Category Archives: 青海湖

Redundant

Posted on November 22, 2016 by d4vid

A mere month after tracking all the way out to Qinghai to see the lake, here I was whizzing by it on the train to Lhasa.

Posted in 青海湖 | Leave a comment

Pressure

Posted on October 3, 2016 by d4vid

Coming back from Qinghai Lake, we were running low on gas.  And by “gas” I mean actual gas, because the driver’s car ran on natural gas.  Or so I thought. At the start of our journey in Xining, we had … Continue reading →

Posted in 青海湖 | Tagged | Leave a comment

Indigenous

Posted on October 3, 2016 by d4vid

Tibetan culture dominated the southern rim of Qinghai Lake.  Shrines and prayer flags dotted the landscape. This was the only herder I saw that was not on foot or motorcycle.Every kilometer or so were Tibetans luring passersby to take photographs in the … Continue reading →

Posted in 青海湖 | Leave a comment

Harrowing

Posted on October 3, 2016 by d4vid

I’ve had my share of harrowing driving experiences.  Driving down the coast of Oregon at night in a rainstorm.  Driving left-handed stick shift on the “wrong” side of the road in England.  Driving up and down Cape Cod in a Nor’easter. … Continue reading →

Posted in 青海湖 | Leave a comment

Menagerie

Posted on October 3, 2016 by d4vid

The short road back from Bird Island to the main highway was surprisingly slow.  Locals — some on foot, some on motorcycle — had no qualms about blocking traffic. In Mandarin, I quipped to my driver, “They call it Bird … Continue reading →

Posted in 青海湖 | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Peninsula

Posted on October 3, 2016 by d4vid

One of the major tourist spots in Qinghai is 鸟岛 (Niǎo dǎo meaning “Bird Island.”)  In fact, the Hanzi character for “island” comes from the character for “bird” atop the character for “mountain.” However — much like Monster Island — … Continue reading →

Posted in 青海湖 | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Crop

Posted on October 3, 2016 by d4vid

On the north rim of Qinghai Lake, I saw fields and fields of this red-yellow crop.  Vaguely, in the distance, you can see the Qilian Mountains which divides Qinghai from Gansu Province. My driver and I stopped to take a … Continue reading →

Posted in 青海湖 | Leave a comment

Railway

Posted on October 3, 2016 by d4vid

After skirting around the northeast of Qinghai Lake (and China’s “Atomic City” where their nuclear weapon testing once took place) we came within view of the lake itself. Travel was slow-going at times when flocks of sheep would block the … Continue reading →

Posted in 青海湖 | Leave a comment

Gaze

Posted on October 3, 2016 by d4vid

Continuing toward the north side of Qinghai Lake, we drove past this haunting tower in Gangca with eyes staring out in all four directions.

Posted in 青海湖 | Leave a comment

Desensitized

Posted on October 3, 2016 by d4vid

My trip arround Qinghai Lake didn’t get off to a great start, from a documentarian perspective.  We stopped at some temple somewhere — I want to say Huangyuan? — but I just snapped a quick pic and urged us on to … Continue reading →

Posted in 青海湖 | Leave a comment

Teal

Posted on October 3, 2016 by d4vid

青 (qīng) can mean “blue” or “blue-green” or what anthropological linguists dub “grue“.  海 (hǎi) means “sea”.  青海湖 (Qīnghǎi hú) means “Blue-Green Sea Lake” which is redundant, but helps differentiate the lake from the surrounding province which bears its name. In … Continue reading →

Posted in 青海湖 | Tagged | 1 Comment