Tibet: Takes Your Breath Away

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I mean that literally. By the time I got to my hotel from the airport I was dizzy and short of breath. I lay down at 5:15pm and didn't out of bed until 7:00am. This altitude sickness is really bad. About 10pm I called and asked for oxygen. They have a tank in each room. I had it in all night and still had the worst headache. And it wasn't just one part of the brain but all over at the same time . Many people get sick to their stomach too. Thankfully I didn't have that. At 5am I took Tylenol and made it through the day.

Now for the day. It was amazing. First went to the Dali Llama's Summer Palace and then the big Palace. The Dali has been in exile since 1959. Everything is so ornate, the tapestries, wall paintings, carved and painted wood, gold covered statues, bronze. The detail is incredible.They worship thousands of Budhas and I saw that many. There were many statues of their 14 Dali Llamas. I saw each of their residences and prayer places and whe they would meet with guests.

I saw many monks. But they are there to maintain the shrines and buildings and not to study or really worship. There were thousands of scrolls that were in cloth cases and stacked in individual cubbies. Some date back to the 7th century.

There was money everywhere - on the floor, stuffed in crevices, sitting on furniture , next to statues andof course,in almost every room was a clear box for offerings. There was a lot of incense burning and a number of large basins that were waste high and had a thick vegetableoil in them and anumber of wicks burning in them, usually in a straight row. Heavy tapestries hung from the ceilings. A number of were cylindrical, huge and made of many pieces of cloth hanging down? They are to represent umbrellas that are to keep the Budhas dry. We weren't allowed to take any pictures inside. Walls were covered with paintings that always told a story about a Budha or Dali.

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Photos

The Palace
Walked up the equivalent of 13flights of stairs-3000 meters up. Some very steep and 3inches wide.

Most Sacred Temple
One Budha dates back to 7th century and was brought back from India by the Tibetan founder of Budhism

Palace at Night
View from my room.