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Woke to a rumbling sound. The too much chilli variety. On top of that Natarsha and I have a cold. We visited the Drug Store and with much pantomime purchased some pain killers and cough serum. Reading the leaflet enclosed we discover the cough medicine’s main ingredient is snake bile. Not sure if that is what Benadryl has in it or not.
Wandering out of the old town we are soon accosted by a couple of ladies in a small minivan. I decide to try the proper tourist outlet but as usual they are indifferent to our requests. The lady seems to understand our itinerary. First stop – a coat hiring place (and the obligatory canister of oxygen), I realise now the mountain must be high. We drive out of Lijiang, climbing all the time, through sparsely covered, scrubby valley with huge mountains either side. Horses and the odd cow are grazing along the way.
Entering the national park we have to part with 150 Yuan each. It is 200 Yuan for the ladies with the minivan, and reaching the bottom of Jade Mountain we have to pay another 170 Yuan for the chairlift. We realise this is going to be
an expensive day.
We first hop on a bus which takes us to the chairlift. There is bus after bus lined up to take the tourist up the mountain. This is definitely not a unique experience. In fact I think most of China must be here.
Alighting the bus, we are herded along to the chairlift. Luckily, most people arrived a bit earlier than us.
We ascend the mountain above the Fir trees, cannot see a thing because it is raining so solidly, with a thick fog as well. We are starting to think this is a waste of money but then we reach the top, the weather starts to clear, and our hopes rise. I hope it is nice just to prove Thomas wrong, who has been “I told you so-ing “ all morning.
I cannot breathe; it seems a great weight is pushing down on my chest. A quick suck of oxygen seems to give me a quick hit of energy, but then I am dull again. We are 4500 metres above sea level. A staircase invites us further up the mountain to view a glacier. What can you do you? We feel we have to go. Stepping
steadily and carefully, we gasp our way up the mountain, finally reaching the top 4696 metres up.
The mountain and the Glacier are magnificent and like magic the sun breaks through for that great photo (and isn’t there some clicking going on). The Chinese have camera’s that put Kathy’s to shame.
The most difficult and maybe the most rewarding part of the journey though are the group shots of us with our Chinese friends. We feel like royalty – they just love us. We saw no Westerners on our whole day out which is pretty amazing.
Returned home via the obligatory village, ate some pizza for dinner and retired to bed.
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Maree Stewart
non-member comment
WOW!!!
Fantastic photo!!! Amazing scenery!!! this may be a stupid question but why do you all have shorts on? with snow covered mountains in the background?? and suffering with colds?...has the snake oil serum affected your logic?? have fun, travel safe & take care xox the Stewarts