Jade Dragon Mountain - Yunnan

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Today was our official company outing - a kind of morale event that was meant to promote bonding and team spirit. And what better way to encourage people to huddle together in comradarie than at 5600m on a cold freezing mountain - Jade Dragon Mountain.

Jade Dragong Mountain is one of those iconic mountains of China, a plateau of snow rising above flat plains - reminiscent of Kilimanjaro. In true chinese tourist over-preparation fashion, the entry fee included a bottle of oxygen, just in case you felt light headed. We all crowded into a bus, which trundled us up the side of the mountain in record speed. The cold was surprisingly mild, considering our altitude. But then again, it was early autumn.

From our drop off point, it was a meer 1km to the peak - well a peak of sorts, as there were still peaks higher than us. Considering the altitude, it was surprisingly easy to make the climb. At one point, a colleague and I even decided to run a bit, just to show our extreme toughness 😊 Sadly, the climb wasn't easy for everybody - a number of poor asthmatics sucked bottle upon bottle of oxygen before finally deciding to turn back.

The peak was moderately awe inspiring. However, you really couldn't get a feel for the height (4700m) as all the other peaks about were also similar heights. Thus, you could have been at 1000m and still felt the same. Perhaps the most interesting sight was a golf course nestled up on one of peaks - one of the exclusive gold retreats designed for executive retreats in the area.

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