Litang, the wild town (part 1)

From Daocheng, Will, Hazel and I continued our way northward toward Litang on yet another rickety local bus. Wild, remote, and scenic, Litang is situated 4014 m above sea-level on the Tibetan plateau.

Having ascended slowly from the various places we had been travelling through for the previous 10 days, we were able to acclimatize better. Still, the altitude got to me. The air here is freezing cold, dry and thin in oxygen. I found myself panting just walking up a flight of steps, or breathless and gasping for air when i walked too fast up a slight gradient. (How do people run a the Inca marathon in Macchu Picchu at 4000m altitude?!)

During the few weeks i was here, sleep came in fitful bouts and i awoke to the slightest noise. I also had really bizarre dreams and nightmares! Still, these made for only mild suffering. The travellers we had met coming from the opposite direction (from Chengdu & Kangding) had more severe symptoms like nausea and splitting headaches. Note to self: Make my way up to Kilimanjaro and Macchu Picchu real soon -before old age becomes another factor to consider!

Han Chinese are the minority in Litang and the town is mostly made up of Tibetans. The main street is colourful, chaotic and bustling with life.

Keep warm with fur. Where is PETA?! I think the animal-rights activists would have an absolute field day here nabbing people for wearing animal fur or for lining their bike! (see photo at the bottom of this post)

Young Tibetan monks padded out in their crimson red robes and winterwear - isn't it too cold to be wearing a robe around here?!

Crossing the road here is often a hazardous affair, even in the small towns. Pedestrians have to jostling with cars, bicycles, motorbikes, carts, and the occasional yak that finds its way to the middle of the street.

What better way to keep your fingers from falling off from frostbite - gloves with fur lining attached to your bike handles!

Tibetans are passionate about their motorbikes. A friend who has travelled through Tibet has seen nomadic Tibetans zipping their way across the grasslands at top speed, and parking their bikes outside their gers when not using them, right alongside their horses and yaks. At times, you just have to give your horses a rest!