Vacations Blog

A friend of mine from Chicago viewed my photos of a recent trip online and asked me two questions:

1. Did you take all those photos?
2. Is this place in China?

My answers to both questions are “YES”. And not only you, but also Google has “told” me that this fairyland called “jiuzhaigou” is far less well known than Xi’an, Guilin or even Yangshuo. Besides, everyone with a most common camera is able to take pictures like ->>!

• Results 1 – 10 of about 587,000 for “jiuzhaigou”.
• Results 1 – 10 of about 1,100,000 for “yangshuo”.
• Results 1 – 10 of about 12,500,000 for “xian” .

Jiuzhaigou (九寨沟, means “valley of nine villages” in Chinese) Valley is located in Nanping County, 450 kilometers (about 280 miles) to the north of Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province, which is the home to spicy Chinese cuisine. I believe Sichuan is the “California” of China in terms of the variety of travel resources. Being one of 166 UNESCO World Natural Heritages in the world, and one of 45 in Asia Pacific since 1992 according to Wikipedia, Jiuzhaigou was first found accidentally by woodcutters in the 1900s then became a nation nature reserve in 1978. In 1982 it became one of the first scenic areas under special nation protection. An easy way to interpret the status of “special nation protection” is to consider it as a National Park.

The Jiuzhaigou Valley we talk about today consists of three valleys: Shuzheng Valley, Rize Valley, and Zechawa Valley. It combines blue/green lakes, waterfalls, verdant forests, snow-covered mountains, and the folk customs of Qiang peoples. The roads to visit these three valleys were developed as a “Y” shape. To protect the environment, normal gas-consuming vehicles are banned in the park except of those of the local Qiang peoples who live within the park. The green transportation system is very convenient and has basic access to all the view points. Buy a map in visitor center and follow the bus route, it is self explanatory.

Admission fee: 220 RMB/person (two-day pass), shuttle bus: 90RMB/person/day in peak season (April to November). Half price other time.

How to get there:

1. By bus: there are buses departed from Chengdu city or Dujiangyan city daily. It is about 450 km from Chengdu city. Buses journey along the winding roads and the trip takes around 10 hrs in normal road condition. Cost: 120RMB.

2. By private car with your own driver: you can hire a private car with a driver if you want to tour around Sichuan province. The private car won’t remove the boredom of a long drive, but will provide you more flexibility. Cost: 450 – 700 RBM/day, from sedan to 4W drive.

3. By air: Huanglong-Jiuzhaigou airport is 88km away from Jiuzhaigou Valley. There are flights from 3 cities：Chengdu, Chongqing and Xi’an. Flight time is 45 – 75 minutes, depending on departure location. Cost: 980RMB (before tax) for Chengdu departed flights (over 20 flights per day in peak season), shuttle bus to the Valley is 45RMB/person, private car is 200 RMB.

Where to book your hotel:

1. Hotel booking sites such as elong and ctrip, similar to Expedia or Quikbook in the U.S.

2. Local travel agents: there aren’t many options for hotels on elong or ctrip, but local travel agents have many more resources and you can get better rate with them. The only obstacle will be language.

3. Your private tour guide: if you travel with a local tour guide, let him/her handle all the logistics. They can also get good rate for you.

In theory, you don’t need to book in advance since there are nothing except hotels outside of the park.

When to visit:

Water is the highlight of the park. We have a saying: Once you come back from Jiuzhaigou, there is no other water worthy of your visit. I did some research by clicking through hundreds of images on Picasa online public albums and checked the image information (camera, resolution, day time). My research shows that everyday is a best time to visit, but Oct. 15- 30 is the best time to see foliage, however the chance for rain is also higher, since fall is rainy season.

How to find a private tour guide：

I started by posting my itinerary on a few forums (in Chinese language) seeking travel buddies to share private car costs. A few days later I received responses and chatted with them to sync our travel plans. In the end, I found two other women who had booked a private car with a driver and wanted to share rides for the first day. Here are some additional suggestions:

• Check with your friends who are already in China. Even though they don’t know a private tour guide, they can share with you about the real China and help you prepare for the trip.
• Check with your friends who have been to China recently. My college professor called me after seeing my online shared album for Jiuzhaigou and I ended up sharing the contact information for the driver.
• Visit or call your local tour operators who run China tours. They might have some connections with local Chinese travel agents who run inbound tours, but the private tour guides are very likely too expensive since they want to sell you a group tour package rather than encouraging you to travel independently.
• Spend half a day while you are in to visit local travel agents and ask for private guides. Know the market price and stick to it and you won’t be taken for a ride. Don’t agree to pay in advance.
• Check on-line travel forums and communities. Active community members or forum moderators are always there to help you. But you need to describe your situation and needs in detail and leave your contact information if you don’t plan to check the boards. I recently met a girl who is an expert on the Tripadvisor Shanghai forum and she told me she spends “lots of time helping people”. Places to start: Lonely Planet Thorn Tree, TravBuddy and TripAdvisor.
• Use on-line Question and Answer communities. Yahoo! Answers come to my mind first. Nothing to lose when asking a question.
• Utilize on-line search engines. You will need the city names to do the search, in order to receive useful results. There should be plenty of information, but sometimes it is difficult to tell the quality. Ask to chat with them online or even a phone interview.

See more Jiuzhaigou Valley photos here. And let me know if you need an English speaking tour guide in Jiuzhaigou area!

As I am a Shanghai-based Kango, my fellow Kangos asked me to suggest places to visit in China for our readers who plan to travel to China for the Beijing Olympics Games in 2008.

I am sharing my trip to Yangshuo, a city in Guangxi province (in red circle on above map) made in 2003. Yangshuo is located in the northeast of Guangxi province and about 65 km away from Guilin City. Peter Van who has bicycled from Holland to China and lived in Yangshuo for some time claimed: “As a tourist destination, there are few places in Asia more popular then Yangshuo.” Yangshuo made its popularity in 1980s when many foreign backpackers were drawn there by an introduction in the Lonely Planet guidebook. After two decades, it is now an ideal getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life, a place for fresh countryside air, a place to taste the exotic flavors of China and a place for Chinese locals to glimpse a foreign lifestyle without crossing the border.

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Many people may not agree with me that Shanghai is a place for foodies. My biggest argument is: you can find high quality examples of various cuisines in Shanghai which is not possible in other cities like Changsha (famous for Hunan food), Chengdu (home of Sichuan food) or even Guangzhou (though a Chinese saying “eat in Guangzhou” implies Guangzhou is the best.)

I love food, and eat almost all kinds of food, except of blue cheese I guess. I gained weight in the two-digits, after I moved back to Shanghai from California within 6 months. My guide to food in Shanghai is a Chinese Web 2.0 restaurant review site called Dianping. “dian ping (点评）” in Chinese mean “order & review”. I want to share with you what’s the best in Shanghai according to over 1 million users in Dianping.

Best Restaurant: 花乐 （Karaku）

• Japanese, run by fifth generation owner of a 150-year old restaurant 一宝料亭 in Japan; located in Kong’s Garden in a western-style villa.
• Phone: 021-64383822, 64688922
• Address: Building 4 in Kong’s Garden, Xietu Rd 2421, Xujiahui
• Average $: 666 RMB/person (about $89 USD)
• Recommended food: Tempura, Hot Spring Egg, Fried Goose Liver, Green Tea Ice Cream
• Good for: Business banquet

Best Food: Fried Dumpling

• Chinese, name of the restaurant is not available;
• Phone: n/a
• Address: opposite to entrance of East China University of Science & Technology.
• Average $: 3 RMB/person (about $0.40 USD)
• Good for: college students’ breakfast

Best Environment: 雍福会 (Yongfoo Elites)

• Shanghainese, 2004 Best Club Design (2nd) by Wallpaper, 2007 Best of the Best No.1 Club in Shanghai by Hurun.net
• Phone:021-54662727 64719181
• Address: Yongfu Rd. 200, (Shanghai British Consulate old venue), Xujiahui (closed to Huanhaizhong Rd.)
• Average $: 677 RMB/person (about $90 USD)
• Good for: luxury decor

Best Services: 海底捞火锅店 (Best kid/family friendly)

• Hot pot, see a video here about “Noodle Kongfu”
• Phone:021-54223132 54220948
• Address: Wuzhong Rd. 1000, Minhang
• Average $:71 RMB/person (about $9.50 USD)
• Good for: free nail care, baby sitting, Internet, even “change your napkin towel every 15 minutes”

Unfortunately, I haven’t been to any of above and can’t give my personal recommendation. It’s hilarious that a fried dumpling store is ranked at No.1 as Best Food. I will check it out sometime. My favorite is this (called “Wan Chai” as a place name in Hong Kong) which serves a “fusion cuisine” of Cantonese, Shanghainese and Sichuan food. They have a few chains in Shanghai. The one we go frequently is on Julu Rd. in French concession area, a street of bars and night clubs.

Have you ever been to Shanghai? I’d love to what’s your favorite. You might want to check out Shanghaieats to decide where and what to eat in Shanghai.