Sichuan 2025
chengdu, chongqing, jiuzhaigou, huanglong, tibetan plateau
huanglong, sichuan
Sichuan was the longest solo stretch I had done so far, with Chengdu as the base, then Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong, up toward the Tibetan Plateau, and back through Chongqing. Several weeks of travelling mostly alone made the days simpler in some ways and heavier in others. I could decide quickly, move at my own pace, and also had a lot more time sitting with my own thoughts.
Jiuzhaigou is hard to believe even while standing in front of it. The lakes sit in colours that look almost artificial, with turquoise, blue, and green water shifting under the light. I kept staying longer than planned at the viewing platforms because the colours changed depending on where I stood.
jiuzhaigou, sichuan
tibetan plateau
The Tibetan Plateau was the hardest part of the trip to describe plainly. The altitude made everything slower, the sky was a much deeper blue than at sea level, and the landscape was wide enough that distance stopped making normal sense. I rode a horse across open grassland with nothing visible for kilometres, and for once there was not much to say.
Chengdu brought the trip back down gently, while Chongqing threw me into a completely different pace. It is built vertically into the side of a mountain, with rivers below, roads stacked at different heights, and trains passing through places that look impossible at first glance. The hotpot on the second night was probably the best meal of the route, with chilli oil, numbing peppercorns, and two hours at the pot.
huanglong pools, sichuan
mount emei