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Tibet, China 中國西藏 (20 Jun - 4 Jul 2004)

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chin:
Tibet - one of the poorest and most remote part of China, yet full of mystics that attracted thousands from outside.

The trip was planned for last year, but postponed due to the SARS epidemic. The trip included trekking for a few days, lots of 4WD rides, half a dozen high mountain passes, and visits to many monasteries and temples.

It was an entertaining and educational trip, with lots of twists and little adventures.

chin:
Our Guide

Most of us felt the high altitude almost as soon as leaving the Lhasa airport terminal. At 3700m, it was higher than any of my previous trekking trips' starting point.

Greeting us in the airport were our guides Nrawang and his assistant Gesang (pictured here.) Both are nice people, trying to accommodate our needs as much as possible. However I think they are trained as regular tour guides, not specialized in trekking.

The guides we had in Peru and India were real specialists in guiding trekking and mountain walking. They would organize such that there is always someone leading in front and someone walking along with the slowest. They would point us to the special floral and natural features. None of this happened in this trip.

chin:
Drepung Monastery

Before the trekking starts, we spent 2 days in Lhasa with leisurely activities so we would get used to the high altitude. These leisurely activities including visiting monasteries and temples.

The first one we visited was Drepung Monastery. The first sight in Drepung is the row of locals sitting next to a stream, one hand extended to us for money, while the other hand holding a string of bells in the water. We were told that this is a form of prayer, and we can pay them to pray for us.

Not far up stream, this monk (picture on top) sat there, singing prayer loudly, clapping hands loudly, and at the same time signaling us to give him money.

Money. A world that we will be hearing over and over and over again in the whole journey. In many village we passed, kids will rush to us at the first sight of our arrival, and yell at us "Hello, Money."

Money is also seen everywhere in ANY monastery and temple. Money is struck up in the hands of Buddha statues. Money is stick on the glass panel (that protects relics) at eye level. Cash is hand out directly to the monks in Jokhang while they are chanting. Money is in-your-face in all the religious establishments.

I understand that all the maintenance and going entity needs money. I just wish they can do it more subtly and gracefully, instead of in such direct sell-out style.

What disturb me most is parents would send their kids, as young as 3 or 4 years old, to beg from visitors. Yet the local Tibetan pilgrims would gladly hand out small bills (1 Jiao to 1 Yuan, or US$0.012 to $0.12) to every hand extended to them.

After talking to our Tibetan guide, he admitted this tradition of handing out money directly is a potential problem. The kids are so used to begging that they take handouts for granted, and taking them without shame and self-respect.

chin:
Golden Faces

In one of the chambers in Drepung Monastery.

chin:
Sera Monastery

You can hear the noise far away from the courtyard where the monks debate. It was quite a sight to see 100 or more monks, sitting in groups of 2 to perhaps 8, debating. In almost every group, one monk would standing up, talking with large body movement, such as swing his arm, clapping hands, and stumping foot.

We were told that the debates are exercises to sharpening the monks mind and debate skill, and that the body movement were to help emphasis their keys points.

The monks would occasionally change groupings. Those who stood up with large movements would tend to be the one standing up again. I wonder if there is a special role or just personal preference.

Note the monk standing up in the picture has a mobile phone in his belt.

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