day: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 epilogue

25 May 2007

to Tibet - Day Seven: Leaving Xining

This being our last day in Xining, us brothers struck out on our own. Granted we were missing out on one of the four most important monasteries, which i presume makes it the fourth most important, i figured by the end of this trip i would be sick of monasteries, monks, robes and their predictably shaved heads.

So it was off to see the city in the daylight. Three hours of walking paid off with a jackpot. A search for film, cameras and screwdrivers had failed, but gold shone deep in the alleys like in a Klondike river bed. First a winding alley rimmed by merchants and filled with buyers. Fresh fruit and vegetables for long blocks. Sides of unnamed animals. Live catfish near a metre in length swishing atop a tray of mud in the open air. Mounds of spices overpowering the diesel burning engine that rotated them on the back of a truck and enriched the atmosphere that oddly did not reek of death and waste like every other alley. A wonder that my nose could smell anymore after the dry burn of city air chipped away at the wellness of my naval cavity.

Our second alley topped the first in terms of all out rubber necking. An entirely unique scene to the urban landscapes thus far. Even if i had the wisdom to bring my camera it wouldn't in a thousand pictures capture the scope of the mall alley. Something like an underground parking lot passage with walls pocked by knock off clothing stores, crazy drinks and tattoo parlours. This is where all of the fancy hair young kids were getting their dangly-do spiky head hair cuts from other like minded fashion freaks. This is also the one time we whiffed the open burning ganga at the hands of a dredded fellow no less.

The steady incline of a long shopping spree was sparsely lit. A constant air of shadiness in contrast to the general sense of ease. The dark channel took the odd stab from courtyards, gateways and smashed holes to construction sites and most curiously a canopied pet quarter. High stacks of aquariums brimming alternately with gold fish, black fish, minnows, geckos, turtles, salamanders and long toed spindly lizards. Neighboured to chattering birds and tiny dogs fidgetting out of desperation. More yelps behind locked gates. So many chirps of undetermined direction. The animlistic cacophony that faded behind us as we furthered into the gauntlet of crappy overlapping dance music. That too soon to be lost on the stepping feet and steady horn blowing in the city streets.

Sadly i never made it back with a camera and lined wallet for more food treats. We reconvened with the tour for lunch and a half an hour drive outside of town to support the local economy in a shopping destination that i can only liken to picking up Highlander frozen fish sticks at Walmart after visiting a Newfoundland outport community. A white warehouse in an undustrial complex that offered dried yak treats, soft drinks and shitty carvings.

And that is how we left Xining. A tip to Jaw, our driver, who we'd been exchanging thumbs ups with for his ace pilot skills, then we were off on a train for Lhasa. I don't know how many rambling pages i've written, but a week into this trip and we will finally see Tibet.

joel

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