A brief summary of the last weeks

After spending some time in the Tibetan area in Western Sichuan, I went south through an amazing mountain landscape. The roads were clinging to the steep mountain side as we climbed peak after peak. I'm sure one should have been a bit worried on roads like these, but I was too busy admiring the the scenery to worry about anything at all.

I went straight down to Tiger Leaping Gorge with two guys I had randomly met on my way down. In the Gorge, we met up with two Canadians and two Russians that we did the 8 hour trek with. The four first hours were straight up, and I mean straight up!

Tiger Leaping Gorge

Climbing up I was exhausted, my legs were shaking and I didn't think I was gonna make it. But as I reached the top and caught up with the others, it was all worth it. The views were stunning, the sky was blue and the sun was shining (got the first sunburn of the trip) and life was beautiful sitting on the terrace of halfway lodge and just looking at the sky!Happy to arrive after a long day hiking

The Canadians wanted us to come to Lijang with them to attend a traditional Naxi wedding. And who can say no to such an offer? The wedding was amazing; food, beer, cigarettes and more food. Naxi dancing - and yes, we were dancing with them - parades through the streets, traditional clothes and a really cool naxi priest that wanted me to marry a swedish guy. I kindly refused and the festivities went on untill late. We were sitting around a big fire, drinking and playing games. The game was simple, the person who got the red scarf thrown at them, had to sing a song. I sang a norwegian drinking song and everyone laughed.

parading through the streets in Lijiang

I think this guy was some sort of Naxi priest

I ended my stay in China in a town called Yangshuo. It's a major tourist spot, but still, really beautiful. Just 10 minutes outside the town by bike there is no one around but the farmers and their animals. It's a peaceful place and I enjoyed hanging out and just relaxing there for a few days.Boat trip on the Li river

Now I am in Hanoi, Vietnam! It's a bussy and noisy city. There are scooters and motorbikes everywhere and it is way more crowded here than in China. And it's still a bit cold, but just for a few more days now. I'm going on a three days cruise in Halong Bay over christmas and then I'm goign south. South to sun screen weather and flip-flops. To beaches and fresh fruits. The mangos here are heavenly!

Oh beautiful day!

I wake up to a clear blue sky and yet another beautiful day. I am 3600 meters above sea level, the sun is strong and makes the days in the mountains livable compared to the freezing nights.

There is supposed to be a nunnery in a village not far from where I am and rumours has it that it is an amazing place. My curisosity is triggered and after a few minutes on the village square I find myself in a car with five tibetans heading to the nunnery in Ani Gompa.

The front seat I share with a tibetan guy, and in the back there is a munk and two old woman. They are heading there to pray and have decided to take me with them. We cruise along the dusty and bumpy road, tibetan music is flowing from the stereo and everyone is singing along.

Arriving in the village we are dropped of at the monastery. I walk around the temple with them, turning the praying wheels looking at everyone and listening to people chanting "om - mani - padme". It all seem magical in a strange way.

people praying

I leave the people I came with as they head up to the hills to hang up their praying flags. As I walk down through the village I say to myself that this is as beautiful as it gets. I can't really explain it, not even to myself, but I instantly fall in love with the place. In between the houses there are small paths leading through the village. People are getting on with their daily lives, walking with their animals, a woman is trying to crakc hole in the ice on the river to wash her clothes. Outside the houses people are sitting and drinking tea, women brush their long hair and braiding it while they look with big eyes at the strange withe girl that walks around taking pictures of everything.



A lady smiles at me and tells me to follow. She leads me to her home, a small one room building of stone and mud, she takes me inside and makes me sit down. The fire is burning and the tea pot is already warm. Tea and cookies are served and after a few minutes her husband joines us. We share no common language, but we manage to have some sort of conversation. She refills my tea cup time after time, there is a constant warm smile on her face that makes me feel so welcome.

After about 45 minutes I have to leave them and find my car back to Tagong. The woman goes to the back of the room and picks up a yellow, home made bracelet that she gives to me and insists that I take. I try to find words to show them how grateful I am, I can't find any, but I think they know. They stand by their door and waves me goodbye as I head down to where the car is waiting.

I walk with a smile on my face and I am truly happy. I would do everything again, good and bad, just to get here. It is moments like this that makes it all worth it!

Tibet

I never made it to Tibet, or, at least not the region that the Chinese governement defines as Tibet. But let's make one thing clear; you don't have to go to Lahsa to experience Tibetan culture!

As early as in Russia I met travellers that recommended me to go to the tibetan areas in Western Sichuan. And since it is really expencive and a lot of hassle to a travel permit and tour guide and every thing you need to be alowed to travel to Lahsa, I decided to head up into the mountains in Sichuan and explore some of the many tibetan villages that can be found in this area. And it was definetely not a bad decition.

I left Chengdu early one morning headinbg for KangDing where I had my first encounter with TIbetan culture. Even thoug it was only a seven hour bus ride, the differences were obvious. Beautiful women with long black hair in thick braids down to their waists, big and bright jewlery in every color and traditional tibetan clothes. The men, on the other hand, are the cowboys of the east. Most of them have long hair hanging loose under their cowboy hats, big leather jackets with a purple or yellow scarf around their waste as a belt. And of course, the motor bike. Western Sichuan is definelty China's Wild!

After a few days in KangDing (making christmas cookies and putting up christmas decoration with the family that ran the hostel I was staying at) I joined some other travellers and we went higher up in the mountains to a village called Tagong. Here the modern buildings are replaced by stone houses with colorful decorations around the windows and the doors. There are no Chinese to see any more, and the well used " Ni Hao" is replaced by the Tibetan "Tashi dale". This is truly TIbet.

The surrounding nature with hills, never ending grass land and snow capped mountains in the horizon is stunning. The hills are covered in praying flagsand tibetan writing.It's beautiful, there is nothing more to say about it! We spent a whole day just walking around, wandering the streets and looking. The people, the nature, the village, everything was just so different from anything else I've seen in China. It was just like entering another country.

I love what I have seen so far, and this is only the beginning of my TIbetan experience.

Observations at the train station

Sitting in the waiting room at the train station I feel totally alienated, like I'm from another planet. It is smacked with people, peasants with big bags, students heading home for the week end, families are having pic-nics every here and there. The smell of instant noodles, tea and sweat is everywhere.

I write to make the time pass, and people are constantly looking over my sholder to see what I am doing. I wish I could just be a fly on the wall observing people instead of beeing observed by everyone.

It's not a very colorful place. Most people are wearing black, grey or green. Only two people stand out. A lady in red hurries by with her husband behind her dragging their bags along. Her hair is put op on top of her head and she is covered in too much glitter. She is a true character! And then there is the little girl all dressed in pink. She stops, looks at me and gives me an honest smile without any curiosity. She was the only one. Most people just stear at me like I'm a freak show. ANd sometimes I fell that that's exactely what I am.

Then comes the train, and I am of to a new destination.