A taste of Tibet

Tibetan prayer wheels... As most Tibetans can't read, they walk the Monastery circuit and spin these wheels. They believe the prayers spin out into their minds and give good karma.
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Got our first taste of Tibetan life in the Amdo grasslands region.

At a remote town called Xiahe we got to see the Labrang Monastery. It used to be the largest monastery outside of the Tibetan Capital Lhasa. However, the beastly Chinese sacked the place and killed most of the leaders etc in the early 1960s. The monk population is slowly regenerating and there are hundreds of Monks cruising around in their red robes (while talking on mobile phones etc).

The monastery interior has to be seen to be believed - primary colours, statutes of buddah, yak-butter candles and paintings are splashed everywhere. However, as a strict "no photo policy" is enforced, unfortunately the monastery will indeed have to be seen to believed.

Labrang monastery skyline
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We spent a full day horseriding through the Himalayas and had lunch with a nomadic tribe. Not much on the menu - yak butter tea, rice noodle soup and yak yoghurt. That's about all the nomads eat.

The other Tibetan delicacy is the "mo mo" - a small yak meat or vegetable steamed dumpling. We had a cooking class in a small restaurant and learnt how to make them.

We also did a day hike through an amazing valley and got a lesson in bush tucker from our guide. We also visited an historical cave.

Steve poses in front of a Labrang Monastery chapel
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We then stayed with a nomadic family on the grassland plains. Our hosts did not speak a word of English, so we were forced to play charades and sing songs to each other for the evening. We slept on the floor, with a yak-dung-powered heater keeping us smoky and warm. Next morning, the energetic grandma made us participate in her prayer regime.

The next morning was the annual Tibetan Plains Horse race. Each of the nomadic groups sent their best horses along to compete. As gambling is illegal in China, they race only for the glory and respect of their peers. As the only foreigners there, we were hailed as heroes. The event wasn't much different from country races back home - fans cheering, drinking large amounts of beer (although in this case home made beer from jerry cans) and having barbeques in the car park.

A taste of the view inside a Tibetan Monastery. The sculptures are all carved out of Yak Butter
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From there we followed the mighty yellow river down the mountains to Chengdu.