Tibet

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Landing in Tibet was a revelation. Blue skies, crisp air and no pollution. Just lovely. We hired a taxi and headed for Lhasa (a one and a half hour drive). There is so much to relate about Tibet but, I must begin with a diversion...toilets. Tibet is famous for having some of the worst toilets in the world and this was cause for quite a bit of trepidation on my part. And let's just say I was....INITIATED, along with Sarah, on that very first day. Because Lhasa is at an elevation of 13,000 feet, Sarah and I had been taking altitude pills. Unfortunately, these are a diuretic and we had to use the bathroom constantly. About half way through our taxi drive through the countryside toward Lhasa, Sarah broke down and insisted she "had to use the bathroom now!". I was right along with her but, was employing 'mind of matter' to last me until Lhasa. Our driver pulled over and pointed down a gravel driveway. At the end we saw a make-shift, concrete structure barely the size of a closet. We took deep breaths, hoped for the best and headed down the lane. Immediately an enormous Mastiff sprang at us barking vociferously. Luckily, he was attached to a thick chain but he continued to lunge at us, the chain taut, snarling and growling during our entire ordeal. His hapless owner just stood there, seemingly amazed that two white women were in her yard. We smiled and pointed to the toilet but, received nothing but a blank stare. Once at the toilet, I began to moan. Flies swirled around the structure and Sarah bravely peaked inside. She immediately turned and stared at me in terror. I honestly think that both of us were ready to cry but, the absurdity of the situation overtook us and we started to laugh hysterically. Inside the "toilet" (I use this term loosely) was a rectangular hole that literally was piled high with excrement. "Oh God, Oh God, we can't go in there." I said. "Maybe we should just go in the back". We tentatively walked around the structure and were confronted with, I swear to God, A POOL OF SH*T!! It was encased in a low concrete wall that attached to the toilet. Gasping, we returned to the 'toilet' and like the troopers we are, held our breath and went for it. Returning to the car, we could not stop laughing wondering how much more of this we would endure in Tibet. Answer: Quite a bit!!!! One nice thing I can say about China: The toilets are little pieces of heaven in comparison to Tibet!


We arrived in Lhasa and were overcome with awe. After the dearth of culture in the every day life of China, it was a relief to observe unique architecture and a fascinating people. We were in the center of town, which really is the last bastion of Tibetan culture. Surrounded by towering mountains, we looked to our West and beheld The Potala, palace to the Dali Lamas for centuries. Lhasa was literally and figuratively a breath of fresh air. We lucked out on accommodation and actually found the nicest room we’ve stayed in so far, with a WESTERN bathroom, thank god. (I had my concerns after the taxi drive…) We made a concerted effort to patronize Tibetan owned businesses and The Yak Hotel was no exception. Obviously, there is quite a bit of Chinese influence in Lhasa but in the heart of the city lies the spiritual center and the Tibetan resolve seems strong. We walked across the street to the Barkhor, the most famous Kora (prayer circuit) in Lhasa. Surrounded by hundreds of Tibetans chanting, turning their prayer wheels and prostrating, we felt as if we’d been thrust back in time. I think the Tibetans are fascinating to Westerners because of their uniqueness. They are so striking with dark skin, high cheekbones and ruddy cheeks. Also, by and large, they wear traditional clothing. For women this entails a brightly colored shirt, long grey skirt with a multi colored, striped apron. Their long black hair is always in braids, often with colorful ribbons woven in between. The men are slightly more modern because many now have short hair (traditionally it’s long, braided and wrapped around their heads). They tend to wear rugged pants and utilitarian vests. After all the Chinese have inflicted upon them, Tibetans have remained astoundingly devout. Many of the people we saw are pilgrims from outer Tibet who have traveled on foot to Lhasa to pray in their holiest city. Tibet is also the only place on our trip where we have given money to beggars. We learned in Lonely Planet that it is a strong part of Tibetan Buddhism to give money to the pilgrims who have traveled so far to reach Lhasa. It is strongly advised that we give the same amount of money as Tibetanstens, which are called ‘Mao’s’ and equal to around five cents. It was nice to finally be able to give into an urge and pass out Mao’s freely to the beggars. But, we soon became disillusioned as children ran after us, grabbing at our shirts begging for more. Unfortunately, we feel like Westerners have ruined it once again. We’re convinced that instead of ‘Maos’, many people are handing out much, much more- turning all Westerners into targets. Very frustrating



Highlights of Lhasa:



The Barkhor:

A prayer circuit as well as a market this loop was endlessly fascinating. So fun to people watch, photograph and shop for fun Tibetan items like prayer wheels, turquoise and coral jewelry, singing bowls etc.. I am particularly attracted to the old Tibetan women who look positively ancient! Deeply wrinkled, missing teeth but with big smiles, they roam the prayer circuits constantly. On our second day, I was approached by one such lady who placed her prayer beads in my hand. Shocked I tried to return them but was slightly disappointed to learn she wanted to sell them to me for five Yuan. Oh well, that’s around fifty cents and I figured they must be pretty holy so, I bought them. She rewarded me with a big smile and walked away. Well worth it, I guess. You don’t get these experiences every day!



The Jokhang:

Within the Barkhor Circuit, this is the holiest temple in Lhasa. The Chinese demand a hefty fee which goes straight to Beijing but we entered nonetheless. Just standing outside this structure is amazing because there are always a number of people praying prostratingting themselves. They often tie blocks around their hands and extra cloth around their knees to prevent getting scraped because they prostrate all day and night! What an amazing experience. Inundated by the smell of incense and surrounded by Yak butter candles,witnessedssed Monks and every day Tibetans practice their faith first hand. Statues of the various incarnations of Buddha are everywhere and the structure is supported by dark, intricately carved wood. Very mystical. Large, gold prayer wheels run through out the Jokhang and it's important to navigate them clockwise. Counter clockwise is a big no no. Following the Tibetans, we joined in, turning the prayer wheels as we toured the temple.



The Linghur Kora:

This is the longest prayer circuit as it runs around the city of Lhasa. Some of it is a litanti climaticatic because you have to walk on the major streets passing Chinese shops to finally get to a narrow opening that takes you on a path uphill. (Although it is pretty amazing to see some of the pilgrims prostate themselves across a major street with cars swerving around them..unbelievable!) As we entered the narrow alley, we immediately encountered friendly monks and a variety of pilgrims. (The monks were particularly impressed by Dave's height. He is a big topic of conversation all throughout Asia. They can not fathom that he is actually two meters tall!!! People always stand next to him giggling as they compare heights.) Prayer flags draped the mountain and candles burned everywhere. We came to an open area with some small chapels and many rows of prayer wheels. We sat down to take a break and were quickly the interest of many small children. Again, I can't express what an amazing novelty digital cameras are in developing countries. They were besotted with the many pictures of them I snapped and we even let them take the camera and click away. They love it so much. It's hard to believe that just seeing a picture of themselves is so satisfying.testamentmant to how poor these people are - it just tears at your heart! One of the little girls pointed to a chapel and led my into a small room with an enormous prayer wheel that we laughingly turned together, so sweet and a fun memory.



The Potala:

The palace of the Dali Lamas is now a tourist attraction that is no longer used in a religious capacity. Kind of sad. The building and its surrounding structures are very impressive. We slowly climbed our way up to the top floors to examine the rooms where the Dali Lama held court. It's really fascinating to walk in and out of the temples and see the tombs of the previous Dali Lamas butultimatelyy it's a little depressing to know that the current Dali Lama is denied access and unlike all of his predecessors, will not be buried here. All traces of his existence have been wiped away and even owning a picture of him is a criminal offense in Tibet. So, ironically, the Potala became a symbol of Chinese tyranny to me. A structure that symbolizes their rewriting of modern history. A holy place where we felt a void rather than any spiritual presence.



Sera Monetary:

We took a day trip to Sera Monetary which is right outside Lhasa. This beautiful enclosure is huge. At one time, this was the largest monetary in Tibet, housing many different factions of monks. It certainly seems like a small town. As we walked down the streets and in and out of temples, it is really hard not to imagine times past. There is no modernity here except us, the tourists! Monks walk by in their crimson robes, pilgrims prostrate and the humming of the prayer wheels is the only sound one hears. Sera is particularly well known for the monks' philosophy sessions. This was really cool to watch. Around a hundred monks gather and proceed to debate Buddhism. It is so distinctive because they speak with such passion (we, of course, had NO idea what they were saying). With each point a monk has won, he touches his prayer beads, slaps his hands and dramatically stamps his feet. All in one fluid motion. Very, very fun to watch. It was hard to not take a ton of pictures.

Nam-Tso:

We decided to see more of Tibet and take an overnight trip to Nam-Tso, an area known for its population of nomadic Tibetan tribes as well as a wonderful setting by a lake. Boy, this turned into some trip! To get there, we had to hire a land cruiser and the drive was around five hours. I should have known the trip was cursed when the driver started falling asleep at the wheel. He actually had to stick his head out of the window for minutes at a time to wake up! Also, we were ascending to 15,000 feet and it became incredibly cold in our beat up Land cruiser circa 1983 whose windows kept falling open...Ughhh! The driver also spent an inordinate amount of time staring at himself in the rear view window and popping zits on the back of his neck (Sarah had an up close and personal view of this!!).



Anyway, I digress... We arrived to a series of tents. Yes, we were spending the night in a tent in the middle of nowhere in the freezing cold. So fun (sarcasm). Then it began to snow so, it was impossible to explore the area. After a few cold, cold hours, the snow stopped and we headed out. It really is a beautiful area although we did not luck out with the weather. It certainly is a terrain I have never seen before: a huge turquoise lake surrounded by white capped mountains on one side and red, arid mountains on our side. Very bizarre, almost like being on another planet. We encountered the nomadic Tibetans who travel on horseback (and are very picturesque with their traditional, colorful outfits). Unfortunately, they were not so nice and practically trampled us while they asked for money to take their pictures. The only bathroom was a concrete enclosure with one side for men and one side for women. I have to mention it because Dave couldn't resist snapping a photo because it pretty much represents the Tibetan norm.



We spent the evening in the tent where I almost froze to death. Although there was a stove in the tent, the Tibetans refused to light it!!! So frustrating. (Instead they play techno, link arms and dance around in a circle...this is when it really began to dawn on my how bleak these people's lives are...) I finally retreated to my sleeping bag where I still froze. To appease me (I was getting pretty angry), Dave had to zip our sleeping bags together so I could latch onto the "living furnace" to suck up some body heat. Thank god, the next day was sunny and we actually got to walk around and really enjoy the view.



On May 17th Sarah flew home (boo hoo!) and Dave and I arranged our overland journey across the Himalayas and into Nepal.

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Photos

Barkhor Square
Prostrating pilgrims, hypnotic chants and a cloud of insense makes the Barkhor seem a world away from China.

The Jokhang
In the center of Barkhor Square lies The Jokhang, Tibet's holiest site.

The Potala
Until the Chinese invasion and attack on this building in 1959, this served as the home to the Tibetan government and the Dali Lama.

Spinning the prayer wheels
Sarah and Vanessa build up their Karma.

Philosophy Hour
Monks debating at Sera Monestary

Ahhhh.....the memories
I fear Vanessa has taken up too much of the blog discussing the bathroom situation. Photo provided so now, you too can have a visual of what she has had to endure.

Lake Nam Tso
Ufortunately, we visited the lake during "an unusually cold storm". However, at 17,000' I think most of the storms are quite cold.....

Comments

[anonymous]

Great Stuff!
Great entry guys, thanks! It would'nt have been complete w/o the shot of the head! - Drew