Hello again, 11 hours after leaving chengdu i arrived in jiuzhaigou. the bus ride here was stunning. we passed mountains with snow capped peaks and alpine valleys leading into the town of jiuzhaigou. the first night i arrived to late to enter the nature reserve so i stayed in a cheep hotel just outside the park so i could wake up bright and early and enter the park. after a ten minute walk (10 minutes is a long time when you have a huge backpack on) i was in the park. using my travel card, which has nothing to do with me being a student, i entered the park on a student discount. it's great, because the chinese don't want to look like they can't read english they just give you the student discount aslong as you show them a card with your photo on it. after taking the bus inside the park for about 30 minutes longer than i should have, i started to walk through the park trying to find a place to stay in side the park so i didn't have to pay again to come in the next day. i asked tourist information and they said that there was nowhere to stay inside the park and that i'd have to leave and come again tomorrow, walking out feeling really pissed off i walked to a tibetan village inside the park and asked if they had a bed for the night, they did! i actually got a bed and a meal cheeper inside the park than what i could outside the park. i spent the rest of the day walking around probably the most beautiful park i have ever seen. there were trees everywhere with lakes and waterfalls scattered around the park and alot of the time i was on my own because all the chinese tourists take the bus everywhere and don't walk around the park atall. it's so beautiful in this park, like nothing i would ever expect from china, it's like i'd imagine parts of canada to be like. the next morning i woke up at 6am to get out and walk in the other direction of the park to see the rest of it before leaving. again, stunning scenery everywhere, more waterfalls, more lakes and lots more trees and rivers. i was told back in chengdu not to bother going to jiuzhaigou by this guy who went a few days before me because it was so overcast and he couldn't see alot, i think i must have chosen 2 of the clearest days of the year, just amazing. on the way out of the park i got chatting to an israelie guy called itai who stayed in the same place inside the park as i did the night before, and after telling him about my plans for my trip around the wild west of western sichuan he decided he'd like to join me, so i now have a new travelling buddy for the next couple of weeks. speak to you all soon. christopher