Chapter 20 The small town called East Russia

We are bound to be imprisoned in a kind of day: a fixed way of life, a stereotyped work and rest, and repeated days and nights and four seasons, everything is walking forward and pretending to be in order. The so-called numbness is just too accustomed to it.Because the senses lack excitement, it is easy to turn a blind eye and hear but not hear.No one would regard the left hand holding the right hand as a kind of solemn holding hands.As a result, people yearn to escape.Escaping is a way to seek freshness and recall perception. Only when you are in a foreign land will you look at it with the eyes of a stranger.The city has wide and narrow streets, high and low buildings, restaurant styles, and living habits.It seems that there must be a place that is different from home, strange and fresh, to be a place full of temptations.At this time, I wanted to recall the appearance of my hometown for comparison, but I couldn't remember it.

At the intersection where the north-south line of National Highway 318 bifurcates, there is a paradise of light and shadow that blooms all by itself. This is Xinduqiao Town. From Kangding to Xinduqiao, you have to pass the first pass of Kangba, which is more than 4,000 meters above sea level - Zheduo Mountain.Zheduo Shanxi is the Yalong River, and the Dadu River is on the right.This is the first high mountain pass that needs to be crossed on the Sichuan-Tibet line. It is called "Erlang Mountain that scares people to death, and Zheduo Mountain that crosses dead people" by the locals.As the name suggests, the winding mountain road has nine bends and eighteen bends.Therefore, the folks jokingly said that Zheduo Mountain does not know the difficulty of the Sichuan-Tibet Highway!

I ate a lot of sliced ​​ginger, but still felt a little motion sickness. When arriving at the pass of Zheduo Mountain, looking towards Xindu Bridge, you can see "Kangding Love Song" engraved on the mountains in the distance, including Chinese characters and translations in Tibetan and English. The iconic White Pagoda is entwined with prayer flags, and some passing vehicles threw scriptures out of the windows, which is said to be one of the ways Tibetans pray for blessings. The bus was going forward all the way, the road conditions gradually improved, and the Xindu Bridge was getting closer and closer, and the scenery became more and more beautiful.

Many people think of Xindu Bridge as a famous scenic spot, but it is actually a small town with the scenery of the western Sichuan plain.After I got off the bus in the county seat, I found a hotel to stay in.Accommodation here is not expensive. There are no iconic buildings or scenic spots here, but it is hailed as a paradise-like country by photographers.More than ten kilometers along the line, like a slowly unfolding picture scroll. On both sides of the road, there are typical Tibetan villages. The spacious yards are made of stone barriers. The white walls and red doors open to the south. Some abstract colorful patterns are depicted on the window eaves, which are probably totems with auspicious meanings.Farther away, there are rivers behind the poplars and groups of yaks and goats.Occasionally, you can also see free-spirited magpies passing by or jumping on the grass.As far as the eye can see, there are rolling hills, blue sky and white clouds like cotton candy.

How do you feel when you are in the painting? What I think of is the artistic conception of "two orioles singing green willows, and a group of egrets going up to the blue sky". It is already autumn at the end of September, and the leaves of the birch trees are slightly yellow, like a girl who has just dyed her hair. With the river as a mirror, her swaying posture is quite lonely and self-admiring.The river water is sparkling with golden light dots, which makes people forget the tiredness of the journey and stay attached to it. The owner of the hotel told me that the most beautiful time is in the evening and morning, when the sunshine changes endlessly, and the pictures touched by the eyes are constantly changing.

I wandered around with my camera and saw a lot of photographers setting up their tripods and waiting to shoot.Compared with their professional lenses, the camera in my hand is just a tool to record my mood. When I walked to the river, I found a lot of plastic bags and household garbage beside the river bank, which was unappetizing.Who should protect the beauty of the scenic spot?Are they local residents, or us travelers passing by? Remember there is a saying for tourists: don’t take anything away except photos, don’t leave anything but footprints.If we look for natural beauty just to escape the city, but act recklessly in those secluded places in the boudoir, will there be nowhere to find beautiful places one day?

When I was staring at the rubbish by the river, I heard someone say, "The town is in chaos, and the Tibetans who do sand and gravel business are very rich." I turned my head and saw two young men talking not far away.They seemed to have just seen me and smiled, as if apologizing for disturbing my peace. I smiled back and turned to leave. Suddenly remembered, turned around and asked, "Excuse me, what time is it?" One of them raised his wrist and looked at the time: "Four fifty." "Thank you. Did you come out to wait for the sunset too?" They nodded yes.That's how I got acquainted with these two strange men.

During the journey, smiling is always so wonderful, it can enrich your life suddenly.Just a smile can quickly shorten the relationship between people.It was obviously unfamiliar just now, but it turned out to be a little more friendly. They are from Chengdu. The one I was talking to was named Tang Li, and the other was named Luo Bing. Tang Li returned from Singapore last year and started his own business, while Luo Bing was the owner of a small company.They often meet and drive this route by themselves. Tang Li asked me: "Are you alone? Are you going to continue walking?" I nodded: "Well, the journey has just begun."

Later, I was lucky enough to take their car and walk all the way to the beautiful Daocheng. The sunset in autumn comes earlier, but at 5:30, the sky gradually lowers and connects with the vast land. The unpredictable fire clouds in the sky amaze tourists. The mountains in the distance turned into golden mountains, shining brightly; the nearby trees cast long silhouettes, the cattle and sheep under the trees slowly walked home, and the tired birds returned to their nests.Gradually, the clouds turned black, only the surrounding area was covered with streaks of golden light like gold plating.With a burst of "click" camera sound, the scenery in front of me gradually faded away until the sun completely set and night fell.

I said goodbye to Tang Li and Luo Bing, and made an appointment to meet at the entrance of the hotel at 8 am the next day. After returning to the hotel, I ordered a Sichuan dish and ate it to my heart's content.Because of my experience in Tibetan areas, I know very well that after a few days, there will be no dishes to choose from.I have never been used to Tibetan taste. I don’t like butter tea and tsampa very much, but Sichuan food suits my taste very well. In order to watch the sunrise, I went to bed early after dinner. I woke up early the next morning, wiped my face, and excitedly picked up the camera and ran out. The hotel proprietress stopped me and said with a smile: "You will freeze to death if you go out wearing this." He only wore a single shirt, smiled awkwardly, and hurried back to the room to get a short down jacket and put it on.

The temperature in Xinduqiao varies greatly. If you don’t wear more clothes when you go out early in the morning, you will definitely catch a cold, and catching a cold in the plateau is a very terrible thing. Before going out, the proprietress enthusiastically filled me with hot water.When I walked out the door with the water bottle in my arms, I turned my head and grinned at the proprietress, thanking her. The air in the early morning is a bit bitter, but especially fresh. I exhaled and took another deep breath.The oil painting-like beauty in front of me made me instantly forget which time and space I was in. The morning of Xinduqiao is blue.The blue sky dyed the mountains blue, and the smoke from Tibetan houses drifted away with the wind with a faint blue rhyme, and even the clouds were like blooming blue lotus flowers.The red roof is particularly eye-catching in the blue, and there are already walking yaks on the hillside in the distance, full of vitality and tranquility everywhere. As the sun slowly rises, the clouds between the sky and the mountains turn a light purple, like a beautiful sari.The sky gradually rose, and the blue sky gradually turned into light blue, and the scenery in front of me suddenly appeared. Looking around, the hill next to the town is engraved with the six-character mantra of Tibetan Buddhism "Om Mani Padme Hum".Because of the sunrise, the hills are also dyed red.The flying prayer flags pray for the village day and night.Traces of faith can be seen everywhere, which makes people feel respectful. In urban life, people do not care about what is really worthy of respect, but only those things that are respected.But the people in this small town don't care if they repeat the same thing every day. They never force themselves, but they are the most disciplined. It was already 7:30 when I returned to the hotel after taking photos. I packed up my belongings, checked out of the room, and waited at the door to meet Tang Li and Luo Bing. They drove a Jeep and showed up to me on time. I smiled and handed them two bracelets, wishing them a safe journey.Later, because of these two hand ropes, I didn't even share the gas expenses along the way. Here, I would like to thank them! Today's itinerary is Tagong and Bamei. Before I set off, I checked some information on the Internet. Many travel friends said that Tagong Grassland is not as beautiful as Xinduqiao, and there is no need to go there.However, I have already come here, and I don't want to take a look, and I feel unwilling. In Tibetan, Tagong means "the place Bodhisattva likes".Even Bodhisattvas like it. As a human being, why not take a look at the scenery there? We go all the way north to reach the destination Tagong Temple. There is also a legend about Ta Gong.When Princess Wencheng passed by this place when she entered Tibet, the 12-year-old Buddha statue of Sakyamuni she carried with her suddenly became heavy and could not be lifted.When everyone was at a loss, the Buddha statue said that he liked this place and would not leave.Therefore, Tagong means "the place that Bodhisattva likes".However, the Buddha statue was a precious gift from Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty to Songtsan Gampo and could not be left behind. Therefore, the princess made a copy of a Buddha statue and enshrined it here. Luo Bing looked disdainful after listening to the legend I told, and I seemed to hear him say "how can it be so beautiful". Luo Bing was intoxicated until he entered the territory of Tagong, saw the black tents scattered on the grassland with little smoke, smelled the fragrance of milk and tea floating on the road, and heard the pastoral songs from time to time on the grassland, Luo Bing was intoxicated and remained silent . There are many scenic spots in Tagong, and Tagong Temple is the central area. After we parked, we went on foot. Tagong Temple is located at the foot of the mountain, and the hillside is full of Fengma flags. There are many mani piles and white pagodas around the temple.After I walked in, I saw the Tibetans turning the scriptures slowly passing by, and I thought of the residents I saw in Gannan. They were no different, they were all people with firm beliefs. We did not enter the temple, but we could see the flickering flames of the butter lamps in the temple.Outside the temple, the Tibetans were chanting words.Neither of us believed in religion, so we left quietly without disturbing. Standing outside the temple, you can see the sacred Yala mountain rising from the grassland. It is surrounded by misty clouds and covered with snow all the year round, which is very majestic and spectacular. Such scenery cannot be captured without a wide-angle lens.I just keep it in my heart. We didn't stay in Tagong for a long time, so we decided to drive to Bamei immediately, so that maybe we can go to Litang at night to stay. From Tagong to Bamei, it is still all the way north.However, the road conditions were not ideal.Fortunately, my buddy's car is a heightened Jeep, so the dirt road is nothing! On the way, after a rubber mountain.Looking down from the hillside, it is an endless grassland, winding to the horizon. I took out an unopened bag of lollipops in my backpack, and said nervously, "Look! I have prepared gifts for the children." Unexpectedly, Tang Li laughed, and I could hear a hint of ridicule. He rolled his eyes. Luo Bing and Tang Li looked at each other with a smile on their lips.What are you laughing at?I muttered in my heart. Tang immediately gave an explanation: "Your bag may not be enough, and you won't be able to leave when the time comes, we won't wait for you!" What?They said that in Tagong, many people who ask for candy and money are not locals, and many of them are professional beggars. If you give one, there will be a bunch of them immediately, and they will not let you go. A good trip to Tibetan areas may become dangerous because of your kindness.Startled, I stuffed the lollipop back into my backpack. On the way, I saw some wandering children. When I saw someone, I followed them.When our car passed by, there were still a few desperately waving their hands to stop the car.Tang Li didn't stop, and we drove all the way to Bamei Town. Bamei Town, located on the plateau in western Sichuan, is most charming for its earth and rock forests and vast meadows of various shapes. Of course, the continuous snow-capped mountains and mysterious Tibetan villages are also indispensable. Bamei's earth and stone forest is located near National Highway 318, along the east bank of the upper reaches of the Qingda River, a tributary of the Yalong River. Different from the stone forest in Yunnan, the earth and stone forest here is composed of Triassic slate. Its formation is influenced by the neotectonic movement since the Quaternary. In the river fault zone, the rocks in the fault zone are squeezed, sheared, broken and mellowed to form structural mylonites.Because this kind of rock is calcium-containing and soft, it has formed various postures after being exposed to wind and rain. Some of the eight beautiful earth and stone forests are hidden among the mountains. Among the greenery, piles of stone forests stand abruptly, which is very spectacular. In addition to Stone Forest, Bamei's Huiyuan Temple is also a famous scenic spot at home and abroad. It is said that in the seventh year of Yongzheng (1729), the Qing government invited the seventh Dalai Lama Kelsang Gyatso to take refuge here due to the unstable situation in Tibet, and allocated funds, expropriated land, and built temples and buildings.In the middle of the temple gate hangs a gold-plated plaque of "Huiyuan Temple" bestowed by Emperor Shizong of Qing Dynasty.Due to the right time and place, the eleventh Dalai Lama Kedrup Gyatso was also born here, and Huiyuan Temple has had a profound influence in Tibetan areas since then. The temple was rebuilt three times.There are three hundred and sixty-five days a year, and Huiyuan Temple recites scriptures for various sacrificial activities for 245 days a year.There is a "Praying Dafa Conference" in the first month, which is called "Merangchenbu Dafa Conference" in Tibetan, "Achao" in June and "Anchoe" in November.Believers from all over the world come to worship and chant sutras during the Dharma conference. Leaping all the way to Tibet, the stone forests and temples in Bamei seem to be unable to keep our hearts. After a short rest, we drove to Litang.