Auto Stop around China - Part 6 - Singing songs to Tibetan people

04.07.2010

So I said goodbye to my friends monks, and I am on the road again. The weather is rainy and cool. I don't see any cars on a road already for 10min. So I am just walking by the road. One of the cars that is on the road ask for money, I just pass it by. But I am not sad that there are no cars, as I just walk, enjoy the view and make pictures. Rain is typical in China in summer as it is a rain season. But I feel great even the rain is falling and it is cold, I feel great, because I enjoy each moment of my life. And exactly at this moment stops the car, again driver asks for money, but I negotiate and make it for free. Say to them that if they will find some other person that will pay money on the road I will step out. So I am sitting and praying that there is no one else on the road. Each moment I see someone near the road I start to worry, but it all goes well and I drive for 50km to the turn to city of Maqu were I am heading. This time I catch the ride real fast, just after some minutes I am in the bus to city of Maqy and for free. I arrive at the city and see that I don't want to stay here, as here is nothing special. But the city was also not my aim, as my aim was to reach the holy mountain - Nyenbo Yurtse, that is 5000m high, which I am planning to conquer. So I am going again on the road, and here I quickly catch a ride again...I look inside and see two beautiful woman inside, and in front two man...Ehhh I am disappointed :D :D . They all smile to me, so I sit in, and we are going. I tell them where I am heading. And you know there are moments in life, when you feel your people and feel that there will be great adventures with them. So here again is this feeling. So we start to talk and suddenly they invite me for music and song festival of nomad people. Ye I forgot to tell you they are nomads. So I decide why not, I am on this trip now not for seeing buildings but exploring cultures and having as much adventures as I can for myself. So I say let's do it...

We arrive at the place that is like another world. Green fields and mountains around, motorbikes all around, old cars, and people, people that are all dressed in national costumes, all happy and smiling, all of them nomads, people who live most of their life on the field with their animals. And I am the only foreigner here...

They all are playing or having lunch or just enjoying the nice weather and nature. We also sitting down and starting our lunch...A little bit far away from us is placed a big white tent where the concert will go on. We sit around a lot of food,different kind of meet and tasty Tibetan tea and some drinks. We eat like old time people with our teeth and sometimes cut with knife...It is amazing feeling to be in the wild, with only a Buddhist temple and green grass and hills around and amazing people. And the best is that you are between people that finally understand your way of travel, as they themselves live all the time around not in one place, moving from one place to another... you are between your people and I don't feel that I am a stranger here...I feel like one of them...I feel I could even stay here... Suddenly we hear sounds starting to come from tent, a praying time starts...and we start to move closer, I see in white tent a Lama sitting on a high chair higher then all of us (based on Buddhist culture), We move to front rows and sit on the grass listening to prayers...People all around us, shoulder to shoulder...united together... After some time prayers end and in front of Lama singers start to come. And sing songs to him. Exactly to him first of all, as they stand with their back to spectators, as the main person here is Lama... Tibetan language is amazingly beautiful, amazingly romantic and nice ...This is the difference between real Chinese regions and Tibetan regions...Here in Tibet I feel religious, I feel holiness, that is what I missed so much while living in China... Here I feel it in each person, in each sound and even stone and nature itself. I am just enjoying this moment and then towards me starts to walk a monk, I start to think that he wants something from me, but then he just passes and goes to some Chinese people, not Tibetan, who somehow appeared here. But when he goes again back to tent, he also invites me to come inside the tent and sit there. I follow, as Lama himself invited me. So now I am like a big guest together with Chinese people that are friends of Lama. I am sitting next to lama the only foreigner here, as this festival is not promoted it is not for strangers only for people that understand the culture. And i do, I am like one of them, like one of nomads... We start to talk inside the tent with monks and Chinese people and somehow I say that I also like to sing and play guitar...And of course after a moment they ask me to come in front and sing a song...And what can I do I go :):) So I decide fast what to sing, and I decide to sing a Russian song that usually people in China know, that is called Katusha. When I start to sing I realise that I know only some words and I forgot others, so what I start to do is start to make my own words for the song :) :) So i start to sing about love, war, about girls and friendship with my own words...everyone likes and I have loud loud cheers for me... After that Lama asks me to his tall chair and gives me a white scarf like blessing and friendship sign and also gives me a gift of picture of Buddha. He also gives me his blessing. I don't believe in Buddhism as i am a Russian orthodox but I honour other religions and great people. After my performance there are still some people singing, but only one of them reach the same high cheers. After that we follow to eat watermelon with my friends from the car...Other people pass by, they smile and wave to me...i become a star here. I start to remember again time from city of ChangChun where I won award for my movie in biggest Chinese film festival...There I felt the same :) if you are interested film is here: http://vimeo.com/11651692...

Around us are playing small kids that are already in national costumes. It feels that all of these people are very united with nature, with their past and their culture. And it is so different from China, that have now the biggest problem of loosing the culture, there is nothing of that great Chinese culture that was before. People don't know their history, culture. They are materialized and don't care about their country anymore. They only care about money, career, themselves. But these people here they are different that is why it is so easy with them...They don't think about career, they think about life that is beautiful, in which they have what they want, what person really wants...In reality we need so little to be real happy, but we change real happiness for unreal one, we change real happiness for things. I am thinking, eating watermelon and enjoying the view. In front of me I see the sand road and hundreds of motorbikes on it, that are making a sand play in the sun... It is an amazing view. After some time we also start heading back to city of Maqu. Today I am invited to stay at their home. We first arrive to market place, where we buy food for dinner and then go to house of my friends. And nature gives us a gift at the end, an amazingly beautiful rainbow.

Today I spend my day with nomads.

Arriving at home, wife's are going to clean house, and man, what men, men are going to sit and watch world cup of football of course. That's how it should be :) :) After some time we have a nice dinner that is called Hot-Pot...You have many different vegetables, meat, that is all unmade and in front you have a boiling water on the cooker. And you put what you want in, and then you fish it out :)

After I feel like a teacher in some country without computers, as i start to teach them how to use computer, and watch photos on it :) :) Then I show them some moments of forbidden movie in China - Seven years in Tibet, and they are so lucky and happy to see it, and ask me more, also about my meeting with Dalailama as I have seen him when he was visiting Latvia. That is like a miracle for them as they can't see him even on the picture. (I will tell about it in next articles)

After that we start to dance to crazy Chinese music videos that are extremely erotic :D :D :D but it is fun. Then I follow to sleep and we say goodnight each to other...That was an amazing day with a lot of adventures, but even more are in front... But it will be tomorrow...