western china feels, in many ways, more tibetan than tibet. the plateau isn't as high and the air isn't as thin, but the people share the same traditions and are, if anything, a lot easier to talk to. all the travel permits and army checkpoints made tibet a pretty unfriendly place to travel; i was whispered stories of microphones in monasteries, undercover monks and blacklisted tour guides. In tibetan-dominated Sichuan province, by contrast, the main difficulty was deciphering the erratic bus schedule; people welcomed me to their homes and eagerly showed me pictures of the dalai lama. these pictures are from tagong, as well as a nearby panda reserve.