up at 6.30 am. didn't sleep well. decided the altitude was responsible. mercifully, the headache did not reappear and my appetite was back. breakfast (included) was a full buffet spread but since i couldn't stomach a full chinese meal at 7 in the morning, appetite or no, ended up with sausages, an egg, bread and tepid coffeewater.
no cabs waiting outside so asked the hotel for help and wu shifu was duly produced. 120rmb to and from the entrance to jzg. seemed to be a fixed price structure in place, albeit one that was fixed high. the fact that it was off-peak season meant no real options either. wu told us later that his wife worked at the hotel and that he was staying there as well. promised us lowest possible rates and even rooms in peak season if we contacted him.
paid 160rmb for the entrance ticket, which could be used for a second day if your mug is scanned onto the ticket at the point of purchase. this was only valid during the off-peak season (16 nov to 31 mar), as was the discounted ticket price (310rmb otherwise).
happily, jzg lived up to its reputation and was beautiful, with its clear crystalline pools of blue and aquamarine and gorgeous waterfalls of impressive breadth. and still, everyone kept saying it would be even more spectacular in spring, and especially in the fall, when the riot of colours are in full bloom. but the thought of crowds in multiples of what we encountered was not an enticing one.
there was a structured route within the park and one hopped off and on the minivans at the designated vistas, though it was entirely possible to walk as well. still, the days of staying overnight in the park area in the tibetan villages (or zhai) were long gone.
lunch was 25rmb at the main rest stop-cum-indoor shopping bazaar. decided no point forking out extra for the 40rmb VIP buffet. 25rmb meant no meat. well, there were purportedly meat dishes but they vanished quickly and refills were not forthcoming, while the soup tasted of no natural flavour known to man.
was out of the park by about 3, somewhat to the surprise of our driver.
no more hotpot given its long-lasting lingering smell so the only other option was to order dishes at the main chinese restaurant. traipsed up to the second floor only to be asked to order on the first floor as they were tied up with tour groups; patience tried when first floor tried to shunt us back to second. eventually accommodated in yet another cavernous dining area. helped that there was an irate couple behind us who wanted to order dishes as well. 84rmb for salted fish brinjal claypot, which came swimming in oil though it did go well with rice, and veggies in soup, which was too salty.