Charming Yunnan: Day 04d Meili Snow Mountain

Alas, luck was not on our side again. When we arrived at the viewing platform in the evening, it was quite promising. Though the high peaks are covered by clouds, it was sunny and looked like the clouds would clear. Indeed when I woke up at 1am the sky was clear and I could see the outline of Mount Kawagebo. Unfortunately a few hours later the weather turned bad and remained that way until we left. Fortunately we were able to catch a glimpse of Mount Kawagebo and the other peaks before we left.

Anyway, Meili Snow Mountain is located in north west Yunnan near the border with Tibet. There are 13 peaks of the Meli are more than 6000 meters above the sea level, called Prince 13 peaks. Mount Kagwaebo, the main peak in the Meli Snow Mountains, 6740 meters above the sea level, is the highest peak in Yunnan Province. It is a holy place of pilgrimage for Tibetan Buddhists and the first of the eight great divine mountains in Tibetan region. In clear weather the mountain range is one of nature's most formidable displays.

To local Tibetans, Mount Kawagebo is the residence of their guardian deity and they believe that once the mountain is scaled by man, the God will leave, and without the God's blessing, disasters will happen. Astonishingly, the summit of Kawagebo has yet to be conquered and it remains one of the world's last great mountaineering challenges.　

The last attempt to climb the mountain was in 1991 by a group of Chinese and Japanese climbers. They died before summiting. It is said that the Japanese got the permission to climb this sacred mountain by bribing the local officials with cars. Since then it appears that the locals dislike Japanese. There is a storey that a Japanese made 10 failed attempts to see Mount Kawagebo (so we were not that unlucky afterall).

The largest town near Meili Snow mountain is Deqin, which is built in a valley. You can't see the mountain from this town. There are two places that provides the best view of the mountain. First is a viewing platform before Deqin where there is one or two hotels. The second place is at Feilai Si, 15km north of Deqin. This is a village perched on the slope of the mountain with several hotels. We stayed at Feila Si.

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1. Chotens at the viewing platform