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Forty-six and a half hours on a train. Six people to a cabin and unless you're on the bottom you can't sit up all the way. We were on the top. I couldn't imagine such a trip could be as enjoyable as it was. After everyone got settled in the Cast of Characters came out. The four guys below us brought more food than you can imagine, Garlic (whole), Onions (whole), Entire cooked chicken, Coconuts (they cut open and drank and shared!), A huge tub of hot sauce, Fish card (like Fish Jerky), All kind of sauces, a whole case of beer... the list continues. My non-existent Chinese and Carl's semi-conversational Chinese soon stirred interest in us. There ended up being Pajama Man, who wore his PJs the whole way on and off the train, Funny Guy, who was always laughing at us, Sweaty Guy, who's name should be Duffle but he was incredibly nice. This cast offered us Tea, and other random things like flattened fruit snack things.. and that Fish Jerky. Mistake. That was one of the grossest things i've ever experienced... and i wonder if they were just looking for a reaction. I actually slept surprisingly well,
though for those of you who know me... considering it was a moving train you might be surprised i was awake at all. And needless to say our Cast passed the time rather enjoyably.
Leaving Beijing at night i could only imagine the scenery in the morning to be incdrebile. Though of course my mind could only underestimate the vastness of a Plateau. It wasn't until the second day on the train, but when it came up it was unbelievable. It seemed like the incredible flat land could go on forever, except that it was met by mountains much before forever came. At some point the ground was frosted, and the mountains snow-capped while at other times it looked like summer (as it is). It almost reminded me of Montana, especially when all of a sudden you see herds of Yak, such large animals and there is plenty of space to make them look small.
The trip to Lhasa was much more enjoyable than i expected, the scenery was something i didn't really picture because i didn't know how until i saw it.. and once we arrived and were mazed through unmarked streets to our hostel it became
a whole lot easier to believe how far from home i really am. The hostel is tucked a bit out of the way, but only enough that it's not so crazy in front of it. Turn one unmarked street off and you find hundreds of people walking in the same direction. Little did we know that we'd stumbled here in perfect timing for a huge Tibetan festival. Which means that there are just that many more people doing the
kora around the temple. It's not just a sea of people that sweeps you up, though it is that as well, but the sea is not in constant flow. Each person, if pilgrimaging, stops full prostration forehead to the ground, gets up and moves only as far as their fingertips before touched. Each person is at an individual pace, though still part of the whole.
This culture cannot be separated from it's religion, prayer beads in every hand and a constant undertone of chanting. The guy behind you isn't talking to himself. Walking in the flow of people that low undertone, it is so different from the chatter that you hear among a crowd. Incredible.
Because today was the
day for the festival we decided to go to the Jokang Temple. Another sea of people, before today i don't think i've ever Actually felt claustrophobic. Today i did. Literally swept through part of the temple following a gathering of monks. It seemed so forceful, the sweeping since i had no control at some points of where i was headed... though something about it kept an order. And i don't mean the intense presence of the Chinese Police. Which is another story.
I feel like i can't explain every little thing i've noticed about this place, and absorbed about the way here, though at the same time i don't feel like i understand them enough to try. It seems that i haven't even done the trip to the Temple much justice. The temple itself is impressive, though with the mass pligramige going on because of the festival, the people presence seemed to overwhelm it.
An interesting, and awestruck day. Tibet has proved to be the cultural experience that it is claimed.
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Saly
non-member comment
wow
wow, i wish i could have met those characters.. they sound like fun! so my brother was in beijing the same time you were and went to all the same spots as you, probably missed him by minutes or hours..