It began fairly inauspiciously, and followed the pattern of our first day. A tour of the Sera Monastery, just on the edge of town, was the first destination. We arrived via our driver, Taschi and followed Tsedan up the walkway towards the monastery. Following the stone walkway at a slight incline we spotted a few vendors dotting the path. They were locals who were selling items to eat, drink, and to bring into the temple, such as Kada, a white silk holy scarf. It was another day of clear blue skies and bright sunshine. The temperature was noticeably cooler due to the rains from the night before. It felt like fall, and we all came prepared wearing long sleeves and jackets.
We followed along, taking in the sights of buildings that dated back to 1419, when the monastery had been founded. Bright red doors with brass handles, dark black trim on the windows and white stonewalls were built into the side of caves at the foot of the mountains above. Our first stop was a shop where a local worker was busy reprinting ancient Buddhist scripture with block printing, onto yellow and white fabrics. His work was diligent and repetitious, dip the ink, spread it onto the block, place the fabric on top and smooth it over. Then repeat. He was sitting on his knees and would only swing side-to-side, and forward. The walls were lined with countless volumes of Buddhist scripture. Tsedan informed us that in the Buddhist religion there are 222 volumes of the scripture in total.
After purchasing a few prints we headed toward the temple, where we were to be blessed by a Buddhist monk. The door to the temple was slightly ajar and we stepped through into the dark and dank building. The entire place was lit by candle, giving it a bit of a romantic feel. It smelled of Yak butter and burning incense, a combination of smells that we have become extremely accustomed to. Local Tibetans waited in line to offer up their blessing and to say their prayers. They were, as usual, extremely friendly and got a kick out of hearing us speak in their native tongue. We had learned that “Tutiche” or “two-t-chey” was thank you and that “Taschshidelek” or “tash-e-dell-ek” was a formal greeting. Honestly, their faces and their eyes are absolutely beautiful. They show signs of harsh weather and intense sunlight, but they are always smiling, and look as if they are at inner peace with themselves. Some of the elder Tibetans are assisted by the younger children or by use of a cane in order to make their way into the temple. We took our Kada and made our way through the narrow and dim hallways of the temple, greeting the locals along the way. I handed my scarf to the monk and he chanted a blessing and tapped my forehead with it. I was informed that the blessing was intended for safety and health. Following this ritual, a fresh Kada that had been blessed was placed over my head and around my neck and we continued on through the temple. The walls were lined with gilded gold and ancient wall paintings, and the gods on display consisted of gilded gold, bronze, and fabric. We also saw the dark, dank dwellings, where monks would go to chant and pray in peace. This monastery was a bit smaller than the Potala Palace, which we had seen the day before.
We made our way out of the temple and back to the stone walkway. Greeted by intensely bright sunshine and deep blue skies, we took a picture in front of the temple.
We then continued on our way down the path and towards the van. We stopped and used the restroom, it was a public restroom and very questionable. The public bathrooms in Beijing had been a bit disgusting but this was even worse. Concrete slabs, with an open drain and short stalls. Nothing was private in this bathroom. I exited the restroom quickly and made my way to our van, which was waiting to take us through the mountains and to another monastery, Drak Yerpa. The drive would take approximately 45 minutes to an hour so we all settled back into our seats and took in our surroundings. The van driver whisked us through Lhasa and into the countryside where we could clearly see the mountains above and river below. The scenery was already stunning, however we had no clue what lay ahead. We began our ascent on a paved road winding through the mountains, on a road just wide enough for two cars. On occasion our driver would honk and pass a car in front of us, but I never felt unsafe. Narrow mountain passes, while beautiful, often make me nervous and this was no exception. Concrete blocks were the only barricade standing between the van, the edge of the road a steep plummet drop off.
As we drove to our destination we decided that car games were in order. David actually had the idea from some of his childhood automobile trips. Our first game was to find all of the letters in the alphabet on license plates of passing cars. This game did not go very far considering that Tibetan license plates do not seem to contain any letters beyond F. Our next game began as David exclaimed, “I’m having a picnic and I am bringing dried bananas.” I actually had no idea what, or where this statement came from but he announced to everyone that it was a game that we had to figure out. Imagine that, having to use your brain on a vacation. He continued on making statements about what he would bring on his picnic, and soon most everyone had figured it out. John decided for his picnic he would bring Jack Daniels. Finally, it dawned upon me that we had to bring one item that began with our first initial and one item that began with our last initial. I.E. John Di Tecco, Jack Daniels, David Baldwin, Dried Bananas. I thought about it and decided that I would bring Erykah Badu to my picnic. Miriam still had not caught on, although I think she was more concerned with the scenery surrounding us. We took her turn and decided that she should bring Michael Buble. It continued and I decided I would also bring an electric bass to this suddenly rocking picnic. This was the last game that we played because everyone’s attention had turned to taking as many pictures of mountain scenery as was humanly possible. John, I think won the award for most photos coming in at just under 400 for the entire day.
Windows were opening on the van, arms reaching out, flashes going off and people flipping from side to side as the van wound through the narrow laneways. At one point, John was literally sitting on the floor of the van to capture the perfect picture. We began to notice a change in the scenery surrounding us as little mountain villages popped up on the sides of the road. We saw children walking down the street, yaks on the side of the road, along with lamb and cows. The mountain stream was also rushing down the hillside. Above us, we suddenly spotted a monastery built into the mountainside. We also began to notice strand upon strand of prayer flags, strewn across the mountain. John has a newfound obsession with the prayer flags, however I find them fascinating and beautiful as well.
We continued our climb into the sky, still taking pictures. I told you, we all took a lot of pictures today, but anyone who has befriended us on Facebook, is already well aware of this fact.
We arrived in the parking lot at the base of Drak Yerpa and climbed out of the van. Tsedan led us to the head of the trail we would follow into the monastery and began telling us a bit of history about what we would see. We were informed that the caves dated back to the 7th century, when the monks would go and meditate. The 14th Dalai Lama was the last to teach at this monastery. As we walked, local villagers, who were selling prayer flags to be hung on the mountain, approached us. We each purchased a strand of flags and had Tsedan write our names according to the Tibetan alphabet.
We paid an additional 20 RMB to have one of the gentlemen carry the flags up the mountain and hang them on our behalf. We continued on the path, immediately beginning our ascent. At this point we stood around 14,000 feet in the air. A few of us were experiencing a slight shortness of breath, but this was to be expected. We wound our way through the mountain, attempting to capture everything we possibly could on camera. As we walked we came across stupas, which we followed clockwise, as we had been instructed to do.
After about 15 minutes of climbing we came across our first cave. A short man dressed in a maroon robe emerged from a little house like structure to greet us.
He was extremely friendly and allowed for a few photos to be taken. Much to his delight, John sat with him and showed him the pictures. We learned that he was a protector of the caves, and would sit and chant and read scriptures throughout the day, all the while he would greet visitors.
Tsedan prompted us to move along, as there was still plenty more to see on our day hike. We saw a few more of the cave houses, and met a few more of the monks who lived there, and while we were there to see the monastery there was so much more going on all around us.
As we walked the path toward the top of the mountain we paused to taste a wild strawberry. It was a bit grainy and not as sweet as I might have expected. It actually left a bit of a aftertaste in my mouth. Around this time, David made a new friend. I looked up and saw him seated away from the group next to a very tame goat. He was scratching the goat’s ears, and petting him as if he were a dog. The most amazing part about all of this was that the goat was very receptive to the friendly treatment he was receiving. The goat leaned his head into David and essentially laid his head on David’s lap as he received a thorough ear scratching. What occurred following this was the most surprising part of all; the goat raised one paw and shook hands with David.
It held this pose for 30 seconds and then returned its paw to the ground. Of course all of this activity drew a crowd and we were all quick to snap photos. We also decided that this “circus” goat needed even more attention so we placed David’s sunglasses on the goat and snapped more photos. The goat was not as receptive to this but after some slight resistance it went along with our plan. Following the sunglasses we placed the stuffed penguin that Fran carries with her everywhere in between its antlers and snapped one more photo.
We decided perhaps we had put the goat through too many of our crazy antics so we shook hands and parted ways. Later, we learned that this goat was actually one of the monk’s pets, and would never be put to slaughter.
Typically, one would think that a “circus” goat, the mountains, a seventh century cave dwelling and prayer flags would be a full day. Apparently, not when you are in Tibet. We made our way across the mountain terrain and into a little temple. Upon entering, we were greeted by hanging dead animals that had been stuffed and had money attached to them as offerings. There was a goat, a meerkat, and a coyote, all hanging by cahins from the ceiling of the entryway of the temple. Even Tsedan was a bit surprised by this and told us that he would acquire additional information concerning this. As we left the temple we were completely unprepared for our next stop. We wandered across the grassy hillside and passed a local family picnicking in the mountains. Much to our surprise they invite, no I should say insisted that we join them. Essentially, they shoved homemade foods into our face and would not take no for an answer. They were all retired Eastern Tibetan friends who were living in Lhasa for the time being. Along with the elder folk were two of the most adorable kids.
The family had everything from breads and crackers, to Yak butter tea and candy. We thought we had been offered everything they had to offer until the older gentleman of the group began shoving shots of Baijio, a Chinese grain alcohol, and cigarettes in our faces. Mind you, John does not smoke or drink and David does not smoke but we could not refuse. The man was throwing them at us left and right. So here we are, three guys from North America, and two European woman sitting on the side of a mountain with an Eastern Tibetan family taking shots of alcohol and smoking cigarettes at around 14,000 feet.
You almost had to be there to believe that it was even occurring. The older gentlemen who had offered us the libations seemed fascinated that we were from USA and Canada and he kept repeating Canada over and over. He informed us through our translator that he had a friend in Toronto, and John invited him to come and stay, although I am not so sure whether or not that will actually happen. Also, we were told that the Tibetan word for Cheers is Shopta, and so we all said shopta and took another shot. By this point I was getting a bit concerned for Johns’ wellbeing, seeing as though we were at a high altitude and he was not a huge drinker or smoker. Around this time John, David and I decided we wanted to head to the peak of the mountain and so we turned and started walking toward the pass at the top. We were determined to get an unobstructed view of the mountain valley below and the peaks in the distance. When we reached the pass there was a yak lying on the ground and a few locals were offering for us to take a picture seated on it. I thought to myself “why the hell not, I have never ridden a yak before.” I paid the 5 RMB and walked to the other side of the yak. I stepped into the holster, swung my leg cautiously over the animal and sat onto the yak!!
I pet it, and it was very furry. David joined me, standing next to the Yak and we had our photo taken. After stepping off of the yak David, John and I thanked the man who took the picture and then followed the path around the side of the mountain. We passed several baby yak grazing along the way and finally reached our desired spot overlooking the entire valley, several hundred feet above where we had been earlier in the day. The view was absolutely stunning, not a cloud in the sky and you could see for miles upon miles in every direction. WE truly felt like we were at the top of the world.
After snapping a few choice photos we made our way back to the family picnic on the hillside. It was truly amazing how this group welcomed us, as if we were one of their friends or family members. WE had a few more snacks and then the real treat was presented to us all. YAK BUTTER TEA. I was warned beforehand that it may not be all that tasty but I had to try this Tibetan tradition. Mustering up all of my courage I slowly sipped the tea. As it went down there was a buttery salty taste, and actually it did not taste bad at all. If taken in small doses it was rather pleasant. It certainly cleared the taste buds of anything else we had nibbled on that day. Following this we said our goodbyes and thanked them all for their kind hospitality. The descent was much faster than our ascent had been and we stopped at a spring fed stream of holy water. We all took turns washing our hands and faces and drinking from the cold mountain stream. The water was crisp and pure, as pure as any mineral water I have tasted.
We returned to the van and settled in for our long jaunt back to Lhasa. As I sunk into my seat, a bit nervous about our treacherous descent I was lost in my thoughts. In one day I had been blessed by a monk, seen seventh century cave dwellings, sat on a yak, and picnicked with an Eastern Tibetan family. Now that Is what I would call a complete day. Tomorrow it is off to Yam Druk Lake, where the water is said to be turquoise in color. I am not sure we can top this day, but I am anxious and ready to see what else will lie ahead for all of us.
1 comment:
so beautiul!!!!
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