In Kangding now.

Got here after an amazing bus ride through green, fertile plains and deep cut valleys, trough tunnels and over high passes, most the time along a gorgeous, wild river. It is such a different thing to see the countryside. The villages. Nature. A very very different China.
Again and again rocks and huge boulders blocked part of the road. One time there was only one lane, the other lane had fallen into the river. At some point we stopped for lunch. I got to talk to some monks, who were on the way to their monastery in northwestern Sichuan. At another point we had to stop for a good 20 minutes, because the road was completely blocked. A landslide had gone down just minutes ago. They cleared the road quickly (it is obviously not a rare thing to happen) from the huge boulders and opened one lane for traffic.
In Switzerland, this road would have been closed a long time ago and various teams of geologists would be assessing the dangers.

Well. This is China. And I love it.

Kanding is a small town with lots of traces of Tibetan life. Monks and women in traditional colorful clothing wander the streets and markets. Prayerflags. There are also Tibetan restaurants. I ate Yak twice today and also had cups of butter tea. The hostel is right next to the monastery, which is being remodeled. Everything is extremely colorful and just beautiful.

Amazing. A dream.

Kangding is mostly Chinese, however. Very typically so, too. The architecture, the restaurants, the shops. At night hundreds of people gathered at the central square and danced along loudspeaker music, just like it can be seen in many other Chinese cities and town. The language is harder and harder to understand and less and less people understand me. So far everything has worked out, though.

As I am writing this, some people gather around me or pass by and watch curiously. I type so quickly they say, and my Chinese is good. And they give advice on a Chinese instant messaging program that has no use to me. And they tell me they had gone to all the places, I have pictures of on the blog. Of course. And they ask me what time it is. And they ask me again what time it is. And they start to sing songs. And everyone of them asks me if I use the Internet (YES. I am.) And they say something about cigarettes and many many other things I do not have a chance to understand.

I will bring this to an end. It is a lot of BLA. Excuse me - I am excited.

Also. It is so nice to not sweat 24 hours a day. Temperatures are very comfortable, the skies blue. Have not had that for weeks.
And. In the hostel lobby hangs a tacky drawing of the Matterhorn! How about that.