From China to Avatar

As the Asian leg of my trip is drawing to an end, I had contemplating basing myself in somewhere like Chengdu to relax for the last few days.. that was until I found out the landscape where James Cameron got his inspiration for Avatar was located in China!!

There was one big drawback though, it meant I would need to catch trains, lots of time on trains, something I had sworn never to do in China again. Luckily Amy and Chen were able to help me search amongst a difficult and booked out schedule, to find a route which would get me returning to Chengdu with around 55 hours of travel time, significant but worth it for the reward. I was able to book three classes of tickets;

-Soft sleeper: Private cabin of two bunk beds, quality can vary and will sometimes include luxuries of a TV and power outlets

-Hard sleeper: Open cabin of two triple bunks, the beds are much the same as the top sleeper and can be quite restricting for space if you happen to get the top bunk, like me

-Hard seat: Like my failed Panzahua train experience, but this time on a thinly padded seat and a small table to be shared between the five seats in each section.

It was on this journey that I discovered the VIP lounge at the Chinese train stations, for a small fee you can avoid the crowded dirty waiting halls, to sit in air conditioned lounge chair comfort with power outlets, also staff will ensure you don't miss your train which is great if you don't understand the Chinese loudspeaker announcements.

Before setting off from Chengdu I was very surprised to hear they have the worlds BIGGEST building, this is not the tallest building which resides in Dubai, but the biggest structure and something surely worthy of a visit. The building itself lends towards Chinese architecture with its curved eaves and inside boasts excessive marble coverings and somewhat tacky fittings. It has a huge waterpark (Paradise Island Waterpark), IMAX cinema, shopping halls, luxury hotels, offices, a pirate ship, an ice skating rink , a university and and an entire faux Mediterranean village. Whilst some of very recently opened New Century Global Centre was yet to be launched, I enjoyed perusing its flashy hallways, unfortunately not having enough time for the water park.

The national park at Zhangjiejae is located around a 40 minute mini bus ride from the city where I spent a night either side of my visit. There was a sister hostel located in the heart of the park which they assisted me to make a booking for as well. Getting off to an early start and a failed attempt to convince them I was a student (actually failing on the grounds I was over 24) I took the Golden Whip Steam route for the first section of the park. This trail follows a stream along giant rocky pillars that reach straight up in to the sky, its a beautiful place diminished somewhat by the tourist mecca it has become.

An option to hike a few hours up to the mountain top was avoided as I wanted to walk the full 3 hours of the stream route, which ended at a very Chinese-esque $30mAUD elevator straight up the side of one of the rock faces. This magnificent piece of architecture stats at the 32nd floor and bolts up 330m, offering a fantastic view of the park. Without having experienced the hike option, I would strongly recommend catching the elevator for the amazing view.

Once up on top of the mountain, visitors can walk or bus their way around to the various outlooks nestled in amongst the forest. I can see where Cameron got his inspiration as these mystifying mountains offer a view of natures beauty at some of its finest. The Chinese have jumped all over the Avatar band wagon with professional photographers offering photos with on the spot print outs at most viewpoints, some alongside characters from the movie or the flying Banshee, how could I resist. Those without vertigo issues have may want to skip walking across the natural bridge with a 1,000m drop.

My YHA hostel was located out on its own right in the middle of the park, a great accommodation choice as it was quite and boasted one of the worlds most scenic backyards right on its doorstep, you do have to accept a rather limited menu offering although it even has wifi. The viewpoints here were void of tourists and offered a great location for a morning meditation session which has been lacking of late.

Getting the morning bus to Tianzi mountain I met up with a young couple who were enjoying there last few days of university holiday. We enjoyed exploring the viewpoints in around an hour before I realised I was pretty much at the end of the park. A quick stop at MacDonald's (seriously WTF is Maccas doing here) and I caught the final bus leg down to the cable car. Since its the end of my trip I don't mind doing the lazy option of catching my first cable car that turned out to provide one of the best views in the park.

The magical Jiuzhaigou

People had shown me photos of Jiuzhaigou(try pronounce that one) and the stunning colour's of the crystal clear waters, all of them looking like some seriousPphotoshop work had been done. Since Chen was heading up there for his next stop from Chengdu, Allen and I decided to find out for ourselves. The 9 hour drive wound it way around the mountains on some very bumpy roads, mainly due to the damage suffered from continuous rockfall damage. We passed towns that had been totally destroyed in the 2008 earthquake where over 60,000 people were killed, the damage still very evident 5 years on.

On the way up we dropped in at small lonely looking restaurant that served up probably the best meal I have had in China so far, not that it was anything special, it just wasn't drowned in oil. The altitude bounced very quickly between 600m and 3,400m on our drive, causing my bag of crisps to explode at one point, our winding path was a supposedly quicker road than the main highway you would take on the bus. Once at the hostel I was keen to grab an early night and get over my lingering cold, something that seems rather common in China at the moment. Allen had invited a bunch of girls he met in Chengdu to stay in our dorm, so with them wanting to practise English and the late night giggles, it didn't look like the evenings rest was likely.

At the gates for opening at 8am, they accepted my Student Edge discount card as proof I  was a student and offered me half price entry, about enough to cover to overpriced buffet crap they serve for lunch at the eatery in the park. We were in a hurry to get in before the winds built up as there's some amazing photo opportunities at the Mirror lake. Days like this I wish I was one of the Chinese walking around with a flash over sized camera as my little waterproof Nikon did not do this place justice.

The water was every bit as stunning that the pictures I had seen previously depicted, due to the fact you could see straight through the turquoise coloured water, fallen trees making for fantastic photos opportunities. It was a great idea to get in early before too many tourists arrive, I read somewhere that this park expects over 7,000 visitors every day!. When buying the park ticket there is an option to buy a bus ticket as well because the first pools and waterfalls are located around 14 km from the entrance. From there you can walk or a combination of bussing and walking between the various locations including the Primevil Forest, laakes, Tibetan villages and waterfalls. The park is also a habitat for giant Pandas although they are rarely seen.

Being one of the only foreigners at this place I felt like Micky Mouse in Disney land with girls, families and children all wanting to have their photo with me. Its a bizarre obsession, one I could understand if I was famous, but these are the sort of things you must get used to as an outsider in a relatively closed country like china (where everyone runs around with a camera bigger than the last guy).

For the next 8 hours I wandered around mesmerised by the multicolour lakes which have been formed originally by glacial activity and solidified by carbonate deposition. The high composition of calcium carbonate makes the water the clear and by far the most stunning colours I have ever seen. There are huge waterfalls that offer a great opportunity to cool down in their spray while trying to explore this magical park within the limits of one day.

Stepping up Emeishan

So back on track with my original plans to visit Emeishan mountain and climb to the Golden Summit for a chance to see a magical sunrise, we made an early departure from Chengdu, after the traditional steamed bun breakfast of course. We also wanted to check out the Giant Buddha statue in Leshan (not that I needed to see any more Buddha's after Myanmar) and our 2 hour drive was significantly delayed by a truck rolling over on the highway in front of us, luckily only my first road delay which is a common problem in China.

The Buddha really was large, towering 71 metres in a big rock crevice overlooking the river. We opted for the boat view as you get to see the whole statue at an appropriate angle for photos, rather than a path which leads down and around the statue, packed with spectator. I had to laugh when some persistent elderly staff member (that I doubt had ever been swimming in her life) was insisting I wear my life jacket, she didn't seem to understand when I gave it to her saying she would have more use for it than me. I was then introduced to Chinese small watermelon's which were the perfect addition to a hot afternoon.

Back en route we reach Emishan by late afternoon and checked in to the Teddy Bear hostel. The owner spoke English quite well and outlined the various route options on a map. Chen was feeling rather energetic and opted or the 14 hour climb and leaving the hostel at 5am, Amy and I were happy to wait until 8am and stick to the commendable 10 hour climb. The name of the game is steps and plenty of them. Its by no means a traditional 'trek' as the Chinese have carved a stone path (mostly steps) up the side of the mountain. It was a daunting task as you must keep focused on pushing on, as I kept reminding Amy who wanted a break every 10 minutes and was not looking like making the summit. There is of course the easy option where a bus taken you almost to the top and a quick exchange to a cable car sees you reach the peak with little to none exertion at all. I must gice credit to some of the Chinese girls who attempt the hike up wanting to look good in their summer dresses and high heels!

Unfortunately the air was quite thick with smog and left landscape photos looking rather washed out. The walk itself was still beautiful amongst the forest  and numerous temples dotted along the mountain side. Wild monkeys travel in gangs, trained up by the local shop owners to demand food (which can be purchased along the way), with this kind of training and irresponsible tourists teasing the monkeys, they will jump on your backpack and rummage for themselves if you do not meet their demands. I kept  my large bamboo walking pole posed for action after my last monkey episode, copping nothing more than a few snarls from the bigger monkeys.

Nine long hours of steps later we reached Jielin Monastery which is about 2 hours hike from the top, checking in with one of the most unenthusiastic people I have ever met. Allen who shared my room and was having a solo travel trip before staring university, jumped on board to hike up with us in the morning. After all the hard work walking around 50km and too many steps to count, it was a bit disappointing to have the sunrise ruined by heavy cloud cover, The whole Emishan experience was really enjoyable and I was aware that only around 60 days per year it provides breathtaking view.

Set on Sichuan

Over the years I have had many experiences travelling in a multitude of countries and conditions, the following being the most horrible yet. The first leg, a 10 hour bus up to Panzahua was incident free, I knew we were getting close to this industrial town when a brown haze seemed to engulf the countryside. Our only hold up were some road works coupled with impatient dump truck drivers, something I hardly noticed while checking out my first ever nuclear plant encounter. A lovely couple on the bus helped me find a transport to the train station and a gentleman I caught the share taxi with very kindly insisted on paying my fare, he did not speak a word of English either.

Boarding the train at 11pm for the 13 hour journey, I was in high spirits to catch up on a couple of movies and grab at least a few hours sleep on my hard seat, which is actually a slightly cushioned seat in the lowest class carriage, the best ticket available at booking. Once my carriage was located, I showed a family my ticket to find my seat and in basic English they delivered a terrible blow, I had incorrectly been booked a standing ticket even though seating was clearly requested. Standing in an oversold train in China is not somewhere you want to be for any kind of distance. This carriage had a sign saying it was licenced for 110 people although my head count placed this number closer to 250. There was literally no space left anywhere, the bathroom area had six people crammed in to it, three people had to move to open the toilet door and every spare corner in the carriages and between were jam packed with people or large cargo bags. To make matters worse my upset stomach had turned into intense cramps and my pale sweaty face meant the contents would probably not stay down for long, although I was determined not to hurl my guts with so many eyes on the sole foreigner. One nice man helped me find a small plastic bin which buckled under my weight when I sat in the middle of the isle, having to stand every couple of minutes for people to walk past. Some people attempted to lie under seats, not an option for me as the ground was a disgusting mess of children going to the toilet, food scraps, lugies and unidentifiable gunk. After arriving in Chengdu without a wink of sleep on a journey that felt like forever, I swore never to catch a train in China again!!

I was now in the Sichuan province, my second of 22 provinces in China after initially visiting Yunnan. Checking in to the Flip Flop hostel gave me time for a quick arovo nap before the Friday night dumpling party. Basically an excuse to drink beer and make Chinese dumplings which the staff cook up after. Here I got talking to Amy and Chen during the Friday night dumpling party at our hostel, they had met a few days earlier in Zhongjiejae as Chen was taking 4 month road trip around China. They were off to the Panda sanctuary in the morning followed by a visit to Mt Emishan which had previously been on the cards after Dequin, though I bailed after hearing of the relentless steps involved to reach the summit. The offer seemed like a decent way to travel and the option to defer from my rough itinerary to head up to Xian on a a train I jumped on board. I did mean missing out on the cliff walking experience on Mt Hua, a one foot wide plank attached to the rock face with a sheer 2,400m drop below.

The following morning we headed out to the Chengdu Panda Breeding Centre, arriving for the opening at 8am in an attempt to beat the hordes of Chinese tourists(who usually start flocking at about 10am) and to make the feeding times which happen in the first two hours. The pandas were big and cute as expected, I was however a little disappointed to find that during the hottest time of the year (36c on the day we went), they were all inside and could only be viewed behind glass windows. We still got to see them eating, relieving their bowls and generally lazing about. I even got close up with a Red Panda, who is actually quite small and looks nothing like the traditional Panda. On the way back Cheng decided he was going to buy a new camera and having no idea what to look, for he wanted my advice. Just as I expected he ignored all advice to go for one of the smaller yet quality compact cameras and opted for the wank factor biggest cannon DSLR with zoom lens, one that will likely never switch from auto mode.. its an Asian thing.

Our hostel organises plenty of tours and sightseeing around Chengdu, that evening was the Sichuan face changing opera show. Although opera did not sound like my kinda scene, I was assured it was not the traditional opera I was used to so I purchased a ticket to see what all the hype was about. The performance consisted of various acts including fire breathing, shadow puppets, musicians, dances and for the finale, a face changing show. A bit of research shows this ancient art can be performed in a number of ways to mystify the audience who are kept guessing as to how these actors change the entire face makeup in an instant, it was actually rather impressive.

So far in China I have encountered some amazingly kind people who will go out of their way to help a stranded and confused traveller find their way. This is a stark contrast to other extremely rude and inconsiderate locals who will push in front of you, fell compelled to speak at extreme volumes in public and on their phones or just stare like your some strange exhibit. We have been given directions which make no sense, the food is drowned in oil (maybe this is just Sichan and Yunnan), yes seems to be a common reply even if they can't understand a word we are saying and spitting or throwing rubbish / food scraps anywhere is common practice. Apart from a few minor downsides it is a very beautiful country and an experience I thin everybody should get to enjoy at least once in their life.

Reunited with my bag

Heading back to Lijang and a fresh set of clothes was supposed to be a straight forward bus trip according to the staff at my hostel, all I had to do was show up at the bus stop just up the road by 8am. Arriving 20 minutes early I found out the only bus for the day in fact left at 7:30am and I would need to try make a 3 part journey through Dequin, then Shangrila and on to Lijang. 14 hours later and with a very lucky purchase of a ticket from a lady who bailed on a sold out bus from Shangrila leaving straight away (including a seat next to a rude bloke who pushed in front of me at the ticket counter, with a flatulence problem) I made it to Lijang. Unfortunately the hostel holding my bag was full along with all the others we phoned, they were kind enough to set me up a mattress on the floor for the night which was far more inviting than the park across the road.

Planning to head up to Panzahua by bus in the morning, then a train on to Chengdu overnight, the staff at this hostel told me I would have no problems going to the bus station in the morning to buy my ticket. Terrible advice again as the only bus I could book was in the afternoon, so after a very frustrating 9 hours work including walking to the train station twice and the bus station FOUR times, I finally had  tickets booked for the following day. With a few hours left to chill out I visited the old city, again just another tourist magnet with hundreds of Chinese flanking me from evey angle. The food vendors must have loved me as I took the opportunity to sample every steamed and fried delights I passed wandered through the back streets. At one stand a shady looking kid who's age would have been single digits, came up with a fag in his mouth trying to flog me a used iphone, no prize for guessing where the phone would have come from.

Yubang village

After a quick goodbye to Mauro who was frantically searching for his camera (a potentially devastating loss as he was packing many of the best photos from the gorge) I jumped on a mini van headed for Dequin. Being full of Asians with big cameras (all on auto mode of course) we stopped at any hint of a picture opportunity so they could snap endless photos of the same scene from a slightly different angles, this was until the driver bored of this game and settled for their whinging if we happened to miss another potential photo shoot. The drive through the mountains to the small trekking town of Felasi was beautiful as we navigated the seemingly dangerous mountain pass above 4,000m. I didn't bother taking any pics as the guy next to me with the big camera said he would email some of his best shots, yet to happen.

Felasi is a stopoff for trekkers who are either about to begin or finishing up an adventure, it is also rumoured to provide a great view snow mountains with golden peaks at sunrise if the conditions are right. I washed my one pair of socks (which was now going to have to last at least 8 nights) and spent the next hour trying to dry them using the communal blow dryer, sorry girls. Our morning view was a little cloudy although the hostel staff said we were lucky to get a view at all this this time of year considering it was rainy season. At 7am I bundled in to a mini van with 3 Chinese girls, an American bloke, a German bloke and 2 czech girls as we made the 45 minute journey out to Xidang Hot Springs where the trek would begin. We all intended to set out together although the Chinese girls were quickly left behind to crawl at their own pace.

The days 6 hour hike was through a beautiful Chinese pine forest with the most challenging section a 1.5hr climb of 1,800m. Along the way we passed numerous pits stops selling boxed noodles for a carb dose, minus any nutritional value. Some of us were smart enough to bring our own noodles after hearing the food can be quite sparse and expensive, the locals were clued on to this and wanted to charge more than double the price of the noodles for a small amount of boiled water, they never miss an opportunity to drain your wallet in this country. The extortion master did give us an opportunity to try yak butter tea, which on its own was rather bland but a great combination when we dipped bread from the large wheel donated from some local trekkers.

Arriving mid afternoon we sat down for a beer with the easily excitable monkey chained up outside the youth hostel in Upper Yubang and enjoyed the view of Lower Yubang village being located 1km down the mountain, with snow capped peaks and lush forest surrounding us. After a bit of persuasion I took a non refrigerated beer which turned out alright as the high altitude temperature kept the drinks cold enough. It also turned out the food prices were quite reasonable for the location and we did not need to carry backpacks full of noodles (mine quickly dispensed in the bin), I cant say the same for water that was double the price of beer, they even tried telling me its because of carrying weight when the beer comes in glass bottles!

Our hostel was rather basic but the rooms were cheap and I shared with Miles who came over on a program as part of his environmental studies in the US, this was his last stop before heading home. With two sights on the cards, a glacier lake and a sacred Tibetan waterfall, we planned to get up early and trek out to the lake which would take up most of the next day. The start was delayed somewhat by very unorganised hostel staff taking forever to bring our breakfasts. For lunch we purchased bags of cooked rice (unfortunately still sitting out from the night before), doused with soy and chili flakes for a little zest. A french couple whom we had met the day before joined us and we set off quickly veering on the wrong path through a dense but picaresque section of forest that later connected up with the main trail. Along the way plentiful raspberries and mushrooms were collected amongst the moss cloaked canopy floor.

Approaching the glacier lake we crossed a river that had its banks lined with hundreds of spiritual stone piles, symbolic of how important this area is to the local Tibetan religious community. The final hour provided views of a large snow peaked mountain, its blue glaciers glistening through gaps in the clouds. Although the lakes murky green colour was a bit of a disappointment, the numerous waterfalls running straight from the frozen ice peaks above provided a spectacular sight. Our crazy German mate even decided to take a quick dip much to the amusement of the Chinese who couldn't believe their eyes.

I spotted an accessible snow section on the other side of the lake and was determined to lay amongst the flakes after my early departure from the Everest trek. Thankful for the outstanding performance of my Goretex shoes crossing the waterfall runoff, I scurried up the rocky mountainside where my efforts were rewarded with basketball size icy snow balls to hurl down below, trying to forget the avalanche warning sign back on the other side of the lake. My little adventure was rewarded with a steaming hot bowl of yak milk, the taste probably closer to cream than conventional cows milk.

So there was no warm showers and with my lack of clothing options I was starting to stink a little, something which is a natural part of trekking and I hoped my companions would be willing to tolerate. Over an afternoon beer Miles decided he wanted to climb the mountain towering over lower Yubang. On the map it looked not much further than Lower Yubang where we had migrated for the night, although the 2,800m climb up to the 6,000m peak without any equipment was going to be a tough day. I was keen to join him if my stomach held up, which as per most hikes this trip was starting to turn (maybe the yak milk?). We enjoyed a sleepless night thanks to two roosters in the hallway, a cow who loved the sound of his bell and hideous music emanating from a room nearby. Setting out at 5am we stumbled through the dark to reach the sacred waterfall by sunrise and witness the Tibetian prayer rituals. At a closer inspection the mountain looked almost impossible to climb so I wished miles luck as he set off, my decision not to join him later confirmed appropriate when a local explained that its forbidden to climb due to a god (or spirit) who lives at the top.

I reach the waterfall early with the Czech girls before any of the Tibetans had arrived as they first visited a prayer cave and picked special branches to be burnt in the ceremony. We were rewarded with an absolutely beautiful sight of being surrounded by snow capped mountains while we stood amongst the prayer flags as great waterfalls crept down the rock face with a double rainbow beaming across their stride. It was one of those magical mornings that makes you really appreciate how lucky we are to enjoy such things in life.

Back at Lower Yubang we laid out on the grass for lunch, the mesmerising mountain back drop a perfect opportunity to relax before heading back this time to Nilong town, a less strenuous and more scenic route to arrange transportation to Filasi. The last section of the trek through steep cliffs felt like we were navigating the grand canyon, we even stopped for a delicious fresh cactus lunch.  Organising the mini van did end up with some heated words between one of the Czech girls who spoke basic  Chinese and the van driver who openly admitted that he was increasing the price because we were foreigners, again never missing an opportunity.

Shangrila

Heading north to Shangrila was an unexpected journey as the original plan had been to continue on to Emishan mountain or Chengdu, basing myself for some nearby trekking. Our mini bus took around 4 hours to reach the old city in Shangrila which although was another tourist trap,  it's cobble stone streets lined with beautiful Tibetan style buildings made for a very inviting scene. We wasted  a couple of hours knocking on numerous hostels doors who were all at capacity, it wasn't until just after sunset that we settled for a dismal lodging with its dark and eerie halls, quickly reserving a room at the hostel next door for the following night.

The centre of the old town was alive with a common sight in China, a big crowd of all ages from many walks of life, happily dancing around to music which looks almost like a large choreographed performance. This nightly ritual is a form of social exercise and can be seen throughout the whole country around sunset, anybody is welcomed to join in. Whilst enjoying the view we sampled BBQ skewers from the street vendors and delicious freshly brewed yak yogurt, served in a small cup and sprinkled with sugar. I probably enjoyed a few too many yak delights before the beers started flowing, suffering the wrath of a curdling stomach. Some hours later we gave up wandering the streets looking for excitement and ended up in some form of discotech, filled with Chinese youth dancing and playing unfamiliar drinking games. Being a westerner in Chinese drinking holes has its advantages as its common practice for people to invite you to their table, offering up free flowing beer all night long.

After a quick hostel change in the morning, we explored the streets lined with vendors selling trekking gear, animal skins, local handicrafts, swords and a multitude of tourist orientated gift ware. My first breakfast was purchased off a lady peddling her food cart around, as she spoke no English I still haven't a clue what the sticky little balls I ate were, though she would have gained some repeat business had I been able to locate her again as they were tasty in an unusual sort of way. We later visited a store which sadly sold a variety of clothing items and rugs made from the furs of animals, judging by the amount of similar stores we saw in this town alone, its no wonder there are few wildlife encounters trekking in China.

To kill some time in the arvo we walked out to a large Tibetan monastery on the outskirts of town. The monastery itself looked to be a very overpriced attraction with swarms of Chinese waiting to get in (also no sneaky entrance in sight), so we decided to give it a miss and explore other smaller religious building near by. The afternoon was not wasted thanks to the singing magician who let us take photos riding his mountain yak, a decent compromise after missing the opportunity to ride Water Buffalo in Myanmar . Our ride back to the hostel included the driver (who had been chatting on his mobile for the journey), pull the bus over to examine our map for at least 5 minutes to make sure we found the right destination, certainly not a sight you would see on a packed bus at home.

Back in the old town we ventured up to the Tibetan prayer wheel at Guishan Monastery, a giant golden structure perched on a hill over looking the town. With the combined might and muscle of at least 20 people required to complete one rotation, it is said to build some serious good karma in Buddhist faith.The days hard work was rewarded with a yak cheese spag bog, probably the most western tasting and oil-less food I had in a while, it was fantastic.

That night over a few local rice wines, purchased inside a container that doubles as a tobacco bong, I got chatting with a middle aged Chinese man who had quit his job and was enjoying his new found freedom trekking about SE Asia. He spoke of a beautiful destination called Yubang Village another 4 hours north in the Dequin province, the same area a guy on the bus from Laos had been telling me about when we crossed the border. Seriously underpacked for this extended overnighter, I decided to head north first thing in the morning to trek out to the small mountain side village.