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Xahé_Tibet_Amdo_Labrang Monastery_ Grasslands and more….
Ohhh what a beautiful colorful place. I arrived two days ago here.
I took an early small bus from Tongren and I had the bad luck of have a next to me men that was not drunk but he smelled a cheap alcohol. He left me in the middle of the road in a small town after taking my hands and saying something in Chinese.
In that trip break stop I met two women that were in the bus. <span> A teacher from Canada who moved here and her student. They made me try the local yogurt, which has a plain delicious flavor and the put in the top honey or sugar.
It is amazing how many retired woman in their late sixties from US and Canada decide to come here to teach English in rural areas. I have met 3 people during the last year. Some of them are taking this as a volunteer job and other once get pay very well, plus they received a home while they are here, and for some is a good opportunity to get to learn Chinese. But the most rewarding for them and the driver that moves them to come here is the appreciation and the respect they feel but the local communities they joined for a while.<span> The teacher I met is in a small town in a boarding school, where no one foreign arrives. She did not learnt Chinese during her past 9 month, so she barely communicate with anybody, unless some other local teacher colleagues.
I decided to share a dorm with her and the student in a Monk hostel. The hotel is not super clean, and the only time we tried to use the restaurant we had to wait more than an hour, for a fried rice, so we decided to leave angry and hungry to another place, the Nomad Restaurant that has good vegetarian selections and a lot of local Tibetan food.
The student that followed her teacher is a local Tibetan girl that just finished high school and wants to become a teacher and a tour agent. Her English is pretty good considering the lack of opportunities she has to practice.<span> They know two monks here, that share with us a meal, and the teacher and her student went after that to their homes. I did not know that monks could receive woman in their places but they can and sometimes they even invite tourist to stay with them (the student stayed with her relative somewhere). I did not know, either, <span> that in Tibet Buddhist and monks eat meat…They do not kill them. They fellow Muslims do, but they eat a local animal called Yuk. <span> I decided to go to the Lambrang Monastery instead. I love this big active Monastery and I was glad to receive an explanation of some of their main buildings in English from a funny guide. I gave my card to stay in contact but he excuses saying he cannot use internet since 2008.
Then it started to rain a lot so I needed to come back to the hostel.<span> In Xahé I saw many people with their ethnical clothing, amazing ornaments in the hair with big stones of coral and amber that I do not know how women manage to carry in their head.
I woke up with the singing of prays from the monastery at 7 am. After an American breakfast we found Jim and Ellen. Jim is an American guy, probably in his 45 from Chicago that teaches English at some University in Dubai and has 5 month a year to travel. He has leaved there for the last 9 years, he is very happy and grateful with the experience, with the possibility to save money and now is planning to move to Kuala Lumpur or Kumming. Ellen on the other hand is a Russian dermatologist doctor who was stress out and she is traveling around the world for the last year mainly in Asia. But as she found Thailand so relaxing and cheap she usually is taking breaks of her journey to come back there and lay back in the beaches of Thailand. <span> We made a crew of 4 and rent a car with a driver to go around the grasslands of Xahé. The nature, full of green mountains and sheep, invoke a very calm and peaceful vibe. Not loudly horns for a while is a nice thing to have. We visited 2 temples and a sacred cave. In the way we witness many flag pyramids of good luck. A clear sign to my mind to remind it, in case it was not aware yet, that I am in Tibet.
The sun is extremely high. Even I tried to be in the shadows and used a hat I got a nose burn.
We came back around 3 pm for lunch surprisingly at small dirty place I ate the best vegetable dumplings so far in this trip for just 1.5Y each one.
Then I walked around the whole Lambrang Monastery area, I surrounded it in a walk circle the pilgrims called the KORA, that rhythms with TORA <span>😊
Tomorrow to Lagmusi...wish me luck...
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anonymous
non-member comment
hey when can we see some photos!!!! so exiting to read about your adventures! every day seems like a week, so many things happening!