A VISIT TO THE VILLAGES NEAR SHIGATSE

Shigatse nearby Villages 

Today we will be visiting some local villages in the country side.  I know I will really enjoy this day. Weather is cool and sky is clear. 

I should also mention a flashlight is a great thing to have as the hotels can be dark and light switches are elusive. 

We were up and outside the door of the restaurant when the doors opened. We had breakfast with most of the drivers and staff. Rice porridge and a meat like SPAM, coffee and steam buns, which are locally known as Mo Mo.  After breakfast we walked about and found another market area. 

We struck out from the hotel at 0900 and made our way to the Narthang  Monastery. The areas we are visiting are rural, agricultural villages. This area could be considered the bread basket of Tibet.  Here we walked the streets as the yaks and tractors made their way to the fields. This monastery is small and old and housed some very interesting items. I found the wooden printing blocks used to print their scriptures amazing. These print blocks are about 30 inches long and 8 inches wide. We learned they were hand carved and it took about a week to carve each one.  These items survived the cultural revolution by the local folks hiding them. I very much enjoyed this intimate monastery. 

Our next stop was a local residence. Here we were greeted by the Grandmother, who was at home watching the grand children and overseeing the household. These residences usually house three generations of the extended family. The outside courtyard contained sheep, chickens and several cows and a dog and cat. These houses are designed so the first floor can be a barn in the winter for their livestock which provide heat for the house. The cooking and heating all come from one stove in the kitchen area, which is fueled by the yak dung patties.  There is one room in each house that is used as a chapel where their religious items are displayed. I was amazed at the intricate woodwork and paintings on the walls.  There were bags of sheep and yak wool and a spinning wheel to turn the wool into yarn. 

We next ascended towards  the  Ngor Monastery.  The vehicles were stopped about 1K from the monastery and we walked up to the monastery at 13,500 feet. We were greeting in the parking lot by our cook truck. It was a perfect mountain day with the sun shinning providing warmth and the wind provided ever so slightly cooling light breeze. The best item on todays lunch was a Yak Mo Mo that tasted wonderful and if one added a bit of a hot paste they were excellent.  

 This monastery was founded in 1429 by  Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo, a scholar from the Sakya Monastery. This monastery was completely destroyed during  the cultural revolution it has been brought back to life, housing about 40 monks. 

We returned to Shigatse and as it was early we went to the market we had discovered this morning. Here we bought some prayer beads, glass beads for Lynn called Djo, and a yak halter with several bells for The Boys (The Boys are our Malamutes, Kenai and Sitka).  It was a market where bargaining is expected. We chose our items and asked for a price, usually displayed on a hand held calculator. One is handed the calculator so as to make a counter offer.  Thus starts the bargaining process , we were successful in negotiating a price from 450 Yuan or RMB to 150 RMB.  The lady we were bartering with made this a fun experience as we both laughed at each others offers. After I would make a very low offer she would pat me on the back and laugh. After our business was completed the next door vendor latched onto Lynn in an effort to sell us more items.

We have returned to our room and cleaned up and got some laundry done. Awaiting our briefing and dinner.  

Morning Shigatse Traffic 

Wooden Print Blocks 

Drying Yak Dung 

On The Road to Shigatse

To Shigatse : 

Our evening at the Gyangze Hotel was nice, a very tasty meal and warm bed. We showered in the morning and it did take a bit for the water to get warm. Internet is only available in the lobby. 

 Gyangze is a town in the southern Tibet Autonomous Region of western China. It is situated on the Nianchu River some 53 miles (86 km) southeast of Xigaze. Gyangzê is an important route centre for traffic from Lhasa to India, Bhutan, the western Tibetan region, and Ladakh, part of the eastern Kashmir region.

Situated above the town is the Dzong or Fortress. This was used by the early Chinese and later the British in the 1900’s.  

Below the Dzong is the magnificent tiered Kumbum of the Palcho Monastery. The Kumbum was commissioned by a Gyangtse prince in 1427 and was an important centre of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. This religious structure contains 77 chapels in its six floors, and is illustrated with over 10,000 murals, many showing a strong Nepali   influence, which have survived almost entirely intact. They are the last of its kind to be found in Tibet. Many of the restored clay statues are of less artistry than the destroyed originals - but they are still spectacular.

We boarded our vehicles for the drive to Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet. This route took us through a wide agrarian valley. We saw many of the fields being plowed by horse, yak and tractor. The farmers decorate the harnesses of the horses and yaks to make the animal feel good so they will work hard.  

We made a few stops along the way. The first was at a water powered grain mill. Here is where the local farmers bring their barley to be ground into flour.  I bought a bag of roasted barley and soy bean mix for snack food. 

The next stop was at at a Tibetan Mastiff kennel. There were probably 30 dogs and two litters of puppies. They seemed to enjoy our visit. 

We then arrived at our hotel in Shigatse where we had lunch and checked into our room. The room was amazingly ornate as is the hotel in general. While these properties are fairly new and overall nice, the mechanical (heat and water system) is lacking. A minor inconvenience to us, and we are loving these stays. 

Next we make a very short drive to the Tashihumpo Monastery. This is one of the few monasteries in Tibet to weather the stormy seas of the Cultural Revolution, Tashilhunpo remains relatively unscathed. It is a real pleasure to explore the busy cobbled lanes twisting around the aged buildings. The monastery is now the largest functioning religious institution in Tibet and one of its great monastic sights. The huge golden statue of the Future Buddha is the largest gilded statue in the world.

From the entrance to the monastery, visitors get a grand view. Above the white monastic quarters is a crowd of ochre buildings topped with gold – the tombs of the past Panchen Lamas. 

As we started to explore the various buildings, we saw a lot of photos of the ninth, 10th and 11th Panchen Lamas. The ninth Panchen Lama is recognizable by his little mustache. The 11th Panchen Lama is the disputed Chinese-sponsored lama, now in his early 20s.

The tombs of the various Panchen Lamas are simply amazing and the fee to take photos is very high. Thus no photos were taken. 

After this visit we walked back to the hotel and stopped in one shop and bought three dohje, which are a protection from evil charm, one for each vehicle and one for our camper. 

Back at the hotel we quickly finished our laundry. Our evening briefing was about the history of Buddhism to help us put our visit to these magnificent temples into perspective. I must say I am very moved by visiting these places. 

  

Tomorrow we will be visiting several local villages. 

Puppies 

Yak dung patties formed and placed on a wall. They will be used later for cooking and heat. 

Hotel Murals 

      

On the Road To Gyangtse

Traveling to Gyangtse: 

Yesterday I purchased some Prayer Flags for the Adventures Club.  The colors of the Prayer Flags are representative as follows: Blue is for the Sky, White is for the Clouds, Red is for Fire, Yellow is Earth and then Green is for Water.  

Briefing: Peter spoke about the geology of the Himalayas and how they were formed from the  

 Indian Plate and the Euro Asia plate. These tectonic plates are composed of the same material and thus one would not slide under the other. Thus, these two plates are basically stacked upon on each other, causing this area to have such great elevation.   Next the various critters we may see were discussed and we need to keep a sharp eye out.   

Tomorrow is Yam’s birthday so we celebrated with a cake this evening. Yes the cake was early because the future evening dining cake availability was an uncertain proposition. The cake we did have was great. 

After dinner we boarded our bus and arrived at the Potala Palace right at dusk. We walked along across the street taking photos as darkness approached. The Potala Palace is very impressive at night. 

After our breakfast, Lynn and I decided to do our morning walkabout and found a really nice trail by the river.  We arrived back at the hotel, got our bags out and meandered to our meeting point. 

Today, and from here on,  we are in a Buick Mini Van. There are two clients per van, a driver and a guide.  On these long touring days we have scheduled bathroom breaks every two  hours. As there are limited facilities available, a separate vehicle drives ahead and sets up two bathroom tents.

Our drive today takes us from Lhasa to Gyangtse which should take about 8 hours and we are traveling over three very high passes. The first pass we cross in Kumba La at 4890 meters. Here on the summit we have a great vista over Yamdrok Lake’s turquoise waters and high snow covered peaks in the background. At the summit there are local folks who have yaks and Tibetan Massifs for you to ride and or pet for a fee, Lynn rode the yak. From the pass summit, we made our way down to the lake where our lunch tent and been set up shoreside for our lunch. 

After lunch we drove around the lake and were able to see Pika and Blacked neck cranes. Granted the crane were at great distance. Next we ascended to the summit of Karo La pass at 5010 meters. Here we took a short walk across the summit. Back in the car we continue to look for Blue Sheep and soon we spot a group grazing along the road. We then cross over Simi La Pass and make our way into Gyangtse. 

We stop at the Gyangtse Hotel where we get checked in and hope the hot water and heaters work. The lobby of this motel is amazing. From the back side of the hotel there is a goat and sheep herd tending to the landscaping. Lynn and I walked about the town as it is the third largest city in the Tibetan region. The local shops seemed to consist of motorbike shops, mini marts, dry goods stores and local restaurants, We stopped at a local bakery for some pre breakfast as the dining room will not open till 0830. 

After dinner we returned to our room and got ready for bed after doing our evening chores. 

Black Necked Cranes , form afar 

Pika

Blue Sheep 

Lynn on a Yak 

Lunch tent

Hotel Lobby

A day at Ganden Monastery at 14,000

Ganden Monastery 

Before I start today events I need to back up and tell a bit more about the Potala Palace visit, some basic visit information I wish to share.  First, most of the Palaces and Temples are controlled by the Government and it is they who collect the entry fees. The Monasteries etc, receive offerings from the Pilgrims who visit the site. These offerings are left at the various stations of the Temples.  The Pilgrims can be seen carrying large thermos bottles, 2 liters and larger. These are full of yak butter fat which is offered by being placed in the large burning butter candles. These candles are more like a large bowl with 7 wicks. The pilgrims also travel the Kora, this is a clock wise circumnavigation of the Temple. Here prayer wheels are spun as they walk and some will prostrate themselves on the ground every so many steps.  

Potala Palace is also the residence from which the current Dali Llama fled from to enter exile in 1959. 

Some of the temples and monasteries were destroyed during the cultural revolution and have since been rebuilt. I can not help but believe the current Chinese Government has seen the value of the tourist dollar, and the value of the Chinese citizen tourist market.  

I thoroughly relish the Bakhor Market. This is such a hub of the daily life. I believe we can learn so much about the day to day life of the local folks. 

Peter’s evening briefing talk was about the ascent of Everest, the time planning and preparation and thoughts of reaching the summit. He was interviewed via satellite phone by his local newspaper when he reached the summit. In an hypoxic euphoria he answered the one question of what it was like to follow in his fathers footsteps. He thought “that question again”, and then answered, “I have looked all over and can not find any of his footprints anywhere”.  Well played,  well played.

We were up at at um at 0530, wow we slept in, had breakfast and then did our morning walkabout. This morning we found a local park. The local parks here in China have exercise equipment, very much like a fitness trail in the US, but these seem to have many more stations designed for stretching.  We did our morning exercises and are getting things together for the day, making sure we have warmer clothes. Yet today the sun is shinning and nary a cloud in the sky.  

Ganden Monastery 

Tsongkhapa (the founder of the Gelugpa sect) selected Mt. Drokri as the site of a monastery that he named Ganden, meaning “Pure Land of Tushita.” Within a year, 70 buildings were constructed, but the main assembly hall was not completed until 1417. Ganden is one of the most spectacular sacred sites in Tibet as well as one of the most tragic. 1959 and 1966 this site fell victim to artillery fire and bombing. There was a riot in 2002 and the site was turned into a police and military post. This site site felt the hard hand of the Red Guard due to it’s religious and political significance. One must realize after the 4th Dali Llama the 5th Dali Llama be came both a religious and government entity. Though the original complex was destroyed, the reconstruction has yielded exquisite temples. 

We boarded our bus and made a 1 hour drive to the Ganden Monastery at 14,000 feet. At the Monastery, some of us walked the Lower Kora which is about 3K. This route starts with a climb of a little over 100 feet and the the trail is basically flat with some up and down area. This provided us views of the valley and many spots where people have made areas of worship. Along the route we passed a Sky Burial site. A Sky Burial is where a persons remains are chopped up and offered to the vultures and thus one continues the circle of life.  We were told it looked like the site was in the process of being prepared for a burial. Located next to this site was a cremation site and there were remains being cremated. It was a beautiful walk. 

When we arrived back at the monastery it was about noon and the monks were gathering in the Assembly Hall for their noon gathering. Here they were chanting and being fed. The fee to take pictures was 20RMB or about $3 USD. It was very very dark inside the assembly hall. 

After this visit we made our way back to our bus and drove to a local park where our lunch had been prepared. We had a dining tent and a great lunch laid out before us. This traveling kitchen will be following us through out our time in Tibet. 

After lunch we returned to the hotel to clean up and do laundry before we gather for our 6:30 briefing. After dinner this evening we will be making an evening visit to the Potala Palace. Should be some good photo ops. 

YAK

Sky Burial Site is the gold top table and the Crematorium is to the right 

Lynn the Trekker 

Griffen Vultures above the Sky Burial Site. 

Ganden Monastery at 14,000

Pilgrams to the monastery will feed the stray dogs 

Our lunch tent with will be following us in Tibet.