Getting to Xiahe from Yantai, China
where I was living at the time required
a train ride of about thirty hours followed
by two six hour bus rides through the mountainous
landscape of the Gansu province. It is
the remoteness of the town that makes the
trip all the more worth the effort. At
the time that I visited Xiahe in 2000,
only hardy backpackers were making the
trip.
Xiahe is located high on the Tibetan plateau
and is inhabited by mostly minority groups.
Xiahe is one of the six most important
religious centers of Tibetan Lamaism's
Yellow Hat sect and the sprawling Labrang
Monastery is amazing. Old men and women
in felt hats rub shoulders with monks in
red robes throughout the small town. There
is also a large Muslim population, making
the town a real crossroads of cultures.
Xiahe
is also a gateway to the Sangke Grasslands,
a vast area of mountains and grasslands
inhabited by farmers and yak herders.
I rented a bicycle and rode the 14 km
to the grasslands where I came across
this lake. After having lived on the
industrialized coast of China, it was
amazing to see a blue sky instead of
the polluted gray that I was used to
seeing. The mountains and colors made
for a surreal sight.
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