Auto Stop around China - Part 3/ Vol2 - Culture of Budhism

03.07.2010

I wake up in the morning from warm touch of sun... Open my eyes and see an amazing new day in front of me... I climb out of bed to see the city from top of the mountain...Morning is great, sun is warmly coloring all around...After this small morning exercise I go again to have a small nap... And of course we oversleep. But day is to beautiful to worry about it. I wash outside with an icy cold water, that wake me up finally. After that we go into town to eat some breakfast...We grab some noodles and then go to find a bus... In this moment I understand that my friend is Buddhist, because we started to talk about it...Before we start to search for bus, he buys me a present, Buddhist beads and after that also he don't let me go...he buys me some more food for my journey to go. I try to refuse but nothing works, and after that he even buys me a ticket till Xiahe... With sadness in heart I say goodbye to this person, maybe I won't meet him again. In one day this person became real close to me and all his family...it is strange how short time even can connect people... I will never forget their hospitality, smiles, common jokes, and amazing conversations...That was amazing.

So I step in the bus, and say goodbye...On my way is city of Xiahe, where is also a famous Buddhist temple... After some 2 hours I arrive at the city and the same time I go to small streets that tourists don't follow, but I do, as I know they are the most interesting... But in this city I don't feel happy, I don't feel right. Here You can feel smell of tourists, even monks here are not real, they are more for money of tourists...So I try to follow small streets where are no tourists and where I can see smaller temples and real monks...

After some time I get to main temple, where you need to pay money for entrance, but I somehow enter without, just no one asks me any ting...Inside temple all around it are sitting monks and praying, candles all around, I am just going through, trying to move slow, just enjoying, just feeling, feeling with my heart... After that I enjoy other amazing buildings, and then move out of town to the nice hill, where I am planning to have a lunch... This is the first day on 3000m and heavy bag is hurting the shoulders, but I am still climbing...That is real hard for first day in such high level as 3000m. After some time I find a place where I could spend and eat lunch... I throw my 13kg bag and start to eat food that my Buddhist friend gave me today. After nice lunch and amazing view I go again on the road and I catch a ride fast. And as it is 12.00 and they are Chinese they also go to eat, so what can I do, I go to eat again :D :D No diet for me :D :D . After lunch we are going back to city I just arrived Hezuo, but at the turn they decide to go to Lanzhou so I need to get out and get a new ride again. On the road I pass a small shop, where an old grandpa screams to me in Chinese Nihao (hello), and after that OK OK :D :D showing that he knows English...I greet him, and tell that he is perfect in English...we all laugh and say goodbye... After that on the road are running 3 small boys, they great me and one of them gives me green pees, which he have probably collected from the field. He just gave me them without asking from all his heart. This moment really stayed in my heart, because for them it was for sure a great sweet and snack, but that boy gave me part of his snack, without any thoughts why not... And it appears that I have lost my hat on the way, and they also brought it back to me... Such a beautiful moment in an amazing day...After that I catch a bus, and they help me totally for free to get to Hezuo city after that I quickly catch another ride and then one more. The driver in last car is real cool, but I don't like his friend :)))) And at the end it also appears true, he asks for money, but driver quickly shuts him up :))) At this stop I see all around me greenfield, mountains, nomads, cows, and country side all around...I love this place

Now i am going to city called Langmusi...And I have only some 100km till it. And I catch a ride that I didn't want to catch a Police bus, full of police...Why I didn't want it...as I travel without passport and it is against rules...But I am self confident so I climb in and scream to all of them Da jia hao (everyone hello), i start to talk with all of them, sing songs and have fun...so none even have any doubt of me :)))) and the best is that they drive fast and exactly to the place I need - Langmusi.. So i arrive at the city with a lot of fun and really fast and with a police bus :))) As arrived I quickly go to monastery that is in this town, telling to police that for sure I will come back and sleep in the hotel...I lie...But about this again in other stories...