Grasslands and Ground Hogs: Gansu Summer 2023

After my couple of days in the monastery, I drove from Langmusi to Xiahe and Labrang Monastery. (Number 3 on the map above.)

The journey was about 4 hours and just as unpleasant as the journey to Langmusi. On the way, my driver showed me the progress on the upcoming high speed rail that should be ready in a few years. 

I was also lucky enough to have a moment of heroism! we were directly behind a taxi of monks who plowed into the bank of the truck in front of them. The whole front of their car crumpled and the monks in the back (were not wearing seatbelts) and were all sporting lovely broken noses. My driver, a few others and I managed to pull open the drivers door to get him out of the car. It was incredibly impressive and as it was on a single lane road, caused absolute chaos. We really were very lucky to be the first ones behind them as I can only imagine the traffic jam that was caused. 

My first night in Xiahe was actually in the grasslands just outside of town. Once again, the self drive craze was in full force and so all roads were very busy. 

I found a lovely cabin on a hill on which I decided to splurge for a night of peace and quiet. It turned out

to be a very good idea and was truly blissful. I was incredibly isolated and reveled in the silence. My cabin was the furthest from the main entrance and so had a completely unobstructed view of the grasslands below. I had a fantastic balcony. 

My beautiful silent isolated night was just what the doctor ordered after my hallowing few days in Langmusi and the horrendous journey to my bliss. Sadly, I only had one night in this slice of heaven but that was enough. 

The problem of the self driving crazy reappeared the next morning as I was trying to leave the cabin and head into town. As everyone now drives here, there are very few taxis and drivers and lots more traffic, so finding a car was tricky. In the end, the manager of the hotel gave me a lift in his beautiful and not too uncomfortable sidecar through the grasslands to the main road. The thinking being that I could catch a passing bus or taxi into town from there. The slight hiccup being I had to wade across a "narrow stream" which was more of a small river by the time I got there before taking on a very wobbly bridge to the main road. Once on the road I just had to hope someone came alone soon ish. 

Soon ish turned out to be an about half an hour but did eventually happen. A taxi stopped and dropped me near my hotel half an hour later. I walked into the town from the main road and quickly discovered that at lunch time just everything was packed with cars as all the hotels kicked out the tourists.