of the rainbow. Tofu, freshly butchered meat, live shrimp and fish, and many styles of noodles also were part of this market experience, with every shelf and basket and box boasting some other intriguing option. We headed back for breakfast at the hotel, before jumping in the bus for the last leg of our journey on our way back to Chengdu.
We enjoyed another incredible lunch, with Bella still surprising us with new dishes,before making our final stop of the trip; Chengdu’s much-loved Bamboo Park. Here we strolled along the alleys in among massive thickets of bamboo, checking out all the local life. We listened to many voices and instruments making music in one pavilion along the way, and checked out some of the other local entertainment. Some of our group tried their luck with the flower sticks, twirling and tossing one stick in the air, but quickly found it to be more difficult than it looks.
We headed back to the hotel in the later afternoon, and met again for our final farewell dinner where we shared one last exquisite meal together as a group. We laughed and shared one last toast, remembering all the adventures we had shared over the past week and a half.
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