Litang

I think Litang must be my favourite city in China. Situated 4100m above sea level it can brag of being one of the world’s highest cities. My father said when I told him where I was: Lucky you, that is almost halfway to heaven, and it was. Getting there however is a different story! I have stopped believing the announced hours, as there is always something preventing us from getting there on time. This time it was a snowstorm, yes you read correctly, a snowstorm!!! People from my bus even had to get off to help push some cars stuck in the snow. 

I sleep in Peace Hostel as the only guest, no wait there was someone else there too, the first night. Apart from that it was very peaceful .I managed to bargain on the price of the room too, instead of 50 yuan it’s 30. I’m quite proud of myself. The city has a perfect size for walking around. There are some Tibetan villages inside the city too. “Tashi Delek”, hello in Tibetan helps me get in contact with the local population. I sit down to talk to a man with his granddaughter. Admire the Tibetan constructions, so different from Chinese houses.

 To get a better view of Litang from above I climb one of the hills surrounding the city. Not long after two little spots seem to approach from far away, making their way up the steep slope: two children. Tandzindjela and Fufujuma saw me climb and decided to follow me. Tandzindjela invites me to his grandmother’s house for tea, of course I accept. He studies at the monastery and speaks some English, the rest we show with our hands. He is very proud of his house and encourages me to take photos of the decorations The grandmother offers me milk tea and  bread to dip in the tea. Tandzindjela shows me his books for school, Fufujuma shows me her toys. We spend some really nice hours together

 . When it’s time to leave, my new friend accompanies me to the monastery. He scares off the dogs by throwing stones after them, catches a bull so that I can hold his horns and makes sure I arrive safely at the monastery. There I meet Julia, a Russian girl who is also traveling alone. She is a Buddhist and explains quite a few things to me. There is a huge mandala in coloured sand under a glass couple. The next day it will be destroyed she tells me, because in live nothing is permanent… What a wise thought.