Friday 22 June 2012

China Part 7 - Dunhuang, Gobi Desert and flight over Tibet

After leaving Xiahe we made our way by bus back to Lanzhou and then took another sleeper train to Dunhuang, which is in the very north of China beside the Gobi desert.  I woke up on my birthday with views of the desert outside the train window.  

We went on a 2 night camel trip into the desert and it was a lot of fun.  When we first entered the desert and the landscape suddenly changed from green to brown it felt very strange and the desert seemed very bland and inhospitable but after a while you see beauty in the strange shaped dunes and the patterns on the sand.  Our guide was Mr Li; he was a lovely gentle man who sang to his camels and really looked after us.  God knows how he navigates his way around the desert with absolutely no landmarks - incredible.

On the first night there was a group of us but on the second night there was just, Mr Li, Nic, myself and our 2 camels, whom we named Elvis and Derek.

On the first night we climbed a very big, steep dune to watch the sunset.  It was really hard work and took me ages (Nic was much faster) but it felt good to finally reach the top.

On the first night, once we'd settled in our tent, there was a big sandstorm and due to the wind and the sand falling in on us through the air vent nobody got much sleep.  A new experience which we're not in a hurry to emulate. 


Entering the desert


Nic at the top of the big dune

Taking a break near the top of the dune

Taking another break on the dune

Sunset in the desert

Mr Li with Elvis and Derek (they'd just tried to sneak off)

Nic cleaning up!

Whilst in the desert we took a break from the camels and went to visit the extraordinary Mogao caves, a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the greatest repositories of Buddhist art in the world.  There are over 700 caves and over 400 have decoration/art work inside.  The first cave dates back to AD366.  We saw a few of the caves and were blown-away by the detailed wall paintings, statues and huge Buddhas.  Because of the dry conditions and lack of light you would think that the paintings were finished last week, not over a thousand years ago. 
 
In 1900, the self-appointed guardian of the caves, Wang Yuanlu, discovered a hidden library filled with tens of thousands of preserved manuscripts and paintings dating back to AD406, including the oldest printed book in existence, The Diamond Sutra (AD868).  Word quickly spread about the discovery and Wang Yuanlu became very popular and was courted by rival archaeologists.  Close to 20,000 of the manuscripts were taken to Europe for just 220 pounds.  Nic and I plan to visit the British Museum when we get home to see these 'stolen' treasures.
The mind blowing Mogao caves

Sunrise in the desert


Strange graves

After returning from our camel trip and having a nights sleep in a comfy bed we went on a day trip to see the Jade Gate, Han-dynasty Great Wall and the Yadan rock formations.  These places are miles into the desert but it was well worth the hours spent in the minibus.  This part of the great wall dates back over 2000 years and it stretched for over 11km.  It seems bizarre that a wall would be needed in the middle of nowhere to keep people (the Hun) out.  The Yadan rock formations cover a huge area; it used to be a lake but the evaporation and erosion have left weird and wonderfully-shaped formations.


Jade Gate

Ancient Great Wall

Getting stuck in the sand and being rescued

Yadan rock formations

We then left the desert and headed back to Chengdu so we could catch our flight over Tibet to Nepal.  The journey involved 2 back to back sleeper trains and took 2 days but it wasn't as bad as we'd expected.  

The views from the plane as we flew over Tibet were spectacular and we were lucky enough to see Everest on the way.  This didn't quite make up for the fact that we couldn't go to Tibet but it made the cost of the expensive flights worth it.

Mount Everest


Please continue to follow our travels in Nepal.

China Part 6 - Xiahe and Labrang Monastery

After leaving Chengdu we took a 22-hour train ride to Lanzhou and then a 6-hour bus ride to Xiahe, which is in Gansu in the north of China.  We'd come to Xiahe to see the Tibetan Labrang Monastery and even though we weren't actually in the Autonomous Region of Tibet, the people here think of themselves as Tibetan.

The monastery is one of the 6 major Tibetan monasteries of the Gelugpa order (Yellow Hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism).  It was founded in 1709 and at its peak it housed 4000 monks but the numbers greatly declined during the Cultural Revolution and the number is now restricted to 1200.  

There is a constant stream of monks and pilgrims from dusk to dawn around the Kora (pilgrim path), a 3km path around the outside of the monastery, which is lined with long rows of squeaking prayer wheels, stupas and chapels. There was no police presence around the monastery and it was very relaxed and peaceful place to visit.  

The pilgrims come here from far and wide and we spent hours people-watching.  Many of them were just as interested in us as we were in them.  We wanted to take photos of everything and everyone and it's one of the most amazing places that we've visited in all the time that we've been travelling.

We also had a guided tour around parts of the monastery, including the amazing main prayer hall and some of the temples.  Our guide was a really charming, happy monk, who spoke some English and laughed constantly.  He also showed us the Yak butter sculptures, which are incredible and it's almost impossible to believe that they're made from butter.  They make new ones each year and use them for the Monlam (great prayer) festival in February.  

The prayer hall was the highlight as we saw hundreds of monks in their amazing robes and yellow hats praying, chanting and being fed.  We were made to feel very welcome and it was such a pleasure to observe their daily life.  We also saw a lot of monks in the Debating Garden sitting and standing in groups and clapping and singing (and some playing or fighting!).  Once this ritual ended they sat down quietly and debated.  Fascinating.

We also saw the Barkhang, which has over 20,000 wood blocks for printing the prayers, which is all done by hand.


pilgrims walking around the Kora

A very devout (crazy) lady making her way very slowly and painfully around the Kora.  Some pilgrims stand up, take one step, and then lie down 1000 times!

Beautiful boy
View of Labrang monastery
Taking a break from the Kora
Nic chatting with our guide, a very happy Monk

A 93-year-old pilgrim
Yak butter sculpture that looks like Nic!

Amazing yak butter sculpture
Outside the main prayer hall

Important monk wearing his amazing robes and hat
Monks leaving the main prayer hall

Monk in the debating garden
Monks getting ready to debate
Monks fighting in the debating garden
Printing press
Riot gear layed our in the town square in Xiahe

Awesome big glasses - many men wear these big heavy glasses in this area


On one of the days we joined 2 lovely Australian ladies and went for a trip into the spectacular Ganjia grasslands.  We saw our first Yaks and sheep with really amazing twisted horns.  We also saw fields of wild flowers and snow-capped mountains.  We visited the beautiful and remote Tseway Gampa, a Bon monastery, and we were the only visitors.  We also visited Bajiao, a 2000-year-old village, which is surrounded by a 12-sided wall.  The walls and buildings are made from mud and grass and we felt like we'd stepped back to Biblical times.   On the way back to Xiahe we saw some people having a picnic and they invited us to join them, so we sat with them and shared each others food.  They were so friendly and wore amazing traditional clothes.



Stunning Ganjia grasslands

Beautiful wild flowers
Tseway Gompa

Monks playing basket ball
Wrapped prayer books

Mind-blowing Bajiao
Bajiao

Prayer flags on top of the walls in Bajiao
Tea anyone?

Bajiao boy
The lovely people we met and joined



Thursday 21 June 2012

China Part 5 - Giant Panda Reserch Centre, Chengdu

Whilst in Chengdu we went to see the Giant Pandas and the Red Pandas and we were not disappointed.  We saw mums with babies (about one year old), teenagers and lots of adults.  We took so many pictures and videos and the teenagers were particularly entertaining.  They were much livelier than we thought they would be and we spent hours watching them eat and fool around.


Mum and baby playing

Some teenagers finding the best bamboo

Ridiculously cute!








Red panda