The green grass of (a long way from) home...

Two days out from Bejiing we adjust to cooler temperatures, (sometimes) clearer skies, and nature on a massive scale - mountain ranges cradling vast grassy plains nibbled at by yaks and sheep tended still by nomad farmers. Today, in the capable hands of our local guide Lily (an excellent English speaker) we spend the morning visiting the large Lebrang Monastery (as part of a group of westerners being quizzed on philosophy by a gently amused monk) and the afternoon visiting and walking in the grasslands beyond and above the town. Things here look and feel very different - the people here are mostly Tibetan, not Chinese although both Han Chinese and Muslim communities are present as minorities. The level of - lets call it oversight - by the state is less obvious, but its still very much here. Thus, the monks of Lebrang are free to practice their faith, within strictly delineated limits, and the Tibetan language is taught in schools, but only as a second language to Mandarin. What though is beyond doubt is the material benefits that recent decades of state hands-on have brought to the region, in terms of access to housing, health and education and pure and simple money in the pocket. The lot of women in society also seems to have improved significantly under the watchful eye of the state.
Lily also surprises us (maybe naively) with her knowledge of western TV shows, her knowledge of life in the UK having been mostly informed by viewings of shows such as Shameless and films like Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Asked whether she was familiar with Game of Thrones (a bit of a thing for us at present - we're working our way through season 2 during this trip) she replied that she and her friends were big fans, but advised us to do ourselves a favour and not bother with the final, season eight "its a bit like being at the best party ever," Lily counsels, "and then, right at the end the witches serve you up a plate of shit"...Well. we have been warned.
Moving on up to Langamusi tomorrow, which may or may not signal (or not) an intermission in our internet life, and with it this much delayed and belated blog.
Now with added photos!