The other day, I wrote an article about our 3-day eco-tourism hike in the Zharu Valley near Jiuzhaigou National Park. I’ve been living in China for almost four years now, and in that time I have traveled to many places and experienced many adventures. This one in particular stands out above the rest, and I believe I will always count it as one of the best experiences of my life, and not just my time in China. It was challenging, rewarding, and eye-opening, and it reinvigorated my love for traveling and learning about the fascinating language and culture of China (and other countries, for that matter). Of course, I brought both of my cameras along on the hike. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video must be worth a million. Here are the highlights from the first day of our backpacking trek in northern Sichuan:

生态旅游 – shēng tài lǚ yóu

eco-tourism

 

背包客 – bèi bāo kè

backpacker

 

扎如沟 – zhā rú gōu

Zharu Valley

 

扎依扎嘎 – zhā yī zhā gā

Zha Yi Zha Ga Mountain

 

苯波教 – běn bō jiào

Benbo religion

 

我们在这里休息一下

wǒ men zài zhè lǐ xiū xi yí xià

We took a rest here.

 

导游 – dǎo yóu

tour guide

 

采摘浆果 – cǎi zhāi jiāng guǒ

pick berries

 

瀑布 – pù bù

waterfall

 

加油! – jiā yóu

Come on! (lit. “add oil”)

 

窝棚 – wō péng

shack

 

茶, 沙丁鱼, 和方便面

chá, shā dīng yú hé fāng biàn miàn

tea, sardines, and instant noodles

 

白酒 – bái jiǔ

rice liquor

 

够了吗? – gòu le ma

Is it enough?

 

够了! – gòu le

It’s enough!