Yumtso - Holly G

Tashi Delek! Before leaving New York, a colleague warned me that some scholars get "lost in the field". They leave for a stint of research and never return. Maybe they wind up as NGO workers or dharma bums or perennial travelers. While not my intention, I already feel far from the academic world of the classroom and conference hall, the weekly grind of paper writing and paper grading, daily stints at my favorite cafes in Cambridge, and hours roaming the stacks of Widener library. Here is an account of my adventures and tribulations during a year of language study and research, based in Xining and traveling in the Tibetan region of Golok.

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Joined on: October 25th 2005
Last Login: July 31st 2006

Blog Entries: 16
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Blogs & Travel Journals

by Yumtso, order by Date newest first.

By Yumtso
July 26th 2006

Last Round in Golok Asia » China » Tibet

Yaks at Drongri

A grand finale--my last month in Golok for the summer! July is the season for festivals, and the landscape of Golok is lush after the June rains. The grasslands have deep emerald sheen speckled with wildflowers. Friends join me for several weeks of monastery visits, rides on bumpy back roads, and a horse-packing trip through Nyenpo Yutse, a sacred mountain range and legendary source of the Golok tribes. Consecration at Traling Gompa It' s heartening how many new buldings are springing up in Golok monasteries--as elsewhere in Tibetan areas--with brilliant hues of fresh paint, vi [View Full Entry]

By Yumtso
June 25th 2006

Gathering at Nyenlung Asia » China » Tibet

Monks Ready for Procession

For my second trip to Golok this summer, I make a b-line for Serta just in time for the annual dharma gathering (chos tshogs) at Nyenlung Gompa. Hundreds of visitors pack into the gompa: Tibetan monks from as far as Rebkong, lamas from nearby Jikdril and Padma, Chinese students from scattered provinces, and locals from surrounding valleys. Storage spaces become dorms. Monks rent their rooms out for the ten days. The driveway of the monastery is suddenly lined with restaurants and shops. Under a Blazing Sun There is a festival-like atmosphere as monks and laity pile onto a grassy [View Full Entry]

By Yumtso
May 10th 2006

The Cowboy Town of Tawu Asia » China » Tibet

Prayer Flags Above Tawu

Over spring break from Qinghai Nationalities University, my roomate and friend join me in Tawu. At this point, I am just waiting a few days before going to Darlag and Padma Counties farther south. Killing time, however, quickly turns into fruitful research as I begin to meet prominent figures in Tawu in between sightseeing. Tawu is described in one guidebook as the quintessential 'cowboy town' of Golok. Indeed, the main road is crowded with nomads in cowboy hats with their long Tibetan coats fastened by Wild-West-style bullet belts and adorned by a knife tucked in the side. These bad boys hav [View Full Entry]

By Yumtso
May 3rd 2006

Slow Descent into Golok Asia » China » Tibet

Khyung Gon Rock Towers over Raja Gompa

Recovered (for the most part) from a nasty flu that delayed my departure for two weeks, I finally set out for Golok. With a lingering cough and low energy, I decide to take it slow and make the trip in short stages. First stop is Chabcha where I stayed with an old friend, who is a teacher there, and his family. Next I head to Tongde where SRJ's brother is waiting for me on motorcycle. No time to think. Just jump on side saddle, backpack and all. Off we go to the outer edge of town where I hand out with [View Full Entry]

Zangdok Palri Temple at Payul in Jigdril

By Yumtso
March 10th 2006

Lhasa for Losar Asia » China » Tibet

Celebrating Good Fortune at Losar

As a symbol of good fortune for the New Year. Tibetans fill a colorful wooden box with grain, tsampa (roasted barely flour), wheat stalks and other decorations. The Tibetan New Year, or Losar, is mainly a time for visiting temples, family and friends. Outside the Jokhang, hawkers are selling red helium balloons with prayer flags attached to them, a hybrid of Chinese and Tibetan colors and forms of auspiciousness for the New Year. Every few minutes someone releases a balloon into the sharp winter air so that the prayers stamped onto a string of flags can be spread by the wind. [View Full Entry]

In Front of Jokhang with Balloon and Prayer Flags

Smoke Offering on Bumpari, Lungta in the Air

By Yumtso
February 25th 2006

Overland to Lhasa Asia » China » Tibet » Zhigatse

Rooftop in Sakya

From the lap of luxury in Kathmandu, back to rugged roads of Tibet. In just a few hours, the ride to the Nepal border at Kodari took us out of the smog, past a series of check posts, and up to terraced fields of the Himalayan foothills. Delayed by four hours at the border due to irregularities in our group permit, my colleagues and I reach Tingri after nightfall in a deluxe landcruiser supplied by my favorite Lhasa travel agency, Windhorse Travels. We enjoyed thukpa (Tibetan noodle soup) around the fire and had to track down extra covers to stave off [View Full Entry]

By Yumtso
February 20th 2006

Kathmandu Five Years Later Asia » Nepal » Kathmandu

Outside the New Ripa Monastery

Back to the bucket bath for my first few days in Kathmandu, staying with friends in Swayambunath. It is shocking how little Kathmandu has changed. The dusty streets seemed dustier after five years and the smog thicker. But no signs of progress or care for the city and its people from the king. A sad state of affairs. Yet there are a host of creature comforts for those who can afford it. After the fall in relative isolation in Xining, I indulge with friends in shopping for pashmina shawls, visiting the foot massage ladies, and seeking out the requisite pizza fix [View Full Entry]

By Yumtso
December 5th 2005

Manjushri's Abode at Wutai Shan Asia » China

Tibetan Image of Manjushri, Bodhisattva of Wisdom

Wutai Shan is the abode of the bodhisattva Manjushri, who brandishes the sword of wisdom (at least in Tibetan images of him). At Wutai Shan, I was surprised to discover another, wholly different image of Manjushri, in which he appears more like a Taoist immortal with an imperial pose and grand beard. We saw both styles of iconography there. A Curious Mix Indeed, Wutai Shan contains a curious mix of Tibetan and Chinese architecture, ritual forms, and images. Though the temples are for the most part Chinese, one can see Tibetan chorten dotting the landscape, statues of Tsongkhapa ( [View Full Entry]

By Yumtso
November 28th 2005

Thanksgiving in Xian Asia » China

Red Laterns along Xian's Old City Wall

A dumpling banquet with a colleague, plus a performance of music and dance from the Tang dynasty when Chinese culture reached an apex in Xian. And the next day, apple pie at McDonald's or rather Màidāngláo (don't forget your tones!) to keep in the spirit of celebrating the autumn harvest. The Shaanxi Song and Dance Theatre puts on nightly dinners with a show, mainly for foreigners. After getting used to 3 RMB buffet lunches across from the university in Xining, paying 200 RMB (US $25) felt like quite an indulgence. But it was perfect for Thanksgiving. They put on a high [View Full Entry]

By Yumtso
November 5th 2005

Autumn in Lhasa Asia » China » Tibet » Lhasa

Autumn Leaves Amidst Prayer Flags

October is an ideal time to visit Lhasa. What a joy to arrive to blue skies and golden leaves, to see the Potala Palace towering over the city, and to walk the Barkhor again. In late October, there are few tourists, just enough (in fact) to keep the restaurants open that serve western fare for the weary traveler. Parade of Pilgrims The Barkhor is the heart of Lhasa. It bustles with Tibetan pilgrims circumambulating the Jokhang temple and vendors selling everything from trinkets and T-shirts to fine paintings and jewelry. My host SV (now in her second year at Tibet University) [View Full Entry]

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