Tibet: Lhasa - Jokhang, Barkhor, Potala and Sera
Lhasa is the holy city of Tibet. Prior to the Chinese coming into Tibet, it was the home of the Dalai Lamas. Central to the spiritual faith of the Tibetan Buddhist is the Jokhang Temple. Construction started in 647 AD. It commemorates the marriage of the Tang princess Wencheng to King Songtsen Gampo.
Two days a week, admission is free. It is on this day that the palace is flooded with pilgrims from
across Tibet. Queued for hours, they push and jostle through the incense fills chambers of the Palace. While not for the claustrophobic soul, this is the time to truly experience the worship and faith of the Tibetan people. Outside the palace, pilgrims prostrate themselves on mats. Perhaps more enlightening is to see the faith on display from the pilgrims who prostrate themselves every step of the kora - the pilgrimage circuit of the Barkhor, a clockwise circuit around the Temple. With leather aprons, wooden blocks on their hands, and possibly pads on their knees, the prostrating pilgrims pray, clap their hands, and fall forward, sliding yards around the circuit.
Despite the free admission, there is plenty of money flying around. Whether in a small temple like those we visited in Tsetang, or in these large palaces, worshipers and pilgrims exchange larger notes for stacks of 1 jiao notes (0.1 yuan approximately worth US$0.013). The jiao notes are made in offering to the various buddha, lamas, gods, and guardians. At the largest temples, you'll come upon monks counting and sorting piles and piles of notes. It looks like a lot of money, yet when you look at maintaining 14th century buildings with all of the statues, paying for all of the utilities, and clothing and feeding the monks and support staff, it remains a hard life.
Lining the circuit are shops, stalls, and teahouses. The pilgrims include monks from various sects, Khambas who braid their hair with red yarn, and Golok women with incredible ornate braids.
Potala Palace was once the seat of the government of Tibet, and
continues (despite the presence of cameras and microphones) to represent the hope of self-government. It was the winter residence of the Dalai Lamas.
The palace was built in the 7th century and extended in the 17th century to its present size. At 13 stories high (with no elevators), the stairs of the palace represent a test of acclimatization to the altitude. We were happy enough to face it at the end, rather than the beginning of our trip.
Like many things in Tibet, access to the palace is heavily controlled. Having a guide arrange for passes is the best option. Gaden was hopeful that the palace would not be too busy on the day of our arrival and we could get in early (and have more time to visit). But then waiting is the name of the game in Tibet. During high season, visits are limited to one hour, so getting in early is good if possible.
Tim can't resist the "modeling" that goes on with the attractive asian young women. Somehow the rest of us couldn't reach the same standard of pose, despite our best attempts.
Sera monastery is a must-do in the afternoons. The monastery was founded in 1419. Once housing over 5000 monks, the monastery is now home to 600. Visit
in the afternoon and witness the unique style of training and education.
Questions are put to the learner with an open hand. Answers pondered and given. Discussion ensues. Wrong answers get another kind of clap. Correct answers a different hand signal. The courtyard filled with listeners, questioners and watchers reverberates with clapping, learning and discussion. In listening closely to one pair, Gaden's comment was "it is hard!" With no texts on hands, what a great way to learn for both student and teacher.
Filled to the brim with monasteries, temples and palaces, we skipped Drepung, leaving that for our next Tibetan Expedition.
Link back to the beginning of the October 2007 Tibet trip at: Planning for Tibet, Arriving in Tibet and Off to Tsetang, Tibet Day 2: Tsetang Tibet Day 2: Journey to Samye, Tibet Day 3: Road to Gyantse - Yamdrok-Tso Lake and Tibet Day 3: Continuing on the Road to Gyantse, Day 4: Gyantse - Pelkor Choede and Kumbum Chorten, Tibet Day 4: Shigatse and Tashilhunpo, and Tibet Day 5: Enroute to Final Stop - Lhasa
Link forward to Tibet: Lhasa Experiences
Labels: Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Potala Palace, Sera Monastery, Tibet
Tibet Day 4: Shigatse and Tashilhunpo
Onward on the road to Shigatse, Tibet's second largest city and the traditional capital of the Tsang. The key place to visit in Shigatse is Tashilhunpo Monastery, the seat of the Panchen Lama. Here you can see the 85 ft high statue of Maitreya, the Future Buddha, covered in more than 600 lbs of gold.
Recalling that lamas are cremated and placed in tombs, this is the place to see numerous elaborate tombs of the various Panchen
Lamas. Panchen Lamas are any of the line of reincarnated lamas in Tibet, each of whom heads the influential Tashilhunpo and until recent times was second only to the Dalai-Lama in spiritual authority within the dominant Dge-lugs-pa sect of Tibetan Buddhism.
The walls of Tashilhunpo are unique - they are probably a meter thick and constructed of bundles of densely packed roots - something perhaps like juniper. Water and rot-resistant, this monastery built in 1447 should continue to house the "yellow hat" sect for many centuries to follow.
Overnight at the Manasarovar Hotel.
Link back to the beginning of the October 2007 Tibet trip at: Planning for Tibet, Arriving in Tibet and Off to Tsetang, Tibet Day 2: Tsetang Tibet Day 2: Journey to Samye, Tibet Day 3: Road to Gyantse - Yamdrok-Tso Lake and Tibet Day 3: Continuing on the Road to Gyantse, and Day 4: Gyantse - Pelkor Choede and Kumbum Chorten
Link forward to Tibet Day 5: Enroute to our Final Stop - Lhasa
Labels: Shigatse, Tashilhunpo, Tibet
Tibet Day 4: Gyantse - Pelkor Chode and Kumbum Chorten
Off after breakfast for the sights of Gyantse. The Dzong of Gyantse towers above the town. The dzong (a fort) contains an anti-British Imperialists museum. In 1904 Sir Francis Young-Husband led a British expeditionary force from India into Tibet & they set up camp in Gyantse Dzong, staying for several months before moving into Lhasa.
The British invasion was rife with cultural misunderstandings. The British didn't understand the burial rites of the Tibetans, so in the proper British fashion buried the Tibetan dead. The Tibetans horrified by this practice came later to dig up the bodies for sky burials. And then, the British took the injured Tibetans into their hospitals for treatment. How could they kill one day, and heal the next? Most confusing!
The Gyantse pachu monastery/Pelkor Chode was built in 1418 by a local chieftan and monk kadup gelake pasang (the first panchen lama). The monastery held stacks and stacks of books with Buddhist writing - both in Sanskrit and Tibetan.
The most notable building at the monastery is the Kumbum Chorten, a stupa built in 1427. With 9 tiers and 108 chapels, it is a key cultural relic. Each chapel contains numerous murals, painting and statues.
Gyantse is deemed by the tour books to be the Tibetan city with the least Chinese influence. Possibly true, though given time, that is sure to change. No doubt, wandering through the old parts of town would be interesting given the time.
More harvesting in this part of the country - this time hay - with fields filled with people and hay wagons filled to overflowing.
En route to Shigatse, we stopped at a local barley flour mill. Barley is roasted and then ground. The flour mixed with yak butter, known as tsampa, is a primary food
source for Tibetans. One of those
local dishes like porridge, poi, and grits that sticks to the ribs, and is an acquired taste to those not born to it.
Link back to the beginning of the October 2007 Tibet trip at: Planning for Tibet, Arriving in Tibet and Off to Tsetang, Tibet Day 2: Tsetang Tibet Day 2: Journey to Samye, Tibet Day 3: Road to Gyantse - Yamdrok-Tso Lake and Tibet Day 3: Continuing on the Road to Gyantse.
Link forward to Tibet Day 4: Shigatse and Tashilhunpo
Labels: Gyantse, Gyantse Dzong, Kumbum Chorten, Pelkor Chode, Tibet
Tibet Day 3: Continuing on the Road to Gyantse
The drive from Samye to Gyantse is long day, but well worth it. Of course, if you're bored, you can travel like Douglas ...
After leaving Yamdrok-Tso Lake and stopping for lunch, we headed through farming country. At the
beginning of October, the fields are full of people harvesting. Stopping to find out what was in the fields - "cow food", we found that sweet turnips were being harvested.
Farther along, we found a "real Tibetan factory" - the place where Potala incense was being made. Run-off streams were turned into
small outdoor milling operations. Something like sandalwood was being pounded and pulverized, and ultimately turned into incense sticks.
Amazing to find mountains giving way to sand dunes, as the river ran fast and narrow and then smoothed out into wide river valleys. The sand-boarding market opportunity remains untapped in the region!
Along the way, we passed sky burial sites. Extracted from travelchinaguide.com,
Stupa burial and cremation are reserved for high lamas who are being honored in death. Sky burial is the usual means for disposing of the corpses of commoners. The origin of sky burial remains largely hidden in Tibetan mystery.Sky burial is a ritual that has great religious meaning. Tibetans are encouraged to witness this ritual, to confront death openly and to feel the impermanence of life. Tibetans believe that the corpse is nothing more than an empty vessel. The spirit, or the soul, of the deceased has exited the body to be reincarnated into another circle of life. It is believed that the Drigung Kagyu order of Tibetan Buddhism established the tradition in this land of snow, although there are other versions of its origin.
The corpse is offered to the vultures. It is believed that the vultures are Dakinis. Dakinis are the Tibetan equivalent of angels. In Tibetan, Dakini means "sky dancer". Dakinis will take the soul into the heavens, which is understood to be a windy place where souls await reincarnation into their next lives. This donation of human flesh to the vultures is considered virtuous because it saves the lives of small animals that the vultures might otherwise capture for food.
Turning off the main road, we headed across the countryside to visit a farming village. While much has been done to improve conditions for people in towns, and farmers along the roadside, a large percentage of Tibetans live in harsh conditions with little, if any, government support to improve their lives.
A woman welcomed us to her home. You see the entrance, in which small animals could be housed, the kitchen blackened by years of smoke and oil. The walls and floor pounded earth. A magnificent Tibetan chest held most of the family's belongings.
With the furniture resting up against the packed earthen wall and sitting on the packed earth floor, the reasons for the state of Tibetan furniture brought into Shanghai becomes much clearer. It's a wonder there is much left to work with.
Reaching Gyantse, we stayed overnight at the Jianzang Hotel in rooms with private baths. Certainly adequate, though not exciting. Down the street with Gaden to another Tashi Restaurant - not as good as the one in Tsetang, or the Snowlands Restaurant in Samye. Breakfast at the little restaurant next door to the hotel ... love that Nescafe for breakfast!
See earlier postings at Planning for Tibet, Arriving in Tibet and Off to Tsetang, Tibet Day 2: Tsetang, Tibet Day 2: Journey to Samye and Tibet Day 3: Road to Gyantse - Yamdrok-Tso Lake
Link forward to Tibet Day 4: Gyantse Pelkor Choede and Kumbum Chorten
Labels: Gyantse, Jianzang Hotel, Tibet
Tibet Day 2: Journey to Samye Monastery
See the beginning of the trip at: Planning for Tibet, Arriving in Tibet and Off to Tsetang, and Tibet Day 2: Tsetang
Leaving Tsetang behind, we head back to the Yellow River (aka Yarlung Tsangpo, aka Brahmaputra) for our "ferry" ride to Samye. The ferry leaves from the southern shore when full, though clearly Gaden had a favorite driver in mind. So off through the shoreline mud we head to the last boat nearly ready to depart ... apart from the additional six foreigners!
Whether the boat was beyond capacity or not, we'll never know. Suffice it to say that there weren't 6 more life jackets to be had. Not a great loss, since the life jackets were well beyond the state of having any use - torn, ties ripped off and foam compressed beyond flotation.
The Yarlung River is wide, shallow, sand bar ridden and flowing
with a swift current. The journey was longer than it looked, as we wound west through the sand bars and then back to the east. We could imagine the problems if the boat were to overturn. Useless life jackets, Tibetans who probably don't know how to swim, layers of heavy wool clothes, frigid waters and a swift current. I took comfort in the prayers swirling around me, as prayer wheels spun.
In the meantime, the six of us gave plenty of entertainment to other passengers. From the silver hair of Judy and I, the hair on Douglas's legs, to the pictures
Tim was taking, the ride was more interesting than normal for all involved.
Perhaps that's why Gaden wanted our boat and driver, and not this one who had his own style to boat driving!
Somewhere along the journey, it would appear to be wise to pull a small cup from your robe, dip water out of the Yarlung River, drink it, and dowse your head. Or perhaps, that’s only wise if you’re a Tibetan Buddhist.
Loaded onto a bus with the other locals and visitors, we head to the Samye Monastery and town. The monastery was built between 750 and 779 AD by King Trisong Detsen, a great Indian master Shanirakshita, and the
Tantric adept Padmasambhava. This trio is remembered in Tibetan history as the "Abbott, Master and Dharma King". This is the first monastery of Tibet and considered to be the source of the "river of Tibetan Buddhism". It is place where Buddhist scriptures were first translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan.
The monastery is ringed by four large stupas - one each is white, red, black and green. A wall surrounds the entire complex, topped by 1028 stupas.
A Chinese town is being slowly built outside the walls of the monastery complex. It is here that you can find excellent food
(dinner and breakfast) at the English Snowlands Restaurant ("WE HAVE ANENGLISH MENV") . With the sun so strong in Tibet, fuel (frequently cow/yak pies) isn't wasted on boiling water - solar powered tea kettles were seen everywhere.
Accommodations are at the Monastery Guesthouse. Rooms were equipped with decent twin beds and blankets, easy chairs with shredded covers, a washstand
with two basins for washing, and a chamber pot. Showers are available in the ground floor bath - Tim
recommended not even looking. Toilets were at the most basic level, though moderately clean as these things go. I expect that the foreigners are routinely put on the top floor for a reason. Views were stunning as the sun set, and early in the morning at the brisk sunrise.
Back in the bus and off to the river for the journey back across the Yarlung River. Eschewing the loaded ferry, we headed to the empty boat with the driver "my friend". Here's Gaden enjoying the trip back across the river.
Link to Tibet Day 3: Road to GyantseLabels: Samye, Samye ferry, Tibet, Yarlung river
Planning for Tibet
In the run-up to our trip to Tibet, the biggest concern was about health and handling the altitude. I had heard all of the "bad trip" stories, from the people who end up canceling after a day or so, and flying home, those who spent a large part of their trip inhaling from oxygen containers, and one woman who spent most of the first night, and subsequent days battling the nausea induced by the altitude.
The new answer is to take the train from Beijing to Lhasa. It's a marvel of technology, crossing passes over 5000m in altitude, with pressurized cabins. And it is the first question everyone asks, "Did you take the train?" The travel time of 50 plus hours along with the pressurization allow a more gradual acclimatization then flying nearly directly from sea level in Shanghai to 3400 meters outside of Lhasa.
My answer is that while I'm sure that changing scenery on the train is incredible, I don't like being "stuck" on any form of transportation for over 2 days. Combine that with the rapid deterioration of public restrooms in many parts of the world, and particularly in China, the limited, and not gourmet, offerings of food on the train, and a basic time constraint, we flew.
The human body is not well adapted to transitioning rapidly from the oxygen and air pressure of sea level to > 3000 meters altitude. And so, after listening to all of the stories, I headed off to Worldlink to acquire Diamox. The doctor had traveled to Tibet and was knowledgeable about the drug. The bottom line is that the standard dose is one tablet 250 mg twice per day beginning on the day of departure. As it takes some time to work, it should be taken in advance. Or as the doctor suggested, you can wait and see how you feel. Perhaps taking one per day, or even, if needed, taking 4 to get the drug working. With the one week trip, she strongly advised continuing until two days after return - by no means stop at departure, or stopping while at altitude.
Buying the china-made drug here, I didn't get any of the warning information, which included a concern if you feel a "humming" in your body. Now according to the travel information people my brother-in-law talked with, that is a normal side effect, and certainly one all of us taking the Diamox experienced. Within the first hour of taking the first dose, you have a strange sensation of a physical buzz or hum throughout your whole body. While the level of the buzzing subsided some over the week of taking the Diamox, it was always a bit in the background. It was particularly noticeable when smaller muscles were put to work, most commonly when we were eating, when the whole area around the mouth would tingle. Or the morning we wanted a ways to breakfast, and found our lower legs and feet buzzing through the meal. Rather an interesting feeling. Now, I'm not giving medical advice or suggesting this isn't a side effect that should be concerning for some people; so do check that out for yourselves. As for me, Diamox allowed me to fly right to altitude, feel reasonably comfortable breathing (as long as I moved at a leisurely pace), and avoid headaches (except when I drank the Lhasa Beer).
And so, with drugs in hand and arrangements deftly made through
Tibetan Expeditions, six of us flew out of Shanghai on Sunday, Sept 30. Keep in mind that planes are pressurized to about 9000', on our descent into Lhasa we "climbed" an additional 2500'.
Link to Arriving in Tibet and Off to Tsetang
Labels: Diamox, Tibet, Tibetan Expeditions
Missing in Action and Tibet Tour Companies
To those of you who follow my Travel Blog, Thank you! You will have noticed a long gap between postings. I haven't disappeared or lost interest in this blog. It's merely that I headed back to the States for 8 weeks over the summer. I do have a few posts to do about the "home leave" experience, family pics, and so on and will get to those shortly.
In the meantime, a preview of future attractions. We'll be off to Suzhou for a short weekend stay. Been there on business a few times, but never to see the sights. It's a trip that long overdue and finally scheduled.
After that will be the October holidays in Tibet. Just a quick note on that. I started a process in May to identify a tour company to set up a private tour for 6 people. I sent off emails to 10 tour companies - 8 based in Lhasa (possibly with an office in Chengdu), 1 based in Beijing, and 1 based in Shanghai. Based on website information, I expected the foreign-owned China based operations to be substantially more expensive. What I hadn't expected was that they would be the ones to NOT respond to my email request for a proposal.
The statistics are within 1 day, I received replies from 6 of 8 Tibet-based tour companies. Within 4 days, I received replies from all 8 of the 8 Tibet-based tour companies. I never received replies from the Beijing and Shanghai based (high priced) tour companies. Did they somehow know that I closely evaluate the price-value ratio on tour proposals, and there's might not meet my standards? Or is it that the firms that cater to the (well-heeled) expats and partner with the big global tour companies only want you to follow their plan? Or perhaps, it's just that I got what I expected - low service and high cost.
Anyway, for the record, we are booked with
Tibetan Expeditions and I have my hopes pinned on a great trip. The other companies that I approached and who gave me a wide variety of interesting itinerary options were:
Tibet Family ToursShangrila ToursGreat Tibet TourTours of TibetAccess Tibet TourVisit TibetTibet Wind Horse AdventureLabels: Tibet, Tibetan Expeditions
Lhasa is the holy city of Tibet. Prior to the Chinese coming into Tibet, it was the home of the Dalai Lamas. Central to the spiritual faith of the Tibetan Buddhist is the Jokhang Temple. Construction started in 647 AD. It commemorates the marriage of the Tang princess Wencheng to King Songtsen Gampo.
Two days a week, admission is free. It is on this day that the palace is flooded with pilgrims from 
across Tibet. Queued for hours, they push and jostle through the incense fills chambers of the Palace. While not for the claustrophobic soul, this is the time to truly experience the worship and faith of the Tibetan people. Outside the palace, pilgrims prostrate themselves on mats. Perhaps more enlightening is to see the faith on display from the pilgrims who prostrate themselves every step of the kora - the pilgrimage circuit of the Barkhor, a clockwise circuit around the Temple. With leather aprons, wooden blocks on their hands, and possibly pads on their knees, the prostrating pilgrims pray, clap their hands, and fall forward, sliding yards around the circuit.
Potala Palace was once the seat of the government of Tibet, and
continues (despite the presence of cameras and microphones) to represent the hope of self-government. It was the winter residence of the Dalai Lamas.
Like many things in Tibet, access to the palace is heavily controlled. Having a guide arrange for passes is the best option. Gaden was hopeful that the palace would not be too busy on the day of our arrival and we could get in early (and have more time to visit). But then waiting is the name of the game in Tibet. During high season, visits are limited to one hour, so getting in early is good if possible.
Tim can't resist the "modeling" that goes on with the attractive asian young women. Somehow the rest of us couldn't reach the same standard of pose, despite our best attempts.
in the afternoon and witness the unique style of training and education. 
Questions are put to the learner with an open hand. Answers pondered and given. Discussion ensues. Wrong answers get another kind of clap. Correct answers a different hand signal. The courtyard filled with listeners, questioners and watchers reverberates with clapping, learning and discussion. In listening closely to one pair, Gaden's comment was "it is hard!" With no texts on hands, what a great way to learn for both student and teacher.
