Tibet - Land of Buddhism

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My journey to Tibet started by bus early in the morning, I had said my goodbyes to Subin and the boys the night before and sadly boarded a bus for the chinese boarder and the beginning of the Friendship Highway to Lhasa. The Friendship Highway crosses the Tibetan Plateau and takes around 5 days to reach Lhasa across the most barren and unhospitable landscapes. The winds blast across the flat plateaus and landscapes the flat land being no hinderance to these winds that pick up everything in their path thats not held into the ground. Sandstorms are common and literally come from nowhere in seconds and can tear a tent to shreds if its not located in a sheltered area. There were 12 of us in total in the bus which had seen the best days of its life back in the 70's, but now however it was now resigned to end its days ferrying tourists uncomfortably to the Friendship Bridge. After 2 hours we stopped for breakfast a welcome break and a chance to relieve the body from the shock and pounding it had been getting from the bumps and holes in the road. Unfortunately breakfast was shocking to, cold and oily omlette with cold toast and jam, the restaurant was actually colder inside than outside. We reboarded our luxury coach and drove off through the Nepali countryside, sometimes the road was less than smooth and it was a struggle to remain seated as bags and passengers were collectively launched into thin air, then dumped unceremoniously by gravity back into them. After 4 hours we finally reached the town of Tatopani on the boarder and as far as the bus could take us, we were asked to grab all our bags and follow the guide to immigration. The street funnels down narrowly and is a sea of humanity; traders, shopkeepers and people crossing the boarder, the amount of people was staggering and I had to push my way through between them to keep up with our guide. At Nepal immigration our papers were passed over and handed back without any problems and I was officially classed as having left Nepal. Then we had to walk further through the town and finally onto the Friendship Bridge which crosses a narrow gorge and into Chinese territory. The bridge was crowded with people and halfway across a thick red line is painted on the tarmac, this red line signifies the actual boarder between China and Nepal, once across the red line we were told no photographs were allowed. I stood exactly on the red line and took a photograph of the chinese boader and the guards standing there, the minute I stepped over I was in China. Also either side of that red line the timezone changes the whole of China is on Beijing time which is 2 hours ahead of Nepal time, so in a matter of seconds I had lost 2 hours of my day. China is an immense country (about 4,500km west to east) it has a population of 1.3 billion, its the third largest country in the world and odd that the whole country is the same time regardless wherever you are in it.

After filling in various forms on the bridge and signing a health declaration and showing my visa I was ushered along with my group to our transport for the next 6 days - Toyota Landcruisers. They were parked on a street which was full of people and traders cheap goods; drinks, clothes, shoes, food all made in China but being sold on the boarder and being shipped back to Nepal, I have never seen so many people in one place except at events or concerts. We boarded our Landcruisers, I was sharing with two French, one Italian and the Chinese driver, not one of them could speak any English, it was going to be a silent and lonely journey to Lhasa. After just one hour we arrived in Xhangmu our first overnight destination, it was dormitory accomodation only and I was bunking down with 5 other guys, lucky for me I bought ear plugs (thanks Simon for reminding me to take some). I didn't hear the snoring at all that night and slept like a baby unlike the others who were woken at regular intervals by someone (not me because obviously I dont snore). We left early the next day and followed winding valleys slowly getting higher until we came to the top of our first pass Lalung-La at 5,400m high. Tibet unlike Nepal, is very barren hill upon hill of beige rock with mountains in the far off distance, I would say it is very similar to the landscape on some far off planet like Mars. The scenery was just that little too bland for my palette having just spent 2 months in Nepal, I tried engaging my fellow passengers and driver in conversation but to no avail they didnt understand a word of what I said. We passed Everset in the distance which would have been impressive had I not walked to base camp on the Nepal side, it was no bigger than my thumb on the distant horizon. Sometimes the Tibetan roads remind me of those in America and stretch off straight ahead into the distance we also pass many ruins of buildings on top of hills and in the valleys. Apparently these are the ruins of many Buddhist Temples that were destroyed in China's Cultural Revolution of the 60's but more of that later. After 8 hours of long dusty driving we arrive in Lhatse our second overnight stay, this town sits on the Tibetan Plateau and is very very poor. The hotel was a dump and noone would choose to stay there unless you were desperate, the rooms were again dormitory style. The toilets were just undescribable for me to even write about them here so you'll have to take my word for how bad they were, in fact outside was more preferable to using them. The locals were in fact using the wall outside our room as a urinal so the smell wafting into our room on the wind was just a delight! We complained bitterly to our guide who shrugged his shoulders and told us to get on with it, the two french travelling with me found some english from somewhere "we has travelled India, zis place is not fit for dogs" and he was right of course. Strangely the guide and the drivers had better rooms than ours which they denied but we saw them they were definitely a far cry from ours, this was the start of the downward relationship with our guide. In the end we found another hotel locally and cheap which although basic at least was clean and warm. We were now united as a group and we all wandered off around the town looking for somewhere to eat together, I have never seen such poverty in all my life. The Tibetans are very poor, they are also a nomadic people, they own few possessions and drift from town to town in search of work or trade what little they have for money or food. The town stank like a toilet but then every other wall was a public convinience, men and women stood or knelt unashamedly and relieved themselves sometimes in front of us. We were followed around and shouted at as we walked by, children who were just filthy and black with dirt grabbed our hands and legs begging for food or money. I have never witnessed such poverty and I went to some very remote and poor areas in Nepal but this was the worse I have seen anywhere to date. We found somewhere clean to eat and ate the worse Chinese food but it was hot and did the job, luckily I packed some chocolate in my rucksack for emergencies.

The next day we left for Shigatse and after 2 very unmemorable hours we arrived, this time the hotel was a monument to Chinese architecture, lots of marble, gold plating everywhere, it was so over the top it easily qualified as winner of bad taste award for the last 2 years hands down. Even the doorman stood straight and saluted everytime anyone left the lobby like we were all Presidents of our respective countries. Still one can't complain it was the first time we had seen hot running water in 3 days, I shared a twin room with the Italian from my vehicle. In the afternoon we visited Tashilunpo Temple, one of the largest in Tibet, it is built on the side of a large hill overlooking and dominating the town and dates back to 1447. There are 4 main temples in the complex and over 400 monks live and practice here, it also has one of the largest Maitreya Buddha statues I have seen made from gold and copper alloy. Our guide who we have all paid to escort us to Lhasa and accompany us to the temples decides his job is in fact just to get us in, give us the barest of information, then he returns to the hotel to spend the rest of the day smoking, drinking and gambling with the drivers. This was the extent of his guiding throughout the whole trip and as a group we were left to find things for ourselves and try to communicate with locals via sign language. The next day we drive to Gyantse and visit the Baiju Monnestry and Khumbum Stupa, built in 1418 and again some 400 monks live here. The Khunbum Stupa is around 33 metres high and split into 9 floors, the walls are adorned with holy paintings and images of various gods and are said to total over 100,000, they represent the largest single collection of paintings anywhere in Tibet. They really are beautiful and I was able to take some great pictures even though the rooms were quite dark, this is the Tibet really worth seeing the temples are just amazing. That night I was ill for the first of three times whilst in Tibet it doesn't matter how careful you are when eating food sanitation and cleanliness isn't a high prority for the Tibetans. As you look at your plate of food you just don't know if after an hour of consumption you are going to regret it for the next 24 hours a kind of 'food russian roulette' it's a risky business eating. So I resigned myself to crisps or chocolate to let my body recover enough before throwing the dice and gambling again on the food wheel of fortune.

We were off on the 8 hour drive to Lhasa the next day the views were amazing, rolling valleys and mountain peaks and we crossed the Kora-La pass and glacier at 5,000m before finally arriving at Yamdork Tso lake. The colour of the lake is an amazing vivd blue and the size of it was immesnse, after an hour of driving we were still following next to the lake. The driver pulled over next to the lake and announced we were stopping for a lakeside picnic, however the wind was so intense it blew any food in my hand clean away. I watched my crisps, sandwiches etc fly off and across the great Tibetan plateau never to be seen again, lunch was then rescheduled to the landcruiser. An hour later we were climbing up and away from the lake and crossed the Kamba-La pass at 4,900m and then started descending into the next valley. I watched a sandstorm blow in from across the hills and continue down the valley were driving down into, the wind can be ferocious here because there is nothing to stop it blowing across the flat plateau. It picks up speed as well as dust and sand and anything heavy enough thats not bolted down which obviously easily includes crisps and sandwiches. We drove into the sandstorm and followed it the rest of the way into Lahsa, sometimes it spiralled into mini tornado's sucking in paper, sand and any rubbish only to discard them in all directions from the top. On reaching Lhasa the Potala Palace loomed out of the sand storm and it immediately struck me as one of the most impressive buildings I have seen and I couldn't wait to see it close up.

The first day in Lhasa we visited the Drepung Temple built in 1416, originally 10,000 monks resided here but after the cultural revolution it was reduced to 400, it has a main temple, chapel and colleges. Its one of the holy sites for the Tibetans and many of them come from across the country on a pilgrimage to pray in front of the gilded statues of the various Buddhas, the temple also includes golden letters, thangkas, silk scrolls and many old and ancient artifacts and covers a massive area. From here we moved onto Sera Monastery again it contained gilded statues of the Buddhas but also has a holy thangka which is displayed once a year at a festival and people come to worship in front of it. However the highlight for me at this temple was watching the resident monks debating philosophy, one stands whilst two sit and debate with the one standing. When the monk standing finishes making his point he slaps his hands and begins debating another subject, there must have been at least 200 monks in the debate area which was a hive of activity and noise. We then made our way to Barkhor Bazaar in the centre of Lahsa a market of small stalls where haggling over anything is the order of the day. I watched the others from my group get into deep negotiations over cheap Tibetan trinkets and jewellry then braved a local restaurant for something to eat. Our last day in Lhasa and our good guide took us to the Potala Palace and like Mr Benn's shopkeeper was gone in a puff of smoke at the entrance never to be seen again. I'd been looking forward to visiting the Palace since we had arrived in Lhasa, the Potala Palace was originally built in the 7th century but was extended by the 5th Dali Lama to its present size in the 17th century. It also became his major residence, it stands 116m high and comprises of 13 floors and is a huge white ochre fortress that soars over the city. It contains hundreds of rooms divided into different sections from living quarters, temples, jewel encrusted funeral stupas of previous Lamas, monk dormitories, murals, sutras and many other ancient treasures that are simply priceless. No photography was allowed in the Palace and security was very strict with cameras and recording equipment placed in every room so someone was watching and listening to everyone in the Palace. Unfortunately it has become a political icon as the present Dali Lama is exciled and in India, many Tibetans would like to see him return but he spends his time campaigning around the world for Tibets freedom. I have to admit the Palace was an anti-climax, many rooms were empty or had a table or just a chair in them, there was little information supplied on exhibits and I had walked around it in just over an hour. Of course looking at gilded Buddha statues is great but room after room with no explanantion gets a little repetitive, the funeral stupas were impressive and probably the highlight for me. There was none of the ancient ceramic statues or pictures or the hand written sutras of previous Lamas and many rooms were locked from view. Still the building itself is impressive and afterwards I walked around its vast perimetre and viewed it from every angle which took as long as the tour inside. In the afternoon we visited Jokhang Temple unlike Potala Palace which is just a symbolic focus for Tibetan hopes, Jokhang is the real spiritual heart of Lhasa. It is the most sacred and active of Tibets temples, originally built in 647AD on the site of a holy lake and is four storeys high. The main temple is a mix of sombre darkness and smaller temples containing statues of previous deities and gods, wafting incense and prostrating pilgrims and chanting monks create an intense atmosphere of spirituality. A smaller temple at the back contains the alloy cast statue of the 12 year old Sakyamuni brought in by Princess Wen Cheng it is this that the pilgrims have come to bless and pray to. The crowds here were intense many had been queing all day to get in, outside a constant stream of thousands circle the temple praying and prostrated on their hands and knees. Inside it was rammed with people of all ages the elderly were being carried, children, teenagers, fathers, mothers, line upon line of Tibetans, the pungent smell of butter lamps, the floor was tacky from so much of it, incense burnt everywhere. I pushed my way through the crowds to the small temple entrance at the back and suddenly I was caught in the fervour of the crowd and pulled into the temple. At that moment I became very stressed, I was no longer in control but being swept by this mass of humanity who cared little for me, I was pushed into this small temple and crushed against people and couldn't break free. My arms were pinned to my sides and monks were shouting at me and everyone to keep moving because more people were pushing in from behind us. I felt the weight of them from behind pushing at me and for a moment was scared of being crushed in the temple or feared falling to the ground, I'd never get up again. Then I was swept out into the open of the main temple again just managing to get a glimpse of the main statue as I was swept by and was able to regain some composure. I have never witnessed and seen such passionate addiction to religion or belief this close before, I could feel a mixture of their intensity and desire to be here as though their very life had culminated to the importance of this very moment. It was stressful yet somehow exhilerating to witness but I wouldn't like to get this close again in a hurry.

Afterwards we ate at a local restaurant nearby, I wasn't very hungry so I ordered some chips it was something I was to later regret. I was booked onto the Lhasa to Beijing train the next morning, it was completed only last year and takes 48 hours and travels right across China from the Tibetan plateau and crosses the Yellow and Yangtse Rivers. That bought my Tibetan trip to an end, its a tough and poor country, its also a bleak and desolute country from what I've seen. Tibetans have one thing they consider important to their lives - their religion and belief in Buddhism. Its a shame that before the Cultural Revolution there were over 6,000 ancient temples in Tibet now however, only 8 survive, many ancient texts, statues, many valuable jewels have been lost or disappeared for good. A big part of Tibetan culture and history was destroyed with these temples, Buddhism has been practiced in Asia for over 6,000 years and surely must qualify as one of the oldest religions. I personally found Tibet a difficult experience and had to work hard at getting the desired rewards from it. Had our guide been better it could have been a far more interesting and an enlightening experience. Tibet is no relaxing holiday destination and if you are intending to travel to it forget the home comforts and be prepared to rough it somewhat. However if temples, religion and ancient culture are your thing and you can put up with being stared at and followed around, bad food, barren landscapes, driving winds and appaling sanitation then Tibet is just the place for you.

Next stop mainland China, Id like to say things got better in China however sadly thats not been the case and its been hard work but then that's another story.

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Photos

Potala Palace
The magnificent Potala Palace home of the Dali Lamas and mecca for many Buddhist Pilgrims that flock here in their hundreds everyday.

China Boarder
This is the Chinese boarder taken from the centre of the Friendship Bridge. This bridge has a red line in the centre, one side is Nepal the otherside of the line is China.

Landcruisers
The mode of transport for the next 5 days across the Friendship Highway, we travelled in a group of 3 landcruisers and crossed the most barren of landscapes.

Landscape
The landscape went from distant mountain views to boring and barren beige flat plateau after plateau.

Long Straight Roads
Not all the roads were made of tarmac, some like this stretched off into the distance, others were just rock and dust paths, making the journey at times uncomfortable hot and dusty.

Tashilunpo Monnastry
One of the holy temples of Tibet out of 6,000 only 8 have survived the Cultural Revolution.

Monks of Tashilunpo
There are 400 monks living at the monnestary, here everyday they make food for the whole community.

Main Temple
This is the main temple of Tashilunpo, it conatined magnificent gilted statues of the Buddhas and amazing paintings adorned the walls.

Gyantse
Typical tibetan street of old town Gyantse, animals and people co-habit as animals wander freely through the streets.

Statue of Gods
One of the many God statues that are within the Khumbum Stupa in Gyantse, the walls to are painted with stories of the Gods.

Khumbum Stupa
The Khumbum Stupa in Gyantse, contains some 100,000 painted images and contains many statues dedicated to the many buddhist gods.

Ruins
We passed many ruins along the journey, many of these were ancient temples destroyed in the Cultural Revolution. A heritage and many ancient religious artifacts were forever lost.

The Kora La Pass
At 5,000m the Kora La pass the ice glacier is in the background, spectatcular scenery as we got close to Lhasa.

Yamdork Tso
At 3,500m this lake was huge and we followed it for nearly 2 hours. The lake as you can see was the vivid colour of blue.

The debating monks
The debating monks of the Sera Monnestary, debating philosophy and slapping their hands as a point is made.

The Potala Palace
The home of the Dali Lamas, 13 storeys high and contains some 2,000 rooms, now however a political symbol.