frauke at large

Soaring to 5500m above sea level, some 35 km outside of Lijiang lays Yulong Xueshan. It is the southern most glacier in the Northern hemisphere.

Set off quite early in the morning on Thursday to go and see Jade Dragon Mountain. Getting there didn’t take half as long as getting the stacks of different tickets required to actually go and see this wonderful place. Slightly mislead by our photocopied guidebook pages we first ended up going to Yak Meadow – a tranquil meadow providing stunning views of the high rising mountains in the background. Yak is a long-haired bovine native to this region and parts of Tibet. Although we did not get to see any wild Yak and, mind you not much of the mountain either as it the clouds were obscuring the view, we had a nice time strolling long the sides of the meadow – I in particular as I was pleased to discover many different types of Azalea flowering in the wild in big bushes and trees and, on our way back to the ‘base station’ a wild, flowering Peony. It’s single flowering petals were a lush, deep, dark red, and the stamen bright yellow; a great combination of colours and a joy to discover in the wild, when peonies are somewhat of a ‘princess’ at home.

Several more tickets and another bus ride later we finally stood at an altitude of 3300m and at the bottom of a great gondola ride which would take us all the way up to 4506m to see this spectacular mountain top up close.

I guess at this kind of altitude it is quite common to experience altitude sickness, consequently, as a precaution, one could buy oxygen bottles to counter shortness of breath and queasiness. True to form, many chain-smoking Chinese tourists were carrying bottles of oxygen with them. Paradoxically they did not stop smoking once they reached the top but instead held their cigarettes in one hand and the oxygen bottle in the other, alternating either hand to their mouths. A gentle reminder that smoking was not permitted, by pointing to the ‘no smoking’ sign, only provoked their movement 10 m away from the sign, to an area where, surely, smoking must be permitted again, ignoring entirely any heath risks.

The views from the top were spectacular. One could stand in the snow and see all the way to the green, lush plains blow, where, not long ago, we had stood enjoying the clean mountain air and the warmth of the sun.

On the way back down, through the gondola window, I marveled at the horticultural wonderland expanding as we descended. The mountain face was covered in white and pink Azalea, until, towards the foot of the mountain,varieties such as Magnolia, Eucalyptus, Aloe, Roses, Primulas and Passion Flowers adorned the landscape. Also saw some animal footprints in the snow, must have been mountain goats or something similar judging from the patterns, however unfortunately I did not actually see any animals.

What I like so much about Lijiang is not just the variety of picturesque scenery and horticulture, but also the way in which the villages and houses blend into the surroundings. No sky scrapers violate the landscape. The taxi drivers don’t race to get you to your destination, but drive at a civilised speed – enforcing the relaxed, calm, holiday atmosphere. Spent another evening at the old town, this time sitting in a bar by the canal drinking cold beer and plum wine after an eventful day, several climatic regions, and many ticket queues.

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