Labrang monastery Xiahe

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Do you know that tibbetan monks have apple phones? There is a strange contrast between the other worldliness of butter lamps, Buddhas, trumpet and cymbal, sutras and black boots on the one hand and on the other the modern world of the monks shopping in town, eating in the restaurants and using their phones. The Buddhist temples are a riot of colour, but the monastery will stay in my mind because of the scale of the kora around it. The kora is 3 km long and it surrounds the temples, large prayer hall, teaching halls, and the monks' houses. There are long sets of prayer wheels, interspersed with a larger prayer wheel housed in a tiny building. Some of the Tibbetan pilgrims walk the kora fast and turn the prayer wheels fast, but some of the older pilgrims struggle to pull themselves round, but still turn the prayer wheels as they pass.

The monastery is surrounded by green hills and yesterday we explored some of the surrounding countryside on small tour. We crossed a pass and descended into a wide lush grassy valley. The tour included two main stops. The first was at b ruins. The huge walls surround the Tibbetan village. An intriguing feature was that one of the entrances had a hidden snaking route through thwell all so that at first glance you think there is no way into the village. The second stop was at Tsewey monastery, a Bon Tibbetan monastery that has recently been renovated. From the prayer flag over the top of the monastery there was a good view down to the grasslands and the b ruins.

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