Xiewu

The Chinese men who were so friendly to give me a free ride on their quest for a dog, decided to not continue to Yushu after all, but to return to Lanzhou. We had just arrived at Xiewu at that time, just 50km before Yushu. I don't know why they decided to give up, but ok, I got a free ride to Xiewu. A small Tibetan village located in a gorgeous valley just below 4000m (I believe). It didn't take me long to find a bed for the night (Y15), and then I went out to be amazed by the rich style of the Tibetan people. They are really showing off, these guys! Carrying loads of jewelry and fancy embroidered clothes, it's like a parade. The guys are very macho and lean on their motorbikes while smoking. No more horses in this town. Plenty of yak though, even walking in the street here. And of course for dinner (and for breakfast and lunch) .
I walked up to the monastery up on the flank of the narrow valley. Yes, also here a monastery. It's almost like every village in this region has its own monastery. And not so small either! For some reason, the monks were tearing doen one of the colourful buildings by hammering the walls and chearing everytime some rubble came down in a cloud of dust. Working like an ant colony, they were carrying off chunks of masonry, wooden beams, and window frames.
I made friends with some kids, and with a local mecanic who spoke some English, a rarity in this area. The kids brought out their school books, and we started rehearsing, while their mother was preparing dinner. The parents run a small restaurant, very convenient! Dinner was yummie (yak, of course), and they didn't accept my money. We drank lots of beer with the men, while the kids were watching tv.
Soon afterwards, it was time for bed. After 9pm everything locks up and the village is deserted. The next morning I had to get up early to catch a bus to Yushu, which would leave at 7:00am, acording to the mecanic.