Pat, Michael, Casey, Katie and I headed north and west this National Day to visit Gansu and Qinghai provinces up on the Tibetan Plateau. We took the train into Gansu's capital, Lanzhou. Then, we immediately took a bus to Xiahe, home to Labrang lamasery. After a few days in Xiahe, we moved on to Tongren, a town in Qinghai famed for the thangkas (traditional Buddhist paintings which take months to craft) that its monks and villagers produce. Katie and I then split off from the group to go to Xining, Qinghai's capital, then across the grasslands to Qinghai Lake.
Monk pointing something out; Tongren
Kid, goat; Tongren
Sunrise, government sculpture; Xining
Tibetan man resting; road to Qinghai Lake
Goats in the way, mountains; road to Qinghai Lake
Tibetan man on cell phone; Qinghai Lake
Prayer flags; Qinghai Lake