Thick Fog Shrouding the Shika Snow Mountain 石卡雪山
Shika Snow Mountain is one of the more significant sights in Shangrila. Surprisingly it is also one of the more accessible ones, considering the height of the mountain, it was just outside the city. I was quite surprised to know how near it was and made me feel that the CNY 80 I would be charged for hiring the van was a little too expensive since it was too near. I should have done a little more research on that. Anyway, now that I was there, it was time to a little exploring. The first part of exploring Shika Snow Mountain was the cable car.
A Look Back at the Cable Car Station at Shika Snow Mountain 石卡雪山
Any self-respecting mountain in China would have its own cable car. This seems to be a necessity as the mountain is milked for its tourism potential. It is a good convenience as road need not be built all the way to the top of the mountain. With a cable car, they can charge more for its use. My driver, another local guide and I were in a car going up the mountain. Both of them were ethnic Tibetan, but the quite attractive lady seems to speak very good Mandarin, this is in total contrast to my guide who I could hardly understand at all. This made me feel sorry I hired him. Maybe next time I should screen for Mandarin proficiency.
The cable car was climbing very high up. The summit seems to be shrouded in clouds and I was unable to tell how far up we would be going. What I then realized was that the more we climb up, the higher our elevation. I then became extremely concerned about the altitude and how much thinner the air will be up on the mountain. If I faint at least I have two of them help me.
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