It was hell of a f*** month. I've got a new camera to try out (kinda) and right before the
so long-waited trip we had to suddenly move into a new place, so it's been a mess in my head right
until it was time to go to the airport. Luckily, moving is almost done, trip is already behind
and, you know, I have to bother you with my travels from time to time, so bear with me.
Yo, welcome back to Aperture Value! So today is a travel episode.
The previous trip along the Silk Road happened around half year ago,
therefore I was pretty excited about this one. Like most of you, I can't wait to smash some fresh stamps
into my passport, but we all know the drill for this year, don't we? The destination was Tibetan
Mountains, the western part of them to be more exact. I really hoped they are still considered
to be Himalayas, you know, for the bucket list, but after checking maps they basically said
Just like Himalayas, they're formed by Tibetan plateau, but run from north to south. In China
this range is called Hengduan Mountains and most of it is located in Sichuan province, the capital
of it is Chengdu. So that's where we started! I've got my Ricoh GR10 with me, it still had some Kodak Gold
shots left on it, but since no way it would be enough, I decided to try out the legendary, finest
Fuji Velvia, and just in case I also purchased a roll of Fuji C200. And of course I also took
my lovely X-Pro3 with few lenses. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I got myself a Contax
Zeiss 90mm 2.8 to try out and since I was so busy before the trip, mountains were literally
the first place I've used it. Lastly, many of you asked to include in my X100 review how does it
hold up as a travel camera in 2021, so it took its place in my bag too. Although the rainy season starts
there in June, right before departure the forecast showed rainstorms throughout the week, so honestly
I was already planning staycation in Chengdu... Because of the weather our flight got delayed and
we arrived very late, so after getting our rent ride, joined by our friends, we headed straight to
hotel, where we slept until brunch time. The weather so far wasn't as bad, but still cloudy and chilly.
It was enough to lift our spirits, because we were praying to at least not have any rain.
First stop was Ya'an, the place of panda base research center or whatever, and yeah, forgot
to mention: Sichuan is where pandas come from, so it's like tequila in Tequila City - it's everywhere.
And it would be a sin not to go and check out the laziest ass bears out there.
Overcast sky with chilly humid weather was perfect,
pandas were cute and overall we left with positive emotions.
After panda base we hopped in the car and went to our next sleepover place
situated high up in the mountains.
We chose this place because they have famous natural hot springs, so
even though it was dark already when we checked in, I went straight ahead to soak
my balls in these awesome springs, which by the end all of us enjoyed.
This seems to be a great opportunity for Ricoh GR10
but I seriously was afraid that it will play Jack on me
It got me thinking I need to get some waterproof point and shoot in
the future, tell me if you have any ideas. Next morning was still cloudy, but after
breakfast the weather surprised us by getting better and better,
so we headed north through the mountain ranges reaching elevation over 5000 meters above the sea level
We made a bunch of stops on our way to snowy mountains that we actually
came for, for now they're still far in the distance.
For lunch we had a local specialty: spicy hot pot. Sichuan province is famous for it's spicy flavors.
I just hoped for it to be not so hot on their way out.
More and more Tibetan signs on the way.
We made a quick stop in Tagong prairie,
there is a Tibetan temple with snowy Mount Yala in the background.
They also had great yak jerky that I got hooked on since my Silk Road trip.
For the night we stopped in a great place with beautiful view and friendly doggy
Early morning we set off to a nearby Moshi park, which looks like an alien planet.
Next stop was Yala Mountain, the snow peak mountain
we've seen before in the distance. Up close it's even more beautiful.
We had to stop for the night in Danba, a mountain town,
but after having lunch there we found out from the owner that the road will be closed all
day tomorrow, so after checking out the town, we headed directly to our next destination,
therefore saving one day. We arrived late to a Four Sisters Mountain park, but it was
raining all night and in the morning things didn't get any better. I made
a wet sisters joke, for which I got slapped. F*** rain and mist were forecasted to stay all day
and the visibility was zero, so there was no point of going up into the mountains...
I got a bit moody since it was supposed to be the highest and the prettiest place in our journey.
Anyway, as you've understood, I didn't take any pictures
there, so here are some stock photos of this place instead.
We decided to head back to Chengdu with a stop for lunch in a nearby city called
Dujiangyan, it is famous for its centuries old irrigation system which is the oldest and
only surviving no-damn system in the world. It was built centuries ago and is still used today,
in in camera world it would be probably Mamiya RBZ or something.
In the evening we arrived to Chengdu and after
checking in we went to see the famous climbing panda.
Since we had overcast days afterwards, we turned down all the sightseeing plans and
just went for some experiences, like the famous face changing performance
as well as petting zoo.
And again, as you've guessed, I shot none of the cameras
these few days... So in the end, I've had a glimpse of nice mountains, well
better than nothing, and also spend some time with Fuji X100 and my new Contax 90mm 2.8
Expect videos soon, I still need some more time with them. All-in-all, what can I say,
a break from routine is always nice!.. But I better get back to unpacking these damn boxes...