郎木寺一日 · 小镇与白龙江源

郎木寺镇不大，主街十分钟走完，镇中央立着白塔，旁边是一长排转经筒。清早是转经的时候，附近的老人、牧民一圈圈绕着白塔走，右手拨转经筒，嘴里念着经。游客也可以跟着转——记着方向：顺时针，别逆着走。转经道不收费。镇上有卖酥油、哈达、藏香的小店。海拔三千三，刚到的人走慢点、多喝水，别急着洗澡。

Langmusi is small — the main street walks in ten minutes — with a white stupa at its centre beside a long rank of prayer wheels. Dawn is kora time, and old people and herders from around circle the stupa lap after lap, turning the wheels with their right hands and murmuring prayers. Visitors may join — but mind the direction: clockwise, never against it. The kora path is free. Small shops sell butter, khata scarves and Tibetan incense. At 3,300 metres, newcomers should walk slowly, drink water and not rush to shower.

赛赤寺在甘肃这边，从镇子沿坡往上走就到。寺院依着山坡建，白墙、赭红墙、金顶一层层叠上去，转经道绕着寺院一圈，清晨有僧人在此辩经（拍手提问、拍手作答，是藏传佛教的学习方式）。进殿注意：顺时针、脱帽、别大声、别拍照（除非明说可以）、别踩门槛。寺院里有晾晒的酥油花和经卷，别乱碰。这里海拔高，爬上去慢一点。

Serti, on the Gansu side, is reached by walking up the slope from town. The monastery climbs the hillside in tiers of white and ochre walls with golden roofs; a kora path circles it, and in the mornings monks can be seen debating — clapping as they question and answer, the way Tibetan Buddhism is studied. Inside the halls: walk clockwise, remove your hat, keep quiet, do not photograph unless told you may, and never step on the door sills. Butter sculptures and scriptures laid out to dry are not to be touched. At this altitude, take the climb slowly.

天葬是藏族的一种葬俗，逝者的遗体献给秃鹫，意思是用最后的身躯做一次布施。郎木寺后山有这样一个场所。**规矩很严**：可以远远地看一眼风景，但**绝对不能靠近、不能拍照、不能喧哗、不能围观**，这是对逝者和家属的尊重，也是当地反复提醒的事。旅行中若赶上仪式，请安静地转身离开。这一段就当是了解文化，不是「景点」。

Sky burial is a Tibetan rite in which the body of the dead is offered to vultures — a final act of giving. There is such a site on the hill behind Langmusi. The rules are strict: you may look at the landscape from a distance, but you must never approach, never photograph, never make noise and never gather to watch. This respects the dead and their families, and it is what locals ask of every visitor. If you happen upon a rite in progress, quietly turn and go. Treat this stretch as learning about a culture, not as a 'sight'.

郎木寺的吃很有意思：藏餐和西餐混在一起。本地吃的是藏包子、牦牛肉（炒或烤）、酥油茶、糌粑、酸奶（厚厚一层，撒白糖）。因为早年外国人多，镇上还开出了西餐馆，黑苹果派和牦牛肉汉堡是「郎木寺特色」。想试本地味就点藏餐，想换口味就点西餐，都行。中午人多，早点去占座。

Eating in Langmusi is a curious mix of Tibetan and Western. The local table has Tibetan meat buns, yak beef fried or grilled, butter tea, tsampa and thick yogurt sprinkled with sugar. Because foreigners came early, the town also grew Western cafés, and the black apple pie and yak burger are now 'Langmusi specialties'. Order Tibetan for the local taste, Western for a change — either is fine. Lunch gets busy, so go early for a table.

过河往四川这边走，就是格尔底寺。这座寺院规模比赛赤寺大，白塔、经堂、僧舍连成一片，五世格尔登活佛的肉身灵塔是有名的圣物。寺院分布在坡上，慢慢走一圈要一个多小时。旁边就是进纳摩大峡谷的路口。寺里也有辩经和转经，同样守规矩：顺时针、不拍殿内、不打扰。

Cross the river to the Sichuan bank and you are at Kirti, larger than Serti, its stupas, halls and monks' quarters running together; the relic stupa of the fifth Kirti Rinpoche is a famous sacred object. The monastery spreads up the slope — a slow circuit takes over an hour. The trailhead into Nammo Gorge lies beside it. Debates and kora go on here too, with the same rules: clockwise, no photography inside the halls, no interrupting.

纳摩大峡谷就在格尔底寺旁边，走进去是一条窄窄的石谷，两边是岩壁，脚下是浅浅的溪水。往里走二十来分钟，就能看到白龙江的源头：水从岩壁的缝里冒出来，汇成一股清流往下走，谁也想不到这么小的一股水往下变成了流过甘肃、四川的大江。峡谷里凉、湿，石头滑，有的地方要踩着石头过水。旁边有信徒挂的经幡和堆的玛尼堆，别动。深处还有更长的徒步线，一般走到源头就回。

Nammo Gorge opens beside Kirti Monastery: a narrow stone ravine, rock walls on either side, a shallow stream underfoot. Twenty minutes in you come to the source of the Bailong, water welling out of a crack in the rock and gathering into a clear run — hard to believe such a trickle becomes the river that crosses Gansu and Sichuan. The gorge is cool and damp, the stones slick, and in places you step from rock to rock across the water. Prayer flags and mani piles left by the faithful stand along it — do not touch. Longer trails go deeper, but most turn back at the source.

郎木寺镇外面就是草原和圆圆的草山，傍晚出去散步最舒服：牦牛一群群往回走，牧人的摩托从坡上下来，太阳落到草山后面，天上从金色变粉变紫。这一段不用买票，就是镇边的草坡。爬上百来米的小丘，整个镇子和两座寺院都在脚下。傍晚凉得快，外套带上。

Beyond town lies grassland and round grassy hills — the best walk of the day at dusk: herds of yaks heading home, a herder's motorbike coming down the slope, the sun dropping behind the hills and the sky going from gold to pink to violet. No ticket needed; it is simply the slope at the edge of town. Climb a hillock of a hundred metres and the whole town and both monasteries lie below you. The evening cools fast — bring a jacket.

郎木寺的夜里很冷，即使夏天也要穿外套。晚饭多在小馆子里解决：牦牛肉火锅（肉厚汤浓）、藏式面片、土豆烧牛肉、青稞饼，再来一壶甜茶（比酥油茶温和，很多人更容易接受）。有的馆子里有炉子，客人围着坐，很暖和。吃完早点休息——海拔三千三，睡好才不难受。明早想看日出的，问老板几点、哪儿看。

Nights in Langmusi are cold; even in summer you need a jacket. Dinner is usually in a small restaurant: yak hotpot with thick meat and rich broth, Tibetan dough-drop soup, beef with potatoes, barley cakes, and a pot of sweet tea — gentler than butter tea and easier on most palates. Some places have a stove with guests sitting round it, warm and sociable. Eat early and sleep: at 3,300 metres a good night is what keeps you comfortable. If you want sunrise tomorrow, ask your host when and where.