Zhongdian - The Edge Of Tibet.
Trip Start
Mar 03, 2005
1
13
235
Trip End
Ongoing
Zhongdian,
China
Friday, April 15, 2005
Once I got my money back (including some swearing, which you can do when you know they don't speak English - "oh there are only 9 seats, well you silly arsehole you can give me my money back!") I marched down to the taxi rank to get a cab to take me to the public bus station.
The public buses are a little more down market than the ones organised for tourists. Hence the commuters tend to be more down market as well - bad breath, body odour and spitting inside the bus is the way of the world here. And the obligatory loo stop was a new height - concrete drains which are hosed out after the last person steps aside. Desperate for a pee I entered last, pre-hose. Adding to those visual and nasal strains was the fact that the toilet wall was only built to waist high. Thus everyone on the bus could pretty much see my back as I stood there, 'taking out the empties...' It was like have 40 people watch you take a leak, all gawking. Disconcerting to say the least.
The main reason I'm heading to Zhongdian is for a true Tibetan experience, without actually going to Tibet, as you need to be on an organised tour to go across the border. Zhongdian is the last sizable post before the Yunnan-Tibetan border, and thus it is very much a Tibetan town. I guess if livestock wandering down one of the main streets of the town means it's a Tibetan town, then this place qualifies. Goats, pigs, yak and cattle tend to drift around the place, with taxis and tractors driving round them. The main roundabout just out of town came to a standstill on the way in because a herd of goats was making their way to the middle of it to eat the grass.
The town sits at 3200 metres, is thus chilly and has mountain ranges around it capped by snow. As it sits on the edge of the Tibetan plateau, the surrounding land is almost desert-like. Dust and dry grass is abundant, even though less than a month ago, everywhere was covered in snow. After finding a place to stay ("The Tibet Hotel" - where else?) I caught a bus to the major attraction for me here, Sumtseling Monastery, which is a little out of town. It is not quite as big as the major monastery in Lhasa, but it is close.
The Monastery sits a top a hill, with various Tibetan Buddhist temples, flags and buildings. It is absolutely spectacular to take in, with monks all around, wandering throughout the grounds and chanting or singing.
I walked into the first temple and was beckoned over to a side room by a younger monk. He told me to sit down around a fire, and wanted to look at my camera. He knew what he was doing as he took a great shot of me. I asked if it was ok for me to take a shot of him, and he said yes. Its a classic shot of a monk - a favourite of mine now. He then asked for the camera again, and he flicked through all of my shots on the digital screen. He would point and I would say the names of the places where the photos were taken. He particularly liked the shot of me up Snow Mountain with my beanie on. Then another young monk arrived and wanted to look at my photos. Han Chinese tourists were also trying to get into the room, but the Tibetan Monks couldn't give a damn about them, they were more interested in me and my camera. I took a couple more shots of them and a video (as they loved the moving pictures). We had a small chat in the language of charades. It was an exceptional experience.
I wandered in and out of the various buildings in the Monastery. Another Monk beckoned me over and motioned for me to kneel down, which I did, banging my knees much to his delight. I was handed incense sticks. The Monk blessed me and handed me three blessed wristbands to take away. I slipped a fiver into the donation box (since there were only one-ers in there, I felt I'd contributed well), lit the incense with candles and placed them in a holder. Suddenly I felt like a new man. It does feel like you have crossed the border into a better place.
It was worth the five hours in the bus just to see the Monestary and spend a few of hours here.
I caught the bus back to town with a Canadian traveller, Tom. On the bus another monk said hello and shook our hands and bowed. The other Tibetans here are also a friendly bunch. They will stop and smile and say hello, whereas many of the Han Chinese will point, stare, laugh at you and be obnoxious. Some of the Tibetans might do it as well, but at least they do it with discretion. They certainly are two different breeds of people.
I only have one night here in Zhongdian, as there is not a lot to see. And I need to be in Chengdu by tomorrow night, as my mate Quentin drops in from home for two weeks here in China. Hence I'm making the bus trip back to Lijiang tomorrow and then I fly out to Chengdu in the evening.
Quentin did the combie van round Europe backpacking thing ten years ago. Hence he's past the stage in his life where he feels the need to travel for a long time, and travel on $2.35 a day. The next two weeks will therefore be luxurious, with more airline travel and very decent digs. Hence any future references in this travel diary won't mention Quent by name - I'll simply refer to him as "FSQ", or "Four Star Quent".
