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| Letter from China: spirit quest | Letter from China: spirit quest |
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| The air was thick and heavy with the smell of yak. Feeling slightly sick and light-headed from the squeeze and stuffiness, I asked the bus driver to stop by the roadside for a breather. As I spilled out on to the road, so did my morning meal. | The air was thick and heavy with the smell of yak. Feeling slightly sick and light-headed from the squeeze and stuffiness, I asked the bus driver to stop by the roadside for a breather. As I spilled out on to the road, so did my morning meal. |
| I was on the road in Gannan (Southern Gansu), heading for Langmusi, a sleepy Tibetan town straddling Sichuan and Gansu province. The rest of Gansu province is better known for its tasteless, bone-dry deserts and Unesco-accredited grottoes. Its arid weather is as erratic as its bus timetables, with sharp temperature fluctuations of 10C even in summer. In the south though, a little piece of heaven exists for those who seek it. | I was on the road in Gannan (Southern Gansu), heading for Langmusi, a sleepy Tibetan town straddling Sichuan and Gansu province. The rest of Gansu province is better known for its tasteless, bone-dry deserts and Unesco-accredited grottoes. Its arid weather is as erratic as its bus timetables, with sharp temperature fluctuations of 10C even in summer. In the south though, a little piece of heaven exists for those who seek it. |
| The town of Langmusi has a feeling of a supernatural peace and unsurprisingly so. At all times of the day, devout locals murmur chants as they turn prayer wheels outside the monasteries. | The town of Langmusi has a feeling of a supernatural peace and unsurprisingly so. At all times of the day, devout locals murmur chants as they turn prayer wheels outside the monasteries. |
| Guidebooks will point you to Sertri Gompa and Kirti Gompa for a visit, and even if you have missed the intricate architecture on the inside, its red and gold roofs shimmering in the sunset will leave you with a profound impression. It is also along these windswept corridors that one catches a rare glimpse of Tibet as monks scurry in and out the monasteries for their appointed prayers. | Guidebooks will point you to Sertri Gompa and Kirti Gompa for a visit, and even if you have missed the intricate architecture on the inside, its red and gold roofs shimmering in the sunset will leave you with a profound impression. It is also along these windswept corridors that one catches a rare glimpse of Tibet as monks scurry in and out the monasteries for their appointed prayers. |
| While the folds of their robes and deeply wrinkled faces make for a great black and white portrait, do be aware that many are not particularly comfortable about being in front of the camera. Ask before you shoot. | While the folds of their robes and deeply wrinkled faces make for a great black and white portrait, do be aware that many are not particularly comfortable about being in front of the camera. Ask before you shoot. |
| Despite its spirituality, the town is also a bustling centre of trade, wooing visitors with indigenous handicrafts, silverware and hand-woven scarves made from yak's wool. After a couple of beers, it is easy to make friends here and organise enough people for a trek – by horse or on foot – into the surrounding mountains, or better still, a day trip to Zoige, another piece of heaven said to be China's fourth-largest grassland. | Despite its spirituality, the town is also a bustling centre of trade, wooing visitors with indigenous handicrafts, silverware and hand-woven scarves made from yak's wool. After a couple of beers, it is easy to make friends here and organise enough people for a trek – by horse or on foot – into the surrounding mountains, or better still, a day trip to Zoige, another piece of heaven said to be China's fourth-largest grassland. |
| The view of Langmusi from a hilltop was all the more appreciated knowing that this was a place that could face the consequence of accelerated desertification triggered by climate change. | The view of Langmusi from a hilltop was all the more appreciated knowing that this was a place that could face the consequence of accelerated desertification triggered by climate change. |
| As the sun finally went down, I took one last shot before heading back to the town centre to haggle for a good piece of yak wool shawl. | As the sun finally went down, I took one last shot before heading back to the town centre to haggle for a good piece of yak wool shawl. |
| Every week Guardian Weekly publishes a Letter from one of its readers from around the world. We welcome submissions – they should focus on giving a clear sense of a place and its people. Please send them to weekly.letter.from@guardian.co.uk | Every week Guardian Weekly publishes a Letter from one of its readers from around the world. We welcome submissions – they should focus on giving a clear sense of a place and its people. Please send them to weekly.letter.from@guardian.co.uk |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. | Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |
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