Tagong (7-16)

Tuesday was travel day from Kangding to Tagong. When I had asked at the hostel about transportation to the minivans going to Tagong, the man mentioned that a private car would probably be too expensive (200 RMB/$33). That isn’t an unreasonable price; so I said I’d think about it and suggested that if others said they wanted to go there, maybe we could share. Then a woman sitting nearby said she and others had ordered a van or car and I could join them. Perfect. So Tuesday morning I went to the common room for our 10:00 departure and learned that it had been changed to 10:30. After that time we were told there was a traffic jam but the car was on its way. At 11:30 a car arrived and we were told that we would take two cars instead of the van that was expected—four people in one car and two in the other along with another passenger. During the wait, I chatted with the couple from England and France who are teaching at a middle school in Ya’an. They’re planning to make international teaching their career. Jennifer, the Canadian who invited me to join them, is in China to continue to study Mandarin, which she studied several years ago. The Argentineans who had been my neighbors at the hostel were in the other car. Our car had to wait until their car arrived so we could leave together. This was interesting because we didn’t stay together the rest of the trip, but we had to leave as a unit.

Tuesday was a rainy day. It drizzled or rained the whole trip. When we passed a sign pointing to a pullout to view the snowy peaks, there was no need to stop, as no mountains were visible. Only clouds. For the first hour and a half the road winds up the mountain. We passed a surprising number of bicyclists. I can’t imagine wanting to ride up that road. There were lots of trucks that we were constantly passing. After an hour and a quarter we reached the airport. After that the road is blocked so only a car can fit through the concrete barriers. I wondered where all the trucks were going. There wasn’t much traffic the rest of the way to Tagong. 

After an hour and a half, we reached the first pass—4298 meters/14,101 feet and stopped briefly, mostly because the man didn’t feel well from the altitude. I walked back to the temple just because it was there and we had stopped. It was barely visible in the cloud. 

After that, the rain was less and the grasslands were lovely. The road was quite potholed in some places and was flooded in a few places. 

At 2:00 we made a most-welcomed pit stop. The toilet was three slots in the concrete floor with partitions between them. The rest stop was a tourist place where people can sleep in a tent and ride horses in the grasslands.

The rest of the trip was in the grassland plateau. The green was beautiful even with the cloudy sky and rain. 

In several places we saw yaks

 as well as Tibetan prayer flags. 

We passed a few small villages with stone houses. 

We arrived in Tagong at 2:15. Since we left late, it seemed like a long trip. I was glad I had my snacks to share with the group and the driver.

The altitude of Tagong is 3800 meters/12,467 feet. The guesthouse I stayed in is above a shop; so that was one flight of stairs to walk up. After that, I realized that the public part is on the third floor, and I had to pause for a few minutes before tackling those stairs. After settling in my room, I went back upstairs to eat. I was surprised to see my companions, as they were staying in another hostel, but I was told that this café is where all foreigners eat. 

I had their momos with a mixture of fillings—potato, greens, and cottage cheese. They were much better than the momos in Kangding. After eating and relaxing, the others went shopping to find some warm clothes. Since it was raining and cold, I returned to my room to relax and have a quiet night. I did well with the altitude as long as I sat still

During the night and all day Wednesday, I was hit with altitude sickness. I barely ate breakfast and returned to my room to sleep all day. I remember having a bad headache when I was in Tibet years ago but being OK the morning. Not this time. In addition to sleeping all day, I had no appetite and had to make an effort to drink to keep hydrated.

Thursday morning Max strongly suggested that I move to his Swiss friend’s hostel that is 300 meters lower. I decided to take his advice after hiring a moto to take me to the nunnery outside town. I felt like I could walk a little while and wanted to see something other than the guesthouse. I had planned to walk there, as my friends did, but clearly walking was not on my agenda that day. 

So I had a minimal pastoral experience but was glad to have done some very slow walking in the grasslands. 

I enjoyed seeing the  houses 

and a few yaks close up. 

By the time I finished walking to the temple and back to where I started, I had been walking slowly for about three hours and was tired. More people were walking along the prayer wheels at this time of day. 

A few older women I came across took my hands and said something and let me take their photo.A man with a van picked me up along with three nuns who were going to town. I was very happy that he stopped for us.

I don’t think I saw the actual nunnery, but I enjoyed what I saw. Max had mentioned an old temple in front of the nunnery with a small café. I know I didn’t see that. I just started walking where the man dropped me off and enjoyed what I was able to see and do.

After checking out, the woman walked me to a car that would take me to my new hostel. Isabelle refers to her hostel and the local hospital, as guesthouses send their ill guests to her. She was very solicitous, and it was a great place to stay. My only regret was that I didn’t have more time in the pastoral setting along the river. The hostel is her husband’s family house. They live on the first floor, and rent rooms on the second and third floors. Isabelle and her husband and daughter live on the third floor. I also regretted not being able to be friendly and sociable, as they are very nice people with whom I would have enjoyed chatting.

Tagong town itself isn’t much to recommend. It’s a long, street filled with shops for tourists which are owned by Han Chinese. I’ve encountered this in other minority areas as well. There is a temple in town, but I didn’t have the energy to visit it. I’d have liked to walk through the grasslands to experience them and enjoy them more, but that wasn’t meant to be. I’m glad I was able to do the little walking I did.