summer2009 roadtrip day 7

宝鸡(BaoJi): 嘉陵江源头(Source of JiaLing River)
凤县(FengXian): lunch
汉中(HanZhong): hotel

# # # waterfalls and bees # # #
Arms and legs were sore this morning from the boat-rowing and mud-stepping of yesterday.

Today's stop was going up the mountains near BaoJi to where the JiaLing River begins. Dad was particularly enthusiastic because the JiaLing River "ends" and merges with the Yellow River in ChongQing (where he lives), so he wants to see where it "starts".

The road up was pretty cool too because there were two "mini-waterfalls" that cross the road. Dad likes to refer to it as a free under-car wash.
First sightseeing area was the "first waterfall" from where the river begins. It pours over a 35m long slab of rock. The water's really cold, but unlike most other rivers we've seen, this one doesn't start from an ice cap (it's too hot there).
( # photos # )

Main attraction was, of course, the actual "source"...which wasn't really the source.
It was more like a slab of stone that says "source of JiaLing River" beside a small branch of the source. Such a rip off.
Besides that though, there were lots of huge bees collecting honey and butterflies collecting pollen along the path to the source so I snapped a few macros (which aren't really HQ since I'm using a very basic digicam).
( # photos # )

And then, the stairs of EPIC DOOM.
Basically there was this "sun watching" platform or something as the next stop, but parents gave up right away 'cause it was too high up. So Jeff and I climbed...and climbed...and climbed.
The lack of oxygen at that altitude didn't help at all.
The view wasn't really special either...maybe because it's supposed to be for watching sunrises/sunsets and we were there at...noon.
We counted afterwards...there were two hundred and eighty-seven steps.
( # photo # )

And then I slept for a few hours.


# # # phoenix: firebird or not? # # #
Woke up just as we entered FengXian (City of the Phoenix). Not exactly sure of why it's named that though...

Got into a heated debate on whether the "Chinese phoenix" was an actual bird, or if it is similar to the western myth of the fire bird. I swear I read somewhere that the fenghuang (Chinese name for "phoenix") was an ancient bird that really existed once. Then again I was probably 10 and my memory might have been compromised...

The city's gates had a really pretty hedge sculpture of a phoenix that Jeff snapped a photo of.
( # photo # )

Ate lunch there. It was a really busy little town, there were decorations everywhere in preparation for Dragon Boat Races, and there are statues of the Twelve Zodiac Animals along it's main street (no photos of those, some were covered up).

Arrived in HanZhong pretty early (6PM) considering our usual arrival times (approx. 8-9PM).
This place is supposed to be the Motherland of the Han culture or something? So I'm expecting to see lot of relics tomorrow. Maybe.

Yay new journal layout!