Blogs from Lhasa, Tibet, China, Asia - page 25

Tashi dele from 3,600 metres at Lhasa! Sitting here with mild palpitations- think I ate or talked too much this evening and the oxygen has been diverted elsewhere, as I have been ok with the altitude up 'till now ( as long as I lie down and rest, that is!). My room is on the fourth floor and arrival there is accompanied by a near-death gasping for breath; however I am heartened to hear some of the Tibetans who live here gasping in much the same manner so perhaps there is just not enough oxygen to go round!!!!! I have fallen in love with Tibet already; When I saw the view from our rooftop I nearly cried as it was so magical - the stunning Potala Palace dominating yet gracing the skyline in front of snow-capped ... read more

I had read about an orphanage in Lhasa and I planned to visit it. Getting ready for the visit while still back home, I packed pens, small dolls and stuffed animals, and a little more. I had an address and I thought that was all I needed. Well, it turned out that it was not that simple. Taxi drivers in Tibet are usually Chinese, can't read, don't understand English, sometimes not even Tibetan, and don't have a clue on how to read a map. The first driver nodded, like an "yes", drove and dropped me off at "who knows where". I walked showing my little piece of paper with the name of the orphanage for 30 minutes. Went into a hotel where I didn't get any help and to a second, where nobody knew what I ... read more

You can't imagine how Tibetans in general have no access to photos and go crazy when they see themselves on the little screen of digital cameras. After noticing that in 2005, I bought a polaroid camera to take pics and give to them a couple of minutes later. It was worth the cost and trouble of caring a bulky camera/films. The happiness they experienced was so rewarding! The problem came when EVERYONE wanted a picture, not just kids and moms, but also monks, old pilgrims, etc. They gathered and practically begged with beady eyes. It was hard to say no (by the way, there isn't a word for "no" nor for "yes" in Tibetan). So, I had to created a rule: I'd only take pictures of mothers and their little kids. That was the only ... read more

Hello again from Lhasa! I added a load of people to my subscribers list - I hope you don't mind. I'm totally failing to send any personal e-mails as the connection here is soooooo slow. Anyway, Lhasa continues to be AMAZING. We're getting clear blue skies almost every day, so the mountain views are stunning. We've done all sorts - yesterday we went o a monastery where we saw monks "debating". This entails them all crowding into a tiny courtyard (we sat down the side)and pairing off. There is then a frenzy of hand clapping and stamping while one interrogates the other about their belief. They did this with such vigour that it looked like they were going to have a heart attack (and in some cases theier robes fell off - not that I was ... read more

wir sind da. der flug ueber die absolut beeindruckende berglandschaft war der erste vorgeschmack. beim einrollen nach lhasa begruesste uns gleich der "potala palast" das wahrzeichen der tibetischen hauptstadt mit seiner strahlenden schoenheit " einmal potaler sehen und sterben" war einglueck nicht notwendig, aber der anblick ist schon atemberaubend. auch wenn immer noch tag taeglich massen von ehrfurchtsvollen pilgerern aus ganz tibet hier her kommen um ihre zahlreichen opfergaben zu bringen, ist der palst von innen eher eine leblose huelle, sprich ein museum. lhasa ist doch chinesicher als erwartet und ist somit auf den ersten blick eine weitere moderne stadt. nur in einem stadtteil um den wohl bedeutesten "jokhang" tempel tibets herscht noch das komplett traditionelle leben. all morgentlich wandern aber hunderte von pilgerern mit gebets-muehlen und -ketten um das kloster... read more