High Altitude Places & Mountains Memories 2006-2019 Part 1

" Love is the food of LIFE. Travel is the dessert. Little by little, one travels far & high " 

" LIFE is like a mountain, hard to climb, but worth the amazing view from the top " 

" Memories made in the mountains stay in your heart forever " 

In Nov 2019 while travelling to Yunnan on a package tour, my wife (also a seasoned traveler) gave me a scare after a late afternoon visit to the Ancient Town of Dali, Yunnan (walking tour of 2hrs). After the visit, my wife felt uneasy & started to vomit. My wife told me that this might be a symptom of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) as Dali is about 2,000m above sea level ! She looked weak & told me if her situation worsens, she may have to admit to hospital. Our Tour leader was very concerned about my wife's health & she advised the local tour guide to standby in case I need to bring my wife to a local hospital for treatment ! 

In the interim, my wife asked that she would like to have a rest in the hotel first before deciding the next step ! In the evening, I went out to buy some bread for her to eat and after that she retired earlier to bed !  

In the next morning, surprisingly she recovered remarkably well & she was able to join me for the usual morning breakfast in the hotel ! A day later, I was very pleased that she was able to take the Ropeway to the Jade Dragon Glacier Park (4,506m), Lijiang, what a blessing for her as she looked forward to fulfil her dream of seeing the Jade Dragon Mountain in this trip ! 

So take heed, if one is visiting a high altitude place say above 3,000m x 3.28 = 9,840ft above sea level, you may have to pay attention to the following: 

For places above 8,000ft (2,440m), one may get Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) - it usually begins within 4-6 hours after arrival. The weaker ones will get headache, dizziness, light headedness, nausea, weaker palpitation, increased respiratory rate and insomnia.

For high altitude places above 14,500ft (4,420m), the symptoms are cough, wheeze, breathlessness, chest congestion, confusion, discomfort, bizarre behavior etc. We were told to avoid drinking alcohol (tea & coffee are ok), taking sleeping pills, sour food, heavy meals, over exertion, rapid ascent etc.

If in doubt about your health, please see your physicians prior to making the trip especially for people who are old age (like me), suffering from diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, asthma, brochities, sleep disorder, migraine headache, obesity, epilepsy, sickle cell disease and smokers.

Over my 13 years of travelling, I had visited a number of high altitude places & mountain resorts, glacier parks etc (elevation ranging from 2,000m to slightly over 5,000m above sea level, but thanks god, there was no sign of AMS (acute mountain sickness) inflicted on me while ascending to these high altitude places ! Lucky me ! But age is catching up so prevention is better than cure, carry a can of oxygen with you should you decide to visit high altitude places … Be cheerful when you are up at the mountain top & hmm the Sound of Music song … The Hills are alive with the sound of music … with songs they have sung for a thousand years …. The hills fill my heart with the sound of music ….

So in travelling, health is better than wealth and with good health, you could travel to any high altitude places with ease & at the same time enjoy the mountain sceneries at the top ! 

For an ambitious or professional mountain climber, climbing Mt Everest (bordering Nepal / China) is a wild dream; Mt Everest is the world's highest mountain at 8,848m (29,021ft) above sea level; climbing Mt Everest is hazardous, more than 300 had died attempting to reach the summit ! At aged 69, I am overtly happy & contended if I ever set foot on any of the snowy mountain peak with a height of 5,000m above sea level ! 

Some of the high altitude places I visited in 2006-2019: 

Malaysia (my home country)

1) Mt Kinabalu (4,095m), Sabah - my 2 days mountain hiking in July 2011 at aged 61

2) Mt Jaser (1,696m), Cameron Highlands, Pahang; mountain hiking in July 2019 & my 5km hike from Tanah Rata town > Cameron Valley Tea farm . 

3) Genting Highlands (1,800m), Pahang - perched on the peak of Gunung Ulu Kali, Genting is an integrated highland resort comprising of outdoor & indoor theme parks, hotels, casino & shopping malls connected by highways roads & cable car services; located 35km from Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia; visited Genting in July 2018 after a lapse of more than 20 years ! 

India

1) Chang La Mountain Pass (5,565m=17,800ft), Ladakh, India - 3rd highest motorable mountain road in the world, Ladakh (jeep ride in July 2007 from Kashmir > Leh) 

2) Rohtang La Mountain Pass, Himachai Pradesh, India (3,978m=13,050ft) - bus ride for my return trip from Leh via Manali > Keylong in July 2007. 

3) Pelling (2,150m=7,200ft), Sikkim - a small hill town in West Sikkim; located at the foothills of Mt Khengchendzonga; stay for 2 nights in Middle Pelling in Nov 2019 when visiting Sikkim & other north east Indian cities.

4) Darjeeling (2,045m=6,710ft) - a popular hill station in West Bengal; in a clear day, you can get a beautiful view of mighty Himalayas especially the world 3rd highest mountain peak - the Kanchenjunga; once a summer retreat of the British; the 138 years old Himalaya Toy train is listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. Stayed for 3 nights in Nov 2019 after a free & easy visit to Gangtok & Pelling in Sikkim. 

5) Gangtok (1,650m=5,410ft), Sikkim - capital of Sikkim; established as a Buddhist pilgrimage site & remains as a Tibetan Buddhist Center, a base for hikers for treks through Sikkim's Himalaya's mountain ranges; stayed for 2 nights in Nov 2019 to enjoy the cool weather here ! 

New Zealand

Milford Sound National Park (945m), South Island -  the fjord is a favorite tourist destination in New Zealand 

Frank Josef Glacier (viewing point - 750m), Westland Tai Poutini National Park, South Island, New Zealand; 1.5 hr (return) glacier walk from the front entrance (April 2016 free & easy visit) 

Taiwan

Taroko Gorge (3,742m), East Coast of Taiwan, most beautiful scenic attraction  along with Alisan & Sun Moon Lake; also called Taiwanese Grand Canyon ! (visited in Dec 2004 on a package tour with my family members & relatives. 

Japan

Mt Daikanbo (2,316m) is the highest peak of Aso mountain chain; a big observatory peak where you can see the Five Mountains of Aso & the lake formed by Kurobe Dam. 

China

1) Jade Dragon Mountain Glacier Park (3,356m > 4,506m) - Ropeway (cable car) ride from the mountain valley (3,356m) to glacier park (4,506); visited in Nov 2019 on a package tour to Kunming, Dali & Lijiang. 

2) Tagong Grassland (3,700m > 4,298m), Danba, Si Chuan, widely known as "lesser Lhasa"; Tagong in Tibeten language means a favorite place of Bodhisattva; joined a private car day tour to Tagong Grassland while on a free & easy visit to Kanding in Sept 2012

3) Yushu (3,689m) is located in the south western Qinghai province; a traditional Kham area but mostly Tibetan Chinese; in April 2010, the town was struck by a 7.1 earthquake, more than 2,000 people died. Took a sleeper bus from Xining & stayed overnight in Yushu before  visiting Garze in Sept 2012.

4) Garze (3,390m=11,155ft)), Si Chuan in south west China; dominated by the indigenous Tibetan population as the historical region of Kham; took an overnight private van from Yushu (Sept 2012) to Garze and stayed for 1 night in this town with a strong Tibetan character. 

5) Huanglong (3,230m), Si Chuan - means "Yellow Dragon", located 370km from Chengdu; In 2009; I joined a 4 days package tour from Chengdu & visited Jiuzhaigou & Huanglong; both places are scenic (colored lakes, large cave & snow peak) & a major breeding ground for endangered animals like the Giant Pandas ! 

6) Emei Shan (3,099m), Sichuan - Mt Emei is an UNESCO world heritage site and is one of the 4 sacred Buddhism mountains in China; took a train from Xichang to Emei train station and stayed for 2 nights in Baoquo Village. Took a bus in the following morning and visited Emei Shan in April 2014 .

7) Changbai Shan (2,744m), Jilin - a volcanic crater with 16 mountainous peaks; a major mountain range in Northeast Asia. The mountains extend from the Northeast Chinese provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin & Liaoning, across the border between China & North Korea (provinces of Ryanggang & Chagang).

8) Kangding (2,616m), Si Chuan - located 300km from Chengdu, the capital of Si Chuan; the birthplace of romantic Kangding love song; visited Kangding twice in 2012 & 2014 as a stopover to Xining & Danba region. 

9) Lijiang (2,400m), Yunnan - home to Naxi & several other ethic minority groups; the ancient town of Lijiang dated back to 1,300s emcopassing cobblestone streets, canals & central market square with souvenir shops & restaurants & bars. Nearby is the famous Black Dragon Lagoon with the scenic Jade Dragon Snow Mountain on the background; now an UNESCO World Herirage Site; visited Lijiang Old Town thrice (Sept 2010, April 2014 & Nov 2019) 

10) Xining (2,275m), capital of Qinghai - visited Xining twice in Sept 2011 & Sept 2012 to explore the feasibility of traveling solo by train from Xining to Lhasa, Tibet; major tourist attractions I visited were Ta'er Monastery, Tibetan Medicine and Culture Museum & Dongguan Grand Mosque. The vast Qinghai Lake is famous & rich in birdlife ! 

11) Hua Shan (2,160m), Shaanxi - about 120km east of Xian; one of the 5 Great Mountains of China, has a long history of religious significance; visited Hua Shan during my 1st free & easy trip to Xian & Xinjiang, China immediately after retirement in May 2006 ! Among all the mountains I visited, Hua Shan is perhaps the most challenging one due to the steep slopes & narrow walking paths to reach some of the peaks !