Pendants

Tibet has certainly caught my attention. It is definetly a place where time does not stand still; things are changing so fast it's unreal. A few weeks away from Lhasa and new buildings have sprung up throughout the city, people have gotten scabies from the Pentoc guesthouse and there is a rumor that tourists cannot take the bus to Shigatse anymore. I want to do many things... visit monasteries...go to lakes... but needing permits and jeeps has made the process difficultand pricey. Luckily, the pilgrim's busses provide the answer.
Before dawn i made my way to some Buddhist caves outside the city. On the cliffs above us hung a sea of prayer flags, each tied to the most unreachable rocks. I wondered how people got up there in the first place, let alone hang flags from those cliffs. It was a great outing, as monks were eager to chat (or use sign language) and try to explain what each grotto meant. Along with the monks, pilgrims took me by the hand and led me from cave to cave while telling me in Tibetan what I was looking at. All i could do was nod and smile, which definetly goes a long way. Two girls also befriended me, and helped me further understand how repressed the Tibetans really are.

Wearing pendants of the Dalai Lama, they sat down and explained with eagerness how the Chinese government is destroying their culture. One of the girls went to study at the Dalai Lama's school in Daremsala, India, a few years ago. This is where the DL is in exile, along with thousands of TIbetan immigrants (refugees), students, and people who travel to meet His Holiness. The girl studied there for four years, and upon her return to Tibet she was imprisoned for four months. She was questioned everyday about the school, the people, had she met with the DL?? and so on. This is not a rare case that students are questioned, as another woman told me the same thing. She cannot do many things now. Tibetans with a religious education in INdia can not be a tour guide, as they obviously know too much of the political situation. I told her she could be my tour guide for the day, and i will tell everyone her story...so there it is! She is currently a housekeeper...a considerably good job here in Lhasa.

Another note to mention is the amount of police present. I took the pilgrims bus again to Ganden Monastery, which is about 40km out of Lhasa and at the top of a mountain. It is a stunning location, looking over a valley scattered with small villages and barley fields. A few hundred monks wander around praying and selling entry fee tickets to tourists (they dont even get to keep the money, the CCP does). Anyways, as you start the kora, a building stands at the side of the monastery. A police station! A police station complete with over 10 cops and soldiers, ugly dogs, and pool tables! Unreal! Big brother is most definetly keeping an eye on this monastery, making sure the monks are not up to any funny business.

After finishing a beautiful kora, some old grannies pretty much adopted me, and we had a picnic at the top of the hill, complete with Tsampa and yak yoghurt. They also took me to the temples, one which had the Stupa-toumb of Tsongkapa, the founder of the Gelumpa sect (the main Buddhist sect in TIbet). I was also very very lucky to come accross a Buddhist lesson, where a monk was elevated above young teenagers. Like all students, the ones in the back were passing notes and poking each other out of what seemed to be boreddom. Anyways, I was told by the two girls the day before that Buddhists are very limited in what they can teach. This of course is obvious when you think that the they cannot even talk about the holiest man in Tibet or own a picture of him...

One thing I've realized is how much I've fallen in love with this place and it's people. Despite the problems of travel (which, in the end, make adventures more exciting, right?) and getting food poisoning 3 times, I have found the dearest people in all the world and I have learnt many things. And isnt that the essence of travelling??

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