Maningango_be happy_no shower, no light...who cares.

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On June 18 of June Marcelo and I where early morning, under the rain, stopping cars and trucks from Darje Gompa to Maningango. Finally a nice driver that has his car full of wheels offered to take us.



It was a 4 hours trip. We got there. We had an amazing noodle meal and<span> as soon as we finished and tried to search how to get to the Lake Marcelo realized that he has forgot his Lonely Planet in the Monastery in Darje Gompa!<span> So after he curse and blame his age and his early Alzheimer he came back in a moto taxi to pick up his bible.



We agreed to meet late in the town or in the Lake. I was not sure where to spend the night. I was almost going to the lake when I met my German friend from Songpan that told me that the new guesthouse there is too noise in the night for the electric generator. All this area has not have electricity among other things… So I decided to take the room in the place a Spanish couple recommend Marcelo and me for 50Y the night.



Maningango is a dirty small town, in high altitude in the mountains. It has an insisted driver population that wants to get you in their minivans. A community of caterpillar fungus dealer that are doing business in the street, and not much else. It has a big monastery up the hill as well as every Tibetan city. I walked a block in that direction but after the bridge when the hill starts to become deep I could not continue. I was lucky and a monk in his bike gave me a ride to the top. I met local pilgrims, mainly old woman that where curious and touch my head, my hands, and everything with big surprise. None of them has more than few teeth, I started to pay attention, since Marcelo, who is a dentist, has been making comments all the time about the mouth of the people and the treatments they received here. I did not enter to the temple, I do not like the smell of the butter oil lamp and I was able to smell it from outside in an open space!



Coming back was easy. For some reason the body never complains when goes down. Eventhought this time my face complained, because it was a little bit cloudy but arrived very tan. You have to really take care here here.



We met a Spanish couple that saw everything in a dark an negative perspective. The told us to be careful with the Tibetan gods in the north, they told us the horrible experience that was for them to arrive to Yushu a place that was destroyed by a an earthquake 5 years ago and still people live in tends, everything for them is bad and ugly. They have been travelling for the last 4 years!!! I cannot understand how they survive 4 years traveling with that attitude. Obviously this is not Europe, not even Latin-American, and there is the barrier of the language…I felt bad they seem they were not able to enjoy their last journey of their trip. I envy them as well, how amazing could be being able to travel for 4 years. They have been in 9 places…They said they liked the most Laos and Indonesia and planning to coming back there before their trip will end this year.<span> But could be existing as well, not having an idea of home for 4 years I feel is too much.<span> The Spanish girl stays in my room for 2 hours talking non stop, when she finally left I closed my eyes thinking the uncommon place I was at, and on the many places that I have not been and are becoming the top hot places for many travelers: Armenia, Georgia, Croatia, Uzbekistan, Philippines, Mongolia, Ukraine, Rumania, Bulgaria…All the invitations that travelers made me to join their journeys and the will I have to have to stay fit to my agenda…so easy to get convinced and end up who knows where…maybe in the future! If I had more time.



The night was dark and cold; the light was so weak that I was not able to read. I waited for Marcelo but after 12 pm I went to sleep and I took the extra blanket from his bed, wishing he were having a good time with the monks thinking that he might be decided to stayed there for the night.

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