Xiahe - The holy hole

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monks in the snow

monks in the snow It was very cold when we got to Xiahe. We found a nice hotel, with tibetian paintings (tangka) in the room. This time the hot water are only in the morning, 8-9.
So in order to take a shower we walk up at 8am. Must say it was a good one, except they stopped the hot water at 8:50, when Amir still had some shampoo on his head. we were heading to the monastary - there supposed to be a guided tour in English at 10. We were looking fo the tour/ office/ anyone but couldnt find so we walked on our own, After 30 minutes we saw a monk with some western passing us - they showed us where to buy ticketes and we joined them. We entered several building, saw some statues made out of yak-butter. this thing is really smelly, and the whole monastary , including the monks, smells like it.

we also visited the main ceremony that morning. about 400 monks of all ages are sitting in lines on matresses in the main temple, saying mantras for 2 hours. part of the cermony is drinking yak milk and eating yak butter.
piligrims also participate and give presents to the statues (mostly white scarvs). the father monk gives now and than an order - and about 15 monks run (no shoes) to the kitchen where workers cook the yak products in huge wooden paylas - and brings the products to the hevre.

the whole complex is surrounded by 3 km of prayer wheels. people of all ages are walking quit fast around it. some of them are actualy doing 'shkivot smiha' (or kfifot aparkadan) instead of walking. they use 'birkiyot' and gloves for their hands.

important note: dinners we had in some family restaurant.
they had only western food - very good pizza! like all the restaurants in the area, at off season the dishes are made from scratch when ordered. Some time they actually buy some of the products when you order (like bananas for pancake banana) - jumping to the next store and buying it. We also had keves soup. in that resturant the owner and his family live in the back of it. the owner and his son watched dvd in their personal computre near us . we played shesh besh and the kamin completed the cozy atmosphare ( while close to zero degrees outside)

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Photos

pilgirms doing "skivot smicha"
langmusi. they did it in atraf - just got of the bus and still having 3 km more

kids becoming monks
repeating Mantras after the teacher

butter sculpture
Made of yak butter by the monks.
They make it again and again every new year.The previous is being melted

pilgrim - middle of the walk
carring personal prayer wheel

pilgrims
walking around a stopa be "trefa"

playing cards
ach , eize tahat!