High Up on the Plateau

11/7

Saturday, November 7

Rare Black Necked Cranes grazing among the horses

Shangri La

After sleeping for 11 hours (in addition to most of the day in the car on Saturday) I woke up famished and refreshed. I put on 5 layers, my thickest socks, hat and scarf for breakfast and ate like a pig. Luckily, fried eggs and toast was available, so I scoffed them down. We drove about half an hour out of the city to a wide grassland dotted with small Tibetan villages and grazing yak- cows, horses, goats, and sheep. The air was chilly yet the light was soft and warm. It was a very calm, serene morning punctuated by faraway ducks and geese calling out on the lake.

Birdwatcher’s Delight

Our destination, Lake Napa, is large and shallow, great for waterfowl.  The road around the lake was ideal for viewing sucks, geese and cranes! Poor Mr. Wang, as soon as we began driving we asked him to stop for yet more photos. Edie was especially  excited to see several black necked crane, which are extremely rare. Along with the birds, were some very photogenic cows, pigs and horses, as well as magnificent scenery and reflections of the nearby mountains. We were in our glory.

It was a good pig watching morning, too!

Grains are dried on huge racks, as is the wood for construction below.
 This region was heavily logged years ago, which resulted in severe erosion and landslides,
as well as no trees = no habitat for many plants and animals.

Another Tibetan Village

We stopped at an interesting little farm village. Harvest time was in full swing. People carrying huge bundles of grains were bringing them back from the fields. We watched as a group of farmers used a machine to trash and separate the grains that are pulled down from the drying racks. Pigs and cows wandered the streets. The homes were a mixture of large block shaped white buildings with upper story greenhouses, and much smaller stone buildings.

Threshing the grain

A small Tibetan village we stopped at

A Little Bit of Home

We came back to the old section of Shangri La for lunch and decided to try some Western food, for a change. We found the perfect place - a hamburger (actually yak burger) restaurant with both English and Yiddish languages. It turned out to be owned by a Tibetan/Chinese couple that lives in Berkely, CA near Edie for half the year, then back in China for the other half. Apparently they get a lot of Israeli tourists during the high season. We stayed and chatted for quite a while as they were very interesting.

Old Shangri La

We the wandered around the old city, which unfortunately, about  4/5 of which had been destroyed by a devastating fire last year. The old streets were so narrow, and the old buildings made of wood, made it impossible to save a lot of the town. Apparently, the government insurance reimbursed people, so everywhere we went were signs of rebuilding. The heavily ornate woodwork was really stunning, and although power tools are now used, there is a still lot of skill involved.

The Western/Israeli restaurant with Yak burgers!

Shops in the old section of Shangri-La

Original and new buildings depict the ornate woodwork typical of their Tibetan influence 

 Song Zang Lin Monastery

Always a favorite of David's we spent the afternoon roaming around the Song Zang Monastery, first built in the 17th century by the 5th Dali Lama and the most important monastery for all Tibetan people. There are eight halls each one standing for one area or district in the prefecture, with about 1,000 monks residing there. Situated on the top of a hill, you had a birds' eye view of the towns and fields below, and off in the distance one way you see the city of Shangri La, and in another the peaks of snow capped mountains. Always looking for special significance these peaks supposedly resemble the lotus flower, which represents attaining enlightenment in Tibetan Buddhism.

The Golden roofed Monastery

A national treasure, admission fees go toward supporting the Monastery, so there were considerable numbers of Chinese tourists everywhere. The buildings were exquisite. The carvings, murals and statues representing the various Buddhas were amazing. Unfortunately, we were not able to photograph inside. The chambers consisted of different versions of Buddhas, attending human and animal spirits elaborately clothed, with colorful banners, flags and drapery. Lots of shiny gold and colorful patterns. All the walls were covered with very detailed murals telling stories, often with spiritual meaning and morals.

The view of the faraway snowcapped mountains resembles the lotus flower,
which has a heavy religious significance in Buddhism

It's a Monk's Life

To become a monk one has to, of course, be male, have wealthy enough parents to support one's education, and have the fortitude to study almost continuously. We did notice however some of the young men on their cell phones, getting in and out of cars and a few satellite dishes. Unlike some sects of Buddhism, these monks primarily study and pray, and offer spiritual guidance and solace to the devout. No community service here. Even if a young man chose not to stay on, I'm sure the monastery would offer a good education.

The Chilly Tibetan hotel

Our hotel for this and the previous night was modern, but built to resemble the traditional homes and buildings of the area.