Auto Stop Around China - Part 7 - Fighting with monks

05.07.2010.

I wake up early in the morning and my friends say goodbye to me. One of them take me to the bus station as I am planning to arrange my trip to next city jigzhi,that will take me to holly mountain - Nyenbo Yurtse. I am planning to make it again for free.

I wave to my friend and make myself comfortable at back seat. After few hours, passing beautiful landscapes, temples in a middle of nowhere and monks that are smiling to you on the road I arrive at a small town on Jigzhi. All around I see yaks(cows that are here), differently dressed people and kids playing with different stones on the side walk. and these small stones make them so happy. They don't need expensive toys or clothes. They enjoy playing with what they have and enjoying each other. It is enough with a little so they have fun and joy and happiness in their eyes....

When I was passing the temple in the bus, all monks were smiling to me. Probably yellow hair attracts attention when he looks out of the open window.

This is how I arrived at Jigzhi city. The day is real hot, it is already 35 degrees Celsius. And I start to find my way towards Nyenbo Yurtse holy mountain. After walking for 4km, I haven't seen any car on the road, and there are still some 30km till the mountain. A little desperate, but the nature is really beautiful and all around cows and big, lonely dogs, that don't touch me, probably I am in harmony with nature already. And when I almost got real sad, the car is passing by. I am stopping it but it don't stop...But then after some 200m it stops, and I run, and we go :) :) After some time we arrive at the entrance of Nyenbo Yurtse natural park. Chinese drivers give me a gift of water bottle that I wanted so much.

As everywhere in China also here I see a ticket office. And I am going inside. The ticket cost 15 Euro. I am not even planning to pay such money to look on nature and climb the mountain. I step inside the shop, that is also a ticket office. Start to talk with sales man, and we get friendly, even negotiate so he sells me water cheaper :) and then also negotiate that he let's me in for free.

So I am in, but till mountain I still need to walk for 3km. And i am lucky a small bus is going there, so I just stop him and go with it to mountain. And here is one more ticket office, but I am behind dark windows of a bus, so no one checks me :)

And here i see something really amazing. Lake, moutanins, and not far away I see mountain covered with snow, 5000m high that I will conquer. it looks now real close, but ..but about but later... There are almost no tourists around that makes this place magic feeling... In air I can feel amazing silence and piece... I am going closer to lake, there are some Chinese tourists making photos, but at the lake I see a large group of monks and they are carrying something into the water. That makes me interesting and i am getting closer to them. Everything around dazzles me...Green grass, yellow flowers, it is like the most beautiful Arab carpet, that is made by the best master. I arrive at the lake and see that monks are caring big bags of something into the middle of the holy lake.

I sit and watch them. But i also want to join them, so I take off my clothes and jump in and start to help them...They are all excited that I also help them to do it. As i get to know later in those bags is solt, rice, and holy texts, that is a treat for spirits of earth, air, and others... I helped to carry bags an enjoyed so cold water of mountain lake... I again put on my clothes and then have an invitation for picnic with monks, and have a gift small papers with mantras...So I follow monks to have a great picnic. I am again a honoured guest and I sit next to Lama. With a Lama from city of Aba... All around are sitting Aba monks. We are eating different tasty things and drinking Tibetan tea and also Coca-Cola :))) After eating we start sport activities.. Monks starting to fight with each other, and I also want to join...And of course i get the most heavy and fat monk :D :D everyone have fun...but i don't retreat I start the fight and win, as the monk stops the fight :) he is to tired :D :D I felt like a super fighter as all Chinese who are tourists here at this moment didn't stop to shoot photos with me :)))) imagine you are the first foreigner that was sitting like that between these monks and even participating in their activities. You talk with them, eat with them, play with them...it is amazing... And sucj a nature around... and then after fighting amazing music starts to play around you and songs are singed...and after that one more activity...you need to win in another sport activity...you can see it in pictures i don't know how to call it in English :D :D and here I again have the same monk to fight, and this time he wins :D :D

After that monks start to pack their bags as they need to leave, and I also need to leave to make my first base camp and it is already 4pm so I have around 4 hours to make a first base camp at the bottom of the mountain before the darkness comes. It seams it will be easy as the mountain seems real close... The way leads around the lake towards the mountain. But to reach it, you need to fight a really sharp grass, and small trees that are growing here. When I pass the lake i see that in front of me is one more lake to reach a mountain... Already 3 hours have passed so i have around an hour to reach the mountain and it seems real hard...And my bag is really heavy now as I have a lot of water in it for 2 days. But I am fighting...

And after one hour I finally reach the other side of the second lake. And here starts the marsh that is really dangerous. Sometimes my legs are inside till my hips and other is on the land. Sometimes i feel a little scared that i will not make it out...but when your body tells you it is dead your mind is the one that tells you to stop crying and keep moving...this is the most hardest and powerful muscle in your body. And when I am finally at the place where I could place my tent, I see a large river, with icy cold water from the mountain and really deep, till hips or even deeper...But what can I do, i am already almost dead so I am just jumping in, and finally I am at the normal ground with grass where i can put my tent... I am just next to the mountain, I am all wet, so I just take all the clothes off and make a tent...I am totally in the wild, no one around me for around 10km or even more...I wake up in the middle of the night in the tent because of strange sound of animals around...Look outside but there is no one and then I look up. This is something amazing...it seems that the sky have only stars, no sky at all, and the sky is so low, as you can almost touch it... they all shine and sparkle like beautiful eyes of the girl :) .I get out of the tent and just lay on the grass...it is such a soft carpet and i just enjoy th beautiful pieace of art in the sky... After some time i get back in tent and have a great nap...