Blogs from Yubeng, Mei Li Snow Mountain, Yunnan, China, Asia

The next morning we lazed about and watched the New Years TV specials on both the regular Han Chinese CCTV and the Sichuan Tibetan channel. One act that stands out was an outer-space-themed acrobatic dance performed by men in pink spandex Tron costumes who tok themselves very seriously. I also enjoyed seeing traditional Tibetan dancing, costumes and music, which I had not seen before. Besides Si Tu and me, everyone from our original group left. The two of us stuck around for the New Years celebration. That afternoon, the men sat across from each other in a clearing (um we were all basically sitting in Yak poop) and drank, aate snacks, told jokes, and sang song. I guess as the weird foreigner I was allowed to go to these guys-only things. They provided Si Tu and ... read more

We got up early the next morning to watch the rising sun fall on Meilixueshan's various peaks, but we were clouded out. The three of us joined to other hikers in Feilaisi, an accountant from Hangzhou and a graphic designer from Beijing (with a wicked Beijing accent), and together we took a minivan to the hot springs near Xidang to start our hike. The van was 200 kuai total or 40/person. On our way in, we had to buy 80 kuai (40 student) entrance tickets. To get to the village of Yubeng, we started at 9,000 feet, hiked to a mountain pass (yakou) at 12,000 feet, and then descended to the village valley at 11,000 feet. From the beginning, I was breathing quite heavily and I was always grateful when we took a break to let ... read more