Potala Palace

The following morning we were off to the Potala Palace! Ching picked us up from our hotel and took us to breakfast. I asked Ching if he was okay, since he looked really tired. He told us that the night before, he received a call from the hotel saying that his tourists needed help. So, at around 1am, Ching jumped on his scooter and drove to the hotel, only to find out it was a German group that needed their tour guide, not us. Poor guy. We assured him that if we needed him, we’d call ourselves. He looked pretty beat. We were a little disappointed when we realized we were having a western breakfast. We told him, from here on out, we only wanted local food. He wasn’t sure that was a good idea, but agreed. After breakfast, we walked to the Potala Palace. The building is huge and build on the side of the mountain.

Potala Palace

The elevation of Lhasa is 3700 metes or almost 12,000ft. The hundreds of steps needed to climb was tough, but again, thanks to our trekking, we were better off than most. Pictures were not allowed inside Potala, which was a bummer. However, after the first few rooms, they all looked the same. Buddhist statues everywhere of all shapes, sizes, and positions. There were some of the original paintings on the wall- all depicting Buddha, or telling stories of creation. Ching did a really great job of explaining the different Lamas buried, who was important, and who built what. What I remember most was the smells. Everything smelled old, dusty, earthy, and of course, of yak butter. The rooms are all dark with no windows. Since most of the rooms have an anteroom, the only light comes from the candles. There is no electricity, at least not for lights. The feeling of the place is solemn, mysterious, peaceful, yet troubled. It is indeed a very sacred place, and one can feel the power that it once held. The sounds, smells, and feelings move through you, marking you forever.

What I found most interesting about our tour was Ching’s inability to answer any questions about the current Dalai Lama. I am a curious critter, and therefore had many questions.

with our guide, Ching.

He skirted around most of them before finally stopping, lowering his voice just above a whisper and telling me that I can ask anything up until the last Dalai Lama, but I cannot ask questions about the current. He basically said that there were ears everywhere in Lhasa, and it is forbidden to talk about the current Dalai Lama. He also said that while I probably wouldn’t get into much trouble, he could get into a whole lot of trouble with all my questions. Enough said. He had already told me that one of the regional Lamas was being held prisoner in Beijing, and the Chinese don’t take the idea of the Tibetans revolting, very lightly.

I’m going to take a brief minute and share a little bit of what I learned while in Nepal and Tibet. It is absolutely horrible what the Chinese are doing in Tibet. Tibet is supposed to be an “autonomous region” of China. There is nothing autonomous about Tibet. Not only have the Chinese gone in and taken over (that’s nothing new in the history of the world) but the restrictions, nay, the oppression that the Tibetans live under is revolting. Did you know that Tibetans are not allowed to have a passport? The Chinese government does not want them getting out and telling the rest of the world the conditions under which they live. Those who escape, specifically to neighboring Nepal, are never given citizenship, and neither are their children born in Nepal. They are a people without a home or rights. The Chinese flag is EVERYWHERE in Tibet, just in case one was to forget who was in charge. There is not a single Tibetan flag. No one is allowed to visit Tibet in the month of March. Most of their festivals happen in that month, and one year, in protest of the Chinese occupation in their country, several monks set themselves alight. It scared the tourists and made China look bad, and now, no one is allowed to visit during this time. To be a Tibetan monk is an honor. Before the Chinese, there used to be at least 5,000 monks in a single temple. Now, there can only be 500 in any given monastery. The Chinese government needs to approve every single person who is granted the position of monk. They have cut the numbers because they do not want another monk army, like those they faced decades ago. The Dalai Lama lives in the mountains of northern India, so the rumor goes. He lives in exile and cannot return to his home. China is afraid he is going to cause an uprising, and cannot therefore, be with his people. It is this type of knowledge that makes me grateful for so many things. First and foremost, that I was lucky, yes lucky enough to have been born in America. Being born in a developed nation is like winning the life-lottery. We have more freedoms and opportunities than most people can dream of, and yet so few take the opportunity to take advantage of those freedoms. I don’t pretend to know what life is like for these people, but I know what my life is like, and know that my spirit would die a little if those freedoms were taken from me. So, the next time you see a sign or shirt that says, “Free Tibet” you have a little better understanding. This topic angers me. End of rant.

Back to Potala…

View from Potala Palace

The Potala was the winter residence of the Dalai Lama. His summer palace is much breezier and open, and only a couple miles away. The Potala is meant to induce a feeling of power, and that it does. Inside is dark and ominous. There are caretakers in the Potala. Today, it is a museum.

After the Potala, we had a Tibetan lunch. Ching took us to a local place to eat momos. They’re like steamed dumplings. We ate, and ate, and ate. They were so good. I want to say we each ate around 20 or so. After lunch, we walked to Barkhor square and the Jokhang Temple. Jokhang is considered one of the most sacred temples in Tibet as Jokhang means “House of Buddha.”

Momos

In front, several men, women and children prostrate themselves. Some only a few times, others repeat the movement over and over agin for hours on end. There are prayer wheels throughout and if you sit and watch for just a few minutes, you are guaranteed to see a little old woman counting off her prayer beads while walking around the temple. The inside is similar to others we had seen. Murals and statues everywhere. I’m sure if a Tibetan heard me say that the inside of Jokhang looked similar to others we had seen, they would probably have a fit. But to the untrained eye, there wasn’t much variance. The biggest difference was the fact that it is a working temple, with rooms reverberating with the chanting of the monks. The most important part of the temple is the life-size golden statue of Buddha. Here’s how it goes. You enter the room from the back corner of the Buddha. Ching told us in a very rushed voice what was supposed to happen. All I caught was “blessing.” As we were being corralled into a single-file line, I was trying to take in my surroundings. The experience was overwhelming. There was so many people in a very small space. We walked clockwise around Buddha, until we reached the front- although you can’t really see him that well. Even if we could, I was too consumed watching people climb up a few steps with their heads disappearing for a moment and poof! they’re back. What’s going on in there? Either way, we were about to find out. Ching was ahead of us, and as I’m still trying to take everything in, next thing I know I’m being manhandled by the crowd control monk who pulls on my arm so that I’m climbing the small steps, then I feel a hand on the back of my head and then a thump! The top of my head hits something hard, I’m pulled out and down by the same arm and monk, and have just enough time to turn around and see Javier’s head disappear.

Cheese outside Potala Palace

Apparently, our heads hit the statue’s leg or foot and that was our blessing. I wish I would have been more prepared for this. I may have actually enjoyed it. The top of the temple is truly impressive. From there, you can see the expanse of Lhasa below and the Potala Palace in front. It is from here, the Dalai Lama blessed the crowd. Ching walked with us throughout and gave us as much information as we could stand. Afterward, he left us on our own to walk around the temple and enjoy the sites, the small stalls that line the walls, and the perpetual, intense smell of incense.

Breakfast. Butter tea and noodle soup. radish on the side.

The next morning we started out with a traditional breakfast. Ching took us to a place and told us to wait. He later returned with these fried bread things. They were really good and went great with our soup. We had pickled veggies with our soup, and no Tibetan breakfast would be complete without butter tea. Yuck! I really don’t know why we kept drinking it, since we both hated it, but we did…when in Rome. After a delicious and filling breakfast, we headed over to our first stop, Dreprung Monastery. When driving up to the monastery, the first thing you notice are all of the paintings on the mountain. Dreprung Monastery is known as a place of pilgrimage, and some of the people we saw there were truly incredible. They stand out with their style of dress and hair. Ching said some of these people travel for days to come and make their pilgrimage. He also said many of these people are nomadic, and live off the land. I was impressed to see that even these people offered their gifts of money and butter.

Norbulingka: 7 days in Tibet

If your child starts obsessing over food and weight, particularly in public, it could be a Signs and Symptoms wholesale viagra from canada of begin enlarged prostate. The discount on cialis most common problem found in men with respect to number, force and degree relying upon the way of the issue. However, prior consultation with your professional health https://unica-web.com/archive/maurice_rispal_passed_away.htm tablet viagra care provider is mandatory before the use of cheap Penegra online. cheap 100mg viagra Most of the man who embraces emotional set of mind outcomes with many health problems. Our next stop was Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama’s summer palace. The grounds of Norbulingka is what stood out to me. There are lakes, park areas, and even a zoo. Ching asked if we wanted to go to the zoo. Javier and I declined, but Nepali guy wanted to go, so Ching, Nepali guy, and our driver went to the zoo, while Javier and I relaxed outside. Inside the summer palace is a mural of the current Dalai Lama. It was done when he was still a boy, but I was surprised that it had lasted this long. The room in which the Dalai Lama would receive guests was magnificent. The murals that covered the walls included Buddha, but were mostly flowers, and were all brightly colored. Unlike most of the rooms used by the Dalai Lama both in the Potala Palace and Norbulingka, this one seemed very light and inviting. As in the Potala Palace, the Dalai Lama’s seat of honor sits empty, with only a white kata (prayer scarf) in its place.

…As a side note…both Javier and I read, ‘Seven Years in Tibet.’ Javier did so while in Tibet, and I’m sure if the boarder guards could read english, he would not have been allowed to bring the book into the country. In the book, the author talks about a movie room that the Dalai Lama had requested to be built so he could watch homemade films of his people and ordinary life in Tibet at the time. Had I read the book before visiting Lhasa, I would have asked about the movie room. Subsequently, we didn’t see it.

7 days in Tibet

Our last stop of the day was Sera Monastery. Before entering, we had lunch at a cafeteria just outside. The food was local, and we had a bit of difficultly ordering, but it was fun. There were a couple of dogs roaming around, and whatever Javier and I didn’t feel like eating, we passed along to the pups. The sole reason for coming to the Sera Monastery was to watch the monks debate. Ching had been telling us this from the beginning, but we weren’t sure exactly what to expect. When we first entered, Ching took us to an indoor area that had Buddhist butter art. Sounds, weird. It was SO COOL. There are a few monks who keep this tradition going, but bascially they take the old butter from the monastery, melt it down, mix in some sand, shape, and paint it. These butter art pieces take months to create and only last for a few more months once completed. They are absolutely beautiful. I didn’t believe it was butter at first. We saw two. Both were mandalas, inside glass boxes. Each one was maybe 4×4 feet. These things are not small. Unfortunately, like most things in Tibet, we weren’t allowed to take pictures. This is one of the few things I was actually really sad we didn’t get a picture of.

The tourists witnessing the monks debate. 7 days in Tibet

After a short walk-through, it was time to see the monks debate. We went to the courtyard and stood with many other tourists to watch the show. Here’s how it works. Each monk has a partner. One monk sits on the ground while the other stands in front of him. The standing monk gets to ask whatever questions he has regarding Buddhist scripture, and the sitting monk has to give him an answer. It gets really loud and animated. When the standing monk finishes his question, he shoots his hand forward, slapping his other hand on the way out…like a lightening bolt. After the hand slap, the ball is now in the other guy’s court. Back and forth they go.

Monk debate courtyard. 7 days in Tibet

Sometimes you can see that the sitting monk is more advanced than the standing monk, and they banter back and fourth. It’s not all serious. Some of the duos are laughing and having a good time, others are very serious. Ching says the monks do this everyday. He says the monks speak several languages, including english, and spend all day either studying or meditating. This debate is the most action and interaction they see all day.

It was a long day, so long, that even our driver left early. Ha! Ching gave us the option to take the bus or taxi. Since he was with us, we opted for the taxi. Before we parted ways, he told us that his boss wanted to meet with us the following day for lunch, his treat. We never turn down a free meal. Neither of us wanted to eat greasy food for dinner, so we decided to walk to the grocery store, where we opted for yogurt and something that resembled granola.

Lhasa. 7 days in Tibet

For breakfast, we walked to the grocery store to buy some more yogurt. We brought it back and ate it with our granola substance from the night before. We walked the city for a bit before meeting Ching’s boss, Kalsang. Kalsang was quite a sight. In a city where people don’t call much attention to themselves, Kalsang looked like he just came from South Beach. He sat with us and we instantly liked him. He is a businessman in every sense of the word, but he’s pretty straightforward. He asked us (in front of Ching) how we liked the tour and our guide. He spoke great english and didn’t mince words when it came to his feelings about his country and its current situation. He explained a few things to us that we had been wondering about, and seemed to genuinely care about the quality of our tour and our experience. We talked for a long time about Tibet, and I don’t know if he normally does this, but told us he would send a book with Ching tomorrow when he picked us up to take us to the airport. He gave us a few more recommendations on what to see in the city and where to buy turquoise. He explained why we had a free day. According to the schedule Rom gave us, since we left a day later the originally planned, our free day was going to be cut out. We had asked Ching who just looked confused by the question. Kalsang told us that instead of omitting our free day, he had Ching and our driver (his cousin) cram two days of driving into one. Hence, not arriving until midnight our first day. It all made sense. We thanked him and Ching and spent the rest of the day on our own.

Potala Palace

Javier and I walked around the city. We went to the square in front of the Potala Palace and took pictures. As in most places in Tibet, there were Chinese guards present. I think because it’s an open space, people could theoretically gather and protest, but who knows, maybe they’re just decoration. The guards all stand in waist-high plexiglass cases. It’s really weird. After we had taken both serious and goofy pictures, we walked to a few different places until I found a piece of turquoise I liked. Afterward, we had dinner at a bakery and almost went to see a movie. The theater looked really nice, and the movie in english, but the only viewing left was the VIP show, and each ticket was more than either of us wanted to pay. Instead, we walked the alleys before returning home for our last night in Tibet.

Tibetan Prostrations

The following morning, Ching was there bright and early to take us to the airport. As promised, Kalsang sent a beautiful book of pictures of Tibet. It was more than either of us expected. The book is really big and the pictures, beautiful. The only problem is… how are we going to transport it??

Bye-bye Tibet. It’s been a most interesting and memorable experience.

To see more pictures of Tibet, click HERE.

Video of The Debate Courtyard at the Sera Monastery: