The next leg of this trip took me to Jiuzhaigou and Huang Long, two of the most beautiful natural landscapes in China. Unfortunately upon arriving weather couldn't have been worse. There was no sun in sight and none to be hope for in the next few days. So a little deflated I proceeded up Huang Long not expecting much. The biggest draw to the park is the thousands of mineral ponds and lakes formed by the precipitation of calcium carbonate deposited by mineral springs. Of these numerous formation the most famous is the Five Color Pond. This pond is made up of more than 700 large and small pools that can reflect the color of its surroundings depending on weather. Even though the sky was a blanket of white, the pond was still mesmerizing. The colors of the pools ranged anywhere from crystal blue to turquoise green, with some even milky white. It was indescribably beautiful, even on a day like today. 
As expected the weather the next day at Jiuzhaigou wasn't any better as the whole sky was one massive white cloud. Once at the park I was pleasantly surprised to see how clean and well ran it was. There are shuttle buses to take you to the various sights given the massive size of the park. From there you can proceed to walk to the next attraction whose direction and distance is clearly marked or just hop back on the bus. The park is actually in a "Y" shape. The left side of the split is called the Zechawa Valley while the right side of the valley is called Rize. Of the two, Rize is longer and more beautiful and it is often recommended you start at the tip and make your way down. All the lakes in Rize had a bluish greenish hue and was so clear you could see to the bottom. The highlights were definitely Panda Lake, and Five Flower Lake. Panda Lake is on average 46 ft deep, surrounded by bamboo and other woodland. It's name is derived from the various pockets of the pond that is deeper and looks blacken resembling the eyes of a panda. Personally I couldn't really make it out. 
Five Flower Lake was even more unique as it was only 54ft deep and clear enough to see all the tree branches and bushes in the water. As for how the trees and bushes got there one can only assume it's natural though no one was able to confirm it.
From there I made my way to Long River, the tip of the left valley. At an altitude of 10,039 ft this is the biggest and deepest lake in Jiuzhaigou. The locals call it the mother lake. This lake also feeds to the nearby Five Color Pool, the smallest lake in the park but also the most intense in color. Compared to the lakes in Rize, I found this one to be less impressive.
By 3pm I was ready to head back when suddenly the sun shined through the clouds. Looking up, I couldn't believe my luck as patches of blue started to emerge. I decided to retrace my steps slightly and see the lakes under this new light. As I reached Pearl Shoal Falls just in time to see the warm rays bounce off the water I was truly speechless. 
Rating:
Atmosphere: The little town of Jiuzhai is completely catered towards tourists. Up and down the streets all you find is restaurants and hotels. It also turns out that all these places has a local performance. Never being able to truly appreciate the arts and feeling like they are just a tourist scam I decided to skip.
Beauty: The sights of Huang Long and Jiuzhaigou was every bit as pretty as people claim them to be. Though this place has long become a favorite destination of locals, you really don't see many foreigners. Personally I think it's one of the prettiest park I've been to around the world.
Cleanliness: To have an attraction in China that pristine and and well maintained is almost beyond belief. The bathrooms were cleaner than anywhere else in China I have seen recently. The wooden walkways were sturdy and easy to walk on. It made the experience in the park much more enjoyable and well worth the 310yuan admission.
Food: Nothing special, same or slightly worst than Chengdu in flavor.
People: Before I came here I was not aware that the majority of the locals were Tibetan. Hence a lot of the people, buildings, and even prayer flags were similar to what I just saw in Lhasa. Again I didn't think the locals were extremely friendly and in fact many were even boarder line rude.
Last Comment: As I made my way through the massive crowds in the park, I forgot how much I hated this part of China. Even though there were two dozen buses lined up to take people to the sights, people pushed on as if that was the last one. I know etiquette has improved a lot in China in the past decade, however compared to Western standards there is much more to go.
Rating: 1-10 = 8
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