Unexpected encounter

It turns out, my guide to the desert is the son of a lama. During the cultural revolution, all the lamas in the area were let go from the monasteries and went home. Around here, they became camel herders, got married, and were forced to kill sheep and cows. In the 1980s, they were allowed to return. Most of the monasteries have been destroyed during that time. These few years, with tourism money and donation from elsewhere, they are gradually getting rebuilt.

So, when I asked to pay a visit to the monastery, my guide took me to visit his father, and his mother too, who now live there together. The old lama has an amazing look with smile on his face. I would love to know more of his story. Over cell phone, he takes in calls from his patients and prescribes traditional Tibetan medicine. Jars of powders on the small table in his small room, high in the Helan Mountain. Lots of crows flying around.

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