Up we go: Potala Palace, Friday, 10/16/15

But first, in the shadow of the great palace, the people of Lhasa meet each morning to dance, men and women both, and our group joined in, or at least we watched.  I recorded several videos, but haven't figured out how to post them.  Their dancing is lively, as they step to recorded music, more like line dancing.  Hundreds gather, and they seem happy and proud as they move to native tunes.  Bernice and I tried a few steps, and then I retreated to film.  It's a marvelous way to begin the day!

Bernice (center in red) did all right!  Left of this picture, was the real crowd. 

Oh, I wish you could see the videos.

Who could resist their photo taken with this golden guy?

Sheila, Joanne and Marilyn near the plaza.

We'd all been looking forward to exploring the Potala Palace, seat of the Dalai Lama and one of the most awe-inspiring princely residences and palaces in the world.  At 12,300 ft above sea level at its highest point, this amazing palace has the honor of being the highest palace in the world.

Look at this incredible, breathtaking, and historical UNESCO World Heritage treasure built on a red hill ... it's the landmark symbol of Tibet! It consists of many houses, chapels, and is regarded as one of the most beautiful architectural buildings in the world. The general structure is two parts -- the Red Palace and the White Palace. Housed within are artifacts from Tibetan history, religion and culture. Statues of Buddha, murals and works of art grace every area of this mountaintop palace.

For us it was the culmination of our Tibetan visit. We'd been advised, even before we left the states, that walking shoes would be necessary and walking sticks helpful to climb 458 steps up the palace. It's a one-way trip; the entrance is in the front and the exit is in the back. Most of our group was willing.

According to Wikipedia, "The building measures 400 meters east-west and 350 meters north-south, with sloping stone walls averaging 3 meters thick, and 5 meters (more than 16 ft) thick at the base, and with copper poured into the foundations to help proof it against earthquakes. Thirteen stories of buildings -- containing over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and about 200,000 statues -- soar 384 ft on top of Marpo Ri, the "Red Hill," rising more than near 1,000 ft in total above the valley floor." Over 1,000 rooms and painted white by the faithful every year!!!

The stone steps were very steep and our walking sticks really helped.

We climbed, huffing and puffing, and our group met up here (along with others), and once inside, using our cameras was prohibited (though okay outside)  More taboos of Tibetan Buddhism -- no hat or sunglasses, don't step on the door sill (up and over), don't smoke in the halls.  The visit time is strictly limited to one hour.  Those dark "curtain" panels?  Made of yak hair.  Reading the brief introduction below will give you more information.

Absolutely stunning inside, trust me on this.

The view of Lhasa and surrounding mountains, matchless.

No, we weren't finished with those steps ... now we had to go down!

Simply, Wow.

I didn't write down where we ate our lunch, but I know we were hungry after all that exercise. When lunch was finished, back on the bus! Next was a talk/demonstration of traditional Thangka paintings by a Master's student, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Following this we met with a doctor practicing traditional Tibetan medicine in a hospital (Mentsekhang) located close to Potala Palace on busy Barkhor Street. Using Thangka wall hangings (charts), he pointed out that Tibetan medicine has a close relationship to the Tibetan calendar, and that local doctors believe the body changes with the seasons. This entire day was a revelation!

And lastly, after our farewell dinner at the DeKang Hotel in Tibet, we were entertained by dancers and even a (costumed) prancing yak ... and, by gum, we joined in the celebration! What a wonderful country with beautiful sites and gentle people, guided by their Buddhist religion. We have loved visiting the "rooftop of the world."

Tomorrow, after breakfast, we fly to Nepal ...!

Off to see a Village (etc., of course) Thurs, 10/15/15

Oh yea, what a good way to begin a day: Sleeping in ... 10 blissful hours of much-needed sleep! After a delicious breakfast of Tsampa, a made-to-order omelet and hash browns, I was ready, and we hit the ground running! What a fun day we had!

By our bus, we traveled out of the city to a small local village in the nomadic grasslands, to see how rural Tibetans live. Barley is a staple crop in Tibet and it was harvest time. Pastoral families raise yak, sheep, goats and horses. You know everyone in our group wanted to see a yak! Because it's grazing season, we saw lots of 'em -- big, shaggy-looking cows with horns. Our first stop, after an hour of driving, was a potty break. More about bathrooms in a different post, but when nature calls, you take what you get.

This very cute li'l fellow was the son of the family where we stopped to use the facilities.  I wished I'd taken a picture of the building, but didn't.  In the distance, left, is a cluster of buildings and that's our rural destination.

With much grinding of gears, our bus made it up to the village.

We were graciously invited inside the above-lady's home, and served yak butter tea and steamed buns (momo's) light, fluffy, cheesy and quite good. The tea was another matter; most of us sipped a bit and left the rest ... it is an acquired taste. Honored guests like us sat in the best room in the house: their prayer room with icons, "gold" paint (gilded), an abundance of color, pleated valances and Buddha images. Color is everywhere in Lhasa! My camera failed utterly at capturing an indoor shot because of the brilliant light from the window. Our guide did some question/answer translating for us.

Electric is now in the village, but most heat by using yak dung (not many trees at this elevation). Across from the village is a high-speed train, but the villagers themselves are not much different from 100 years ago (or more) in dress, manners, and hard work, tho electricity has eased their work/burdens a lot. We kindly thanked our hostess, and some of us left a tip for her hospitality.

Jimmy and Irwin sampling the tea and momos.
Jimmy kinda liked her butter tea.

Winnowing, using old-fashioned methods, was taking place: Separating the grains from the chaff, creating lots of dust! Like stepping back in time. The saying, "it takes a village?" True here, the entire village had turned out to work the harvest. We walked around some, trying to avoid the dust, and then it was back on the bus for a picnic lunch not far away.

Lunch time in a tent among the yaks (and a few dogs).

Our first course was a tasty pumpkin soup.  Tibetan pumpkins are green on the outside and look like watermelons, but orange on the inside like our western pumpkins.  Already prepared for us, this was a feast in a tent -- and we enjoyed every dish!  Then it was back out to the fields to study up on yaks! We had a lovely morning!

Some of the yaks wanted to get up close and personal.  The winged-looking contraption on the right is a solar tea-kettle warmer, which we're seeing from the back.  Our guides sitting at right had to shoo the yak cows and young'uns away ... I think they were looking for hand-outs!

Modern trains zip by.

This water delivery system made me grateful for bottled water.

Back on the bus, prayer flags adorn a bridge.

After lunch, we stopped in at the Lhasa Canggu Nunnery and the Tibet Museum.  

(I had nothing but trouble with loading photos into my new Surface Pro computer, plus none of our electronic devices knew we'd crossed the International Dateline, so they had no clue what the date was, any more than I did. Our printed itinerary differed from what we actually did each day and by now my note-taking was abysmal ... so this is my way of saying I'm not positive we went to the Nunnery today or yesterday or tomorrow, but we did go! And I can't find half my photos taken here.)

The Canggu Nunnery is the only Buddhist Nunnery in Lhasa, and at present houses approx 100 nuns. Look at the wonderfully decorated door below!

I did not want to invade her space, so I surreptitiously took this photo from afar.  Sitting in the sun, the elderly nun has her beads and her prayer wheel.  I love this picture.

Kitty cats they had!

The Tibet Museum was interesting, as most museums are.

It's a beautiful building, as you can see (below).

The museum is home to a rich collection of cultural relics, antique thangkas, scriptures, costumes and folk art. We spent roughly an hour here, and then it was back to the hotel. All our days have been full from morning till dinnertime.

Tomorrow is the big day:  Climbing up to the Potala Palace!

Sacred Jokhang Temple and Sera Monastery, Wednesday, 10/14/15

Built in the 7th Century, Jokhang Temple in the heart of Lhasa is the holiest site in Tibetan Buddhism, attracting crowds of prostrating pilgrims and curious foreign tourists like ourselves. We'd been told on the bus about the large square and the devoted Buddhists that come from all areas, but no one could have prepared me for this unforgettable day. We saw the faithful, most in native dress, circling clockwise as they approached the two smoking incense kilns, throwing bits of greenery (I guess incense), some adding tiny cups of water for more smoke. Many carried spinning prayer wheels. This is a very holy place; dedicated come from afar to partake of this religious celebration, even young people with "selfies."

Women wearing horizontally-striped aprons are married.

I love this little guy.

This lady is Jimmy's favorite pic.

They came to offer themselves to Buddha, to worship.

We saw sweet-faced swaddled babies carried by their parents. All ages came, moving slowly like a languid river of people. Some chanted softly. Quite a few carried thermoses which we discovered held liquid butter to pour (little bits) in candle-lit troughs inside the temple, paying homage. We watched, enthralled, yet feeling like intruders on a sacred rite, or maybe it was just me. Friendly eyes found ours and smiles sometimes met ours as we joined in the procession.

Our group entered the temple's interior, no hats or photos allowed, merging with the masses. No pushing, no shoving. It was a dark labyrinth of chapels, illuminated only by the candles and smoky from incense, with more than 3,000 images of Buddha and other deities. Paper money was placed at various Buddha images or icons, or stuffed into cracks, thrown over a railing. People told their beads as they shuffled forward.

Jokhang Temple has three floors: The first floor is a courtyard and after crossing a threshold, we were inside. The second floor has additional smaller temple rooms with many different faces of Buddha. On the third floor, photos are allowed. We looked down into the courtyard and even into the large square; it seemed as though the crowd had thinned.

Gilt roofing of the Jokhang.

That's Jimmy's listening device - aka "whisper" around his neck. 

Irwin, Bernice, Joanne, Marilyn, Hu Lin, Mary, Bob, Jimmy, and Sheila,
and yours truly taking the picture.

Dharma wheel flanked by golden deer.

Jokhang Temple is also part of UNESCO's World Heritage List,
as an extension the Potala Palace (background).

After our remarkably moving morning, we walked to our lunch spot nearby.  The food was quite good, and as usual, there's always discussion about what we're eating, mostly guesswork.  99% of it was tasty.  And rice shows up at every meal!  This picture almost looks like a Norman Rockwell painting!

This morning I tried a traditional Tibetan breakfast staple: Tsampa, which is a scoop of barley flour, a spoonful of yak cheese bits, a dab of sugar and mixed with yak butter tea. Oh yeah! I called it gruel, but it was pretty good, good enough for me to have the next morning! I'll leave out the impolite comments Jimmy and my friends had to say about it.

So went our morning!  After lunch our group shopped around at the Barkhor Bazaar.  Jimmy and I splurged on an extraordinary Thangka mandala, featuring the compassionate Buddha.

Next we drove to Sera Monastery (which our guides pronounce:  moe-NAH-stir-ee), walking the grounds, turning prayer wheels. We were in luck because monks sitting on benches and dressed in red robes and yellow-crested headgear were chanting in the Great Hall.  We were allowed to walk quietly inside (sans hats and cameras) around the periphery, listening as they repeated their chant.  When they finished, we returned to our outdoor exploration.

Anyone can turn the prayer wheels.

The young monk on the left was assisting the older monk to his residence.

This monastery has quite a history.  The numbers vary depending on who you talk to or which site you visit online, but the monastery no longer houses as many as it used to prior to the 1959 cultural rebellion. Visiting the monastery was another other-worldly experience for us.

Back to the hotel, Jimmy and I fell into bed for a "quick nap," and awoke at 6:15, just in time for our 6:30 dinner. I personally like the food (most of it); it's quite different from what I'm used to. I'm not afraid to try something new. The two beds are comfy, but the real draw is the clean, white comforters, filled with soft material designed to keep us toasty. We have no central heat in our room, but the management brought in a small electric heater to ward off morning and evening chills. What a day! We fell into those beds at 8:30 again, dead to the world. 

Another exciting day awaits us tomorrow!