Tibet arrival

 

(Despised Chinese statue in front of summer park palace grounds with the untrue words :The City of Happiness)

 

(Thousand year old doors opening up to the real Tibet)

 

We stopped all alcohol consumption and drank gallons of water. We bulked up on carbs. And placed the few warm clothes at the top of our suitcase. Altitude sickness is very unpleasant we were told and taking aspirins helps thin your blood. We were advised, after arrival in Lhasa, not to take a shower the first morning, as opened pores seem to have negative effects. Don't understand why.

(Welcome to Lhasa Tibet the old Downtown)

We were ready for Lhasa, situated at 12000 ft/3650 m in the Himalaya range. As the plane doors opened, the cold weather was the first noticeable change.

 

(Yamdrok Lake at 4441m/14600ft. In The distance snowcapped Nyenchen Kangsar mountain at the foot of the 8844m/29000ft mt Everest beyond the clouds)

 

(Climbing -seemingly forever- the Potala Palace steps as millions of pilgrims did before)

Walking to our guide's car made us realize, that the air was thinner. Google says, that the oxygen is 68 percent dense here, compared with sea level oxygen. In China, Google is blacklisted, so I had to wait till I was in Amsterdam, before I could get pertinent data that would be of interest. The highest we got was a trip to a holy lake passing Kampa La pass at 15000ft/4600 m.

To get into Tibet, using a Tibetan travel agency instead of a Chinese one, I visited a Dalai Lama site, from where I found a reference to a 100 percent owned Tibetan agency. Now that we have returned from Tibet, I realize more fully, how difficult it is for Tibetan businesses to survive in todays TAR (Tibetan Autonomous Region), a very tightly controlled area, showing police and military presence everywhere on the streets in downtown Lhasa, where we were having our lodgings, (and that is a story in itself).

 

(Chinese presence is obvious)

Lhasa has been inundated by Han Chinese, who receive tax credits to move there. They also get first pick on jobs in a vastly changing physical landscape, because of the billions of yuan in construction and infra structure spent by the Chinese central government. And by the way, the Chinese can not understand why the Tibetans are not grateful for all that improvement.

 

(Above and below a new city arises to house immigrant Chinese in order to dilute the Tibetan population)

 

The ratio of a 80-20 Tibetan to Chinese population, as published by the official Chinese Bureau of Statistics, is in reality, in actual numbers, more like 40-60 in the capital Lhasa. The new airport and new railway brings more and more Chinese to Tibet.

(In the front Tibetan pilgrims clockwise circle the ancient holy Potala Palace, in the back the new Chinese "celebration plaza" for "show of might" demonstrations)

A complete new modern town arose on the east side of town, where police presence is minimal, since no Tibetans live and work there.

 

It is my intention to write a second blog about the Chinese Tibetan controversy, as I think the subject is not being raised enough and international awareness is more than needed, although I realize, while writing this, that my limited readership will not lead to any change in today's political landscape or more accurately not lead to much more "international awareness" for that matter.

 

(Building a tunnel toward new airport on a brand new interstate)

As said, our guide, Tashi and driver Dob Dum picked us up from the airport and we drove almost 2 hours to our hotel, because a direct road was blocked, as a new tunnel to make the trip in 45 minutes was creating this detour.

 

(Driving the old road from the airport around the mountain with lake below)

 

 

(A dam provides water for more commercial agriculture kolkchoz style)

The landscape is barren, bare brown grey mountains, low willow like trees and farming done in a kolkchoz type fashion by various farmers. A new dam has greatly improved conditions here.

Our driver is very much concerned about driving below the posted speed limits. Everywhere are cameras installed and apparently the fines are substantial. At certain spots drivers alight and report to military before they proceed on the road. Apparently they need to reach the next post within a certain time range and not be late or an interrogation will result. Every house we pass flies a Chinese flag as "ordered" by the authorities, flanked by multi color Tibetan prayer flags. In front of the Tibetan homes we pass we see piles of Yak dung nicely shaped in round discs and dried to be used as "firewood" for heating and cooking. Tibetans take the circle of life philosophy very seriously in all aspects of life.

 

(Pilgrims stretch out outside the Jokhang temple in downtown Lhasa)

 

(Police offices like this with Chinese flag on top are dotted all over the old town, prettified to blend in)

To enter the city of Lhasa all residents need to show their resident cards and we our travel permit. Our guide called it "alien travel permits", that is where we come from.

 

(Tibetan lake fish for sale)

The next 5 days, these two guys were driving us to sights with Tibetan historical importance. The daily stories we were hearing, often created more confusion than enlightment, and as you may know, "enlightment" is the final goal to attain for every practicing Buddhist. And let me tell you, we now believe, that every Tibetan is a practicing Buddhist, since we witnessed the pilgrim masses during our visits to the holy places.

 

(The seemingly unending stream of pilgrims circling the holy Potala Palace below)

 

 

(Everyday we were here - there they were circling the Potala palace)

 

(Thousands of pilgrims from all over Tibet, circling clockwise the holy sites, were literally "paying" homage to their gods.)

 

(The yellow walls of the summer palace also residence of the present Dalai Lama before going into exile)

 

(The park like setting with multiple temples and benches with ladies inviting us to tea)

 

 

(Wall paintings with deer seeking wisdom and enlightment)

 

 

(On the grounds of the summer palace this building in which the present Dalai Lama studied)

The pilgrims carry bundles of five and ten cents bills which they liberally offer on Buddha statues and other holy spots in the monasteries. They also carry flasks of yak butter or a kind of paraffin, which they pour on plates with burning candles to keep them burning.

 

(The daunting view of Potala before we started our climb - we were pleased to notice that Tibetan pilgrims also often stopped regaining breath)

 

(The highest building on top of the palace - residence of the Dalai Lama's)

 

(Pilgrims struggling upwards just like us)

 

(Another picture of the despised display of Chinese might in front of the holy Potala Palace)

The statues are idols with relics inside of them, otherwise, so told our guide, they would be just statues and not holy images of their gods. We were told that the winter allows farmers the time to do their often annually repeated pilgrimage, and we were visiting during the busy season for pilgrims, who do the hundred plus, and for some of them a thousand plus, kilometer walk, prostrating themselves every few steps along the way, to Lhasa and the Potala palace as well as its nearby monasteries.

 

(A few hundred miles outside Lhasa we encountered pilgrims on their way - prostrating themselves every few steps)

 

(Above pilgrim tent for overnight stays on the road to Lhasa, and below local hitch hiking or maybe local taxi, by the way in the other direction)

 

We were gawked at by the pilgrims, many of them seeing "white people" for the first time, children call "hello" all the time, seemingly the only word they know, even grownups try that word on us.

This blog abruptly ends here as we had publishing problems. So please read the next sequel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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