Hiking 2009 - Qinghai lake

Qinghai lake is the largest lake in China, it is salt water lake at 3.2km altitude. We were heading towards the lake not knowing what to expect and wondering if it was worth that long day in bus.
This place was something extraterrestrial, especially considering how crowded usually China is, last 10km were long straight stretch of road with no cars, at one side sand dunes at the other side somewhere far big lake glittering. Nothingness.
Taxi stopped in front of a single roadhouse by the highway and driver told we have arrived. Before we let him go we made sure that this is a place with any sign of life. Behind the road house were mongol tents it was possible to sleep there and only then let the taxi leave.
The friendly people of the place explained that they will make us food but before that we should go to the lake. How far is it, 3km. We noticed 1 house by the lake and started to walk towards it. It came out...



... the house very far left was Qinghai Lake Yachting Club







Shepherd's tent












The lonely yacht club waiting for the day when it is actually allowed to sail on the lake.






Qinghai lake






View to the lake from top of the sand dune, even the yacht club can be seen







Our tracks up and down and one happy face, author GT

Hiking 2009 - Xiahe

Xiahe (also Labrang) is the second most important town for Tibetan Buddhists after Lhasa. The town hosts Labrang monastery with around 1200 Yellow Hat sect monks.




Sunglasses fashion






To get into Labrang






Temple and Institute of Medicine.






Statue made of yak butter. Monks are making new statues once a year during the Tibetan New Year Celebrations around February.
Nomads are often sacrificing yak butter either melted into candles or just in big chunks.






Prayers making the 3km pilgrim path - Kora - around the monastery.





Sunglasses fashion







Mountain people







Monks shopping








Grass






Traditional printshop in the monastery. Sanskrit print forms.







Cutting a new print form







Gelugpa (yellow hats sect) monks daily studies. Debate, the standing monk who is clapping is asking questions, each question is followed by a loud clap. That garden had many of these small groups of monks and a lot of clapping.







Showing/drawing the location of Norway.






Monk going to midday mass.






Labrang from the top.







Mountain people

Hiking 2009 - Horse Trekking 2nd and 3rd day

Our guide and his 3 whiff pipe. Smoking one pipe load took less than 1 minute, then filling it up for next round.







Tibetan praying flags on sacred mountain. This was the moment when heavy storm caught us, these black objects are Kristel and GT looking for shade from wind and rain.







In the tent, neighbors visiting. The wooden box in the middle contains ingredients for making sampa (traditional sweet food). On the left is the pile of dry yak dung used for heating the oven. Left side of the tent was kitchen and working area and right side sleeping and sitting area with mats on the ground. In the evening when eating or later when just enjoying the evening, women always stayed at the left side.






Milking yaks in the morning






Milk, every day after milking the milk will be processed to yogurt, butter and cheese





Our "house" at the right, our hosts actually slept in the small white tent. Toilet with the view was at the right from the white tent, the small black pile, where 2 sheep are eating. Further away neighbors tents.










Books in temple, Langmusi






Tibetan architecture.







Traditional overcoat and the unique sunglasses fashion. Currently there is this fashion of big sunglasses in Western world, compared to the fashion we saw in mountains, Western world has a long way to go...







Streets of Langmusi





Corridor of praying wheels.

Hiking 2009 - Horse Trekking 1st day

In Langmusi we jumped on horses to head for a 3-day horse trekking over nomad grasslands.
First we settled the riding order in the team. GT had the biggest horse, maybe for this reason it wanted to lead and to be in front. And as my horse started to hit with its back hoofs anyone who happened to be behind, I took the last position in the row. Kristel in the middle, in moments when her horse went wandering she was sometimes in left or right, usually on tracks that where right on the edge of steep cliffs, or somewhere in thick bushes. And our guide was here and there, of course most of the time having a smoke.

First day we walked over grasslands to reach nomad tents, where we would stay for the night, next day to go for a ride to the sacred mountain in the evening back to the tent, last day was for riding back to Langmusi.

And off we went to walk on the most incredible land.

At the beginning horse riding was not that easy, for example crossing rivers when horses were climbing down the steep banks and I had a feeling of splashing head front into the water.
Second day, the buttocks didn't really feel like getting on the saddle, but by then at least our skills had improved so we could fast canter through the heavy rain back to tents.




Taking care of our buttocks.






Getting ready to continue the trip






Around Langmusi







Marmot







Marmot enjoying a fine day under his very own "tree". Actually making sure that I am not dangerously close.






This grassland was called Ocean of Flowers. In front yaks, our destination is far in front, just where the mountain range is starting (maybe 1 hour from the place where the picture was taken).





On top of the mountain range.





Storm coming in





Yak





2nd morning, Tibetan tea and sampa (brown mass in left hand; barley flour, sugar, yak cheese, yak butter, yak milk. All this mixed together with hands that had been riding horses the whole day, sleeping night and having a smoke every 10 minutes, etc. Good way to clean the fingers :) ).
Night had been hard, almost the whole night went with dogs barking and gun shots around the tent. Wolves were attacking sheep, they managed to get one.

Hiking 2009 - Langmusi 2

Neighbor up the street (or up the sewer) is having fresh meat tonight






Building a new temple






Estonian flag colours






Life at 3000 meters






Hot Springs, for some reason we thought this would be lonely water hole in mountains. But seems this is the most popular place for the local village people, I guess during the cold winter all the village is seeking warmth from here. After a while we were also sharing the bath with everybody, some elder ladies wearing only trousers, some with all clothes.





Building village






The village built around hot springs, 1 hour from Langmusi






Some small village where after a long working day all the women were gathering to have some meeting or just a gathering. Us stopping there caused a rather big sensation.






At one moment all the mothers started to line up their children to get a photo taken. The facial features of mountain people are very different from what is usually present in coastal areas.





Posing for camera





Sanskrit





Tavern in Langmusi, it always has a fire place in the middle with a teapot boiling on it.