Shannan

14/9/09

From Bayi I turned left travelled on the S306 2 days ago, as I would like to see the Yaluzangbu river. The road was surprising good and new, all the way through Milin(@2200m) and ended at Langxian(@2200m) . Both was rather new town with totally Han favour. Hair saloon, ktv and bar, only the exterior was in Tibetan colour. Met a chinese young couple on the bus and they invited me to visited Jiacha yesterday. The man was a subcontractors for road work in Jiacha, and told me about a holy lake there, "you might able to see you past and future in the lake" he said. Sound incredible as I really want to see where I will settle down later! In fact, I did find out later, the lake is call Lhamo Nhatso, even those looking for successor of Dalai Lama or Panchen Lamas after they pass away must came here, because the where about of the reincarnation could be seen here in the lake. So we team up and carried on our trip yesterday morning to Jiacha, same running on flat land without much up down, but the road condition was bad, all dirt road, it would be tough when in raining season, and the road wasn't that wide, the Yaluzangbu river was coming down stream on the right, the surrounding area was dry and without much vegetation, in some points it was like a desert, problem was hot only logging, but also the free herding of yak and sheep. perhaps in the future one could come to see sand dune here! And they said there will be 5 dams on the Yaluzangbu river soon, no wondered the Indian protested heavily last year! The Zang houses all with the roof like the Thai style since we entered Lyinzhi region, but only took the style, the material was corrugated iron in red or blue, only when we entered Jiacha area we saw the original Zang houses with flat roof. Jaicha(@2300m) was a fast blooming town because of the dams construction work, "everything more expensive "the man said. I saw couple of apartment blocks was underway while entered Jiacha, here you see more tibetan, beside, there also many moslem in town, much more than in Bayi and Langxian, I like Jiacha in first sight, at least they got a lively market there. H&S...the couple whole invited me here, the lived about 7km out of town, a barrack style building with simple room and 4 bare walls, water was taken from the small stream nearby, and toilet..."anywhere you like, just pick your spot outside" he said, great I thought! couple of workers occupied some rooms, and they thought I could sleep in the spare room next door, but...there was no more blanket, so at night they took me to a restaurant nearby where they kept free beds for 20 yuans each. There was no running water, not even a river nearby, and for toilet..."anywhere you like, just pick your spot outside" haha... Seen like nobody got a bathroom here. H&S were very friendly, the youmg couple were happy people, laughing all the time. They find out it would cost 500 yuan for the car to the lake. I wouldn't do it by myself, so wait, in the meantime they suggested me to hike up the hill for the snow mountain. My cup of tea, so I made the trip after a huge breakfast this morning. Followed his hand drafted map I find the way through couple of nice Zang villages, people were extreme friendly and helpful, but still I lost the way and began to climbed up through the forest, my sight only on the snow cap hill whenever I could see it. One direction...I climbed like crazy and begging for air, then I saw there actually a road coming up from another side. I guess I got the wrong route. I climbed and climbed and caught up with the road. So tired and I gave up the upward step, lay down and looked at my watch, 4:30pm almost 7 hrs walked! And it was 4700m, my new record on foot! Stared at the snow cap, I decided to go back down as it should take more than 3 hrs...if lucky, as I wasn't sure about where the road leading to. 4700m...I was satisfied! There was an interesting rock next to the snow cap, like the buddha sitting nirvana on lotus. turn my way back and I saw another snow cap mountain in the far distance, checked my map, the whole wall of mountain was part of the himalayan range, and...and...that mountain, so tall, so big...could it be the Nanjiabawa???? It sure be, it was only about 300km away, and there wasn't any mountain in my map was that high, it should be more than 7000m from what I estimated, I had no chance to see it when in Lyinzhi area, and to see it you need to paid 150 yuans! Crazy!!! Now I got a glimpse of Nanjiabawa in the distance, even it was partly blocked by cloud, I was again...satified! The down hill walk took far longer than I'd expected. It was getting dark and I was still on over 4000m. Walked and run gave me couple of twisted ankle. Even I walked in to a nice looking village with friendly people greeted me with smiling faces, I hate myself speed through it! Finally arrive to their house at 8pm, 10 hrs almost non-stop walked! Crazy!!!


Note
Bus Bayi to Langxian 85 yuans
Bus Langxian to Jiacha 40 yuans / to Shannan 95 yuans

15/9/09

Not planning too much for today, as my feet was complained strongly. Tried to walked to the 1000 years old walnut tree, but you need to walked through the big construction site, dusty! Even after the site the road was unpaved dirt track, what the hell...I kept going, people told me not far and pointed me further on. A guy on a motorbike stopped and said he would took me to the walnut tree, "very far, no way you can find it" he told me and added he was just trying to help me, no money charged. Looked at the hot sun above my head, and the burning toes inside my shoes, why not and I climbed behind his bike, right...it was far, after drove through couple of villages we landed at a small orchard, and a huge walnut tree in the middle, in fact there was many walnut tree in this village were more than 1000 years old, and this one, this one in the center was the biggest! People believed touching the tree would bring good luck, but from what I seen...I guessed they believed ate the fruits brought more luc! Just looked at the broken branches were everywhere on the ground! The guy told me this week was the time to bath in the river, only once a year, legend said during this week the water has magic power to heal, so I patted water on my feet see if it would heal my ankles! The walked to Jiacha was comfortable, passing more Zang village a a foot bridge. They mostly grow apple, peach and walnut here, but some people invested in plastic house for other vegetables.
I moved to sleeped in Jiacha today so I could pick up the morning bus to Shannan tomorrow morning. Yes...price was high here, a small room cost 60, and it was the cheapest I could find. Here I saw lamas on the street, then I located the small monastery on the edge of town, the Dakpo Shadru, it was more than 700 years old, small, simple but nice looking.


Note
Bus to Shannan 61 yuans

17/9/09

Zedang(@3600m) is the biggest town I saw in Tibet ,same like Bayi, here they got all the night-entertainment people need, and a big wholesale market. I was worried about not allowed to sleep in cheap guesthouse again, but nothing happened here, I was welcome. Trying to explore the southern part of Shannan district from here, "you need border area permit" people told me in the bus station, and also written on the wall in front of the ticket office. Followed their direction I find the border army office, "what is this? "the officer asked when I handed in my HK identity. Then I was told only the office in Lhasa could issue me the permit. Shannan had to wait then! Put my eye back on Zedang, 2 temples caught my attention, the Yunbu Lhakang, said to be the first palace ever erected in Tibet, it could be dated back to the 2nd century. Songtsan Gambu united Tibet(called Tubo back then) by 7th century and used it as a summer palace. A small and simple building but very elegant , in a way look like the castle in Europe. And the surrounding was dey and greenless mountain which gave a brownish yellow tone, Yunbu Lhakang set on top of a small hill, you could climbed the winding stair or hired a horse to do the job. "60 yuans" was written on the entrance door of the palace temple, of course local could walked in for free, the view from the hill top already great enough, and one temple less won't gave me any disappointment. In between Zedang and Yunbu Lhakang on the same road was another important temple, the Changzhu temple, inside they kept a tangkha that was composed by pearls. "70 yuans" what the hell! You need to pay to get into any temple in Tibet, and it was out-raging expensive too. I would give it a pass too. So I thought I would just walked around the building, then I find people walked into a side door in the alley, why not...so I followed in. The whole temple was actually under renovation ,everywhere was sand and dust, but most the shrines are still open inside. I was attracted by the women group singing on the roof together with the hammering sound, then I saw they were actually flattening the roof flooring ,in the traditional way, singng and piling the floor with a long rod like a piston. In rhythm and uniqueness. Then an old man tapped my shoulder indicated me to followed, into another shrine with other pilgrimages, all the women were busy in offering and filled up oil for the lamp, laid down 10 cents note in front of whatever buddha statue they fancied. I was staring at the beautiful tangkha that was kept inside the glass panel together with a steel wire frame on top for double protection. It was a red silk tangkha, white pearls composed a buddha image, simple designed with a gold necklace and waist belt decorated with blue stones. Very elegant and a priceless relics! Both sites were easy reached by city bus from Zedang.


Note
Bus from Xedang to Yunbu Lhakang 3 yuans / to Changzhu 2 yuans
Bus from Zedong to Lhasa 31 yuans

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