The Accultured Robot presents:
Gansu, May 2003

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Lin Xia Muslim Men These are two types of acceptable muslim head coverings for men.	Da Xia He A temple down by the river, a bit of the prayer wheel circuit and the river.	Monks & Poplars outside Xia He These monks had earlier given us some pretty weird looks as we took pictures of a dilapitated wall.
Herding Yaks into Town This yak herd was getting lost at every chance.	Sellers near a stupa This stupa, built to comemorate a past living buddha (there's currently one in Xia He) holds down one corner of the prayer wheel circuit.	Prayer Wheels This arcade makes a big circle around the main monastery and takes about 90 minutes to do (walk around and spin each prayer wheel). Our hotel manager's mother had walked 10,000 circuits in 4 years.
Temple of the Living Buddha A larger temple down near the river. A living Buddha (a reincarnation of one of the Buddhas) resides here.	Tibetan District, Xia He A typical street.	Mountain Goats, Xia He A man sat up on a hill watching this herd. He whooped to us once and we waved back.
Sangke Grasslands The grasslands farther up the valley where the yak herds graze in the summer.	The Great Debate Once a year, a few hundred young monks gather under the tent and debate buddhist ideology in front of some elders. This lasts for about 2 weeks.	Yak Butter Sculpture This is made entirely out of yak butter and pigments from local herbs. They make about a dozen of them each year for a mid-winter festival and keep them around until next January.