October Jiuzhai Golden Autumn Trip: A Spontaneous Romantic Encounter!

— Embark on an autumn fairy tale with your loved one in Jiuzhai, and find warm moments at Jingshui Yunju

🚄 Departure: A sudden impulse of romance

On the morning of October 20th, the sunshine in Chengdu carried the scent of osmanthus through the curtains. Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I glanced over to see them lying on the bed scrolling on their phone, then suddenly looked up: "The maple leaves in Jiuzhaigou have turned red. Shall we go now?"

Without hesitation, we grabbed our backpacks and rushed to the station—Chengdu East Station → Jiuzhaigou Station. The 2-hour high-speed train felt like a tunnel through time and space. Outside the window, the steel jungle gradually transformed into layered mountains, with golden birch forests and fiery red maples intertwined, as if God had accidentally spilled a palette of colors. They rested their head on my shoulder and whispered, "Look, even the road is urging us toward autumn."

🏡 Accommodation: Jingshui Yunju, a fairy tale house tucked into autumn

When we arrived at Jiuzhai Huanglong Station, a chilly drizzle greeted us. Taking the direct shuttle to the scenic area and turning the last bend, the Jiuzhai Qian Guqing Scenic Area suddenly came into view. The homestay manager had called me in advance to say they were at the Qian Guqing lower field. After getting off, I called the manager, who quickly appeared with great enthusiasm, helped us with our luggage, checked us in, introduced the room, and recommended places to eat—very thoughtful [strong].

• Room details: We stayed in the "Yunhai" room with a full wall of windows. In the morning, kissed awake by sunlight, the colorful forest cast shadows on the headboard; at night, lying under the starry skylight, we counted shooting stars tracing the snowy mountain outlines.

🍂 Jiuzhaigou: Falling into a fairy tale world in autumn colors. Early the next day, we grabbed the barley cakes packed by the front desk girl and rushed into the scenic area. Jiuzhaigou in October seemed enchanted, with every spot a wallpaper-worthy scene:

• Five Flower Lake: The water was as blue as if soaked by the sky. When sunlight penetrated the surface, fish danced a waltz in the colorful light and shadow. They squatted by the shore taking photos for half an hour, then suddenly shouted holding up the camera: "Look! Doesn’t this maple leaf look like a heart?"

• Pearl Shoal Waterfall: Water rushed down through the colorful forest, and the splashing droplets sparkled like shattered diamonds in the sunlight. Wrapped in the homestay’s Tibetan shawls, watching the waterfall that appeared in Journey to the West roar before our eyes, they suddenly hugged me from behind: "This is ten thousand times more beautiful than on TV!"

• Long Lake: The highest lake was as still as a mirror, with snowy mountains reflected in the water, as if frozen by a spell. We sat wrapped in shawls for half an hour, listening to the wind through the pine forest, only getting up when our noses turned red from the cold.

🔥 Night Talk: Warm celebration by the barbecue grill

Returning to the homestay at dusk, the aroma of grilled meat suddenly wafted from the backyard. The front desk girl had set up a barbecue grill and was roasting with several guests. Seeing us return, she immediately handed us two skewers of yak meat: "Try this, our yaks here grow up eating cordyceps!"

• Barbecue party: The yak meat sizzled with oil over the charcoal fire, and the barley cakes were sweet and soft. We clinked glasses with travelers from all over. A brother from Beijing shared thrilling stories of his self-drive trip in western Sichuan, a couple from Shanghai captured the starry sky with their camera, and an aunt from Guangzhou insisted on giving us a pack of ginger candy: "For warmth!"

• Late-night whispers: After the barbecue, we lay on the terrace loungers watching the Milky Way hang like a chain of shattered diamonds over the snowy peaks. "Autumn nights in Jiuzhai need a little warmth," they suddenly whispered in my ear. "Next year, let’s bring our parents here together?"

💌 Travel reflections: Traveling with you is the most beautiful scenery

This trip had no itinerary, but surprises everywhere:

• By Five Flower Lake, they picked a maple leaf and slipped it into my notebook, writing on the back: "When we’re old and flip to this page, we can still smell Jiuzhai’s autumn."

• By the barbecue grill, the aunt from Guangzhou taught us to say "Tashi Delek" in Tibetan, and the front desk girl joked: "In Jiuzhai, happiness needs no translation."

• On the return high-speed train, flipping through photos on our phones, we suddenly realized: the most beautiful thing wasn’t the lakes or colorful forests, but the starlight in their eyes when they shouted “Look here” holding the camera.

📌 Practical Tips

1. Transportation: Chengdu East Station → Jiuzhaigou Station (2 trains daily, about 3 hours). After exiting, take a taxi to the homestay about 20 minutes (around 50 RMB).

2. Tickets: Jiuzhaigou tickets must be booked in advance on the "Aba Tourism Website" (peak season 190 RMB + sightseeing bus 90 RMB). ID card required for entry.

3. Clothing: October in Jiuzhaigou has a large temperature difference between day and night (0-10°C). Recommended "onion-style" dressing: thin sweater + windbreaker + scarf, and wear non-slip sneakers (warning: 20,000 steps per day!).

4. Jingshui Yunju:

• Offers free Tibetan costume experience and shuttle service (contact in advance).

• The homestay provides power banks, umbrellas, and other emergency items available for borrowing anytime.

"Some say Jiuzhaigou’s autumn is God’s palette; I want to say Jiuzhaigou’s autumn is every warm moment spent with you."

— This spontaneous trip was perfect because of you.