Heri

Photo: Prayer flags between Heri and the nearby Terton Chogar Gompa Monastery (August, 2010).

Yaks, dri, sheep, goats, horses, and Tibetan tents were scattered and clustered across the seemingly boundless rolling steppe. At one tent, a boy ran to our stopped bus with a large plastic tank. The driver took the tank and poured the diesel fuel into the bus. From a stream, a woman brought another plastic container before the driver filled a makeshift tank behind his seat. Meanwhile, the road, like so many of China's stimulated cities and villages, was under frantic construction.

"It looks like the Chinese are rushing to get the road done before winter," I said to Sander.

"It looks like they're racing to get it done by next week," he replied.

By early evening we had traveled from Zeku to Heri (pronounced, "Hor").

Heri was a small village. Outside the bus we were pointed to the guesthouse where we immediately booked a room upstairs over a shop. There would only be electricity during certain hours. There was no running water during any hours. When I asked about the toilet, we were directed to the community facility down the road.

Heri was a small but vibrant village. We thought it was awesome!

Photo: The wall at the head of my bed (August, 2010).

Photo: The bed post on which I cut my foot during the night (August, 2010).

Populated with Tibetans and Hui, Heri functioned as a center for buying supplies as well as for trading horses, sheepskins, and so on. At times, like in the late mornings or late afternoons, it seemed the population swelled to 10 times its normal size with people in from the steppe. But around noon, when the day was hot, most people were napping. Sander and I didn't nap. We had too much to do.

Photo: Stupas at the Terton Chogar Gompa Monastery (August, 2010).

Photo: Sander at the top of the hill at the Terton Chogar Gompa Monastery (August, 2010).

Photo: Prayer wheels at the Terton Chogar Gompa Monastery (August, 2010).

Photo: A monk, a fire, and Sander reloading at the Terton Chogar Gompa Monastery (August, 2010).

Photo: Mani wall at the Terton Chogar Gompa Monastery (August, 2010).

Photo: Yak dung ceremonial fire at the Terton Chogar Gompa Monastery (August, 2010).

Photo: Near the center of the Terton Chogar Gompa Monastery (August, 2010).

We walked a kilometer up the road, passing, and getting passed by, a herd of sheep and another herd of yaks, to a brilliant stand of prayer flags. We filmed and took photos before continuing up the road to a monestary called Terton Chogar Gompa. There was no charge to get in, we discovered, as we hiked up a hill into the monestary in a clockwise direction where they gave us vitamin water and candy. From the top of the hill the view over the valley was incredible! We walked by a long wall of mani stones and descended on the other side taking lots of photos of prayer wheels. Before long, we seemed to be getting into the heart of the facility when we heard the faint sound of drumming. We followed the drums!

Photo: The building we entered to view drumming and chanting at the Terton Chogar Gompa Monastery (August, 2010).

They led us to a doorway in a walled compound. The beating was coming from inside. From a multi-storied building constructed in a traditional Tibetan style. There was a monk at the wall's entrance. I asked if we could go watch. Surprised to see foreigners, he said we could. Sander and I looked at each other equally surprised at this opportunity. I asked the monk if we could take photographs. He agreed we could. Sander and I looked at each other again, smiled, then stepped through the entrance.

Photo: An inner-sanctum ceremony of chanting and drumming at the Terton Chogar Gompa Monastery (August, 2010).

Sander began filming immediately. He caught the audio of the drumming on his approach. As we ascended stairs, we could soon hear chanting. Sander kept the camera rolling. We entered the building and saw shoes and sandles near the entrance. So we took ours off and I took off my hat as well. We walked quietly up to another entrance and sat down. Two inner and two outer rows of monks, some old, others quite young and sitting on laps. Two drums. Some of the monks looked uncomfortable with our filming. They seemed self-conscious. Yet others didn't mind. The room was a brilliant red with gold throughout. It looked, well, amazing. They continued to drum. They chanted. The chants changed in rythym over time. One monk walked by spreading smoke from incense. It was a fascinating ceremony and the generosity we experienced at the monestary gave me a different perspective from other monks we saw eating from huge cauldrons or buzzing by on new motorcycles or drving in BMW's.

We spent two wonderful, if not spartan, days in Heri before moving on by taxi to Tongde.

Photo: Prayer flags spanning a river between the village of Heri and the monastery of Terton Chogar Gompa (August, 2010).

Photo: Sander filming at the Terton Chogar Gompa (August, 2010).

Photo: Stand of prayer flags between Heri and Terton Chogar Gompa (August, 2010).