Sun and snow in JiuZhaiGou
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| Chocolate box advert? |
After the stupidly long bus journey, the whole room snuggled down for a pathetically early night, the plan being to get up early and get to the park before it opened in an effort to avoid the crowds. as it turned out we needn't have bothered as it had snowed over night and this seemed to keep the crowds away leaving the park almost deserted. 
The park is spread over two valleys that join to make a Y shape, we had been given maps from the hostel but they were hugely misleading. what looked fairly close on the map was a minimum of a 4km walk, so the longer looking gaps were generally more than 30km. On the first morning my plan was to get the bus as far as i could and then walk back to the start. After a 35 minute bus journey I figured this wasn't completely doable and instead walked only half. 
The was a hop on hop off bus service that ran about the park that proved to be amazing. Most of the Chinese tourists were getting off, taking pictures then getting on again and blasting to the next park of the park. In between the scenic spots of interest (their wording not mine) there were almost no people and some incredible little unknown parts. The paths wound round the other side of lakes and rivers and, on my first day at least, were covered in snow. I had Walking in a Winter Wonderland going round and round in my head for days after my trip.
The park is incredible! We would walk a little, be blown away by the scenery, say something along the lines of "how can this get any better" and then, as if to show us up, it would get more impressive.
The water is completely clear and a fantastic bright blue or green colour, which with the snow and the mountains made for some beautiful scenery. Walking thought the park was a good idea as I kept finding waterfalls and streams that weren't marked on the map so they were completely deserted and quiet. It is one of the most amazing places I have been and am so glad I finally made it.
