Lhasa, Tibet – October 20-23, 2010

Our flight from Xi’an was delayed so we didn’t arrive in Lhasa until after 4 p.m. We had some beautiful views of snow-capped mountains on the way in and then some lower mountains and valleys. For some reason it was just really exciting flying into Lhasa and really exciting to be here.

We met our local guide and driver at the airport and we all received a long white silk welcome scarf to bring us good fortune. We then had about a one hour drive to our hotel in Lhasa. We walked slowly to our bus and there is a definite difference in the amount you can handle at this level of about 14,000 feet. We definitely won’t be over exerting ourselves, not that there was much danger of that anyway. The rest of the day we will just be resting and trying to cope. Hopefully all goes well.

The scenery along the drive was beautiful with the high mountain peaks, the coloured leaves on the trees, the rivers and of course the bright blue sky. We hadn’t seen the sun or a blue sky for about a week so it was a real treat. There is no pollution in Lhasa so that too is a bonus. It was also quite warm at 13-15 degrees Celsius but it definitely cools off in the evening and drops to almost freezing at night. We crossed the Lhasa River and one other that I couldn’t spell. They both had huge flood plains but at the moment there is just one stream running in each one. I asked if the whole area was sometimes full and the guide said, “yes, and sometimes overflowing.”

The rural communities were quite small but all with brick buildings. Each one is decorated with what looks like a pole and streamers in blue for sky and space; red for fire; white for air, clouds and wind; yellow for earth and green for water, although someone else said for plants. These flags or banners are in fact everywhere flying on hillsides and in trees and especially around monasteries and temples. They certainly make the countryside look festive. This is definitely a farming community and the main crops are barley and wheat. There were many greenhouses along the way and that is how they get their vegetables. Years ago there were only one or two root vegetables and nettles available but now they have everything. Their flowers are beautiful, even though some are finished already, and in some places their flowering geraniums are four feet height and look incredibly healthy.

The city of Lhasa has a population of about 140,000 and when the surrounding area is included it is about 400,000. Some of the buildings are older looking and some are new. They have had a lot of construction in the last 50 years since China took control – a topic our Chinese tour director seems to avoid but the Tibetan one discusses more openly. Everyone now has a house as that was one of China’s big campaigns. You may have had to move but you would have a roof over your head. And generally speaking the homes are pretty good. There are cars and trucks but nothing very new or fancy. Lots of people simply walk to work or school. And speaking of school, everyone knows the local Tibetan language, which is like Sanskrit, and Chinese Mandarin. Students also learn English in school so they graduate with three languages.

There are many shops that look just like ours and there are many that look quite foreign. There are a lot of army facilities around and we have strict instructions not to try and take pictures near those locations. The main streets are very wide and are often tree-lined boulevards. Our hotel is very nice and the rooms are large and modern. And every hotel we’ve been in has had free internet so that’s a bonus you don’t always find in North America.

I seem to be doing fine with the altitude, probably thanks to my medicine. I certainly felt short of breath at the start and as we try to climb stairs to certain sights. However, overall I’m feeling fine. We have our breakfasts and dinners at the hotel. Lunch on the first day was at the Tibet Steak House, a restaurant in downtown Lhasa. Lunch on the second day was another Tibet Steak House. The food here is great, even the yak pizza and the yak stew.

On our first day we drove as close as we could to a monastery way up on the hillside. The rest of the way we had to walk. 15 of the 16 started the trek and 12 of us finished it. Under normal circumstances it wouldn’t have been that difficult but with the higher elevation it was a bit more difficult. There were lots of stairs and sloped walkways and we had to take breaks about every 20 to 30 steps to catch our breath. The buildings were whitewashed with black window frames and red tile roofs and if I could remember I’d tell you what each colour represented. We wandered the alleyways between the monks’ living quarters.

We went into the kitchen which was extremely well stocked with very large cooking ware, some wok shaped pans about 6 feet across, lots of kettles, and hundreds of containers. And all of the cooking is done over wood fireplaces. There is one raised brick circular platform with four openings to push in the wood, and they use large chunks of wood. One monk carried in about a 6 foot section of tree that was 3 feet in circumference. We just all got out of his way and marveled at his strength. The kitchen also has the world’s largest butter churn, which stood about 8 feet tall. They now use smaller electric ones but it’s still there for show. Butter, normally yak butter, is very important to the Tibetans and is often offered as a gift to the monks. Tibetans drink butter tea every morning (no coffee) as the butter is good for their lips. It is incredibly dry in Tibet and the sun is very bright so the butter tea helps. Hats and sunscreen on the rest of the face also is mandatory.

We also went into the main hall of the monastery. It is a rectangular building with painted wooden pillars and walls. There are ceiling hangings throughout and some are several feet in circumference and very colourful. I wasn’t sure if they were paper or cloth or leather but they certainly decorated the interior. There were a couple of side chapels off the one side but we didn’t go into these. That same side had several large statues and alters.

At the one end a group of monks were sitting around and I assumed they were praying. However, when we got closer it was obvious they were making pasta. About 60 of them were sitting cross legged on the floor in two rows facing each other and about three feet apart. In the middle on a clean clothe were strings of pasta and they were stretching the pasta and breaking it into pieces. The pieces were then being gathered up by others who were moving them to a different location in the hall, we assumed to dry for a while.

It was interesting to see all the different tasks the monks had to do. Some were pasta makers. Some were kitchen workers. Some were washing the pots and pans out in the alley with a hose. Some were carrying fire wood. Some were sweeping the halls. Some were guarding the valuables from the tourists and collecting money from those who wanted to take pictures. Some were painting the exterior of buildings. I’m sure there were many more we didn’t see but everyone seemed to know their place. Some were fixing a roof and they were very entertaining. We thought they were just dancing and singing but apparently that’s how fixing a roof is done in Tibet. The roofs are generally flat so you just pore whatever substance on that is required and then the whole group sings and dances on top of it to pack it down. And they are all in step so the dance is familiar to them all.

From the monastery we went to the home of a Tibetan family. Seven people live in the home: father, mother, two daughters and one son-in-law, and two grandchildren. The house looks like all others in the area from the outside so I have to assume it was a typical house. The entrance had a big heavy door. When you went through you were entering their storage area which was straight in front of you and about 20 feet long by 6 feet wide. There was a motorcycle at the front and behind it there were boxes and bags and barrels and piles of dung, which they use for heating, and other things. To the very right of the door was a small toilet. In the centre of the complex was the garden and it was about 20 feet square with lots of beautiful flowers, a solar panel, an incense burner and other items. Around the courtyard on two sides were the living quarters and the third side was the wall to the street. The one side was just the kitchen and it was huge and had all kinds of pots and utensils and containers in it. Beside it was a storage area which had more bags and boxes of stuff. The other side had a large living room area which was like a porch with glass windows to the outside. Off the right and back sides of this room you found the sleeping quarters and the chapel. Every room was clean and bright and the walls and ceilings were decorated with paintings. The beds were small but would work just fine and the storage cabinets to store clothes and valuables (I assume) were very ornate and beautiful. The whole place looked very comfortable and spacious. They even had TV and video player and phone so there wasn’t much missing. And compared to my place, it was huge.

From there we went to lunch at the Tibet Steak House and had at least 10 dishes of food. Your really couldn’t go hungry over here. After lunch we went to the Summer Palace of the Dalai Lama to walk off some of the calories. Norbulingkka Park was built in the 18th century to provide a summer place for the Dalai Lama. The park is large and lovely all around the palace with pavilions and statues and water features. Many of the flowers were past their prime but others were quite lovely and the trees were nice and shady. It looked like a wonderful place to spend your summer. The palace itself was pretty small and simple, compared to the main Potala Palace which is huge. We went into the building and on the second floor saw where the Dalai Lama met with his officials, the chapel, his bedroom, his bathroom, his reading room, the courtyard, his official throne room, and other rooms that didn’t seem to be for any specific purpose. All of the rooms were very functional but nothing overly extravagant.

It’s a good thing that our group is small because Tibetans making a pilgrimage to the sight had to put up with us in every room. And in almost every room they had to do the required bowing and bending and chanting and make donations to their religious leader. I’m sure they thought we were quite intrusive, and we probably were. Our guide told us later that they were probably just staring because they had never seen foreigners before and certainly no one with blond hair and blue eyes. Most people on pilgrimage at the moment are from the remote northern areas so some of them are making it to Lhasa for the first time themselves and it is a really important event in their lives. Our guide was also answering questions and directing them on where to go.

We finished our tour with a ride (golf cart style but holding 10 people each) around the gardens before heading back to the hotel and dinner and a relaxing evening. I even had a 40 minute foot massage and a 60 minute body massage, which was wonderful. At it cost me a whole 300 RMB including tip, which is probably around $50 Canadian. What a deal!

Day two in Lhasa started with a walk to the downtown area, bazaar and Jokhang Temple. By the lunar calendar it was the 15th of the month, which is important to the Tibetans, so the place was very crowded with people walking around the temple asking for blessings. There was also a long lineup of people waiting to get into the temple. And people everywhere were suddenly stopping on the street in the middle of the throngs of people to do a formal prayer which required them to take a prostrate position with their forehead on the sidewalk or pavement three times. I’m surprised more people didn’t get stepped on in the process. There was an area roped off right in front of the temple where hundreds could do this without the crowds around them (except for the 300) but others were just doing it on the street. And some of these people walked from sunup to sundown so they would get as much blessing as possible.

We were ushered into one of the local shops for shopping and told we had an hour to shop and walk around. Several of us just walked around the temple and the hour was up when we got back. The streets were narrow and there were street vendors on both sides, thousands of people trying to make continual loops around the temple and then us tourists trying to take in the sights and take pictures. It was extremely crowded but at the same time very exciting. Many of the Tibetans were from the far north so we were strangers to them and we got a lot of curious looks. For the most part they were very understanding though. Their costumes were very unique and colourful, although the base colour was black they had bright colours for trim and decoration. The ladies had extremely long hair which had probably never been cut. It was in many tiny braids and these were then gathered with colourful clips and ribbons in various locations down their backs. It was incredible and I don’t think I even got a picture of it.

The street vendors sold everything from shoes and boots and winter coats to jewelry and prayer wheels and from tote bags and scarves to cameras and electronic supplies. Behind the vendors there were stores and they were also open and selling their wares. The sales people were not very pushy – not like in some places – and I wasn’t sure if that was the Tibetan style or if it was the proper demeanor with everyone doing their prayer loop around the temple. When you went to talk to them they were certainly eager to sell but they weren’t at all pushy or loud with their sales pitch.

At four different points around the temple there were incense burners and the pilgrims were adding juniper to these fires as they went around. As a result the air was very smoky and almost overpowering at times. They were also carrying yak butter with them for contributions within the temple, and I’m sure they were also contributing money at every shrine within the temple. Many of the pilgrims, especially the older ones, were also carrying and spinning their prayer wheels. These came from very small and light at about 6 inches in height to some that were very large and heavy. One man had a prayer wheel that must have been four feet high. He had to carry the end of it in a sling brace at about hip level so his hands were free to hold it and spin it.

In total we only spent about an hour and a half looking around the temple area and the bazaar but that was enough given the crowds. Besides, our next stop was the Potala Palace and we had a set time to be there as all tours have to be approved in advance and you have to show your passport and go through security. From the parking lot we knew how daunting our task would be as we had to walk about 300 stairs just to get to the start of the palace. Then there were 13 stories within the palace. Only about six of us made it all the way to the top but the entire trip was well worth it, although we did have to move slowly and take a lot of rest stops along the way. Luckily they had benches from time to time so we could actually sit down and totally relax.

When we got to the side entrance we went through security and then went down to the central base so we could take some pictures. The Potala Palace is built on the Red Hill and covers over 350,000 square meters and looks like an entire city from the bottom. The original palace on this location was built in the 7th century but burned down. The current palace was built in the 17th century by the 5th Dalai Lama and from then until 1959 when the Chinese took over, it remained the home of all successive Dalai Lamas. The first eight of these, the 5th to 13th, (which is really 9 but who is counting) are buried within the palace. Their stupas (new word for me too) are huge and ornate and covered in gold with precious jewels inlaid. They are quite spectacular. The one was over 15 meters high and had over 3,000 kg of gold on it.

The Palace is actually two palaces, the red and the white. The red houses various areas to worship Buddha and the above mentioned stupas. The white was the living quarters for the Dalai Lama and includes halls, meeting rooms, courtyards, etc. In both areas there are wall paintings and many small and large sculptures – mainly of Buddha. There are also many old books or scrolls and other valuable relics. The building is stone and wood and has over 10,000 pillars in the main part. The Potala Palace is a UNESCO world cultural heritage site so it will be well preserved. There is a lake and a beautiful garden area around it. Potala means the sacred land of Buddhism.

After that walk up and down, which I must say was much harder on my knees, we went for lunch and then back to the Jokhang Temple to see the inside this time. Jokhang is the centre of Lhasa and sits on Barkhor Square. Again it was originally built in the 7th century but burned down and was built as we see it today in the 17th century. It is four stories high and pales in size when compared to the Potala Palace.

We came back to it later as it was not supposed to be as busy but that didn’t quite work out as it was still crowded inside. There is a central courtyard which was full of people resting. The main temple was shoulder to shoulder people and several times the security had to come and help us through the crowds so we could just take the tour around. The Tibetans were of course stopping at every shrine and alter to make their donations so we were definitely in their way. There were wall paintings and carvings everywhere and some lovely shrines. The central shrine is of Buddha Sakyamuni and there was such a crowd around that that we really just took a quick peek and kept walking. The Jokhang Temple is also on the UNESCO cultural heritage list.

We continued on to the roof of the building and took some pictures of the square and surrounding area. Then we made our way back out through the crowds to the street below and returned to our bus for the trip to our hotel.

Lhasa, Tibet has been just awesome and I’d love to have stayed longer or perhaps I’ll just have to come again. With the snow-capped mountains and the beautiful blue sky and all of the sights to see, I definitely think it’s worth a longer look. I’m very glad I had at least these two days here in Lhasa. They will definitely be highlights of my trip.