Xining and some breathing room

Day 5 -  we flew to Xining as part of the plan to gradually acclimatize to the altitude.  From Xining (7,200 ft), an overnight train ride to Lhasa but first, a few days in Xining.  Some consider this area to be a part of Tibet.

I loved Xining  - it had a much smaller population (1 million compared to Chengdu's 14 million) and you really feel like you have some breathing room.  The city was also pretty - while it did have some of those endless rows of hideous apartment blocks which remind me of a dystopian movie set, where we were was lovely.  Open space was an important design feature of the city.  Our hotel, the San Wang was situated just one block from a large open square which was frequented by the residents.

happily stretching my legs next to Xining River

peaceful riverfront, reminded me of Chicago

kite flying in the square

 The square played host to several dance groups most notably, a traditional Tibetan folk dance group.   I loved watching them and other dance groups.  I thought because it was a Sunday, it was well attended but no, there were more dance groups on the following Monday.  It was nice to see so many men dancing!  I wished I took a video of this.

However, here is a link of the type of Tibetan folk dancing I saw in the square.

We ate at a Tibetan restaurant where I had my first momos, traditional Tibetan dumplings.