Blogs from Lhasa, Tibet, China, Asia - page 28

I am in the heart of it all. But even i cannot romanticize Lhasa. In its day it must have been magic... and parts of it still are. But, as expected with 'development' and mass tourism, it is very changed from that romantic image. It extends for kilometres; kilometres of C buildings and new, expensive stores, car dealerships... and on the outskirts, more industrial buildings, a newish military base, and many, many tourists restaurants, hotels, 'traditional' T bars.... That said, yesterday was pretty cool. I went west, to the Drepung monastery which used to house over 10,000 monks and used to be the most powerful Gelukpa monasteries in T, and is debated to have been one of the (if not THE) largest monasteries in the world. As per the C, it was somewhat destroyed during the ... read more

As of a few hours ago, I am in Lhasa, the infamous T city, now infamous for tourist buses and treks and the real experience. Coming into the city, a host of concrete boxes, C style. Ah, development, all the good things that come with progress. To get to the official T, one must buy a permit, then fly or bus in. I bussed in. But forgot the permit, sort of. It is a hefty Y1500 or so, which works out to around US$200, and i am fairly certain none of that money goes to the T tourist board. Or rather, maybe it does, but that board is not run by Ts, nor, i don't believe, does the money benefit Ts. So, there are other ways, involving paying off the bus driver and the police at ... read more

Hello Folks, The Dirtman writing to you again from Lhasa Tibet.... in the middle North West China. Looks like my writing is stirring a few of you back there in the real world..... So first a few memos 1 - Hello Kristin, sorry for the poor tone, I'll try to improve, and sorry about the blender ... SUCKER!! 2 - Another one for Kristin - just so you know I'm having a WICKED and I mean WICKED time.... 3 - Big hello to Esther Ward - how are you mate ... send your email address to dirtmanmichaels@gmail.com as for anyone else who wants to respond to me. 4 - Gidday to Dave, Johns mate back in Aus land. 5 - To all the sad sad people who have so much care in the world to ask ... read more

All my posts from Tibet will be titled by lines from 'The Golden Child'. Day Deux- Lhasa, Tibet After a freaking thunderstorm from the Wizard of Oz and a Brit whose snoring and flatulence was cruel and unusual, I woke up super early and headed to the Jokhang again, this time to see the inner halls chapels and to experience it with all of the pilgrims. Seriously, this kid is working my last nerve, and I haven't even spoken a word to him yet. All I know is that he snores like there's a flap of steak lodged in his throat. I love the British, but this guy is testing me in a Hugh Grant meets Howard Stern type way. My first thought was "crap, this guy probably has sleep apnea, and if he stops breathing ... read more

The Jokhang is Tibetan Buddhism’s most sacred shrine, because the temple is not controlled by a particular sect of Tibetan Buddhism it attracts adherents of all the sects as well as followers of Bon-Po, Tibet's indigenous religion. Everyday, pilgrims from every corner of Tibet trek a long distance to the temple. Some of them progress by prostrating themselves throughout their journey until they reach the threshold of the temple. Pilgrims kindle butter lamps with yak butter, or honour the deities with white scarves while murmuring sacred mantras to show their pieties to the Buddha. Situated at the heart of the old town of Lhasa, it was founded by Queen Bhirikuti, the Nepalese wife of Songtsen Gampo, the seventh century unifying king of Tibet who made Lhasa the capital of his newly emerged nation. The temple was ... read more