We set off from Xiahe at 7:30am on 27th August. We were heading to a reservoir to catch speedboats to ancient caves containing carvings of Buddhas. The truck would take a ferry across.
It was raining but we wouldn't let that spoil our day.
There used to be many more caves of paintings and carvings but then the Chinese built a dam and flooded the area. There was no lake originally. However now they can prevent floods, generate hydroelectric power, irrigate fields and supply drinking water. If I ran China I may have done the same.
We found an elderly couple living outside the first cave which housed a temple. They were pleased to see us and rang their giant bell when we made a donation:
Then we shook hands many times and compared leg hair:
They chattered away to all of us in Chinese. They'd been living there together for thirty years and I think were glad to have visitors. They waved goodbye to us as we left.
We set about inspecting the remainder of the caves that were open to the public and not flooded. I got the impression that many of the group were not impressed by the carvings. It is true that they were not grand and that the 50 ft tall Buddha was covered by scaffolding. Still, I liked them. They were expressive - like the Terracotta Warriors, each carving had its own personality.
I look forward to comparing these to whatever I may find in India.
Towards the end there was a small museum containing artifacts and statues found in the caves. I want to find more about this God:
He was also featured on many of the Tanka I saw in Xiahe.
Others looked less malicious. This is Matrieya, the Buddha who will come at the end of time:
I don't know much about this Buddha and probably even misspelt her(?) name. But I like the concept. A guy I used to know once told me, "Time will cure everything". Likewise, "Matrieya will cure everything". We all love endings, resolutions, the final word. It'll never come but the myths of mankind testify to our global need for it.
After we had finished viewing Buddhas we presented ourselves to a surprised and grateful noodle shack owner who swiftly prepared huge quantities of excellent and fresh vegetable noodles. After lunch we boarded speedboats once again which took us to a different jetty, where Matt, our driver, was changing a wheel for some monks:
That afternoon we arrived at Liujiaxia. We didn't know how to pronounce it then and we still don't. We were driving through a particularly ramshackle area with unusual numbers of prostitute's numbers scrawled on various flat surfaces when the truck stopped. We had arrived at our hotel. Inside wasn't so bad, and the shower was hot and powerful, though after I'd finished I discovered I'd created a small lake on the floor due to the plug hole being blocked,
At the hotel Claire announced that we had been allocated to two dinner teams of five. Each team was granted a budget of 360 yuan (£36) and pointed towards a local market. We were to plan, buy and cook a dinner for eighteen for one of our days of bush camping.
Naturally I wanted to cook curry but unfortunately the other team had nabbed that, leaving us with boring old pasta with sauce. We set about it in a semi-haphazard style, with debates on whether to split up or stick together, chicken or pork, frozen or fresh. To me it was more than reminiscent of The Apprentice but others abstained from drawing that comparison. To be fair we were not to be awarded points based on our performance with the winners being sent on a stunning holiday (that wouldn't have worked), our only reward would be a sense of smugness at having cooked a better dinner that the other team.
That evening, after we had found a restaurant that served cold beer, I wanted to use the loo but could not see one. Martin with his phrase book was nearby so I looked up the Chinese for toilet and said this word, accompanied by a questioning look, to the nearest man lounging on a chair. He started giving me extensive directions. Of course I didn't understand so he called over a nearby boy. This boy led me quite a distance down the road, pointed at a loo (a dark room with a hole in the floor), waited while I did my thing and then escorted me back. The locals are very helpful - it's a shame I can't talk to them.
Stephen
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