我們倆作為中學(xué)時(shí)代的校友，共和國的同齡一代，有著許多共同的旨趣和愛好。有一年，我們共同駕車作了一次西部游，歷時(shí)80天，減去從北京到西部往返的路程4000多公里外，在西部青海、西藏、新疆的行程，足有3萬里！

我們走過的這條路，是沒有多少旅游者完整走過的路線，是一條很多人都十分想走但又讓不少人半途而廢的路線，可以毫不夸張地說，這條路線是中國西部自然風(fēng)光旅游路線之最！

80個(gè)日日夜夜，3萬里所見所聞，充滿著視野的窮盡、體魄的歷練、心靈的震撼。這些刻骨銘心的記憶，通過文字和照片，已于去年8月結(jié)集出版。這里將其中的一些片斷發(fā)表出來，供旅游愛好者點(diǎn)評和欣賞。

塔爾寺的故事

塔爾寺是藏傳佛教格魯派的六大寺院之一，位于青海省湟中縣蓮花山中，距西寧市僅20多公里，市區(qū)有直達(dá)塔爾寺的公交車。

吃過午飯乘公共汽車到塔爾寺，塔爾寺流傳著許多感人的故事。

故事成了這里的旅游資源，寺前聚集著許多導(dǎo)游小姐，這在別的寺院是很少見的。我們買好門票就有兩三個(gè)姑娘圍上來要為我們導(dǎo)游，她們的態(tài)度很好，開價(jià)60元，先講解，后付費(fèi)，若客人不滿意可以不付或少付費(fèi)。看到她們這么熱情，我們就毫不猶豫地選了一個(gè)導(dǎo)游姑娘，在她的引導(dǎo)下參觀了寺院，并一路上聽她講有關(guān)塔爾寺的歷史和傳說。

故事中的許多內(nèi)容都很新鮮，像宗喀巴大師就是第一次聽說。在藏傳佛教歷史中，他是一個(gè)無人不曉的偉大人物，他的出生地就是現(xiàn)今塔爾寺所在的地方。據(jù)傳說在他降生時(shí)剪臍帶滴血的地方，不久長出了一棵菩提樹，后來宗喀巴的母親和他的信徒用石砌了一座塔，將這棵樹及“十萬佛像”裹藏在內(nèi)，以紀(jì)念大師的誕生。此塔建成180年后，有人在塔旁修了第一座廟，爾后又隨著黃教（藏傳佛教格魯派）的發(fā)展，這里的寺院便逐步發(fā)展成為藏傳佛教格魯派的六大寺院之一（與西藏的色拉寺、哲蚌寺、扎什倫布寺、甘丹寺以及甘肅的拉撲楞寺齊名）。因?yàn)檫@里先有塔，后有寺，此廟便由此得名“塔爾寺”。

現(xiàn)今，這座紀(jì)念宗喀巴大師的塔被裹在塔爾寺的大金瓦殿中，它已成了信徒們朝拜的圣地。

宗喀巴生于1357年，7歲時(shí)被送到夏瓊寺學(xué)經(jīng)，以后他離開青海入藏，師從藏傳佛教的噶當(dāng)派、薩迦派、噶舉派、夏魯派。至1390年初，他已遍學(xué)藏傳佛教各派教法教義，逐漸形成了自己的思想體系，以后大師著書立說，講經(jīng)講法，創(chuàng)立了格魯派，修建了格魯派的寺院，并將其發(fā)展壯大成藏傳佛教的主要流派。

塔爾寺內(nèi)如今不僅供奉著宗喀巴大師的塑像，還供奉著他的兩個(gè)弟子的塑像。故事講到這兒，我們才知道宗喀巴的第十四代傳人和第十一代傳人，是繼承宗喀巴開創(chuàng)的事業(yè)的這兩大弟子。

西藏的經(jīng)典風(fēng)光納木錯

納木錯是西藏最大的湖，面積有1900多平方公里，是中國僅次于青海湖的第二大咸水湖，海拔4718米，它也是世界上最高的湖。

從西藏當(dāng)雄去納木錯，有60多公里，但要翻山。當(dāng)我們爬上山頂時(shí)，視野豁然開朗，天地間遠(yuǎn)山和綠野環(huán)抱著一捧水，這就是納木錯。那水藍(lán)藍(lán)的，靜靜的，充滿著誘惑，它像是在召喚我們：快來吧，這里是仙境！看一眼這光彩奪目的納木錯，一種令人不可思議的美感立即鎮(zhèn)住了我們，特別是那勾魂攝魄的藍(lán)色，太令人著迷了！

時(shí)不我待，真想一下就沖下山去。當(dāng)我們走近湖邊時(shí)，先進(jìn)入我們眼簾的是念青唐古拉山，它的主峰海拔7111米，巍然屹立在納木錯南端，雪線以下是綠色的草原，且由高到低一直延伸到湖邊。納木錯湖水清澈見底，湖面廣闊連著天宇，那誘人藍(lán)色，那朵朵白云，是一幅多么令人驚嘆的山水巨作??！

在這幅美麗的畫卷中，我們看到綠茵茵的草地上牛羊在漫步，藍(lán)瑩瑩的湖水中水鳥在嬉戲，湖邊一片濕地中，還居住著雁類鳥，看著它們自在地飛翔簡直就是一種享受。草地上開遍了小野花，淺黃的、粉紅的在綠草的襯托下顯得格外鮮嫩俏麗。

不過在這幅美麗的畫卷中，我們的視野里還沒有見到人跡，于是我們先是虔誠地向神山圣湖朝拜，繼而躺在草地上享受著藍(lán)色的目浴和微風(fēng)帶來的草花香，最后又赤條條地投入到圣湖水中。

在這里游泳最大感受是喘氣困難，每劃一次水都得大口呼吸。這里海拔4700多米，活動稍一劇烈就會大喘氣，更何況在低溫的水中運(yùn)動呢！

我們在湖邊流連了一下午，返回時(shí)按原路翻山。下山時(shí)，在一條較大的溪水處，迎面上來了兩輛北京牌照的車，一輛是和我們一樣的北京吉普，主人是《民族畫報(bào)》的記者；另一輛是一對年輕人開的夏利轎車。此地遇老鄉(xiāng)，驚喜之余就是交流。畫報(bào)記者說，他是第11次來納木錯了，這里實(shí)在是太美了！聽了這番話，我們覺得我們來納木錯真是來對了。

古格王國遺址的壁畫

古格王國遺址在西藏札達(dá)縣城西18公里處，沿路走到一個(gè)叫札布讓的村子后就找不到路了，幾經(jīng)問人才弄明白，原來在這個(gè)村的西邊有條干河床，沿干河床往上走，就能找到遺址。

到遺址山下時(shí)已是太陽西斜了，這光線最適合攝影，于是我們先在周邊從各個(gè)角度拍攝遺址的外景全景以及北岸的土林遠(yuǎn)景。照完外景已是夜晚8點(diǎn)多了，我們走進(jìn)了古格王國遺址售票處。遺址售票處有兩名工作人員：一是普布曲桑，整年守山，冬季里就他一人。另一名叫老王，河北人，縣文物局駐遺址工作人員，1999年從老家調(diào)到這里工作。普布一有閑暇就畫唐卡。我們參觀了他所有的作品，有的已畫得相當(dāng)不錯了。畫一張?zhí)瓶ǚ浅ＹM(fèi)工夫，因此當(dāng)?shù)厥蹆r(jià)也不低，成百上千元是平常事，八角街有專門賣唐卡的商店。唐卡直譯是卷軸畫，是西藏繪畫的一種主要形式，它是西藏繼壁畫興起之后的又一種傳統(tǒng)繪畫藝術(shù)。它的畫法類似工筆畫，先畫出精細(xì)的輪廓線條，再上顏色，鑒于這種畫的（表現(xiàn)）內(nèi)容、技藝和用料都極顯西藏特色，所以人們把唐卡理解為西藏畫的特定稱謂。

普布曲桑打開遺址大門，讓我們和北京來的旅客欣賞壁畫。走進(jìn)大殿，見殿里的佛像大部分毀壞，尚存的也很殘破，我們真感到可惜。壁畫是古格王國時(shí)的藝術(shù)精華，也是遺址中最有價(jià)值的文物。紅殿、白殿空間都很高大敞亮，壁畫從地到頂占滿了墻體。最有看頭的壁畫在山頂?shù)膲堑睿摰畈淮?，但它是王室專用的佛殿，由此可想象其精致程度。供佛臺在殿中央，四周全是表現(xiàn)各宗教故事的連環(huán)壁畫，這些畫除畫工精細(xì)外，在內(nèi)容和造型上也頗有新奇之處。只可惜殿內(nèi)光線太暗，只能借助一支筆型手電的微光來欣賞它，因此，往往會在一團(tuán)弱光前聚集著好幾個(gè)腦袋。對于搞美術(shù)的人來說，這里可真是一座藝術(shù)的殿堂?。?/p>

神木園觀奇

早飯后我們出發(fā)去阿克蘇市。一路上村連村、房挨房，一直連到阿圖什市，長達(dá)20公里。如此規(guī)模的村落和人口，著實(shí)令我們吃驚不小。

出了阿圖什市，公路又寬又平，下午6時(shí)就到了阿克蘇。這是一座新興城市，平靜整潔，主要居民是內(nèi)地支邊的人（上海人居多）。在一家面包房里，一位朋友請我們喝了一杯草莓酸奶刨冰，味好又爽口，這也算是品味了這座小城的風(fēng)格了。朋友講，阿克蘇地區(qū)最值得一看的地方是溫宿縣的神木園，于是我們于第二天上午直奔神木園。阿克蘇市到神木園74公里，途經(jīng)溫宿縣城。小縣城相當(dāng)現(xiàn)代化，顯然是個(gè)較富裕的地方。城外都是整齊的稻田，綠茵茵的長勢很好，據(jù)說，此地的大米很好吃，是全國聞名的。公路兩邊白楊樹茂盛，將天擋住，然而這么好的地方卻是和戈壁荒灘緊挨著，讓人難以想象。后來我們在偌大的一片荒灘上看到一小塊綠洲，那就是神木園！

一進(jìn)神木園大門，有塊牌子寫道：“五岳歸來不看山，神木園歸來不看樹”這口氣可真不?。∵@里的樹大都為楊樹（青色）和柳樹，還有杏樹、核桃樹等，多是幾十至幾百年的。所謂神木，指的是31棵有千年以上壽命的楊柳樹，這地方土層薄，水豐富，樹根系卻不發(fā)達(dá)，所以讓大風(fēng)一吹，大樹就會直挺挺地倒地，連根翻起，而倒地的大楊樹不僅不死，接觸地面的樹皮會繼續(xù)吸收水分和養(yǎng)分，因而又很快地形成新根，所以這些樹從此又開始非正常的第二階段生長。這樣經(jīng)過上千年的生長變化，許多樹均以臥姿為主，樹干蜿蜒曲折、起伏不平，像多條舞動的龍，而且還張牙舞爪！特別是有一棵樹被稱之為“無根樹”的，看上去它的樹干浮擺在地面上，而向上的枝葉卻很茂盛，有的樹竟能獨(dú)木成林，它倒在地上，竟長成了一片林子！

除了這31棵千年“樹怪”，其他的樹也有長得怪怪的，如馬頭樹、鱷魚樹等。

班公錯鳥島

吃過早飯，我們和阿里軍分區(qū)的同志一一告別，直奔日土，踏上了北上新疆的路程。上路不久，一隊(duì)豐田越野車飛馳而來，會合后方知孔繁森夫人及女兒和河北代表團(tuán)當(dāng)天要去班公錯鳥島，地區(qū)還特安排了兩艘汽艇供游覽，真算是趕得巧，于是我們也參加了這支隊(duì)伍。到日土已是下午2點(diǎn)，飯都沒來得及吃，縣武裝部李副部長便立即帶我們?nèi)ズ叴a頭。

碧波粼粼的湖面掀起了白色浪花，兩艘汽艇一前一后在湖上飛馳。我們愜意地感受著汽艇的高速運(yùn)動，似乎有些陶醉，20來分鐘后，我們的眼前出現(xiàn)了一個(gè)小島。

小島是黃色的，湖水是碧綠的，小島周圍的水面上浮游著成片成片的白色鷗鳥。當(dāng)汽艇靠岸時(shí)，驚起的鳥鋪天蓋地從我們四周疾飛而去，叫聲不絕于耳，天地間一片白色！這是令人癡迷的一幕。其實(shí)這里的鳥并不怕人，我們試著大聲轟趕或用石塊濺水花，它們幾乎不予理睬，看來要想調(diào)動這“千軍萬馬”也不是件容易的事情，它們是被汽艇巨大的聲響嚇了才驚飛的。

鳥島很小，寬不過百米，長不過幾百米，每年5月份鳥到此產(chǎn)蛋、孵化、育雛，現(xiàn)在小鳥都已長大了，白天它們大都在水中或天上練本領(lǐng)，晚上才會在島上落腳休息。

兩船人上了島，各自拿著長槍短炮（相機(jī)、望遠(yuǎn)鏡）瞄準(zhǔn)鳥群，不遠(yuǎn)處那游弋在周邊水域的鳥就好似一支支密集的艦隊(duì)，時(shí)而有幾只從湖面起飛翱翔空中，就像正要俯沖的戰(zhàn)斗機(jī)，整個(gè)場面猶如大戰(zhàn)在即似的。

班公錯海拔4242米，其鳥島可能是世界上海拔最高的鳥島之一。據(jù)說，班公錯還有一神奇之處，它由東向西湖水由淡變咸，我們所到的是最東邊，那是淡水湖，最西邊在克什米爾境內(nèi)便是咸水湖了。

班公湖水特別好，很適合游泳。老史一頭扎進(jìn)湖水里，水清色幽，浪涌連連，人就像是在大海里撲騰。班公湖的水太迷人了，就是多見幾眼也舒服，這里陽光明媚，曠無人跡，不僅能痛痛快快地在水中漫游，還能自自在在地在陽光下舒展腰肢。如此裸浴大自然的機(jī)會，平生實(shí)在不可多得！

The New Journey to the West

By Shi Ningning， Wang Maoming

As we both were born in the year of the founding of New China and were middle school classmates， we have a lot in common. One summer a few years ago， we drove to the country’s west and back to Beijing. The 80-day 15，000-kilometer journey opened our eyes to the wonders of Qinghai， Tibet and Xinjiang. The adventure revealed the physical tribulations， aesthetic sensations， and picturesque wilderness in the west. Our memories of the amazing experience， in the form of text and photography， were published in the summer of 2006. Here are some excerpts for the readers?appreciation and comment.

Ta’er Temple in Qinghai

Located in the Lotus Flower Mountain about 20 kilometers from the capital city of Qinghai Province， the temple is one of the six major temples under the Gelug Sect of the Tibetan Buddhism. One day after lunch， we took a bus to the temple. After getting two tickets， we were approached by two tour guides， a situation rarely seen around other Buddhist temples. These enthusiastic girls looked quite professional. They offered to give us a tour on the condition that we could choose not to pay if we were not satisfied with their work. We picked a guide and went in. The guide told us many things about the temple and Tibetan Buddhism never known to us before. Tsong-kha-pa is a great man in the history of Tibetan Buddhism. He was born in the place where the temple stands today. It is said that the blood from his umbilical cord dropped into the ground， where a linden tree grew out later. His mother and disciples later built a stone pagoda to include the tree and 100，000 Buddha images there in celebration of the birth of the master. A temple was erected around the pagoda 180 years later. Gradually， the temple expanded and became a major monastery for Tibetan Buddhists. Today， the 11-meter-tall pagoda stands inside a magnificent hall roofed with golden tiles. The first Dalai and Panchan， two important religious chiefs in the hierarchy of today’s Tibetan Buddhism， were two disciples of the master.

Namco Lake in Tibet

Covering an area of 1，900 square kilometers， Namco is the largest lake in Tibet， only second to the Lake Qinghai which is the largest salt-water lake in the country. Situated at 4，718 meters above sea， it is the world’s highest lake. We traveled 60 kilometers from the capital seat of Dangxiong County to reach the lake. At one spot on our mountainous way to the lake， we stopped and took a commanding view of the lake in the distance. What a breathtaking view! Between heaven and earth against a spectacular view of distant mountains and green grassland spreads the blue blue Namco， the heavenly lake.

A close-up view on the lake reveals different fascination. The snow-capped 7，111-meter Nyainqentanglha Mountain towers in the south. Below the snowline of the mountain stretches the verdant grassland， rolling down all the way to the lake. The endless expanse of the limpid waters reflects the shadows of clouds against the soulful azure firmament. Flocks of birds frolic on the shallow water. The wetland there is home to geese. The undulating grassland is carpeted with little dots of flowers in bright pinks and light yellow hues. In this spectacular view， we were alone. After a brief and silent prayer session toward the snow mountain and the lake and a leisurely lounging on the grassland， we swam in the lake. On our way back， we met a jeep and a Xiali-brand car with Beijing plates. They were going to the lake. We stopped and chatted with the travelers. The man with the jeep was a photograph journalist with Nationalities Pictorial. It was his 11th trip to the lake. The other two were newlyweds.

Murals at the Site of the Guge Kingdom

The site of the ancient Guge Kingdom resides in a remote place 18 kilometers west of the capital seat of Zhada County in Tibet. We traveled to a village and then there was no trace of a road beyond the village. After several rounds of inquires among villagers， we learned that we should trek up a dried riverbed to reach the site. The sun was slanting when we arrived. We grabbed the golden opportunity to photograph the site from all sides till 8 pm. Then we walked up to the ticket office. We learned that two men worked there and that in the winter the Tibetan man stayed alone there as the housekeeper. The Tibetan man showed us his Tangka paintings he had made in his spare time. A Tangka painting requires the total dedication and patience of an artist. It can cost one a small fortune to buy one at Lhasa. Then we were shown into halls on the site. Most Buddha statues are wrecks， but murals are the most precious part of the site. In the three halls， the ceiling-to-floor murals relate stories about Buddha and his disciples.

Magic Trees in Aksu， Xinjiang

The Magic Trees Garden is a major tourist attraction in Aksu. Located 74 kilometers away from Aksu， the garden is actually a 15-hectare oasis within the endless desolation of Gobi. On our way to the garden， we stopped over at a small city which looked modern and affluent. The tidy rice paddies paralleled the highway， showing an exuberant crop. The highway was flanked on two sides by tall poplars. It was hard for us to imagine that such a nice place was just next door to the Gobi.

The garden shows the magic of nature. There are more than 100 trees. The most outlandish trees there are 31 poplars and willows. They are more than 1，000-year-old. The millennium-old trees do not stand upright. They are prostrated and stretched. Once felled by storms， they simply refuse to die. Roots come out from the trunks and get into the ground. Nowadays， they look like dragons showing their talons. One giant tree， lying on the ground， seems rootless. Another horizontal tree grows into a wood itself， with upright trees standing upright out of its giant trunk.

The Bird Island of the Bangong Lake， Tibet

We waved goodbye to soldiers at the Ali Military Subarea after lunch and hit the road north to Xinjiang. Shortly after we started， a jeep overtook us and pulled off on the roadside. We did the likewise. We learned that the local government officials were taking two important guests for a sightseeing trip on the bird island in the Bangong Lake. There would be a boat trip on the lake. We tagged along. We reached the lake around 2 pm and we did not have time for lunch. After a 20-minute fast boat ride on the lake， we saw a small island looming rapidly. The two yachts roared to the shore and thousands of birds took wings and darted away in all directions above us， flapping their wings and screaming loudly. They were startled by the roaring of the arriving yachts， but they simply ignored us even though we tried to make them fly. The island is small， measuring about 100 meters in width and several hundred meters in length. The birds lay eggs in May. The birds we saw were grown ones. They usually fly or rest in waters during daytime and they come to the island for the night.

Stepping onto the islet， we set up our cameras and kept taking pictures. Situated at 4，242 meter above sea， it is probably the bird island at the highest altitude in the world. One peculiarity about the lake is that it is fresh in the eastern part and it is salty in the western part.

(Translated by David)