Pan-Asian Gallivanting

While in Shangri-La with Alek he turned me onto Meili Snow Mountain Park and the trek that he was going to do in that area. Since it seemed interesting and I had nothing better to do (ha) I decided to join him for the trip!

We boarded a bus for Deqin in the northwestern part of Yunnan Province. Once there we caught a local bus to XiDang which is at the heart of the Park. Before I get into the details of our journey it is important to note that Northwestern Yunnan Province is culturally Tibetan. This is evident in the Tibetan script added to shop and road signs as well as the abundance of white Tibetan Buddhist pagodas which dot the landscape. If I were to go to Tibet I would have to obtain a permit. And to get this permit I would have to pay around $1500 for a prearranged tour. So, basically this area is one of the few areas in the world where you can experience Tibetan culture without actually being in Tibet (I believe the other areas are just north of Tibet Province and in Northern Indian, which I plan on visiting on this trip).

On our first day we hiked for 5 hours to Upper YuBeng….boy was it tough. Even though we had only packed my 45 liter bag with both of our essentials, leaving useless stuff back at the hostel in Shangri-La to pick up upon our return, the hike was grueling and long. The terrain was so steep that it seemed like every step was like climbing two steeps of a staircase at a time. We switched carrying the backpack every thirty minutes but the steepness of the trail and the altitude left us wishing for the finish line. Our relief came when we reached the peak of the climb. What we came across was a train COVERED above and on both sides by hundreds upon hundreds of Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags blowing in the wind. It was almost like walking into a tunnel with all of the flags around. This tunnel continued for a good 2 minutes walk until we came to an opening in the tree cover, unveiling the astounding 6000-7000m peaks! (I also have a movie of this and can’t wait to show you!)

We descended down the trail and then nestled into a cozy family hostel for the night in Upper YuBeng. Luckily we arrived a night before there was to be a full moon and the evenings were spectacular with the towering snow-covered peaks glistening over the tiny YuBeng village.

On our first day in YuBeng Alek and I hiked up to the base camp (3700m) of one of the mountains and then further up to a glacial lake(4000m). It was astounding viewing these massive mountains and the glaciers that perched upon them!

On our second day we headed up to the Sacred waterfall at the base of Kawagebo Peak, one of the eight sacred mountains of Tibetan Buddhism. It took us a long time but once we arrived we stumbled upon a family chanting/singing to the waterfall. We then joined them as they circumnavigated the waterfall three times and then ritually cleansed our extremities with the water from the waterfall. (pictures to come…and a movie when i get home!) I can’t even explain how amazing this experience was! It was almost surreal stumbling upon such a sacred ritual in such a sublime setting…

After departing the waterfall we headed back to YuBeng and then back to XiDang. We ended up hiking all day (12 hours in all) and passed out once we arrived at the hostel in XiDang.

We left the following day for Shangri-La.

for more information on the park: http://www.nature.org/wherewework/asiapacific/china/work/art13271.html