GanNan Self-Driving Tour Strategy

GanNan is located in Gansu Province and is an autonomous prefecture mainly inhabited by Tibetan people. It owns all the natural landscapes of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The clean and clear lakes are breathtakingly beautiful. You can experience the wonders of nature here. The following is a GanNan self-driving tour strategy for you.

Famous Scenic Spots in GanNan: Milarepa Pagoda, Labrang Monastery in Xiahe, etc.

GanNan Airport: Xiahe Airport (Xiahe County)

GanNan Railway Station: Hezuo Station (under planning)

I have always yearned for the experiences and outlooks of Sanmao. I always think that people need to see the world and experience the grand splendor before they can achieve inner peace and equanimity.

I went to Qinghai to see Chaka Salt Lake, to Jingtai to enjoy the wind, to Jiayuguan to climb the Great Wall, to Linxia to visit the Eight Alleys and Thirteen Lanes, to Wuhan University to get lost, and to Nanchang but eventually failed to ride the Ferris wheel…

In the past two or three years, although I haven’t been to many places, I have seen a lot of scenery. I have always yearned for the grassland and the sea, but I have never been to either.

Maybe life requires a lot of courage to be spontaneous, and I am a person who is willing to be spontaneous. In short, GanNan was not originally in my travel plans. But after I saw the WeChat message from the Silk Road Sunshine Tourism Association, I couldn’t sit still… After I told the two girls, they immediately agreed, and we decided to sign up on the spot. By the time I realized it, the three of us had already boarded the bus to GanNan with other strangers.

A Glimpse of GanNan’s Scenic Spots

I slept all the way there, which has become my routine on travel trips. After seeing the Ancient Animal Fossil Museum in Hezheng and having lunch in Linxia, we arrived in Xiahe County.

Xiahe is a small town with a strong ethnic and religious flavor. The buildings, residents, and even the atmosphere are filled with the mysterious features of Tibetan Buddhism.

Monks by the river walk slowly, children on the street play happily, cattle and sheep graze leisurely on the grassland, and wildflowers bloom along the streets. The sky is a clear blue, and the mountains are layered and majestic.

Sangke Grassland: I wish to be a peaceful and content horse girl

My first impression of the grassland was the taste of barley wine. Each person got a small cup. After drinking it, my stomach quickly warmed up. People dressed in Tibetan costumes offered us hadas. They sang Tibetan songs, and when I put on the local costume, it felt like I truly became a horse girl. The singing was touching, and the whip was raised high.

Everything here was natural and beautiful, making me long for it. I even told the girls that I wanted to build a house and settle here in the future, plant some Tibetan herbs, raise a horse, and live a peaceful life, growing old alone.

The bonfire party was the most memorable. It wasn’t about how lively it was, but it was truly enjoyable. I couldn’t dance, so I could only spin around. I laughed loudly like a fool in the dark grassland. When the boys and girls sang to each other, I racked my brain for song names. When I was caught and thrown into the air, I screamed in fright…

My tense nerves finally relaxed. My stomach, after taking medicine, finally stopped hurting. After returning, I just wanted to chat with them and get a good night’s sleep.

In my dream, you are still the young man with deep eyes, and I am the horse girl on the grassland, living a peaceful and stable life.

Labrang Monastery: Not for salvation, but to touch your fingertips

Last year at the Ta’er Monastery, I wrote a sentence: “After traveling thousands of miles and mountains, every three steps I prostrate myself, only for the holy land.”

At Labrang Monastery, I felt the same solemnity and piety as at the Ta’er Monastery. I was moved by the ten thousand prostrations that took a lifetime, and by those who came on pilgrimages with the deepest faith of their believers.

Their foreheads have been touching the walls of the hall for years, leaving mottled dark marks on the red walls, high and low, like countless pious and silent hearts.

The most memorable was a little boy of about seven or eight years old, wearing a monk’s robe, with the same smile and skin color as the locals, a black mole on his cheek. He chanted scriptures with many adults and walked around the hall in circles. I called to him, wanting to take his picture. He turned to look at me, gave a shy smile, and quickly ran past me.

On the most beautiful Tibetan street, I passed many women hurrying along, wearing Tibetan robes. Their backs were almost all stooped, as if from years of carrying heavy loads. Later, I realized that they all shared a common name: mother. Their children grew up on their backs.

Prostrating pilgrims, silent monks, shy children, and mothers with stooped backs. These are my most profound memories of Labrang Monastery.

Labrang Monastery has the largest prayer wheel corridor in the world, with 1,700 prayer wheels. I came from afar, spinning all the prayer wheels, not for salvation, but to touch your fingertips.

The GanNan trip came to an end. I encountered many difficulties and challenges along the way, but I still feel very lucky. In this life, how many people are willing to go crazy with you, and how many people are willing to travel and drift for you.

If someone is willing to be good to you, then cut off the thorns on your body.