Head to Gansu Province for an otherworldly experience

Northern China is a wealth of sights and history, and if getting to Tibet is too hard or too expensive, then head to Xiahe, Gansu Province, for your monk and monastery fix. Fly to Lanzhou, capital city of Gansu, and one of the most polluted cities in the world. It is also home of lamian – hand-pulled noodles. A dispiriting city in general, buses out of here are plentiful and the station is a microcosm of Northern Chinese society, with Tibetans swaggering, women in white caps with black velvet lace veils, and Hui men in white fez.

On the road, corn dries on rooftops and market towns are awash with white hats, and carcasses. There is no squeamishness here about dead animals. Carcasses are strung up outside stores, thrown into the back of trucks, or trussed up on the back of a bicycle. In Linxia, an old woman had a bike basket full of goat heads for sale.

Linxia is a medium-sized town with a few beautiful pink, green and blue hued mosques. In the streets, men play games with long, thin, strip-like cards and I-Ching soothsayers wait to tell your fortune. Being charged three times the going rate for your ticket to Xiahe may leave a bad taste in the mouth, but at around 40RMB it's still a bargain.

The trip to Xiahe takes a while but you will be joined by unusual fellow passengers. Three Hui men boarded my bus, each bearing a large bird with big claws. Outside the bus, people slaughtered sheep on the road, and I saw a camel and a cow tethered together as well as ads encouraging people to welcome the birth of a daughter into their families.

In winter, Xiahe nestles between glistening white snowy hills. You may be disappointed by the Chinese end of town, but walk towards the Labreng monastery and you will see shops crammed with Buddhist paraphernalia. The Snowland restaurant makes an excellent vegetable noodle soup and jia chang doufu, and has a warm stove, but be aware that you may become the entertainment for a whole extended Tibetan family. Try to act restrained.

At the monastery, gaze in wonder at the pilgrims turning the prayer wheels that surround the compound. Old people and children alike turn the heavy wheels, chanting and kowtowing. Some people dress in heavy aprons and with protective coverings on their hands as they travel the route by prostrating themselves on the ground at every step. Many people dress in their traditional clothing of thick sheepskin coats with scarves wound tightly around the hips embellished with big chunky belts, carnelian and turquoise jewellery, long plaits for the women and daggers for the men. They have rosy cheeks and weather worn faces. In winter, the place is pretty much closed down to tourists, but you can still catch monks chanting and singing and heading into prayers if you get up early enough.

Sangke Grasslands is a drive away through white hills, past yaks and small farms. You may be able to arrange to visit a Tibetan home where you can be served tsampa and yak's butter tea. In summer, the land is strewn with wildflowers.

Slightly more authentic meetings with locals may include helping young monks learn English. One tracked me down and we sat in his small room which he shared with his cousin and another monk. We huddled around the coal stove and practised reading Tibetan legends in English.

Getting away from the madness of the city and spending a few days in a place like Xiahe is almost like being on another planet. After a week of eating, reading, walking and the fresh mountain air, you will return rosy cheeked and relaxed with a phonebook full of new friends.

GETTING THERE

Shenzhen Airlines flies daily from Shenzhen to Lanzhou.

China Southern flies daily from Guangzhou to Lanzhou.

WHERE TO STAY

The Overseas Tibetan Hotel is negotiable in winter when there are fewer tourists, but the advertised rate for a twin/with bathroom is 200RMB. Haggle.