Leisurely Traveler with Check-in System

(If there are subscription and monthly tickets after more updates, only then will I have the motivation to continue updating in the future!)

They had finished touring Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area in one day.

But Li Younan and their friends planned to stay in Jiuzhaigou for three days.

On the second day, it was naturally Ze Wangxiu who took them camping and barbecuing.

The area around Jiuzhaigou is mountainous, unlike the plains where many suitable riverbanks for camping can be found.

If you want to camp, you have to go deep into the valleys.

Although there are occasional flat lands along the national highway, they are not very suitable for camping, and some areas are regulated by authorities.

If tourists drive there by themselves, it’s indeed hard to find camping spots.

But for Ze Wangxiu, a local, this was quite easy.

Not far from their accommodation, there was a small road diverging from the national highway into the valley.

Ze Wangxiu explained, "There are large grassy slopes on the mountain and a Tibetan village. Normally, tourists can’t go up the slopes, but I can take you up there."

Li Younan’s car followed Ze Wangxiu’s car all the way up, and it wasn’t very far.

After a kilometer or two, the cars had entered the village Ze Wangxiu mentioned.

This is a very pure Tibetan village, built halfway up the mountain with plenty of sunshine.

Although it’s called a village, it’s not far from the national highway and is quite accessible.

The village also has several inns, with many prayer flags around the wooden houses.

Occasionally, you can see Tibetan grandmothers spinning prayer wheels in the sun; there aren’t many people farming anymore, but you can still see vegetable plots beside many old houses.

Yesterday, Ze Wangxiu told Li Younan that Tibetan areas are divided into farming and pastoral areas, and Jiuzhaigou, before the scenic area was developed, was a typical farming area, growing grains and vegetables, raising some livestock, not much different from the Han people in this regard.

The car kept going up, almost through the whole village, and ahead was a section of off-road terrain. Near a small wooden cabin, Ze Wangxiu stopped his car.

Li Younan followed him and parked, jumping out of the car to check the situation.

Ze Wangxiu pointed to the wooden house with a small courtyard and said, "This is a coffee shop I’m setting up; it’s still under renovation. I’m going to check its progress."

Li Younan was somewhat surprised. He looked around; this was already the edge of the village and not near the highway. Opening a coffee shop in such a place... well, it was hard for Li Younan to judge.

Although he didn’t really understand business, he still felt it might not be that easy to run.

Ze Wangxiu took a tour inside, and out of curiosity, Li Younan followed suit.

The small coffee shop was quite distinctive, situated on a hillside with a great view.

The courtyard was furnished with tables, chairs, and a canopy, creating a camping-like atmosphere with a direct overlook of the valley.

The decoration was in a very authentic Tibetan style.

Ze Wangxiu explained, "We don’t only sell coffee; we also serve some snacks and meals."

Li Younan nodded.

Not delaying too long, they continued their journey.

As they went further up, houses disappeared, and the cars climbed a small hill, where a wooden fence blocked the way.

Ze Wangxiu jumped out of the car again and said, "Above is the grassland where cattle and horses are kept; we can’t let tourist cars drive up."

An elderly Tibetan man with a cowboy hat, who seemed to know Ze Wangxiu, exchanged a few words with him in Tibetan, then happily opened the gate.

Afterward, the cars continued driving up, and about ten minutes later, the view opened up.

This was almost the peak of the mountain.

Of course, going deeper, there were mountains upon mountains, stretching endlessly.

On this mountain top, there was a vast grassland. In the distance, cows and sheep could be seen lying in the shade under trees.

The climate here wasn’t particularly hot, but the sun was more piercing than in the plains.

They parked the cars in a relatively flat spot overlooking the valley below and started setting up the canopy.

Li Younan also noticed some wooden shelters surrounded by fences not far away, unsure of their purpose.

He asked Ze Wangxiu, who squinted and looked, then said, "Seems like it was set up by a college student from the village. I’m not sure what it’s for; he will come up later, and you can ask him."

Li Younan shook his head, "Never mind."

Ze Wangxiu was very enthusiastic. He didn’t expect anything from Li Younan, just purely wanted to make friends, inviting them to meals and taking them camping for a barbecue, now even helping set up tents.

Today, Zhao Ruoxuan was obviously very energetic, helping actively while Li Younan and others set up the canopy, chatting incessantly with Ze Wangxiu.

They had prepared the ingredients at the foot of the mountain and brought them up directly.

The barbecue used a charcoal stove, both the charcoal and the stove were provided by Ze Wangxiu.

Everyone unpacked the barbecue gear, set up the canopy, and arranged the folding chairs.

The sun gradually rose.

In this place, unlike in the plains, although the sun was big, it wasn’t actually hot. As long as you stayed in the shade, the temperature dropped immediately, mainly because the humidity here was very low.

There was a knack to barbecuing. To ensure everything went smoothly today, Li Younan had specially prepared a barbecue sauce yesterday, his own secret recipe, which could be brushed on directly while grilling, much simpler than other cooking methods.

It was now September, and the grass had not yet withered, with some unknown wildflowers in the distance.

Mom and Aunt Zhao went together to pick flowers and take photos over there.