11 September 2024
We brought fleece and/or down jackets for a trip to Yunnan in end of summer, just for this activity in our itinerary. This is the day where we would ascend by cable car to 4506 meters above sea level at Jade Dragon (Yulong) Snow Mountain (玉龙雪山) and then hike to an observation deck at 4680 meters.
It is known that the weather up in the mountain is unpredictable. The temperature could drop to 5°C on the top of the mountain. 
From Lijiang, we had arranged a private tour with car and guide for this trip. This is a very popular tourist destination and cable car tickets, especially to Glacier Park, can sell out quickly. So it is best to let the local travel agent do all the legwork to book all the tickets including those for Blue Moon Valley.
The drive from Lijiang to the cable car station is pleasant. We made a quick stop en-route to buy some oxygen canisters. The accessible altitude of this mountain is 4,600 meters which can cause altitude sickness, especially for people who lived all their lives at sea level where the oxygen level in the air is higher.
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is a spectacle of nature's beauty, with its 13 snow-capped peaks stretching across the horizon like a majestic white Chinese dragon. The weather for the past few days have been cloudy with intermittent light rain.
After arriving at the destination, we had to take a shuttle bus to the cable car station. In the high season (from April to June), visitors usually have to wait for 30 to 90 minutes for the shuttle bus and another 20 to 60 minutes for the cable car.
Thankfully, there was no queue for us when we arrived.
There is no queue at the cable car station as well. Each cable car could take 8 persons up to the Shanzidou Peak, the main peak of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
The cable car is located at 3356 meters altitude. From there, we will ascend to Glacier Park at an altitude of 4,506 m within 15 minutes. Air at high altitude is lower in oxygen and the rapid ascent may cause altitude sickness. This is where the bottled oxygen comes in useful. Even our guide, who goes up this mountain frequently, bought a bottle too. This is a place not for those with serious heart problems.
Arriving at the top of the ropeway, we could instantly feel the cold air. We felt nice and comfortable since we had proper attire. Unfortunately, the mountain top was covered with clouds and visibility was not good.
There is not much to see (no thanks to the weather). Even then, we decided to walk up the walkway leading to 4680 meters. We wanted to experience hiking at high altitude, especially for my son who would be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in November. With the thin air, every step was difficult and we were gasping for air.
There was a rest stop at 4576 meters. My wife who is prone to altitude sickness decided to wait here while the rest of us continued on.
Taking it slow, we arrived at our destination at 4680 meters. This is the highest point along the trail. There is a marker where everyone was queuing to get a photo with.
The sky began to clear as we slowly made our way down to the cable car platform at 4506 meter.
My wife was feeling the effects of altitude sickness despite using the oxygen canisters so we did not stay too long up on the mountain.
Our next stop after getting down from Yulong Snow Mountain is the Blue Moon Valley (蓝月谷). This valley is famous for some of China's most spectacular mountain and lake views. The valley gets its name because it resembles a blue crescent moon inlaid at the foot of the mountain when seen from a distance.
We took a shuttle bus from the base of the cable car station to the entrance of Blue Moon Valley. Although the altitude at Blue Moon Valley is around 3,000 meters, my wife felt much better after descending from the mountain.
From there, we took a smaller electric powered tram to get to the valley. The tram travelled dangerous fast down the mountain pathway to the first lake.
The scenery in the river valley, with lakes in the foreground and the mountain as the backdrop is stunningly beautiful.
The river and lakes are formed by water run off from the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Glacier lakes usually have almost unreal blue water. However, the water we saw was a milky blue. The local Naxi people name it White Water River (Baishui River) as the river water could turn as white as milk after a heavy rain where white mud and limestone rubble gets swirled up from the river bed.
Our guide told us that the Naxi people would wash their hands three times using the ice cold river water. They believe it would wash away bad luck and receive good fortune and health.
Further downstream are a series of curved terraces. We saw the natural rim-stone terraces when we visited the Jiu Xiang Caves. Here the terraces are man-made.
The shuttle tram would make 3 stops along the Blue Moon Valley. After exploring the valley at the first stop, we took the shuttle tram to the last stop, skipping the middle stop as instructed by our guide. I am not sure why we skipped the middle stop. Either we were short of time or he knew the scenery at the second stop was not worth the time.
Alighting at the last stop, we walked a little back upstream and downstream to enjoy some excellent views of the valley.
These are the photos at the last stop:
Overall, the scenery at Blue Moon Valley is awesome and excellent for landscape photography, despite the crowds. However, I felt our time at Blue Moon Valley was a little rushed. I would have loved to hike slowly down the valley, enjoying the mountain air and nature, instead of taking the shuttle tram. I guess the shuttle trams were deployed to move people in and out of the valley quickly to handle large crowds during the peak periods.
Wooden gate to the Baisha Old town with the name (白沙).
Entrance to the Baisha Murals. There is a small fee for entry which our guide took care of. 
Replica of the Baisha Mural on the screen wall near the entrance. 
Like the Lijiang Old Town, there are cafes with musicians on the second storey in the Baisha Old Town. But not as rowdy. 
View of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain contrasting with the ancient architecture. 
A lady in traditional costumer taking a selfie on the rooftop. 
Food vendor at Baisha village. 
Stall selling the Naxi pancakes. 
Our host explaining how the dough for the Naxi pancake is prepared.
Hands-on on kneading the dough to make the Naxi pancake. 
Pancakes brushed with a little oil and cooked in an appliance that looked like a waffle maker. 
The finished pancakes.
Dinner at the Naxi family home. The butter tea is served in a large bowl.
LIjiang Town is pretty in the evening with the red lanterns lit.
View of the river running into the northern part of Lijiang town.
Water Wheels at Lijiang Town with the moon above.
View from Yulong Bridge. 
Couple enjoying a walk in front of KFC and McDonalds. 
Starbuck cafe with the bright moon in the sky.
Almost empty Chagee teahouse compared to the long queues back home.
Bai Siu Fang Silverware store.
Statue of a horse laden with tea, depicting the importance of this former trading town and a stop for traders carrying goods on the historic Tea Horse Road.
Cat on lease being walked like a dog.
Mufu Palace (木府)
Entrance to Mufu Palace.
Quiet alley in the old town
Admiring the lanterns on display.