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Yesterday... At breakfast the music playing was in English... moments later Hey Jude was playing but of course it was the kareokee version. What? Who has the Kareokee version just to play? I thought it was amusing. We headed out to the Potala Palace where we were actually turned away because tickets for the day were sold out, and the best we could do was to reserve tickets for the following day. Having planned to spend the next few hours oogling at countless statues and figures... we turned around to the rickshaws (bike taxi) lined up from where we came. Bright idea? Pay one of them to drive us around for an hour and tell them to take us anywhere but the center Barkhor. The guy was incredibly confused or at least stunned at first... but he took the offer. After a while we asked him where we were going, "a river," his response. He did take us to a river, The Lhasa River actually. Through a very Chinese part of town. It is often very clear what the growing Chinese Population is doing to Lhasa. Part of this place actually looks like Chinese Michigan Avenue where Playboy is a
upper class, expensive clothing brand that makes Polos and nice pants. What Playboy is usually known for is banned in China, so i guess they've found their market elsewhere. To the river! We got out, walked through some gross rocks with garbage and shit (literally) scattered. Along the river we walked with this guy... skipped rocks whatever. It was so strange probably for him especially. But it was fun, kind of see what you get. Next to the river was a mess of prayer flags, and a few dead dogs. One of them was wearing a jacket, weird. The scenery was kind of nice with the mountains looming so close. On the way back to the center i noticed some little kids next to the road playing near what was probably their mother. The only unusual thing about this was that the kids (probably 4 and 5yrs old) were playing with a Cleever, trying to cut different stuff. Once back near where we started we stopped in a grocery store. Wandering around i decided i wanted some candies that were all spread in different bins, none of which i could read the packages. So i took a bag and was
going to start picking stuff out when i then thought it might be a good idea to ask if any of them had nuts in them (since i'm allergic). Of course the lady nearby didn't speak English.. and my Chinese... i thought i knew the word for nut and allergy... turns out when you have no sense for Tones you might as well be speaking English. So i turned to the nuts next to me pointed then tried the word i knew "don't have" and pointed to the candies. She didn't figure it out... three other ladies and a little help from Carl later... they were helping me laughing and handing me different stuff. What can i say, i tried. I did manage to bargain a good deal for something else all by myself with my Chinese! Yes! (all i had were some numbers and body language but it worked out.) I want to mention that i was excited/ impressed when Carl traded some U.S bought cigarettes for stuff and a lower price yesterday. Walking back to the hostel last night we stopped to look at Chinese alcohol, (which will make you go blind, and tasted like fruty rubbing alcohol),
Dogs Get Cold Too
This dead dog found next to the Lhasa River is wearing a jacket, gross but pictureworthy. and this old Tibetan guy started telling me how to count in Tibetan. I tried to repeat what he said, once i realized what he was doing. He repeated it again, then i did, he smiled nodded thumbs up. He just wanted to teach me something i guess. Interactions like that can be so random, in a really nice way.
Today I saw more statues in one place than ever before in my life, in the Potala Palace of course. In one room alone there were One Thousand figures of the god of longevity. One Thousand. The Palace is huge, and the part that you're allowed to walk through is fractional though still impressive. Tombs of the Dali Lamas are up to 9meters in height and about 7meters in width. Huge, gold, turquoise, diamonds.. elaborate. The whole thing was so elaborate and intricate, no corner nor edge of anything goes unpainted and it's detailed too. It was really amazing to see. This palace sits atop a lone mountain that comes up while the rest of Lhasa is so flat though surrounded by other mountains. What a perfect place for a Palace. Later after a quick rain shower, we headed
Plastic Palm Tree
I don't know why on earth these are around cities, but they are. to Sera Monestary. It was a lot bigger than i expected. Because we went in the afternoon we were lucky enough to watch the monks debate. One or a few sit while others stand. The standing yell and talk to the sitting supposedly about scripture then when they've made a point they clap! They talk, Clap! Some of their claps are wound up in Yoga like stances... it was fun to watch. Some of the younger guys seemed to be joking around getting in the sitting guy's face when they clapped laughing and letting their beads swing into his face, all laughing. They were having fun it seemed... who knows if they were all really talking about scripture. The monestary where all the monks live is relatively open to wander around. Some doors are locked and some "THE VISITOR HALTS" signs are posted... but for the most part you're welcome to wander about the living space and chapels of the monestary. Back through the Barkhor, i think i've walked the circle 30times, a bird landed or fell on the ground a little kid started yelling... and an old lady just picked it up. It was probably a baby bird.... but
it was interesting to see that this old lady saw the event, and solved the problem by scooping up the bird. If only we all had the courage to solve our problem with such sense and ease.
Unfortunately today i went to burn my pictures to a CD and found out that the reason some of my pictures have gone "ERROR" on me is because my camera card got a virus from a computer. I had the pictures burned and bought another card. The point being... that any pictures taken after today won't be making it on here for the chance that the expensive new camera card should also get a virus. Sorry.
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Andrea Steinert
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Cleaver
So you think you didn't play with a cleaver when you were 4 or 5 years old?