The following are 13 short movie clips from the Amdo region of Greater Tibet in Qinghai Province. I used a Fujifilm Finepix F70 EXR digital camera and was most pleased (especially with the photos taken in low light). Meanwhile, Sander is working on his own short film of our journey ... due out before the end of the academic year.
Movie Clip #1: XINING BUS STATION
A 360 degree view of Sander waiting one minute at the Xining Bus Station. Note: The men in maroon (robes, tunics, chubas) are Buddhist monks; those wearing white skull caps are Hui (one of China's Muslim Minorities).
Movie Clip #2: BUS RIDE FROM XINING TO TONGREN -- ROAD THRESHING
Farmers making use of traffic to thresh their hay.
Movie Clip #3: SANDER ON BRIDGE IN TONGREN
While walking from our hotel to the intersection across the bridge to wait for a bus to our next destination, we stop to look around.
Movie Clip #4: TONGREN INTERSECTION
As others have noted, an intrusion of sound can be an assertion of power. After walking over the bridge in Tongren, Sander and I stop at an intersection of time, cultures, and change. It was at this intersection, under a tree on the southwest corner, that Sander and I waited hours in good company for the bus to Henan to arrive. Finally it did. And off we rode into the mountains and onto the steppe.
Movie Clip #5: INSIDE BUS DURING RIDE FROM TONGREN TO HENAN MONGOLIAN AUTONOMOUS COUNTY
Buses can be crowded and ours from Tongren to Henan was no exception. The front and seats were packed as well as the aisle.
Movie Clip #6: QINGHAI STEPPE
Grasslands and rolling hills above the tree line where yaks, sheep, goats, and horses grazed among Tibetan Tents and Mongolian yurts.
Movie Clip #7: ZEKU -- FESTIVAL AND HORSE TRADING
When the bus stopped in Zeku to drop off a passenger, I stepped off to capture a moment of Tibetan horse trading during a festival.
Movie Clip #8: SANDER BUDGETING FROM HOTEL BED IN HENAN MONGOLIAN AUTONOMOUS COUNTY
After racing to the provincial wilds (and dramatic lower costs of living and traveling) in the Amdo region of Greater Tibet, Qinghai Province, Sander takes over our budget. As Sander works the numbers, I peek out the window for a view of the street in Henan Mongolian Autonomous County. The sign on the bus and the edge of town, that I saw, called this place Henan. But other sources called it Yougan Ningzhen. The elevation was around 11,000 feet and Sander and I were experiencing some of the effects of altitude sickness.
Movie Clip #9: HENAN MONGOLIAN AUTONOMOUS COUNTY -- TIBETAN JEWELRY-MAKING
Although the jewelry-makers working on Tibetan pieces seemed a little uncomfortable with our filming, they had granted us permission.
Movie Clip #10: HERISI - TERTON CHOGAR GONPA - CHANTING AND DRUMMING MONKS, Part I
Sander and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this monastery near Heri (Hor), west of Zeku and Henan, Qinghai Province, P.R. of China. After following the sounds of chanting and drumming to this inner sanctum, a monk outside gave us permission to visit and film inside. It was amazing! Unfortunately, I stopped right before a monk walked by spreading smoke. Part II, which follows, captured a little of the smoke.
Movie Clip #11: HERISI - TERTON CHOGAR GONPA - CHANTING AND DRUMMING MONKS, Part II
Buddhist monks chanting and drumming as Sander and I watch and film.
大路到青海, High Road to Qinghai, is a blog about a five-week journey with my son, Sander, to the Amdo region of Greater Tibet in western China. We made this journey for many reasons, but one was to demonstrate how education should not be dull, dogmatic, or indoctrinating but fun, enthralling, and transformative. Hold on to your chubas! Our son-and-father adventure evolved in ways we never would have predicted! Now this is what education is all about. (All photographs Copyright © 2010 by Brad Houk.)
