Yushu to Xining is either a bus-ride that means a night on the bus or a trip in two stages, overnighting in Maduo. The trip is over an endless road, mostly over vast deserted plains.

Yushu - Jyekundo

The town of Jyekundo often referred to as Yushu or as Gyegu (Chinese) has been almost completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1910. The city has been rebuild and the Chinese have done a pretty good job. Although modern the city has kept a Tibetan feel in it's architecture. There are some big monasteries around Yushu, some of them still under construction. Most famous is the princess Wenchen monastery. Princess Wengchen was married to the Tibetan king Sonzen Gonpo. On het way to Tibet took a rest at Jyekundo . There is a Maha Vairojnana Statue that, according to the Buddhist interpretation, has blessing effects equivalent to that of the Buddha Sakyamuni Statue located at the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. The building is small but there is an abundance of prayer flags leading to it.

Another interesting sight is Jiana Mani Stone Mound in a small village near Yushu. It is the biggest mound of Mani stones in the world measuring about 300 x 80 x 4 meters. The mound itself is not that interesting but the people and the religious outings around the mound form a very interesting spectacle.

Apart from the town itself and the area around the warlike statue of King Gesar the monastery on the top of the hill should be worth visiting.It was not finished yet when I was in Yushu the last time.

Monks

On the way to Maduo there was a large group of monks having a pick-nick. We got out of our car and were invited to join. Before they took of, mostly standing in the back of a few trucks the abbot started lining them up for a group picture. I moved to his side....

Maduo

The small town of Maduo has a huge and relatively new temple that seems quite deserted. Apart from that the town square has some rather strange looking statues. Sort of Communism meets folklore.