Langmusi

It is a one-street village nestled in the mountains between Gansu and Sichuan. The villagers are mostly Tibetans but there is a sizable Muslim population. There is a Tibetan monastery and a mosque in the village. The Tibetans practice Tibetan Buddhism which is different from the mainstream Buddhism practiced in China. Again the Tibetans and the Muslims seem to live peacefully together.

We planned to spend two days in the beautiful Langmusi setting, hoping to do some hiking in the second day after visiting the monastery in the first day. Unfortunately we were surprised by altitude sickness and decided to leave after one day; we thought that Langmusi was located at 9000 ft; instead it is over 11000 ft.

For those of you that are not familiar with altitude sickness, it is caused by not getting enough oxygen at high altitudes. People have different susceptibility to altitude sickness and it is mostly independent on your physical fitness. My limit is at 10000 ft. Above that I have headaches and nausea. There is medicine that one can take for less severe cases.

Looking down the single pathed street in Langmusi Langmusi as seen from Tibetan monastery up the hill

Tibetan monastery in Langmusi Decorated "saddles" on motorbikes in Langmusi

Tibetan children we met Muslim man - Muslim and Tibetan shops in background

Tibetan women and children in Langmusi