Friday, July 8, 2011

Horsetrekking on the Sichuan Border

Enjoying the end of my contract in China and taking a few days of vacation in the province. It went towards Sichuan, stopping just on the border, the route followed by the bus even crossing into that province. Langmusi was the destination though I only reached it on the second day, a missed connection made me spent a night in Hezuo, a vibrant trade town home to a monastery housing all sects of Tibetan Bouddhism and therefore 8 storeys heigh. It was also a good opportunity to get acclimatised to the increased altitude. Once in Langmusi I explored the two monasteries, one on the Sichuan side and the other in Gansu. Afterwards I started a three days long trek with horses through the grassland, staying in Nomad's tents. The Tibetan nomads live a harsch life, exposed to strong sunlight, in basic tents, although some have small solar panels to provide them with electricity. They herd yaks and those stay close to the camp during the night. On the second day of the trek, we left the horses to climb a sacred mountain reaching 4200 meters after a stenous climb. On the last day, the horse was angry because of the rain and I fell on my first attempt at getting on it, but managed to control my fall to avoid injuries. I almost missed a connection that would have made me stay one night in Xiahe but decided not to linger too long as I had a few last obligations in Lanzhou.

Langmusi Horse Trekking

Pictures:
Hezuo
Langmusi
Xiahe

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