What an engrossing trip. We discovered the Eastern Tibetan Plateau wasn’t as untraveled as you may be led to believe. Chinese Nationals are the primary tourists right now but every year more Westerners discover this huge area with its variety of sights. It’s changing rapidly – like the rest of the world – get there [...]
“Travel Tips & Advice on Eastern Tibetan Plateau”
Reflections on Touring The Eastern Tibetan Plateau in China
February 4th, 2008 
Sheila Simkin 
Posted in Eastern Tibetan Plateau, Featured 
Tags: adventure, Asia, Chengdu, china, destination, Eastern Tibet, eastern Tibetan Plateau, event, events, Giant Panda Breeding Institute, information, landmark, log, nature, nomads, pandas, red pandas, sightseeing, travel 
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The Endangered Red Pandas of China
February 3rd, 2008 Sheila Simkin A Red Panda resembles a raccoon! Both the Giant Panda and Red Pandas share characteristics of both bears and raccoons but are only distantly related. Other Red Panda facts? – The Red Panda is native to Nepal’s Himalayas, Southern China, Southern Tibet, Bhutan and also found sparsely in a few other countries. It too is [...]
Posted in Eastern Tibetan Plateau, Featured Tags: adventure, Asia, Chengdu, china, destination, event, events, Giant Panda Breeding Institute, giant pandas, information, landmark, log, nature, nomads, pandas, red pandas, sightseeing, travel 2 Comments »
The Ever Popular Giant Panda Breeding Institute In Chengdu, China
February 2nd, 2008 Sheila Simkin What would a trip to the Chengdu area be without a visit to the Giant Panda Breeding Institute to see those adorable Pandas? Suggestion: Go early in the morning because after snarfing down piles of bamboo, the Pandas go into a food-coma (just like us) and sleep for hours. The Giant Panda Breeding Institute doesn’t [...]
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Mao Xian (Maoxian) Into Chengdu, home of Pandas in China
February 1st, 2008 Sheila Simkin It is a omplete surprise that we haven’t seen any dead bodies, animals or auto accidents anywhere on this trip. The highways (with the exception of tollways around Xining) are two-lanes filled with cars, trucks, people walking on the road, sheep and yaks crossing at will, little tractors. Going through unlit tunnels with little tractors [...]
Posted in Eastern Tibetan Plateau, Featured Tags: adventure, ancient Dujuiang Dam, Asia, Chengdu, china, destination, event, events, food, information, landmark, log, Mao Xian, Maoxian, nature, nomads, sightseeing, travel No Comments »
Songpan: From Huanglong Into Mao Xian (Maoxian) County, China
January 31st, 2008 Sheila Simkin It would be two hours by road before reaching Mu Ni Gou, located in Song Pan County. Songpan is east of the vast Aba Autonomous Prefecture which sprawls over the Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai borders. This area is the domain of the Goloks (a nomadic group of herders) and a Bonpa stronghold. Both tribes you [...]
Walking Down Huanglong Scenic Reserve, China
January 30th, 2008 Sheila Simkin The Huanglong Reserve covers over a 1,000 square km/600 miles of rough terrain at an average altitude of 3,000m/9,800′. This valley was carved out by a glacier and the limestone-rich waters flowing down the valley have left yellow calcified deposits between hundreds of blue ponds. The entire circuit, on either wooden boardwalks that have to [...]
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Two Gorgeous Scenic Reserves: Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong in China
January 29th, 2008 Sheila Simkin It was a very long drive, over 2-1/2 hours from Jiuzhaigou to Huanglong, up and over mountains. Huanglong is a string of lakes and small ponds in a calcified valley with thick alpine forests. Already, I was not happy. The thought of driving this distance just to see another park was leaving me cold and [...]
In Jiuzhaigou Scenic Reserve: Middle To The Top Section, China
January 28th, 2008 Sheila Simkin Jiuzhaigou is in the southern part of the Minshan Mountains at an elevation of 2,000-4,300m/6,500-14,000′ and is one of the branch gullies at the source of the Jiulingjiang River in the Yangtze River system. This big “Y” shaped valley consists of Nuorilang with the two branches of Rize and Zechawa. There are over 114 lakes [...]
Posted in Eastern Tibetan Plateau Tags: adventure, Asia, china, destination, eastern Tibetan Plateau, event, events, information, Jiuzhaigou Scenic Reserve, landmark, log, nature, nomads, sightseeing, travel No Comments »
In Jiuzhaigou Scenic Reserve: Bottom To The Middle Section, China
January 27th, 2008 Sheila Simkin Approximately 1,000,000 people visit annually and there were over 15,000 today. “Jewz” means “9 Stockades Gully.” It is 14k/8+ miles from park gate to center of reserve, then 15k/9.3 miles to the Primeval Forest at the top from the center. Bus stops all along the route and the routes are divided from bottom to middle [...]
Posted in Eastern Tibetan Plateau Tags: adventure, Asia, china, destination, eastern Tibetan Plateau, event, events, information, Jiuzhaigou Scenic Reserve, landmark, log, nature, nomads, sightseeing, travel No Comments »
Ruo Er Gai and into Jiu Zhai Gou (Jiuzhaigou) National Park, China
January 26th, 2008 Sheila Simkin Today’s destination was Jiu Zhai Gou (Jiuzhaigou) Scenic Reserve for some exploration. Jiuzhaigou is in a valley with lakes and some waterfalls, “discovered” by tourists in the 1970′s and is now being groomed by the Chinese Government for a huge influx of visitors (primarily Han Chinese). Ruo Er Gai was an interesting little town. even [...]
