Amdo (China) - August 2002

Discovering a place

Which hiker has not imagined being an explorer? Who doesn't dream of going into some places where no one has been before? Today, there are at least some places where no hiker as been and where hiking is something new. Amdo is one of these: a north-east province of the historic Tibet that I discovered during a hike organized by Terres d'Aventure.

The advantage of being among the first to do some hiking somewhere is, of course, the contacts you can have with the people. Later, more groups will come and weariness will come with them: western travelers will be part of the landscape. But today, the most extreme curiosity is prevailing. Having a whole village coming to inspect the tents and sleeping bags of your camp and to examine your clothes, sharing, for an evening, the life of buddhist monks in their monastery, these are unforgettable moments. Of course, in these circumstances, curiosity is shared and you have an unique opportunity to better know this people.

More than this, this is not the only interest of the hike: diverse landscapes and, for the ones who like tibetan buddhism, many monasteries, are also quite attractive.