Germany just lost 2:1 to Italy in the Euro 2012 semi-finals, effectively breaking my heart. Finding myself too upset to go back to sleep, I hope writing this post, which chronicles the first two days of my ongoing trip in Sichuan, will bring some much needed distraction.
Sichuan (四川）is the populous and mountainous region in the Chinese Southwest, known to outsiders for being the home of hotpot, spicy food, giant pandas, and the millions of migrant workers now spread across China. But during this trip, which started in the sprawling metropolis of Chongqing (重庆）and takes me deep northeast along the Yangtze River into the mountain ranges of Wulong, I sought to see another side of Sichuan, cross paths with the yet unexplored, and soak in the tranquility of its natural beauty.
We landed in Chongqing and found a city shrouded in fog. The area is almost always foggy due to the proximity of its enveloping mountain ranges, but these days, it difficult to distinguish fog from pollution. Here, the Yangtze, which holds a deeply spiritual significance for the Chinese people, has been reduced to a yellowish concoction of mud and waste water. The sheer amount of destruction we have done to the environment in the pursuit of economic growth continually shock me, but for the impoverished regions of China, it is truly a tough balance to strike.
Escaping the city, we embarked on a three hour drive away from Chongqing and into the mountain ranges of southern Sichuan. Swirling mists and lush greenery accompanied us as the car slowly climbed the altitudes.
Arriving in Wulong, the magnificent view of the Furong River (芙蓉江）greeted me as I stepped out of the car.
The newest local attraction is a “speed slide” across the Furong River. You are hooked to this thin rail about 200 meters above ground and “fly” across, through the mists, at a heart attack-inducing speed. More on this later.
Wulong is famed for its limestone caves and karst geography. This particular one, hundreds of millions of years in the making, stretches more than 4 kilometers underground and offers truly mind-blowing structures of calcium carbonate.
But the highlight has to be the Three Skybridges National Park (天生三桥), which takes visitors inside a deep valley, where three naturally-formed stone bridges tower over in all of nature’s majesty. It had just rained, and the peaks were still shrouded in fog. Descending down the stairway into the valley was otherworldly, it felt as if I was travelling back to a simpler time, when man was still at peace with nature.
And nestled beneath the first sky bridge – an ancient guard post. For thousands of years, it was a key rest stop for messengers on horseback en route to the faraway capital.
Although ascetic ideals never held much meaning for me, this place, with all its mystery, makes me want to abandon all the materialistic lures and meaningless worries of modern life. build a straw hut in this valley, and do some serious soul-searching. Perhaps one day…?
Finally, I am not a big risk taker, especially when it comes to physical thrills. But where’s place for fear when you are in a place that makes you want to forget the world? So yes, I overcame my fear of heights and did the “speed slide” across the river, hooked only onto two thin rails and strapped to a piece of plastic, screaming all the way. In the end, this was the adventure I was looking for, and god knows I’ll never be scared of a Six Flags rollercoaster again.
Musings of a Leaf 