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Having said my peace about the dangers of romanticizing Tibet, I can now wax poetically about its amazing landscape. I was struck again and again by the mountains and hills throughout my visit. We would be driving somewhere, the car would turn a bend, and bang! It was vista after gorgeous vista. More than that, the mountains of Tibet exerted this immense, powerful presence. Or rather, it was encountering a series of deep abiding presences. I can see why, in many religious traditions, mountains are associated with the divine. In the case of the Epic of Gesar, one of the mountains, Amnye Machen, is an important divine protector who watches over Gesar during his adventures. When you combine the immensity of Tibet’s mountains with the high altitude of its plateau, the effect is considerable. It creates an unusual quality of mind. Not surprisingly, many yogis haven taken up residence high in the mountains and hills.

After a few moments taking in the airstrip and the surrounding mountains, I trailed behind the other passengers into the Yushu airport. Inside, a large banner style ad welcomed visitors to Tibet with the smiling face of a beautiful young Tibetan woman in traditional garb. I made my way to the front entrance to wait for my ride. Still a little disoriented by the flight and the change in altitude, I waited nervously at the airport entrance. Several locals came up to offer me tours which I politely declined. I was met at the airport by a cousin of Lama Sun. A small hatchback pulled up and the cousin waved me over. He was a young man in his late 20’s, dressed simply in a black jacket and dark jeans. He was accompanied by two friends, a young woman and another young man, also in their 20’s and dressed in dark clothes.

As it was early morning, we made a short detour into Yushu for breakfast. Yushu is a medium sized town nestled among a cluster of small mountains. My Phd advisor once commented Tibetan towns now have a lot of modern Chinese features in terms of buildings, roads, and infrastructure. This was the case with Yushu. In many ways, it reminded me of the towns in Oregon my family had driven through when I as a kid. Yushu’s roads had a steady stream of traffic. The centre of town greeted visitors with a large stone statue of King Gesar mounted on his famed magical horse. Further down the road, there was a sobering memorial to those who died in the 2006 earthquake. A massive chunk of a building destroyed by the quake stood perched on the island between lanes with a metal memorial plaque.