Lijiang (Yunnan Province) - part 2

On our 2nd day in Lijiang, we went to see the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The plan was to go to Glacier Park and take a cable car to 4,680 meters (15,350 feet). It would likely be cold and might even have snow, and that elevation is no joke. We bought a couple of canisters of bottled oxygen in case we had any issues with the altitude. 

We hadn’t had very many views of the mountains yet because of cloud cover, but as we drove they peaked out in all their magnificence! 

This is what happens when not everyone understands the assignment ...

Unfortunately, when we got to the check-point for Glacier Park, we were told that the cable car stopped running because of high winds. So, we wouldn’t be going up to view Jade Dragon Snow Mountain up close after-all. 

Instead, we went to the nearby Blue Moon Valley. It was lovely, but was a bit crowded with all the tourists who had been redirected like us. 

Also, it seemed to be a very popular spot to for people to take wedding or engagement style photos. 

We had a bit of fun here, trying out our oxygen canisters for fun and sitting on a yak. 

At one point near the visitor's center, Tom noticed a strange looking ramp. He asked our guide, Martin, what it was. 

Martin, “Oh, that’s part of the stage for the Impressions show.” 

Tom, “What’s that?”

Martin, “It’s a cultural show that was created by Chang Yimou. He’s the one who directed the opening ceremonies to the 2008 Olympics.” 

Me, “Whaaaaaaa! Can we go?! Please!”

Martin made a few phone calls and within an hour we were seated in this spectacular open-air theater with blue skies, white clouds and the magnificent Jade Dragon Snow Mountain as the backdrop. 

Everyone was given hats to protect us from the sun.

Who else thinks this looks like the most bizarre Trump rally ever?

This show blew me away! I had never seen anything like this, and I was mesmerized from the beginning to the end. It featured a cast of 500 untrained dancers and actors and took us through the story of the Tea Horse Road that drove the trade of tea (specifically Pu-er) from China to Tibet. The stage was in front and behind us and at one point, drummers had circled the audience. 

After the show, we drove to a nearby village to spend some time with the Shaman of the Naxi minority people group. Our host, who was a 33rd generation Dongba (Naxi Shaman), brought us tea, oranges and some local sweets. Then he taught us a bit of the Naxi script. 

Then we went to the Shaman’s house where he had prepared a dough for us to roll out and deep fry. We were delighted to find that this was the same bread that we had loved in Nepal that was sometimes called Gurung Bread and other times was called Tibetan Bread.

I can’t actually remember what the Shaman called it. 

No matter what it was called, it was delicious. And the entire afternoon was really special.