Gansu – The Kinetic Canuck

Langmusi: Gansu

Our final day in Amdo was spent on the Gansu side of Langmusi. You might think that because this is all part of the same town, we might have had a similar experience, and it’s true, there were definitely some similarities. There were also some new aspects of Tibetan Buddhist Culture that we hadn’t yet learned.

We’ve been all over Amdo in the last 10 days. We’ve seen lakes, temples, Monestaries, and grasslands. It’s been a spectacular trip, both culturally and scenically.

Just like on the Sichuan side of the town, we began by going through the temple. The temple in Gansu’s side is much better maintained, which is surprising given that Gansu is easily the poorer of the two provinces.

The temple, and the sights beyond it, were beautiful!

After the temple, we moved on towards our next destination. We had seen a sign for a Sky Burial sight, so we headed up the mountain in that direction.

Beautiful sights along the way, of course!

Now, until I started researching Amdo and Cultural Tibet, I didn’t actually know what a Sky Burial was. I’m assuming many of my readers don’t know either, so let’s begin with an explanation.

Sky burials have been done for hundreds of years. They are a method of disposing of the dead in areas where there is hard earth and few resources for cremation. This practice is one of the ways that Tibetan Buddhism differs from other varieties.

Temples are another way that Buddhism sects from one another.

So how does a sky burial work? Well, this is what I’ve learned from our time in Langmusi. There is generally a ceremony where family and friends come up to the ceremonial site. Generally, a yak will carry the body of the deceased up to the location. The yak is then supposed to be set free, although this is a great cost for the yak’s owner so it may not always be done.

Yaks are an important part of life in the Tibetan Plateau!

Once the body arrives, it is prepared ceremonially and vultures, eagles, crows and other birds take care of the rest. I won’t go into detail regarding exact methods of this type of ceremony, but if you want to learn more, you can go to this site.

Sky Burial sites will often be easy to spot because of the many prayer flags used

We arrived near the top of the mountain, thinking that this site was in use a while ago or that it was just set up as a display so tourists could see what it looked like. We were wrong. It is still in use, and probably had a Sky Burial within the last week, judging by some of the remains.

There were huge bird feathers about. When I took this photo, I didn’t really realize why.

There was surprisingly little left. The crows, vultures and other animals had done their job well. What surprised me most was that the place didn’t creep me out or bother me the way the killing fields had. The people who were brought here had wanted this type of burial. In Tibetan culture, it’s considered the most generous way to deal with death.

You can see grey slabs of stone to the left of this building. We think those are the names of people who have been ‘buried’ here. We counted at least 8 jaw bones at the site, so at least 8 had to have been done quite recently.

Another few of the Tibetan ‘tomb stones’

We walked around the site for a while. I won’t post pictures here, because it seems wrong to, but the people at the site weren’t bothered that we looked around and took a few shots. In Tibetan Culture, the body is just a vessel. The soul is sacred…the flesh is not.

Quite a pretty spot for the soul to leave the body.

We had quite a lot to think about on our way back to town. I personally think it’s a lot nicer to deal with death in this way than it is to pump a corpse full of chemicals and then to lower it into the ground in an expesive box. In some areas, sky burials provide very endangered vultures a valuable food source. The Chinese government even encourages sky burials in areas where the endangered birds live.

We saw plenty of marmots on the hillside too. Not sure if they take part in the sky burials though.

Our day didn’t end there. We had a beautiful walk back into town. We passed tiny villages on the way, and also saw what we thought was roadkill. We passed several dead yaks along the road, and eventually even came upon a yak that had very recently died. Its owner was eviscerating it and take the edible meat, leaving the rest for wildlife. A common theme in this area of the world. Once more, Amdo surprised me.

Our time on the Gansu side of Langmusi might seem a little grim, but I really loved it. We saw a totally different side of the culture. Not a tourist kitsch side, but something real. Something profound. You can tell a lot about a culture by the way they treat death. So much of what we know about the ancient world comes from burial sites. The ceremonial way humans deal with death is not found elsewhere in nature. Other animals do have their own mourning rituals, but humans are unique in how elaborate we tend to be.

These sites are huge and covered in prayer flags.

This part of our trip showed me an entirely new way humans handle the death of a loved one. When you’ve been traveling a while, you start to feel like you’ve ‘seen it all’, but this was certainly new for me.

I saw this sign in front of a hostel, on our way back into town. It felt oddly perfect.

The following day, I said to say goodbye to Langmusi. I suppose all things come to an end. It was a lovely stay and I would recommend it to anyone who has a sense of adventure and is ok sleeping on a hard bed for a few nights!!

These sights make the hard bed worth it!!

We had a very short stay in Chengdu (enough time for a spicy dinner!) and then we were off to Chongqing!!

Stay tuned for more about our trip to one of China’s biggest cities: Chongqing!!!

Langmusi

Langmusi, known as Taktsang Lhamo in Tibetan, is a cool little town that sits on the Sichuan and Gansu boarder. With horse trekking, hiking, buddhist temples, and other cultural experiences to enjoy, Langmusi is a perfect tourist destination.

We did see other foreigners there, but most of the tourists in Langmusi are Chinese. Many of the hotels in this tourism town don’t actually take foreigners (especially since COVID 19 became a factor). Our hotel wasn’t the best we’ve stayed in, but the owners were nice and it was situated right in the middle of the town, so it as ok. It got better when we switched rooms so that we weren’t over the street, where we heard honking and screaming children as late as 11:30 at night.

Our first room was VERY purple, a bit smelly and had a hard bed. Our second room was less purple, not smelly and had 2 beds that were even harder.

If you’re considering going to Langmusi, be sure to set your expectations right. Your hotel room is going to have a hard bed, and there won’t be a proper shower… just a shower head in the middle of the bathroom. There aren’t many western options for food, and most of the restaurants are small and family run. If you go there expecting this, you’ll have a fabulous time. If you go there expecting to get coffee at Starbucks and to have dinner at McDonalds though…you will be disappointed.

You won’t be disappointed if you go to Langmusi expecting to see beautiful landscapes though!

Or if you want to meet super friendly locals!

Langmusi’s population is only around 4,000 people, and are mostly Tibetan. You’ll find lots of Yak Meat in the town, and restaurants that have recordings listing the various forms of Yak Yogurt they sell. There are also plenty of beautiful souvenirs for sale, including shawls and plenty of options for jewelery. There’s also plenty of hiking gear for sale in town, as I imagine many people don’t expect it to be so cold (they have boots and coats for sale) or for the trails to be so rough. In regular China, climbing a mountain means walking up stairs. In Langmusi, you are actually making your way up slopes and using rocks for grip. It’s great, but I think a lot of people show up here unprepared.

The town of Langmusi was beautiful. It’s surrounded by hills and a beautiful little river runs through. The town is small, really only 2 roads, but you’ll often see horses walking down the street, beside the cars and tour buses. There are plenty of shops that stay up quite late (you can still get water at 11pm, which is unusual for such a small place).

As a border town, 2 full days in Langmusi is appropriate, so that you can spend a day seeing each side. If I were to very simply explain the difference between the two, I’d say that the Sichuan side has more natural beauty, whereas the Gansu side is more strong culturally. Both have plenty to offer tourists though, and I am very happy we had time for both!

When we arrived, I expected to be able to put all of Langmusi in 1 post, but now I’ve decided it should be divided into 3! Stay tuned for my posts about the Sichuan and Gansu portion of the town!

The Joy of the Journey

Traveling on the east coast is easy. You hop on a high speed train and go! The trains are affordable, fast and run constantly. It’s one of the perks of living in such a densely populated area.

Of course, traveling on the east coast can be quite different from traveling in central or western China, where things aren’t as well connected by high speed train.

All those red and blue lines represent routes. Many of those routes have trains leaving several times every day.

Gansu only has 1 train running through it, and it doesn’t go anywhere we’ve been traveling. This is part of why we skipped this part of Gansu last October.

Fortunately, the high speed train isn’t the only way to get around. Your other options you have pros and cons though, so I’ll do my best to outline them for you here.

Hire a Driver

Our driver in Labrang, right before we set out for Langmusi. He tied up our luggage onto his roof like a pro!

The Benefits

Hiring a driver certainly has a few perks. You can generally book them a few days in advance, and they’re typically pretty easy to find. Drivers are usually hanging out outside train stations and bus stations hoping for fairs, and many hotels have drivers that they can recommend as well, so you can always ask at front reception, whereever you’re staying.

A business card that was handed to us as we left the bus in Labrang.

If you hire a private driver, you can also bargain (especially if you book them on your own), and you can usually get a reasonably good price. Depending on how many people you are putting in the car (or van), there is sometimes more room than there is on the bus too, which can be really nice.

Please don’t be a jerk though! Keep in mind that these drivers are driving you there and back, and also possibly waiting around while you sight see. Find a good price, but don’t take advantage!

Pit stops are another nice perk for hiring a private driver. You can pull over if you see some random interesting thing, and if the driver is particularly good, they might stop at interesting places you wouldn’t have known about otherwise. Our driver to Qinghai was a bit crazy on the roads, but he did stop in a few cool destinations.

We wouldn’t have seen any of these things if we hadn’t had a private driver. I was very happy we went this way, because we really saw some beautiful things!

The best part of hiring a driver, in my opinions, is that they pick you up wherever you’d like, and they’ll drop you off right at your hotel. With buses or trains, you get dropped off at a station or depot, so it’s really nice not having that extra bit of travelling to do after you’ve arrived in your destination city.

The Drawbacks

Even with all the advantages, hiring a driver might actually be my least favourite way to travel. If you’re stuck sitting in the back, it can be really cramped (unless you’re travelling as a couple, and they aren’t picking up other fares). The standard of vehicles can really differ as well, because you’re hiring someone privately, and they haven’t been vetted by Didi, or anyone really. We’ve ended up in some pretty old vehicles, or smelly with cigarete smoke.

This was the roomier of the two trips we took with private drivers.

On our trip to Langmusi, I was a bit bummed because the windows in the back, where I was, were so dark that I couldn’t really see out of them, and they didn’t open either. Everyone in the front or middle seats enjoyed a beautiful ride throught the Sangke Grasslands, but I really couldn’t see much.

The other drawback is that you don’t really know what kind of driver you’re going to get. From Labrang to Langmusi, our driver was lovely. He was pretty safe on the road and he offered to go the long way for us because the scenery was better that way. He didn’t even charge us extra!

I did get some good photos at a pitstop though!

Of course, you might also find a driver who drives like a maniac, or wants money upfront (which is a risk because they can easily just not show up…). Our driver this week actually did ask for a deposit, but understood when we said we didn’t really want to pay upfront. If he had pushed, we would have asked for photos of his licence and licence plates though

In addition to the incessant honking, he loved driving like he is in a Nascar race. There were a few close calls with oncoming traffic that left us all hanging on for dear life.

Call a Didi (or similar APP based driver)

There are tons of options to hire cars, with apps similar to Uber. Didi is the most popular in China, but there are plenty of others as well.

The Benefits

Hiring a Didi or other similar car is a bit different from hiring an independant driver. Didi drivers make a lot less money for their work, but they are vetted by the companies they work for, and are part of a rating system that encourages them to have a clean and safe car for people to ride in.

In addition to being cleaner and safer, Didi is generally more comfortable of a ride as well. Because the drivers don’t swerve around as much, and don’t smoke in the vehicles, the whole experience is more comfortable. If you’re only traveling with 2 or 3 people, Didis are often the best way to go. The cars are usually newer, with plenty of room.

We took Didis to Kumbum Monestary last week. It is located about an hour from Xining and we had no problem getting a car. In total, it cost us 60rmb each (about $12 Canadian) each way. Very affordable!!

There is something to be said for the convenience of Didi within cities as well. Unless it’s pouring rain, it’s quite easy to get a Didi. And of course, as is the case with hired cars, Didi drivers pick you up and drop you off excactly where you want them to. It’s a great perk that can’t really be undervalued.

This option is excellent value for what you get.

The Drawbacks

Of course, there are some issues with Didi as well. Most of those issues pop up when you’re in less populated areas, or want to go a long distance. We experienced this going from Lanzhou to Linxia.

Ice cream was not enough to make up for this long drive.

When you’re in more remote areas, far fewer Didi drivers are available. Sometimes you will wait for ages and no drivers will become available. If this happens, you might have to book with one of the other car hiring apps, and those may not be as nice as Didi is.

Having an English option is nice in Didi as well. Most other ride hailing apps don’t.

We ended up getting a 55% fee tacked onto our ride AND had to share the car with a stranger. We also were in an older car that smelled smokey. Luckily, the driver never lit up while we were in the car, but the smell was still there from all the times he had in the past.

Of course, there’s also always a chance that even if you DO get a Didi, they might decide to reject you based on a variety of reasons. I’ve had countless didis drive off when they see that I have a dog or a cat with me (even in a pet carrier). I’ve also had Didi drivers leave because they don’t have room for our luggage. Just last week, Andy, Richard and Elizabeth had their driver leave as soon as he realized they were foreigners. We aren’t sure if he was just nervous about them not speaking English, or if he (like many people living in remote areas) think they are more likely to get the virus from a foreigner. Either way, they ended up on the bus with Dave, Ian and I.

Didi is GREAT in bigger cities and for shorter rides, but if you’re in a remote area, you might have a hard time.

Take the Bus

The Benefits

Our group of travelers has been very divided with the bus option. I personally like the bus (as long as it isn’t too full) for a variety of reasons.

On this trip, the bus we took had PLENTY of room.

As someone who is never sitting in the front of didis or hired vans, buses are more spacious for me. Once more, this is dependant on how full the bus is, but when you’re remote like we have been, this isn’t too much of a problem. In the Didi to Linxia, Dave couldn’t get any work done because there was no room. On the bus though, he set up a whole work station for himself (he’s self employed and trying to get things done on travel days).

You everyone has a better view on the bus as well. Windows are much bigger on a bus than they are in a van, and you’re also higher up, so you get a better view. I got so many beautiful photos on our trip to Labrang!

Of course, if you’re on a budget, buses are great too. To hire a car for a 4 hour drive cost 700rmb ($140 Canadian) but the bus only cost 360rmb. For half the price, to be in a more comfortable situation with a view, I’m a big fan of the bus.

I’ve made some pretty awesome memories in buses, on my way to SAPA. That might be why I enjoy them.

Drawbacks

Not all buses are as empty or comfortable.

Of course, there are some pretty serious draw backs for the bus as well. I’ve been in some VERY crowded buses and if you have to share your seat, it can get pretty cramped.

Buses can also be pretty slow going, especially when getting out of the city. There are frequent stops to pick people up, so generally speaking, it takes longer to get anywhere on a bus. If it isn’t crowded, and you have stuff to keep you busy, it’s not a problem, but if it’s crammed, loud or hot… That extra time in the bus is not appreciated.

Some long distance buses even have standing room. I can’t imagine being on a bus for 4 hours without sitting down.

Enoy the Ride!

So, if you are traveling in rural areas that don’t have high speed train options, you might be faced with finding new ways to get around. We’ve used a mixture of all 3 of these methods of transportation. They all have pros and cons, and the one that suits you best might be different from what suits others. It can be tough appeasing everyone if you are traveling with a group, but just remember, it’s only a few hours, and your time is going to be what you make it! If you spend the whole ride complaining, it doesn’t matter what form of transportation you choose… It’s going to be miserable!!

I’ve got lots to write about Langmusi! Stay tuned!!!

Labrang: Town & Monestary

After Linxia, our next stop was Xiahe County, where we visited Labrang Monestary and the town with the same name. Dave and I had very much wanted to visit Labrang during our October Holiday, but it hadn’t worked out, so we were happy when the rest of our Summer Holiday gang were also keen to see the area.

I think Gansu might have the widest range of beauty of any province in all of China. We’ve been blown away by the landscapes everywhere we’ve been in the province.

We had a day and a half in Labrang Town, which was enough for us to see most of what we wanted to see. The main sight to see there is the monestary. Still, we did do a little walking around the town. It’s a neat little place!

Labrang Monestary was established in 1709, so it isn’t as old as Kumbum monestary, but it’s still considered one of the 6 most important Gelug monestaries in the area. The Monestary itself is free to enter, but to get into most of the buildings, you need to be accompanied by a guide. There are 2 English tours per day; one at 10am and one at 3pm. The tour only costs 40rmb, so it doesn’t exactly break the bank. Our guide happened to be one of the monks living at the monestary. That gave us an excellent perspective that we couldn’t have otherwise gotten. We actualy missed the first tour though, so we walked around some of the less busy area of the monestary while we waited until the 3pm tour.

We climbed up a big hill for a better view

We also made a goat friend while passing time. He was hanging out on his own, and at first we weren’t even sure if he was alive because he was so still. Turns out, he was just really relaxed!

The group photo we got before the crowd started forming.

The tour of Labrang was punctuated by rain, but lovely nonetheless. The monk who showed us around has lived at the monestary for nearly 20 years, since he was 18 years old. I don’t think he was expecting so many personal questions, but he answered them as they came. He explained that he became a monk because his uncle was a monk and it had inspired him. Of the six colleges that monks can choose to study, he chose to study philosophy. Once more, it was his uncle who inspired him.

We also learned a lot about Buddhism. One thing I found particularly interesting was that in Tibetan Buddhism, monks only get one chance to be a monk. In other sects, people can be monks, leave the monestary later on, and rejoin the monastery again later in life. Tibetans only get 1 chance per lifetime.

All over the plateau, we have been seeing blankets over doorways like this. At Labrang, we finally got an answer. They are for keeping ghosts out. In Buddhism, ghosts are the reincarnation of people who did poorly in their previous lives.

One of the things that surprised us all was that monks at the monestary actually have a lot of freedom. They can choose one of the 6 colleges to study, and can only study one at a time. There are lessons, debates and prayers within each of the colleges, but the monks can decide whether they want to attend. Of course, there are tests in order for that monks have to pass in order to complete their college, so it’s best if they participate as much as possible We often saw monks in town, eating dinner in regular restaurants and even shopping. This is really not what I expected, but I think it’s a lot better than them being stuck inside all the time.

With 41 temples to move between, the Monks do have plenty of space at the Labrang monestary!

Of course, the highlight of our trip to Labrang monestary was the yak butter sculpturs. Yak butter is an important part of monestary life. You smell it everywhere you go. Their candles in the temples are made of it, and the sculptures in both Kumbum and Labrang are a major draw for tourism (and likely also a good source of donations). We were allowed to have cameras in that building, so I got pictures of nearly every piece of artwork that there is to see.

It’s difficult to believe that these entire sculptures are made of butter! They dye the butter before they begin working. It’s not airbrushed.

Each year, new scultures are made. It takes weeks of work, and several monks, but the end result is really pretty amaing! The ones we saw are over 6 months old and amazingly still well preserved. The room they are in is refridgerated to keep the sculptures intact, and when the artists are creating their masterpieces, they have to routinely put their hands in cold water to prevent the butter from melting too much while they work with it.

Our time in Lebrang was really very nice. It was cool to get the perspective of a monk. He tried his best to anwer our questions, and I probably got more out of this visit, than I did at Kumbum monestary, where we walked around on our own. I gained respect for the Buddhist religion when I learned that they debate new ideas, and that their beliefs evolve over time, based on these new ideas. Of course, I still have a lot of difficulty subscribing to the idea of reincarnation. The idea that Donald Trump, Jeff Bezos and other powerful people are in their positions because they were so ‘good’ in previous lives is hard for me to believe. Did all that goodness lead them to positions where they can take advantage of others and generally make the world a worse place? Is that how it should work? I do like the idea of Trump coming back as a dung beatle, I’m not going to lie, but I still struggle with the other side of it.

Still, I don’t have to believe everthing that someone else believes in order to enjoy spending time with them. I learned new things and that’s a beautiful thing.

Next up, I will be writing about the various forms of transportation that we have taken, and the beautiful views that we’ve appreciated along the way! Stay tuned!

Linxia’s Lovely Locals

We arrived in Linxia after an awful taxi ride from Lanzhou. Not only was there a bonus person in the car, (which meant Ian, Dave and I had to squish into the back), but they also added on a 55% fee for the long distance we took. We did manage to argue our way down to a 26% fee, but it was still a pretty terrible 2 hour ride anyway!

Luckily, things got much better once we arrived in Linxia. I honestly had no idea what to expect from this destination, because my friend Andy planned most of this part of this trip. I imagined it would just be a bit of a pit stop on our way to Xiahe. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this small city of 240,000 people actually has a lot to offer. We met so many lovely people there, so I will organize this post with the 4 people who made this trip memorable for us.

Fan-Girl

A delicious dessert we discovered in Linxia

While we were looking for a nice place to have dinner, we enjoyed the sights of Linxia’s tourist area. We came upon one restaurant that caught our eye because there was this funny kid doing Gong-fu, while his sister (?) did traditional Chinese dancing with a fan. The menu looked good, and they had a cute shtick, so we went in.

Near the end of the dinner, the girl and boy who had been entertaining guests outside shyly came in and asked if we would take a photo with them. We did, of course, and I made sure to get a photo as well.

Now, this is where the story gets really cute. As soon as she walked out of the time, she squealed, danced and jumped up and down with excitement. We may as well have been the Backstreet Boys circa 1999! She sat down in the next room and actually fanned herself, she was so excited to have met us and gotten a photo with us! Later on we heard her trying to learn how to say ‘welcome to China’ in English for us. The phrase burst out of her as we left the restaurant. She was such a sweet girl!

Mosque Men

You might not believe me, but this is a mosque!

After dinner, we started walking towards the hotel, but went slow and wound our way through the streets on the way. The area was beautiful and surprisingly new looking, for such a small city!

They had lights going over the streets. Perfect for playing lava monster!

We came across a couple of women taking a photo in front of a beautiful building. It took us a moment to realize that we weren’t actually looking at a Buddhist temple, but a Muslim Mosque!

As we stood outside, admiring the architecture, a man wearing a white prayer cap came over and greeted us. I told him in Mandarin that we thought the building was very beautiful and he invited us in. I was actually very hesitant to enter because I had forgotten my scarf back in the room and my shoulders were very bare. He welcomed me in anyway, so I joined the others.

Yesterday at Labrang Monestary the wind kept flapping my scarf over my head.

We walked around and saw many worshippers peeping out of their rooms to see us. A crowd formed while we looked around and admired the beautiful mosque.

After a few minutes, one of the men in the quicky growing crowd came over and spoke to us. He asked where we are from and made some small talk. He laughed playfully at Elizabeth for not wearing her scarf around herself ‘properly’ and then teased me for not wearing one at all. He was funny and cheeky about it and we all had a laugh. Then we took a group photo for all the guys who wanted proof that they’d met foreigners.

I’ve said this many times through my travels, but I really love all the different people we meet on the road. These guys have a very different set of beliefs than I do, but we were nice to each other, respectful, and even joked about it. They didn’t make me feel uncomfortable or unwelcomed… They were just thrilled that we found their place of worship beautiful. These types of encounters are easily one of my favorite parts of traveling.

Multilingual Michael

After our visit at the mosque, we wandered our way down to a scenic area of town that was very obviously very recently built or reconstructed. As always, the lights in China were lovely at night.

At 11pm every one of these lights were turned off.

As we made our way through, we ran into a man who asked in English where we are from. We get asked this question all the time, but usually in Mandarin, or very broken English (Which country!?!?). I told him that 2 of us are Canadian, 2 American and 2 British. He welcomed us all to China (which always makes us chuckle, because 4/6 of us have been here 7 years or longer and none of us have left in a year and a half). That’s one of the nicest things about meeting new people when traveling in remote (er) China: they always make a point of welcoming us to their country.

We continued chatting and learned that the man (his name was Michael), speaks 4 languages and that he lived in Pakistan for several years. Ian and Andy were there in January of 2020, so the topic quickly moved into Pakistan and how much the guys both loved their time there.

People often think of Pakistan as the sum of its difficulties, when really there is a vibrant and welcoming culture there as well. I’d love the opportunity to visit some day, when the world opens back up.

Michael also told us a bit about the local area. We asked when the tourist area was built and he told us that until 6 years ago, the area was mostly inhabited by poorer citizens. When the government decided to revitalize the area, rich people bought out the properties and rent became much too expensive for most people, so they were essentially forced to move to other areas of Linxia The cost of progress…

At 11pm all the lights went out and we took it as our cue to head back to the hotel. Michael kindly invited us for tea and watermelon, but given the time, we had to decline. I’m very happy that we bumped into him. It’s always nice to hear local perspectives, and his was especially unique given his own travels.

Social Media Influencer

We didn’t have much time in Linxia so we set out early the following morning to see as much of the city as we could. It wasn’t long before we were greeted by a woman on the street who quickly welcomed us to China and told us about a market nearby.

Sadly, the market was closing up. We did see some cool looking noodles being made though.

We kept walking towards the temple we saw in the distance, and then suddenly, the friendly woman we had met was with us again.

She followed Andy, who easily has the best Chinese of all of us.

She showed us over to a little park, and told us about the dance and music performances that happen there. Then, right in front of us, a show began! Well… It wasn’t really supposed to be a show, but it turned out to be!

In every other city I’ve been to, there are ‘dancing grannies’. Older women who get together and dance in parks basically any night that isn’t rainy. It’s one of China’s most endearing qualities, in my opinion. But in Linxia, they don’t seem to have dancing grannies. They have ‘Catwalk’ grannies. They went around in a circle like that for the entire 20 minutes we sat there.

Once more, a crowd gathered to watch the foreigners (who were watching the locals)

I feel kind of terrible because I never got this woman’s name, but in fairness, she never asked mine either. I’ve dubbed her ‘social media influencer’ simply because she spent a lot of her time with us showing us the things she posted on social media.

Google and Facebook may be banned in China, but the country has a huge list of their own apps that are used in their place.

In fact, when we finally did part ways with this very friendly and enthusiastic woman, she added several of us to Wechat and we’ve been seeing a constant stream of her updates ever since.

It was a lovely day though, and although the social media influencer was a bit odd, she was also very friendly and genuinely wanted us to like her city.

It’s funny that these 4 people were so different. A young girl, a worshipper of Islam, a local who has traveled abroad, and a Muslim woman who loves social media… But they all impacted our trip and forever influenced my opinions of Linxia; a warm and friendly city filled with lovely people.

And a really cool view from our hotel window!!

Next up, I have posts about Labrang Monestary and Travelling in Gansu!! Check back soon!

Museums

As I’ve said many times in past posts: I really like museums. We’ve seen some really cool museums through our travels. The UXO Museum in Laos and the War Remnants Museum in Vietnam opened our eyes about a war we knew surprisingly little about. The Schindler museum in Krakow taught me how the Nazis managed to convince so many people to hate. I particularly like Anthropology museums.

Vancouver’s Anthropology museum really amazed me. I hope to go back again some day!

Wherever we go, we end up visiting a museum. On this trip across the Tibetan Plateau, we’ve already visited 2 museums: one about Tibetan Culture and Gansu’s provincial Museum. Here’s some info on both.

Tibetan Buddhism Museum

Located a couple of kilometers away from Kumbum Monestary, this small museum is an ok way to spend an hour or two, as long as you can read Chinese, or are very patient with a translator.

There are plenty of beautiful artifacts to see

Of course, even if you can’t understand everything, there is always something to see in these types of displays. I actually did use Wechat to translate but sections of text (they have a cool feature where you can translate text from photos!), but even without that life hack, I got a lot out of the visit.

There are several feature videos explaining the history of the area, but they were also in Chinese and quite difficult to follow. Probably the strangest part of the museum was the collection of masks we saw.

One thing I really did like about The Tibetan Culture Museum was the lovely art they had set up outside. These sculptures were beautifully detailed, and of course, there were some magnificent prayer Flags flapping in the wind as well.

Gansu Provincial Museum

After leaving Xining, we head to Gansu Province. We were in Gansu during the October holiday last year, but we didn’t the southern part of the province. We did get to see Danxia and Dunhuang, but we missed the Tibetan Plateau.

I wouldn’t trade our time in Zhangye area! It was stunning! But Gansu has more to offer than just colorful mountains!

Our first real stop in Gansu was Linxia, but after leaving Xining, we had a layover in Lanzhou, so we decided to hit up a museum while we were there.

We did the circled areas in the north back in October. All our Gansu destinations this dinner are in the southern part of the Province.

We went straight from the train station to the gallery, so we had all our bags. I was very happy to see that they have a luggage center set up just outside the museum specifically for people doing exactly what we did!

The last thing I wanted was to be rolling around a suitcase while learning about Buddhism and dinosaurs.

This stop was quite different from the one near Kumbum Monestary. There was still plenty about Buddhism, which is a major religion in the Tibetan Plateau, but there was also a lot about other history in the area as well. There were several sections to explore: Paleontology, Communist History, Pottery & Buddhist Art.

Gansu is where many of China’s Dinosaur fossils have been found!

Our first stop was to see some fossils and learn about the geological history of Gansu. They had a lot of small fossils on display, but sadly only 2 full dinosaur displays out to see. Still, there was plenty to learn as we walked around.

We skipped over the communist section because we had limited time, and went over to the Anthropology section, which was definitely my favourite area.

Anthropology is the study of humans through history. You will find everything from tools, to pottery to musical instruments in an anthropology display

I was especially impressed by the pottery and the Buddha’s on display. They had pots that are 8000 years old! They did a great job of showing the evolution of this pottery making as well. I spent quite a lot of time studying Greek and Roman pottery, so it was nice to see a whole new style.

The Buddha’s on display could be photographed. They aren’t as grand as the massive golden ones in the Monestaries, but they were very detailed and beautiful nonetheless. I especially liked seeing people so interested in them. So often, people are just staring at their phones in museums. These crowds seemed truly engaged though.

The final area was very similar to the Tibetan Cultural museum we had visited the day before. There was more English, but it was much smaller than the anthropology section.

Stuppas similar to the ones we saw at Kumbum

It took us 1.5 hours to make it through the parts of the museum we saw, so if you’re planning to visit, you should set aside about that much time or more. There is plenty to see!!

Should You Go?

Honestly, I would say that the Buddhist Culture museum was overpriced for what it was. For 60rmb ($12) per guest, there could have been SOME English available. With only 1 or two sentences in English, we really missed out on a lot. After all, I’m always telling my students that translators cannot replace the human mind. They aren’t that smart.

For more proof that translators don’t always work, you can read this hilarious article by Bored Panda

Having said that, if you’re in the area and have an hour to kill, the price isn’t outrageous. You’ll learn a thing or two and see some cool stuff.

With such a rich culture, Tibetan Buddhism is worth learning more about!

As for The Gansu Provincial Museum, I would highly recommend it. Not only is there no entrance fee, there is also a huge range of displays to see, so there’s really something for everyone. If you’re in Lanzhou, try and make the trip down there. You’ll be impressed, I promise!!

The museum has lots of information on the silk road as well, including some very old silk pieces.

We’ve moved into some of the smaller areas of Gansu now! More on Lingxia & Xiahe soon!

Mogao Grottos

1600 years ago, the Silk Road was in full use. China was exporting silk, gunpowder and other goods, and bringing back with them spices, glass and culture. This is how Buddhism came to China.

Buddhism mostly came from India at the time

One particular monk saw a certain mountain side and decided to create a cave and a place where he could meditate. Soon, others started joining him, and over the next 1000 years, more than 1000 caves were dug out. Some were for meditation, some were elaborately painted and sculpted with Buddist mythology. More than 1000 Buddhas were carved in this mountain side.

One of the Buddhas is actually behind this wall. He’s massive and must have taken years to complete

These incredible caves are known as the Mogao Grottos. They are a treasure trove of history, culture and art. Tourists flock there today to see the caves that are open to the public. There are about 500 remaining now, and many are still in their original form, untouched.

Behind each of those doors is an elaborately decorated cave

We spent the last day of our holiday visiting these Grottos and learning the history of this site. We visited 8 caves in total, including the library, which was once home to more than 50,000 cultural and historical artifacts. Unfortunately, French and British archeologists took a lot of these artifacts themselves and left only 13,000 or so in China.

The library was actually hidden for hundreds of years. Within years of its discovery, it was robbed of many of its secrets.

The walls of each cave are covered in art (much of it is original), and every inch of the caves we saw were elaborately decorated with colour, sculptures and reliefs. Glass separates tourists, protecting the art from the hands of selfish tourists who don’t understand how to respect the culture and religions of others.

Glass is up all around each cave. If it weren’t, I’m sure people would be trying to take pieces of Buddhas or scraping the walls to get some 1700 year old paint

Because this is a sacred Buddhist site, photography isn’t allowed in the caves, so I don’t have my own photos of the interior. Luckily, there are several official websites that have authorized photos of some of the caves that I can share with you!

It took a lot of time, money and manpower to create even just one of these caves (never mind about 500 that are painted and full of sculptures like this one). Wealthy families paid to have these caves built because monks alone couldn’t fund the expensive pigments and materials used in this art.

A lot of these colors, sculptures and paintings are original

It’s fine to take photos on the grounds of the Grottos, so we did plenty of that as well.

There is a museum on sight as well that explains how the caves were designed and now the art was created. I found it to be very educational. I have no artistic talent at all, so it is nice having it explained to me!

As you leave the grottos, there are some beautiful stupas to admire as well. They were created to show respect the monks who were key in creating the Grottos and the way they stand out against the desert and mountains is really beautiful.

If you’re going to the Mogao Grottos, be sure to book your tickets at least a day in advance. Foreigners need to do this in person. The tour isn’t cheap (more than 250rmb per person), but it includes 2 educational videos about the site, as well as an English speaking tour guide, AND entrance into 8 caves (there is a cheaper option, but all in Chinese and you only get access to 4 caves). Lonely Planet has some good instructions on where to get the tickets.

The way the blues have held up over the centuries is really amazing! The Mogao Grottos are certainly something to see!!

That wraps up our trip to Gansu province. Now, it’s time for me to catch up on some of those posts I promised but never completed!!!

Dunhuang’s Dunes

We arrived in Dunhuang quite late at night and didn’t have many options for food. The options we did have weren’t the cleanest, and by the following afternoon, Dave wasn’t feeling great, so I headed off to the Echoing Sand Mountain by my lonesome.

Our hotel was actually basically in the desert in an area dubbed ‘sleepless town’. This is accurate. We haven’t slept much. They forgot to put mattresses on the beds, so we’re basically sleeping on box springs……

We could see the masive sand dunes from our hotel, so we set off on my own and made the 20 minute walk to Mingsha (Echoing Sand) Mountain. Entrance to the site is 110rmb as of 2020. There are all sorts of activities you can do, including camel riding, ATVing and sliding down the dunes. I was more interested in hanging out with the camels than I was with riding them, but that wasn’t an option, so I walked the boardwalk path around the dunes and took in the sights.

I followed the red path to the oasis & temple.

There were easily over 200 camels at the Echoing Sound Dunes and they’re always making their way around in groups of 4, led by guides. I’ve been on a camel twice (in Rajasthan and Inner Mongolia) and the thing you don’t realize is how TALL camels are!!

Easily in my list of top 5 favorite animals!

The views were very nice along the boardwalk. It wasn’t terribly crowded either, which was very nice. I watched adults and kids alike slide down the dunes to hear them ‘sing’. The Echoing Sound Dunes make neat sounds in the wind. I did this in Inner Mongolia back in 2005, and I can’t say I heard any singing, but it was fun!

But if you’re not careful, you might lose your cell phone half way down!!

The highlight, of course, was Crescent Spring and the surrounding scenery.

It’s hard to capture from the ground, but this spring looks like a crescent moon. It’s been there, in the desert, for thousands of years, and there are records of it being a tourist attraction since 200ce! It’s a beautiful place to take a break, enjoy some ice cream and snap some pictures.

Beautiful structures sit alongside the crescent spring

If you’d like to visit the dunes, and want to have some fun in the sand, there are lots of places where you can get proper desert-appropriate attire. Such these super cool boots, so that you don’t get sand in your shoes.

They’re sold everywhere, including at the entrance

If you don’t, you might get a whole lot of sand in your shoes, like these guys, who were literally pouring it out, like you’d see in a cartoon.

Or, if you are more interested in keeping your skin safe from the sun’s rays, you can also purchase full ‘desert princess gear’, like so many tourists do.

I saw at least 50 women dressed this way.

When you’re done with the desert, and ready for some dinner, head down to the night market in Dunhuang. There are tons of food choices and it’s sort of cafeteria style, so you can get a bit of everything at all the different restaurants. This was honestly the best meal we’ve had on this trip.

I have one more post planned for this trip! Our last day was spent visiting one of the most important and famous religious sites in the world! Stay tuned!

The Western Great Wall

Our next stop was in a small(ish) city called Jiayuguan. Although an important area historically, Jiayuguan is quite small, with a population of less than half a million people.

It almost looks like Winnipeg. You can see so much sky!!

There isn’t a lot to see here, but we still reserved a day of our trip for a quick visit, because although this isn’t a big city, it’s home to the western end of the Great Wall of China!

Historically, Jiayuguan was very important. Not only was it the end of the wall, protecting China from ‘the outside’ but Jiayuguan was also an important part of the silk road (which allowed China to trade with ‘the outside’ and gain power with a strengthened economy). It was also a place of poetry and deep sadness; at least for anyone who was exiled, because this is where that usually happened.

The Great Wall was built differently in different areas of the country. Near Beijing, we saw bricks and plaster made from rice and dirt. Here in Jiayuguan, sand and compressed dirt were used. The wall blends in beautifully with its surroundings.

Sand below, sand behind, sand all around!

I really liked the crumbly and ancient feel of Gubeiku Great Wall, and I was complaining that Jiuyuguan Pass was too ‘inauthentic’, but Dave pointed out one advantage of having it so well-restored: you’re able to see how the wall functioned.

Jiayuguan Pass wasn’t just protecting open country side, as was in the case of other sections of the wall; it was also protecting a city. The way it was reconstructed allowed us to see what some of the important buildings looked like 700 years ago when the wall was still functional. That aspect of it was pretty cool.

Several reconstructed buildings are also on site

Guard towers and lookouts where soldiers could see invaders coming from miles away, across the Gobi Desert.

All in all, I’m happy we went. I think if I had known a bit more, I would have skipped this portion of our trip and spent a bit more time hiking around Mati Si, but still… It was pretty cool to see the western end of the Great Wall of China!!

There were lots of camels there too, so that was a bonus!!!

Next, we went to Dunhuang, home of singing sand dunes and lots of Buddha’s! More on that next time!!

Rainbow Mountains & More!

After leaving Lanzhou, our next stop was Zhangye City via high speed rail. We were originally planning to stay there for the night and use this small city as a home base while we checked out the surrounding area, but some advice from friends changed our minds. Instead, we booked a yurt at a local camp ground.

You can find them on Booking.com. The place we stayed, which I highly recommend, is called KaoShan Tent Zhangye

Yurts were traditionally used by nomadic tribes in Asia because they’re relatively easy to take down and set up. They block the wind nicely and keep in heat. Our yurt was super cozy and honestly was a lot nicer than we were expecting from a campground in one of China’s poorest provinces.

It was pretty cold while we were there. It dipped down to 0°celsius and we woke up to ice in those cute little sinks outside. So, we were happy that hot pot was on the dinner menu at the hotel (it was the only option, actually) and luckily? I made a doggie friend that kept me warm throughout dinner.

The big tent is the kitchen. They serve a really great breakfast in there, which we really weren’t expecting! They had an egg station, jam and a coffee maker. Most of the hotels we’ve been to in China don’t have all 3 of those options, but this yurt camp did!!

The hotel staff kindly helped us rent a driver and car for the day on Sunday, which allowed to to see 3 separate areas. It was money well spent because we got to see so much beauty and variety in such a short time.

Colourful Danxia (The Rainbow Mountains)

We were actually at the Yurts by 3pm so we had time to visit the rainbow mountains twice. Once at sunset and once for sunrise. Our afternoon visit was a bit crowded but breathtakingly beautiful!

The Rainbow Mountains, in Danxia Geopark, is a unique geological area, where the mountains have formed in a spectacular way. No photographs can really capture them properly. The mountains seem to go on forever!

As of 2020, entrance to the park is about 75rmb, which includes the shuttle bus and entrance into the park itself. If you go back the next day, like we did, you only pay the portion for the bus (20rmb). It’s well worth the price, and the shuttle bus service takes you to several viewing points. We didn’t have a ton of time before the sun set, so we saw 2.

Lots of people, but luckily, also lots of space!

Probably my favourite photo from day 1 in Danxia

We actually walked home while the sun set, and enjoyed a beautiful evening and an early bedtime back at the camp.

They light up the mountains with colourful lights at night. Really pretty!

For our morning trip, we focused on the first viewpoint and the most sprawling lookout. We watched the sun slowly rise over the mountains, lighting up the sky and bringing color back to the world. I don’t wake up for many sunrises… The last one before this was in Cambodia at Ankor Wat… But this was certainly worth the early start!

When the sun first peeped up, several people actually shouted a little because it just crept out of nowhere. A really beautiful way to start the day.

Binggou Park

After a quick breakfast and pack up back at the yurts, we head to our next stop via private driver. I can’t lie and say we were particularly fond of either of the men who drove us around this area. They both drove like absolute maniacs, driving into oncoming traffic to get ahead of other cars… But after watching the other drivers on the road, it seemed like that is just the status quo in Gansu. Be prepared for some crazy drivers!

It’s also very likely you’ll need to stop for sheep now and then

Binggou Park is about a half hour drive from Danxia, and very worth the trip! The area reminded us of a mixture of Zion and Bryce National parks in Utah. There were a lot of stairs to climb, but the views more than made up for the aching glutes!

The rock formations, colorful landscapes and blue skies made for some perfect photography conditions. There also weren’t as many tourists out this way, which was nice.

The tourists we did see were mostly older women sightseeing with their friends and having an adorable time

We spent 2 hours hiking up and down trails before heading back up our car and setting off for Mati Temple.

Mati Temple

Mati Si or ‘Horseshoe Temple’ was our final stop for the day. Located about 65km away from Zhangye, it’s a beautiful ride up to this unique temple.

What makes this temple so fascinating is the way it has been built. Most temples are a series of buildings. Mati Si is actually a series of rooms carved into the side of a mountain. It’s definitely something to see!

There are lots of caves and chambers in this mountain

Unfortunately, the temple is very small and wasn’t really built for tour groups, so only a set number of people could go through at a time. This made for long queues and a lot of time spent waiting. By the time we finally got to go in, we basically had to leave for the train station. We didn’t end up seeing most of the temple, which was really too bad.

The lineup we stood in for nearly 2 hours

I wish we had spent more time walking around the outside areas of Horse Shoe Temple instead, because although we really didn’t get to see much, we had no regrets about going to Mati Si. The trees there are changing color and the landscapes are stunning. The mountain range also changes a lot in this area and starts to look more Himalayan.

It was even beautiful from the parking lot

If I could redo this trip, I would have actually skipped our next stop and have stayed near Mati temple over night. There are camps where you can learn more about the nomadic cultures that lived in this area nearly 2000 years ago when the temple was first built. You can also do hiking in the area.

Our trip didn’t end here! Our next stop was Jiuyuguan, home of the Great Wall! (Yup, there too!! Not just in Beijing!). Stay tuned for more on that!