Once I had a chance to indulge in the scenic beauty of Mount Cangshan through cable rides and hiking. It was an unforgettable experience where I touched the clouds and hiked through amidst nature for the first time! The mountain peaks covered with primeval forests and streams filled with crystal-clear waters would definitely bring your inner peace!
We went to the Dali-Cangshan UNESCO Global Geopark which is located in western Yunnan Province at the southern end of the lofty Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Mount Cangshan is a young mountain formed only 50 million years ago but the rocks that make up the mountain are more than 2 billion years old. It is mainly composed of metamorphic rocks, including marble renowned for its beautiful colour and structure.
This place is occupied by ethnic Bai indigenous people and their unique and colourful traditions helped to make the site a popular tourist destination.
The cable car ride gave me the most amazing view of the scenery. We booked our ticket and took a ride on the Cangshan Tourist Cableway which elevated us to an altitude of 3000 meters just within a couple of minutes! During our whole ride, we kept wondering how they put those huge beams and made the route in this stoned mountain! Inside the cable car, an automated soothing bird chirping soundtrack was playing which was giving us a peaceful natural vibe. The whole Dali city behind us resembled some white pebbles hidden among the white clouds and the bottle green mountain.
I was getting jealous of the people who lived amidst Cangshan Mountain and Erhai lake, as they get the best view and weather at the same time. This mountain is like a sheltering guardian to them, who is protecting the whole area through ages!
It was feeling like we were on an eternal journey toward the sky, with heaven touching the apex of the mountain. The sunlight can't manage to seep through the thick mist. It was a mesmerizing view to see how the clouds wrapped around the trees and mountain range. This was the first time I got the chance to touch the cloud! It was like a white cold fog that melted and vanished before grabbing which only left you a gentle shiver. Floating at that height, I was a little scared and pleased at the same time. On our way, we found a huge Chinese chess playground which is made in the middle of the mountain. Each of the pieces was human-sized! Wish I could play Chinese chess too!
We also saw how the stream of water was coming from a long distance and made its way unevenly with the pebble and stones through the mountain.
After the 30-minute long ride, we came somewhere in the middle of the mountain. It felt like nature's peace was still flowing into me. The view gave me a sensation of both mystery and magnificence. When all of our team members gathered around, we started our hiking. It was deep in the woods where we couldn't find any solid earth surface, as it was mostly covered with huge stones and pebbles. While following the trail, I got to listen to nature more closely. We weren't meant to climb the summit or something like that, it was only walking through the trail, for some hours. One thing that made me wonder was the smell of wild nature was totally different from ours. Here, we came to know about lots of plants, and trees, which I had never seen before.
After going through an hour, we found a white stone temple which was in the middle of a clear waterfall. The ethnic Bai people collect their water from here and treat it like our "gangajal". When I touched the water, it was ice cold and so relaxing. The cold stream water was plunging down through the peak of the mountain. The sound of the rushing water was fading away all the chattering sounds of the tourists. I wanted to throw myself under the magical waterfall but the fear of collapsing in the cold made me take back the wish. The water was swishing over the rocks so rapidly that I had to make my steps carefully through the stones. I didn't want to drench my favourite sneakers in that cold water.
After visiting the heavenly beautiful spot, we started our journey again and came across some wooden bridges which are decorated with red ribbons. At our last destination, I found a big banyan tree which is also decorated with these ribbons. It's called the wish tree.
From the top of a hill, I tried to enjoy the unsetting coolness of the breeze. It was an incredible thrill after reaching a certain level. My friend in that lemon yellow dress tied her ribbon in that wish tree too. It was dangling rhythmically with others, free and happy. Who knows if her wish came true or not!
I backpacked and took these memories with me almost 5 years ago, but still, whenever I go through with the photos, I experience the journey again and get the same utmost pleasure every time. Nature is truly a wonder, and its wildness always takes me to the peak of my mental peace. Hope I can carry these memories for ages and visit those places again with my loved ones!
