Travel Notes | Travel along the way and return to Xining

Say goodbye to Uncle Yu, come out from Maya Snow Mountain, Tianzhu to Xining, and turn around all the way. This is a pilgrimage road.

There is a tree-lined road between Maya Snow Mountain and Dachaigou. The trees on both sides are beginning to turn yellow, and the sun shines into the car from the treetops, making it very warm.

Not long after leaving Tianzhu County, a sign was erected on the roadside - turn left and enter the small road for 300 meters to reach Shimen Temple. If you are not in a hurry, you can stop as you like. Shimen Temple is not big, but it is very beautiful. It has blue sky on the plateau, flowers and white clouds. Sitting on the clean floor and looking around, it feels very peaceful.

The surrounding landscape of Shimen Temple is already a typical plateau landscape, coupled with the blooming Gesang flowers and excellent weather, it would be even better if the sound of chanting could be heard again.

After leaving Shimen Temple, the scenery along the way was too beautiful, but it was inconvenient to take pictures. On the way to Xining, we went to Tiantang Temple to worship and pray there.

I used to think of myself as an amateur Buddhist enthusiast, but in fact I was not yet an amateur, and I didn’t even have a little knowledge of Buddhism. But I like to go to Buddhist temples, especially Tibetan Buddhism. The Buddha statues, prayer flags, chanting voices, believers, monks, etc. inside all make me feel calm.

Tiantang Temple is large in scale. It is a large academic temple for studying the Five Parts and Four Tantras of the Classics. It had more than 800 resident monks in its prime, and was known as the "Eight Hundred Monks of Heaven". This is an important place for Buddhist activities in the northwest region, and it is also a Gelug sect temple that promotes both study and practice.

Photography is not allowed inside the Buddhist temple. After entering, make a sincere wish and think about yourself.

There is always a magical power in the temple. Standing in front of the Buddha statue, I feel very small. Then I look up at the tall Buddha statue, and a very firm voice tells me to be honest and kind.

When I arrive in Tibet, turning around is something I must do. People believe that praying is the best way to avoid disasters and accumulate merit. I don’t know whether it can eliminate disasters and accumulate merit, but when I saw the prayer wheel on the Tibetan ground, I liked it very much and was willing to do it. At times, I present my inner words in my mind over and over again, not to express my feelings, but to strengthen my belief in my heart.

After leaving Tiantang Temple, we continued driving towards Xining, passing through many winding mountain roads, the most classic of which is the Twelve Winding Slopes of Huzhu Beishan. Looking down from the mountain pass, you can see the mountains are rolling and rolling, and the twelve coils are like long snakes, which is very spectacular.

On the other side of the top of Twelve Pan Slope, you can see the meadow under the plateau, with cattle and horses grazing on the meadow, and streams flowing through it. It is not only beautiful, but also an excellent campsite.

We arrived in Xining before dark, parked the car, and stayed at Hengyu. Hengyu is where we first met, and it is very meaningful to come here again after three years. It's this sofa, this position. Three years ago, I came back from cycling in Qinghai Lake and sat on the sofa exhausted. Brother Jiao was sitting opposite. No one thought that a few months later, the two of them would be together, and they are still in love today. .

For dinner, I wanted to go to the restaurant where we all had dinner three years ago, but I walked around twice and couldn't find it. I guess it was closed down, so I went to Mojia Street. It's not bad to eat hand-caught mutton at Ma Zhong.

Unlike three years ago, Hengyu was very deserted this time. When we returned to the public area after dinner, we turned off the lights. Because Xining was about to enter winter, there were very few people coming here. Get up the next day and take pictures again to commemorate. The boss said that we were the third couple to get acquainted and stay together here.

After breakfast, drive to Kumbum Monastery. It is a large-scale temple and together with Ganden Monastery, Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery, Tashilhunpo Monastery and Labrang Monastery in Gannan, it is known as the six major Gelug sect monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism in my country.

There was a pagoda first, then a temple, hence the name Kumbum Temple. Brother Jiao made a wish here three years ago, and this time he comes to fulfill his wish.

The architecture of Kumbum Temple is close to the mountains and plateaus, and the palaces are scattered at different heights, complementing each other and creating a spectacular atmosphere.

We walked through every courtyard and palace, wanting to spin every prayer wheel.

Turning around the pagoda is just for the wish in front of the Buddha.

The meaning of travel is different for everyone. For Brother Jiao, an important meaning is to eat different cakes. She said that she could never forget the big cake served at the door of Kumbum Monastery three years ago, and now she immediately burst into laughter after eating it.