Xiahe 23rd - 29th April

As this original Tibetan town is small didnt walk far to find a bed, it was not long before we came to the Overseas Tibetan Guesthouse. This place is excellent as it has a roof top where you can sit and watch the world go by right on the walls of the old town with all the prayer wheels, which is extactly what we did for four days sit and watch. We chilled either on the roof or at the Nomad cafe which was a popular hang out for all the monks, drinking Tibetan black tea (kinda like a cup of twigs and dry berry things with loads of sugar) all day. Being here is a great break from the bustle of Chinese cities.

Xiahe was exclusively tibetan but since the chinese have had interests in making the area accessible there is a distinct cleavage in the town, one half tibetan and one half chinese, as I understand when the chinese government makes people homeless they 'rehome' people to areas that are not vastly populated - like Xiahe.
Faces are different, the dress is different, customs are different. Religion is a key element to life here.

The landscape here is awesome, the village is stuck between mountains dotted with green pines. The mountains are not green yet as it is too early in the year, the brown earth contrasts well with the abundance of prayer flags. Prayer flags are techinquically illegal in China and some villages have suffered for their believe, as Xiahe is in the tourist eye I think they choose to turn a blind eye. Large brown birds circle in the sky above us, on our walk up the prayer flags we were walking with the birds! I guess sky burials must be something here.

We hired bikes to get to the grasslands that lay 14km west of Xiahe, just one road out of town so we didnt get lost! It was beauitful out there. We had two inviations from locals to have food with them, one lady had completley gold teeth! The ride took 1 and a half hours, slowly up hill in glorious sunshine, the return however was not quite idilic. Black clouds were forming ahead and we could hear distant rumbles, the 45 min retreat was wet and miserable, yet exciting the storm was great! Frozen and numb we warmed over yak butter tea and Mo mos. It rained and rained on a couple of occasions sleet even and you could tell, even tho you couldnt see the mountains for cloud, that it was snowing up there.

When we bumped into the belgium couple they gave us tickets for the Labrang Monestry. Here 8000 monks of the yellow hat sect live and study. The atmosphere was absorbing - the place smelt of yak butter candles and you could here the monks chanting in the background.

Back through the gullies and valleys of the mountains, we bumped our way back along the river to Lanzhou, refreshed from a cold but serene break from the cities.

I also encountered the worst toilet in my life, so far - watch this space!