Songpan, China
After a death defying 9 hour bus ride along narrow, windy roads, through the mountains, we made it to the Tibetan Plateau, very thankful to have not gone over the edge, nor crashed into an oncoming vehicle or animal. We started in Songpan (at 2800m) for 3 nights, before a more sane bus ride to Langmusi.
The Tibetan plateau is populated mostly with tibetan people, most of whom are Budhist, but many of which are Muslim. The towns were much more poor than anything we’d seen yet, so the sanitation of the streets, and quality of the smoke filled air, was what you would expect of a third world country. But the people were so friendly. The children loved practicing their limited english vocabulary with us, and getting their pictures taken (so they could see their images in the digital display after).
Highlights of the Tibetan plateau include:
- climbing to the tops of mountains and taking in the peaceful scenery (and getting away from the campstove smoke, and honking of horns)
- Excellent, very cheap food.
- Many colourful Budhist temples, and some massive muslim Mosques.
- Overnight stay at a tibetan farm house. Felt like we’d gone back in time hundreds of years, with the houses surrounded by mud/stone/straw walls, yaks and pigs wandering the alleys on their way to pasture, and women dressed on layers of cloth, carrying baskets of water or straw on their heads.
