Litang

A lot of the larger Chinese cities look so much alike that they start to blend together over time.

The same cannot be said of Litang. As a center of Tibetan culture and the birthplace of several Dalai Lamas, the town has a distinctly Tibetan character that is hard to put into words.


In my short time there, some of the things I saw included:

• A kid herding yaks down the main street in and out of traffic.
• A snake oil salesman selling homemade remedies on the street.
• Young Tibetan Buddhist monks wearing Kobe Bryant jerseys.
• Merchants peddling huge blocks of yak butter along the side of the street.
• Countless young Tibetan men playing pool and riding motorcycles.
• And the annual Tibetan horse festival.

One event that I chose NOT to view was a Tibetan sky burial, though a few tourists we ran into said they were able to watch it from afar.

My plans to visit Tibet didn't materialize this time around, but in Western Sichuan I did get to try the obligatory Tibetan yak butter tea (it's awful) and visit my share of Tibetan Buddhist temples, not to mention viewing the amazing mountain landscapes.

Next stop: Yading Nature Reserve.