Summer 2021 – China Trip – Page 2

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!

Kumbum Monestary

In 1577, a monestary was built at the birthplace of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa sect of Buddhism. It was called Kumbum Jampa Ling, which means “supreme Buddhist temple with one hundred thousand lions’ roar Buddhist images”.

These stupas greet you at the entrance of the monestary.

In its hay day, this temple was home to 3600 monks. Rulers during the Qing dynasty donated Buddhist art, stupas, statues and many other treasures. Even today, Kumbum is home to more than 100,000 relics. In other words, it is a very important location for Buddhism, and also for history.

Judging by this photo courtesy of Wikipedia, the monestary looked like more of a village than a monestary. The place was huge!!

Now, around 400 monks still live at the monestary, and even though it isn’t the same as it once was, it is still a very impressive place to visit. We spent 3 hours roaming around the monestary, admiring the architecture, Buddha’s, art, and the scenic environment.

Photography is forbidden in the temples, so most of my photos are of the outside of the buildings.

What impressed me most about Kumbum temple was the architecture. I’ve never seen so many colours (except maybe in India!). Every building has elaborate designs and the most vibrant colors! There were a few rooms that allowed photos, so I was able to get some examples for you.

We saw worshippers praying, enormous prayer wheels and so many impressive Buddha’s. So much of the most beautiful things in the temple couldn’t be photographed, of course, but I was very happy that there were a few places where it was permitted.

There were quite a few tourists and pilgrims at the monestary. Kumbum is considered one of the most important temples in the Tibetan Plateau. Many people were there to pray, light candles, and worship in various ways. It always upsets me when I see people taking photos of pilgrims or items of religious importance. When we first walked in, several monks were telling off some Chinese tourists for photographing them as they were walking around the Stupas. I had actually been photographing the Stupas at that time and I made sure those pilgrims knew that I had my camera up and focusing on the structures, and not on them.

There are plenty of interesting things to take photos of without disrespecting the people there worshipping.

One other thing that really made me feel good about monestary was the wildlife. There were also many friendly felines roaming the monestary. They seemed well fed and friendly. A good sign that the people living there treat them well.

I certainly recommend this monestary for anyone visiting Qinghai. Located about a 1 hour Didi ride from Xining, Kumbum is a beautiful place to visit and with an entrance fee of less than 100rmb ($20), it’s an affordable place to see.

We’re just getting started on this trip! Check back soon for more!!

TAR vs Tibetan Plateau

Over the last few days, I’ve had several people send me messages, assuming that we are in Tibet. Although we ARE surrounded by Tibetan Culture, we are actually not in the province of Tibet. We were planning to go to Lhasa and mount Everest initially, but our plans were thwarted due to permit issues. I understand that this part of China can be a little confusing, so let me begin by explaining more clearly.

Cultural Tibet

Red = Tibetan Autonomous Region
Grey, Green & Purple = Tibetan Plateau

The Tibetan Autonomous Region is a special area of China. If you’ve paid attention to global news over the last few decades, you’ve surely heard about the conflict there. Tibet has long wanted its independence, but of course, China does not want this. So, instead, they’ve given them a special ‘autonomous region’s status.

Potala Palace and Mount Everest are both found in the TAR, so we weren’t able to see them this year, because…

You need a special permit to be able to enter the TAR. Hypothetically speaking, this shouldn’t have been a problem. We had everything in order long before the trip. Until recently, Tibet WAS closed to tourism for foreigners, but in May, the ban was lifted. Still, the government isn’t actually issuing any permits, so even if we can technically should be able to go to TAR now, without that piece of paper, we wouldn’t be allowed to enter.

Luckily, Tibet is more than just the TAR. You can get a great feel for Tibetan culture and life by visiting the rest of the plateau, and this is exactly what we decided to do.

Tibetan Buddhism

Just as there are different forms of Christianity (Protestant, Catholic, Mormons…), there are also different forms of Buddhism. Although they are all similar, there are key differences in the different sects of Buddhism. I won’t go into much detail here because I’m no an expert on this stuff, but what I will say is that most Buddhism falls under one of the following categories: Theravada Vinaya (located in south east Asia mostly), Dharmaguptaka Vinaya (mostly found in China, Korea, Vietnam and Japan) and Mulasarvastivada Vinaya (practiced on the Tibetan Plateau as well as in Mongolia and northern India). There are many sub sects within each of these categories, of course. Buddhism is a very old and complex faith. You can learn more about the finer details of Buddhism here

Golden statues of Buddha are found among most of the major Buddhist sects.

Up until recently, Dave and I had only ever experienced the first 2 categories of Buddhism. We’ve seen many temples in south east Asia, of course. So many that we have actually started skipping many of those temples when we travel. Tibetan temples though, have been a completely new experience for us.

This is a newly renovated Buddhist temple that we visited last year in Lijiang, China.

Prayer Flags

Another thing that sets Tibetan Buddhism apart from many other sects is their use of Prayer Flags. I learned about these since arriving here and I’ve gotta say, they’re kind of a nice idea.

Each color of the flag represents different elements of the earth (wind, water, fire, etc.), and each flag has an Om written on it. The idea is that the wind will carry the good wishes of the Om through the wind that makes the flags flap. That’s why these flags are only found in windy places like Nepal and the Tibetan plateau.

The sounds they make while flapping in the wind is actually beautiful and LOUD!

These Buddhist prayer flags are found everywhere we’ve gone so far on this trip. One other interesting thing I discovered while learning about them is that the older the flags get, the more auspicious they are considered. If you see a prayer flag with faded colors, it means that it’s done it’s job, and spread compassion, ethics, patience, diligence, wisdom and other values out into the world. Nice tradition, I think!

I always knew these flags were meaningful, but after seeing (and hearing) them up close, I appreciate them that much more.

We visited Kumbum monestary yesterday, near Xining. It was a beautiful visit and I’ll have more on that soon!

Xining – First Impressions

As COVID continues to affect the world, we continue to be unable to go home. Although Canada did recently lift the mandatory 2 week quarantine for vaccinated people coming into Canada, they are not recognizing the Chinese vaccines, so we were forced to stay here for the second summer in a row.

Dave and I are now fully vaccinated, but we still need COVID tests to travel through China, and most other countries don’t recognize China’s vaccine, although it has been proven to offer quite a lot of protection and reduced symptoms if you do happen to catch the virus.

Of course, staying in Suzhou didn’t really appeal to us, so we decided to plan an epic 5 week trip across 10 provinces and a huge range of places in China. Our first stop: Qinghai Province

Qinghai, where the average elevation is over 3000 meters above sea level!

Our original plan was to go to Tibet and see Everest and Lhasa, but those plans were thwarted due to permit issues. Even with a valid Chinese visa, you can’t actually visit TAR (Tibetan Autonomous Region) without a special permit issued by the government. And although Tibet opened again for international tourists in May, permits still aren’t actually being issued. So, we decided to see other areas of the Tibetan Plateau instead.

TAR is Tibet as you know it (the part that is furthest west), but the Tibetan Plateau also includes a much larger space, where you will still see Tibetan culture.

This morning, we flew to Xining, which is the capital of Qinghai Province. Although the Province is huge, there are only a handful of really popular tourist spots in the area. Xining itself is a pretty city, with much cleaner air than we have on the east coast. I prefer it to Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu, where we spent our October Holiday. People here are friendlier and the city is more modern.

The flight in was on a tiny plane, and we were lucky enough to have a bunch of kids sitting directly behind us, screaming the entire way…

We spent today exploring the area with the friends we are spending the next week with: Ian and Andy. A couple of Andy’s friends have joined as well, and the 6 of us enjoyed a chill day of sight seeing and COVID tests.

We got the throat AND nose swabs this time. I feel like they are always so excessive with them. Why do you have to swipe at the back of my throat 6 times? Isn’t 3 enough!?

We found 2 beautiful mosques today. They were quite different from one another. The first seemed a lot older, but with several modern (and culturally Chinese) elements added.

A beautiful spot. The carvings were especially nice

The second mosque seemed newer and was definitely more grand. There was a secondary area near the back, where the walls were brown (the rest of the mosque was white). The whole area was very peaceful and beautiful.

Quite detailed and somehow peaceful, although in the middle of a city. The main building was huge, as you can see from the photo I took of Dave for scale

Our last stop for the day was at the old city wall. We were there after dark and got to see part of it all lit up and beautiful!! Definitely one of my favorite things about China is the way they use lights to keep things intriguing, even in the dark.

Our first day in Xining was lovely! Looking forward to tomorrow, when we head out to Qinghai Lake!!!

Check back for day 2!