A different world

A few of the 1000 pics I took last week.

Landscape about 40kms outside of Lanzhou - very 'mountains of the moon' stuff, not charming at all, and it surrounds Lanzhou.



Shamyi village, where I had planned on staying for 2 weeks



Farm on the way to Shamyi  - VERY typical.



And given this is a working area, not for the weak-kneed, the signs recognise this!



Driving here has its own hazards



But there are distractions for decorating car radios!



The family I stayed with - women making momos (T'tan jiaozi)



Making a sarra (chupa is L*ha*sa T'tan)



There's a baby in there - somewhere!!



NOT the Shamrock - local bar in Langmusi



Pub darts competition



Live music  - men in skirts with long(ish) hair RULE!!  Ladies - pop upstairs for a couple more photos you may enjoy!




This area is special to me, and i go back as often as I can make it.

Whoa, those mountains look rugged! 

I notice the sky is this funny bluish colour. Can't be the same sky they have around here. 

Thanks for the peep into another lifestyle. 

A few questions:  What's in the large blue pail in the kitchen?  I'm guessing water, since there's a (dipping?) pan on top.
There seem to be higher surfaces around them, but the women are working on the floor.  Must be more comfortable or convenient for them.  Do you have any insight into why?
What kind of farm?  Sure doesn't seem to be anything growing around it.

The blue thing is for water.  Each morning the women grab a container of some sort and head for the lake/river to bring water back for the day.  Asking for enough water for a bath, not when I don't want to carry the water myself!!  A cat lick is fine when I know it has been carried like this, then had to have been boiled and then carried upstairs for me to wash.

The farms are yak and sheep.  If you look really closely you can see a couple of yaks on the farm.  The will mostly be further up the mountain, on teh grasslands (which are still brown and dry) that haven't been used in the other seasons.

The women use the floor, probably because most of them grew up in tents, and even when there is seating, they will sit on the floor to eat.  Guests and the men sit on the chairs.  The sarra are pretty thick, so provide some comfort.

Thanks.