Langmusi (Tibetan = Taktsang Lhamo སྟག་ཚང་ལྷ་མོ་) is a small village straddling the provincial Gansu and Sichuan border in the Amdo Region of the Tibetan Plateau.
Sitting at approx. 3600m, Lhamo lies in a beautiful valley surrounded by alpine forests and amazing mountains. The town only has a population of around 4000, with more than 10% of the people belonging to the two monasteries located in the village. During Tibetan New Year (Losar ལོ་གསར་) and during other festivals throughout the year, many pilgrims can be found going to Lhamo from other areas in Amdo. These pilgrims often prostrate to the ground every three steps all the way to the monasteries. The journey for them can take several weeks or even months to complete. The town is home to Buddhists and Muslims, Tibetans and Huizu, government-backed monasteries, Tibetan-back monasteries, the Chinese military, nomadic herders, Tibetans on pilgrimages, and a splash of foreign and Chinese tourists. Mix all of that among a population of less than 5,000, and there you have Langmusi....

Kirti Monastery (Sichuan province side of the village with around 750 monks). Behind the monastery is a gorge with several old meditation caves. In Tibetan, “Taktsang” means “Tiger Cave” and a short hike behind Kirti Monastery will bring you to the caves for which the town is named. Hiking behind the monastery is one of the highlights of the area.

Sertri Monastery (Gansu province side of the village with around 350 monks). It is the higher of the two Langmusi monasteries and sits in a less impressive setting than nearby Kerti Monastery. There is a pilgrimage Kora around Sertri. It is best to go in the morning as there are normally many Tibetan pilgrims also doing the Kora. If you follow the paved road past Sertri, it leads to several small villages home to Tibetan herders. These families are quite friendly and are worth the extra hike to reach.

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Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Langmusi (Tibetan = Taktsang Lhamo སྟག་ཚང་ལྷ་མོ་)

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Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

In Tibetan, “Taktsang” means “Tiger Cave” and a short hike behind Kirti Monastery will bring you to the caves for which the town is named.

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Walk up past the left side of Serti Monastery (Langmusi), you’ll eventually come to a clearing near a hilltop to the site of a Tibetan tradition.
Sky burial (Tibetan: བྱ་གཏོར་, Wylie: bya gtor, lit. "bird-scattered" is a funeral practice in which a human corpse is placed on a mountaintop to decompose while exposing to the elements or to be eaten by scavenging animals, especially birds of prey. It is a specific type of the general practice of excarnation. It is practiced in the Chinese provinces of Tibet, Qinghai, Sichuan and Inner Mongolia, and in Mongolia proper. The locations of preparation and sky burial are understood in the Vajrayana Buddhist traditions as charnel grounds. Comparable practices are part of Zoroastrian burial practices where deceased are exposed to the elements and birds of prey on stone structures called Dakhma. Few such places remain operational today due to religious marginalisation, urbanisation and the decimation of vulture populations.

The majority of Tibetan people and many Mongols adhere to Vajrayana Buddhism, which teaches the transmigration of spirits. There is no need to preserve the body, as it is now an empty vessel. Birds may eat it or nature may cause it to decompose. The function of the sky burial is simply to dispose of the remains in as generous a way as possible (the source of the practice's Tibetan name). In much of Tibet and Qinghai, the ground is too hard and rocky to dig a grave, and, due to the scarcity of fuel and timber, sky burials were typically more practical than the traditional Buddhist practice of cremation. In the past, cremation was limited to high lamas and some other dignitaries, but modern technology and difficulties with sky burial have led to its increasing use by commoners.



























During my last visit to the exact same Sky Burial site (May 2004), the grounds were littered with bones, skulls and decomposing corpses - body parts.
The vultures and birds of prey were too fat and heavy to fly and just hopped away (May 2004)....

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Stop it! I'm dribbling...

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Nostradamus Ate My Hamster

Knowing your shit or knowing you're shit...... One my favourite life long sayings and makes me seriously smile once again while looking at all the Yak dung drying in the sun (Langmusi) like artwork to be used as a fuel source (open + closed fireplaces) by the Tibetan herdsmen / nomads.
When used as fuel source, the faeces are first dried. Faeces for this purpose is collected daily at the campsite at the end of the day's grazing or brought in from the range in the warm season.
A stick wrapped in yak hair is used to cut the faeces into slices that are exposed to the sun for a day or longer on each side until dry. When fully dry, the faeces slices are stacked in heaps up to 2 m high and "painted" with fresh faeces to keep out rain.
A drainage channel is often dug at the bottom of the heap to take away run-off water. If the heap is to be used up before the rainy season, it may not be painted. Completely dry faeces are also stored in the Tibetan herdsmen / nomad tents, ready for use at any time.

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Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Langmusi changed a lot since my last visit during early May 2004 and the town is now full of touristy shops, restaurants, hotels and guesthouses, entry tickets required to the two monasteries (Sichuan / Gansu side of Langmusi).
They even laid cobblestones and asphalt onto the main road and quite a few new houses around, old days just one government owned and operated hotel and gravel / dirt tracks going through the simple monastery settlement....
Still great fun up in the mountains and great countryside surrounding the Langmusi area, some simple info below.









The 'Black Tent Cafe' is the most comfortable coffee shop in Langmusi nowadays. They offer pretty decent western breakfast and coffee (cappuccino, espresso, etc).
Same owners as the Langmusi Tibetan Horse Trekking company across the street.









Lesha's Restaurant has been open for more than a decade here and has a great, lively atmosphere.









More detailed Langmusi info = http://www.langmusi.net and Langmusi Hotel at the top of the village has a large parking lot out front with security guards, nuff said'.....

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Located in a parallel valley to Xiahe (Labrang), the Ganjia Grasslands (Gānjiā Cǎoyuán, 甘加草原) offer a glimpse into the lives of the semi-nomadic Tibetans living in the Amdo region. Unlike the Sangke Grasslands that lie closer to Xiahe (Labrang), the Ganjia Grasslands have yet to be turned into a commercial tourist attraction. Many denizens of the Ganjia Grasslands still keep to their traditional lifestyle herding yaks. During the chilly winters, many of them stay in mud-brick homes and head back to tent living during the warmer months. One of the real nice areas are near the so called White Rock Cliffs and the temples Tseway Gompa and Trakkar Gompa.

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Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

The Ganjia Grasslands are also home to the ancient walled Bajiao Village. Ancient, crumbling walls rise up from the dry scrub of the Ganjia Grasslands. Bajiao Village (Bājiǎo Chéng Yízhǐ, 八角城遗址), known as Karnang in Tibetan, is a roughly 2,000-year-old village surrounded by a 12-sided city wall that appears as a nearly perfect cross when viewed from above. Once an important point for traffic between Gansu and Qinghai, the city was fortified in this unique cross shape rather than a square. The distance between the corners of each wall were intended to be short enough to be within the range of crossbows fired from atop the wall, making the town easier to defend. Traces of the moat, once another part of the town's defences, also still remain.

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Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Thanks for sharing fantastic photos of a fantastic and amazing place - Langmusi and the area around. Rode through there last year at the end of september. Didnt have a lot of time to explore the area though...maybe another time....

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

Xiahe (Labrang).....











Xiahe (Labrang) has all sorts of accommodation (backpackers, hotels and hostels), several types of cuisine and restaurants like Gesar Restaurant, Snowy Mountain Cafe, Nomad Restaurant, Tsewong's Cafe, Everest Cafe but the real standouts after spending a week in the Xiahe (Labrang) region are NIRVANA BAR + RESTAURANT = http://www.nirvana-hotel.net and the outstanding resort at the Sanke Grasslands near Xiahe (Labrang) called NORDEN CAMP = http://www.nordentravel.com

Nirvana Hotel, Restaurant & Bar was started by Wandhikhar and Clary van Meijel. Wandhikhar is a Tibetan native of Xiahe, a small town located in the Tibetan autonomous region of Gansu province, China. Clary is from Holland. She came to Xiahe more than 10 years ago , met Wandhikhar , and never left again. In November 2013 the Nirvana Restaurant & Bar was opened. It was an immediate success. In August 2014 the Nirvana Hotel was opened and more info via the Nirvana Hotel website = http://www.nirvana-hotel.net

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Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

The Norden Camp is an opportunity for the visitor to experience Tibetan culture and outdoors in style and comfort. It is situated 20 minutes out of Labrang, the famous Tibetan monastic town in the Tibetan Autonomous Kenlho Prefecture, Gansu Province, China. The site, a winter grazing area for local nomads is a stunningly beautiful area that covers 11 hectares, borders a meandering river and is the home of hares and marmots, foxes, gazelles, many birds including pheasants. The camp is covered in flowering bushes, trees, and a carpet of flowers in summer. From May, the flowering plants and bushes bloom in stages; pink, then yellow and multi colored flowers that continue to bloom into October. More info via the Norden Camp website = http://www.nordentravel.com









































Had many "yuck" burgers around the world but the simple and super tasty YAK BURGERS prepared and served at Norden Camp (Sanke Grasslands) are out of this world, lets not forget so is the local yoghurt with honey and the fresh salads....



















NORDEN CAFE (facing the Labrang Monastery, great spot in the afternoon sun), great coffee and cakes...

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Tibetan Jewelry (Labrang / Xiahe)

For Tibetans, jewelry plays an important, traditional role in dress, spirituality, and life. Tibet is a Buddhist nation, which is reflected strongly in its jewelry. Tibetans use jewelry as a means to keep them close to deities. Jewelry protects as well, having amulet properties. In contrast with India, where a piece of jewelry is valued for the preciousness of the metals and gems that go into making it, Tibetans value their jewelry based on its color, size and symbolism.Tibetan silver jewelry has a rustic, almost unfinished look to it. In contrast with the perfectly symmetrical and flawless appearance of, say Italian silver jewelry, Tibetan silver pieces are individually made in a process that usually involves hammering and chiseling. No one will ever confuse Tibetan jewelry as having been machine mass produced, and herein lies its simple beauty! Tibetan jewelry, including silver and gold jewelry, also tends to be much larger in size than the jewelry made in most other countries and regions. As for materials, Tibetan jewelry is usually made of copper or silver, although gold jewelry is also produced.Tibetan jewelry also makes extensive use of gemstones. Of course, turquoise and coral are favorites, but rubies, sapphires, agates, coral, amber, copal, carnelian, garnet, lapis lazuli, amethyst, and jade are also used. Yak bone is also a popular material for jewelry making.

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Xiahe (Labrang) mountain ranges.....

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Labrang Monastery...

Established during 1709, Labrang had approx. 4000 monks during its peak times but now only has around 1500 monks.
Labrang is considered the cultural heart of Amdo Tibetan culture along with nearby town of Rebkong. Labrang is one of the “Great Six” Gelukpa sect monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism.
Large quiet courtyards, bright awnings flapping lazily in the gentle breeze; dark halls and temples, blood red columns and dimly gleaming gods occasionally incandescent in shafts of light; the buzz of monks in prayer. A huge golden stupa, glowing above the flat roofs, dominated the town from a hillside across the river where we sat and contemplated the scene. High above, sharp ridges, sawed away at a cloudless sky.

Like all sacred Tibetan sites, Labrang has a Kora, a sacred path winding for over 3 kms around it, and this was the first part of our walk. Starting from the western end of the main street, walking clockwise as custom requires. As always, there was a throng of pilgrims on the path, mainly from the Amdo region, the surrounding area of the Tibetan Plateau. All wore the traditional blanket-coat, mostly off one shoulder or even off altogether, arms and “upper” hanging limply from the waistband. Mothers, faces burned dark brown by the relentless sun and wind and already heavily lined, padded along patiently, stooped under heavy packs, snot-nosed children trailing from each arm.Great chunks of coral and turquoise hung from heavy silver chains in their long, delicately braided hair or from their necks. Tiny, wizened grannies, almost bent double, heavy ropes of grey hair hanging down their backs, shuffled along, beady miss-nothing eyes assessing everything about us as we tramped past. Their taller menfolk staggered in front of them, braided hair hanging below wide-brimmed felt hats, knives in their belts, curly-toed leather boots scuffing the dusty path. Their lives may be unremittingly tough, but they were putting on a good show.....

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR