Zoige Yellow River and Grassland Travel Notes

It takes about 12 hours to drive from Chengdu to Zoige County. The air-conditioned bus is very comfortable and the road is very spacious, but it is a little less dusty than I imagined when I first entered Tibet. When passing through Wenchuan, I saw many big signs hanging in the mountains saying "512 Earthquake Site " , and I couldn't help but imagine what it would be like when a major earthquake occurred. No matter how wide the road is, it still clings to the mountain wall. The mountain wall is steep. Even if there is no earthquake, there will often be rockfalls. A heavy rain can cause mudslides and landslides, not to mention the scene of earthquakes when the mountains shake and rocks fly. I think that if there is an earthquake at this time and flying rocks hit the car, then the car will either be crushed or knocked into the cliff. I think it may be better to be smashed into the cliff than to be crushed. I think that no matter how big a disaster occurs in nature, it is all caused by nature itself. Nature will not say a word of apology. On the contrary, it is us who should apologize in the end.

The 12 hour drive was not that long to me at the time, probably because I was getting deeper and deeper into a place that was both longing for and unfamiliar to me. As I was approaching the grassland, groups of yaks passed by outside the car window, and herders The yak team was commanded on horseback, the Tibetan bags were bulging in the wind, and the prayer flags blew local beliefs.

However, the toilets used by the Tibetans along the way were not very friendly. When my companions and I walked to the doors of those simple toilets, we found that they were all paid toilets. 1 The smell of urine wafted out, and we kept backing away, retreating to a wall and watering the weeds, feeling very sorry for the women who had to go in.

Speaking of my companions, I have to go back to Chengdu. That day, after finishing my meal, I returned to the youth hostel, opened the door, and saw three new faces in the room. I couldn’t wait to share them with them " Minor numbness”’s experience, and then we talked about it.

Among these three people, there is a photographer named Shiqi. He came to Chengdu specifically to take private photos of girls. He is the kind of person who wears little or no clothes at all, lying on the bed or on the ground to record his own body photos. After a while he went out to meet the girl. The remaining two brothers were together, one was Wei Ran, a graduate student majoring in agriculture, but he couldn't even tell the difference between highland barley and wheat, which made people feel very watery. The other one is called Liu Ao. He works as a policeman in Nanning. However, this comrade policeman will sarcastically say to me from time to time: " Look at Brother Seventeen. The pictures he takes are all of naked girls. Look again. Look at you, what are you taking pictures of? "Sometimes, I am really ashamed.

Wei Ran once met a girl with the same surname Wei during his travels. Whenever there was a long vacation, Miss Wei would go to accompany her mother who was working alone in Zoige. When they said goodbye, Miss Wei invited Wei Ran to visit her in Zoige during the summer vacation. If you play, your family will entertain you with good milk and meat. So, during this summer vacation, Wei Ran called his good friend Liu Ao and embarked on a journey.

When he learned that I was also going to Zoige, Liu Ao said: " Let's go together! "

Wei Ran glared at Liu Ao and said: " The girl invited me alone. You are already a drag, I have to call and ask first. " said I called him as soon as I picked up the phone, and Miss Wei expressed her welcome. After hanging up the phone, Wei Ran said: " Then you can come with us. "

Rather than being embarrassed to refuse, I believe it was because of Miss Wei's enthusiasm.

Actually, I just thought it would be more lively if three of us went together. 12 It was an hour's drive, but I didn't expect that these two brothers could arrange my itinerary in Ruoergai with just one phone call.

In this way, we arrived in Zoige together.

We waited at the county station for a short while before Miss Wei appeared. It was already evening when she took us home. Auntie had already prepared a sumptuous dinner for us. A large plate of yak meat made me want to stop eating. However, due to my status as a second-rate tycoon, I was embarrassed to eat more. Auntie saw that I was shy and was doing it anxiously on the side, so she said try harder. Eat, eat up. I used my chopsticks more frequently, but in the end I didn't finish it all. The plate of yak meat was too big.

Miss Wei and her aunt are both from Dujiangyan. The girl usually studies in Chengdu, while her aunt is assigned to Zoige because of work. The altitude of Ruoergai is 3400 meters. The plateau red spreading on my aunt's cheeks is like annual rings, depicting her years on the plateau. Her skin looks dry and rough, very close to that of the local Tibetans. My husband and daughter are not around all year round, so there are naturally fewer visits from relatives and friends. Living alone is bound to be lonely, so my aunt is particularly enthusiastic about guests coming from afar, which deeply moved me.

After dinner, we were accommodated in a nearby hotel owned by Tibetans. Because it was originally said to be for two people, the aunt only booked one standard room. Seeing that we had one more room, she wanted to book an extra room. We quickly stopped her and said that one standard room was enough. Entering the standard room, there were two small beds. Since I was the third child, I was assigned to share a bed with Wei Ran for one night and Liu Ao, the second child for two nights.

I was lying on the bed, thinking about the plate of yak. Anyway, I was really lucky.

We went to our aunt's house for breakfast early the next morning. Our aunt arranged for a car and driver. After breakfast, we embarked on a journey to visit Zoige. The first stop was the first bay of the Jiuqu Yellow River. There is about 60 to 70 kilometers of road from the county seat to the scenic spot. The road is beautifully paved. We are speeding between the hillsides and the vast grasslands. I am often attracted by groups of scattered cattle and sheep. Although as livestock, they will reach the same end as the captive cattle and sheep, but at least they are cool when they are alive. Imagine if an animal that had been kept in captivity for several years was let out on the grassland for a run, what kind of emotions would it have?

After arriving at the scenic spot, we had to hurry up and rush to the observation deck because the weather was gloomy and it looked like it would rain at any time. The observation deck is on a hillside at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters. While I was breathing heavily, I was glad that I didn’t have altitude sickness.

In front of you is the Yellow River.

In my impression, the Yellow River is fast and yellow, turbulent, roaring and angry in the "Yellow River Cantata", but the river in front of me is gentle and peaceful, it curves into an "S" shape , like a giant snake parading on the grassland, the river reflects the skylight and looks a little gray, but it is by no means the turbid yellow that surges across the soil. I was thinking about its name —— First Bay.

This is what the Yellow River looked like when it was young. Like everyone's birth, it is still clear after all, but it immediately begins its long journey. Every time it passes through a place, it takes away some local stone and soil, and its color changes. The temperament becomes fierce, just like the portrayal of time and the vicissitudes of time. It rushes to the end again and again, releasing all its temperament in the Bohai Sea. I looked at the invisible end of this river bend, and a word flashed in my mind: the long river of time.

The rain did not fall in the end. It might have finished in other places, but it did not fall on our heads. The dark clouds were blown away by the wind, ushering in a blue sky, and the water of the Yellow River was also reflected very blue. Unfortunately, we were already here. Walk down the viewing ramp and prepare to leave. As an arranged sightseeing tour, there is no chance for sunset. We have to rush to the next place.

The car stopped in front of a huge stone monument, and the driver asked us to get out of the car and take a look. The stone tablet reads " The grassland where the nine marshals walked " , as well as the names of the nine marshals, both in Chinese and Tibetan. Only then did I realize that this grassland was the same grassland where the Red Army walked. I began to imagine the scene back then, imagining what it would have been like before the roads were built. Would the grass be higher than the knees? I imagined that long queue, would the soldiers hunt down the hares and marmots in the grass to eat? Will they be amazed by the beauty before them? That was a great trip.

There are often sheep on the next section of the road. The sheep are strutting on the road. Whenever the driver sees them from a distance, he will slow down and say: " These animals. Can’t be hit, can’t be hit, can’t afford to pay! ”

Arriving at a dilapidated temple is our final destination today. This place is called Brazil Township, and the temple was originally named Banyou Temple. It was built during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. It would have collapsed with this name, but the story was changed in 1935. When the Red Army crossed the grassland, there were two groups: the right army and the right army. The right army arrived in Brazil first and waited to meet up with the left army. However, something went wrong with the left army. The leader of the left army, Zhang Guotao, was not only unwilling to join forces, but also hid. There were some minor attempts to undermine internal unity. In response to this move, the Central Committee of our Party, which was still without a fixed address at that time, held a meeting in the Main Hall of Banyou Temple in front of me. The meeting was very effective. From then on, few people mentioned it. The name Banyo Temple has become famous, and everyone calls it "Brazil Conference Site" .

After the Brazil Conference, Banyou Temple was destroyed by a fire and was rebuilt in 1937. Interestingly, it was destroyed again during the Cultural Revolution. I thought of the scene where the Central Leadership Group led by Mao Zedong held a meeting in the Main Hall. Their revolution finally succeeded, but they probably never imagined that one day this temple would be destroyed by the emotional people.

The current Banyou Temple has been restored again, but because it is not a mainstream attraction, it has received little maintenance. If I hadn't seen a few locals performing prayers here, I would have thought it had been abandoned. This was the first time I saw prayer wheels. The brass-colored prayer wheels were neatly arranged around the temple, looking sacred and solemn. I spun them excitedly, thinking that I was particularly pious, but Miss Wei came over and said to me: "You turned the other way."

There are often a dark group of vultures circling in the sky, with low cries and dense crowds. It reminds me of the tradition of sky burial in Tibetan areas.

When passing a small wooden house, there was a sound of mechanical friction " creaking " inside. Looking inside, it was a huge prayer wheel, and under the prayer wheel was a A rickety old Tibetan woman. The old woman lowered her head and turned the prayer tube like a donkey pulling a stone mill, step by step, round and round. She noticed me, stopped and sat on the wooden bench in front of the prayer wheel, and waved me over.

The old lady told me in extremely fluent Mandarin: " Transfer, transfer this. "

I followed the old woman's advice and started to spin the huge prayer wheel. It was a little strenuous at first, but later, with inertia, I almost didn't need any strength. I spun the prayer wheel, step by step, circle by circle, and the prayer wheel made a sound due to friction. “ Crunch ” Voice.

After walking around a few times, I sat down opposite the old lady, who asked me: " Do you recognize Chairman Mao? "

I said: " The whole world recognizes Chairman Mao. "

The old woman nodded and said: " Oh ... He has been here! "

The old woman then asked: "Have you been to Lhasa? "

I shook my head and said: " No, I haven't been there yet. "

I asked the old lady: "Have you been there? "

The old woman smiled at me. She said something, but I really couldn't understand it, so I had to smile in response. It became extremely quiet in the cabin, and the prayer tube made the last "creep" sound before it stopped due to inertial rotation. I think this place is too old and may collapse in the next second, but I know that with prayer tubes and piety holding it up, it will not collapse no matter what.

"Zashi Delek! "

When we returned to the county town, the sun had already begun to set. The grassland outside the car window should be at its most beautiful time of the day. However, everyone in the car was hungry, and no one wanted to stop and look at the scenery for a while. I had no choice but to stick my head out of the car window. Later, half of my body was outside the car window, and the wind blew on my face, which was a little comfortable and a little cold.