Kubla Khan came across these mountains and after being nearly at the top I’m quite impressed. I got to just under 4000 metres and my poor old body knew about it. My lungs were working overtime and as I reached the top I could feel my legs beginning to tire, but I got there and there were still pockets of snow on the ground.

I was still wearing my thin summer clothes but I was generating a fair bit of heat so I didn’t really notice until I stood still.

Your chest begins to tighten, your breathing increases and your legs feel twice the weight but I just kept my breathing steady and a slow steady pace and all was well. We only had to climb a further 230 metres or so after we got off the cable car but it was still quite the workout😂

This glacial lake sits just under the 4000 metre mark and is called Horse Lake because it is said that Kubla Khan watered his horses here in 1263.

A ticket cost 320 RMB. I wasn’t going to go because of the price but the taxi driver stopped at this gate instead of the one I was going to go to. The other gate only went half way up and was half the price, but as I’m leaving here tomorrow I thought “what the hell” I’m glad I did go up on this one because the view is spectacular, and you can almost see the whole of Erhai Lake. I’ll come back again one day and I’ll stay on the lake I think as it will be a lot more peaceful.

At one section the cable car gets quite a swing happening, the wind was very strong and it made the journey that bit more exciting.

A few people had bought oxygen and one young girl in the car began to use it shortly after we left the bottom, not sure how she got on at the top.

I got there early and so the crowds had not arrived yet but as I made my way back to the cable car the tour groups were just arriving.

I was hoping to do a 14km walk but the climb was over 1000 metres and me thinks that my fitness is not good enough to tackle this and after last years fiasco of falling in Petra I took the easy way and took the cable taxi to the top instead.