One of the high points of my life was a trip up to NE Tibet, to the Town called Xaihe, where the great Ladrang temple is located in the early 1990's This has long been a contact point between Tibetans, Muslims, and Chinese. In the 1920's there was serious inter-ethnic fighting. And the People's Army occupied Ladrang a couple of years back.
This was also the only place I have ever been where men were wearing swords as they walked about!
I visited what must have been a gun shop altho there were no guns or ammo on display. He did have several "new" and ready to install bipods - which to this day I kick myself for not buying. Then, about a half a mile down the road, there was a guys who had a couple of matchlocks. I read them as typically "Indian" guns, but they had had bipods which had been removed. These were opriced at $100 a copy, but I was very certain them getting them home would have been a challenge - - - so I didn't buy them either.
Peter
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