Guinan

The next stop was Guinan, about 7 hours southwest of Xilang. This is where Aku lives. It's a small town, with one or two monasteries, populated by many nomads who live in the surrounding grasslands.


My original goal was to teach English here at a small school mostly attended by young nomad children. However, things didn't work out, and unfortunately I had to pass up teaching at the school. I did however, get to spend time with Aku and other monks of the monastery, as well as Aku's family.

"Aku's Cousin"

Aku's family are nomads. Many nomads seem to have a small house, which serves as a kind of base. Many times the elderly people in the family will stay in the home while the younger ones will venture out for days to the grasslands and tend the yaks and sheep. The countryside in Tibet is extremely beautiful. The rolling hills feel as if they are covered in a soft green carpet. Really, it is very soft ground, and the grass is very firm, you can walk around with no shoes on and your feet will never get dirty (unless you step in a pile of yak shit).