Taking the Long Way travel blog

On the public bus

Me and Monica on the way to another monastery

Drepung Monastery

Pilgrims at the prayer wheels

 

HUndred of prayer wheels

 

Monk dorms

Walking through the monastery

Yak butter lamps in which pilgrims our melted yak butter, or scoop...

I am guessing this was a lucky place to pour butter

Inside a typical chapel

Religious books inside a chapel

 

A solar powered kettle

Washing the salad

Outside the main assembly hall

Hash browns...my favorite!

Potala Palace by night

Bokhor Square water and light show, set to music


Yesterday we caught the bus 8km west of Lhasa to the Drepung (Rice Heap) Monastery which was once one of the world’s largest monasteries, home to over 10000 monks in its heyday. With many monks ‘missing’ also at this monastery, there are only about 500-600 left rattling around the massive grounds. Again the monastery had chapels (payment required for interior photography) and assembly halls similar to the other monasteries in the last couple of days.

To be perfectly honest I think I am getting a bit monesteried out and the awful thing is that I have just looked at the trip notes for this tour and every day, except for one, is visiting a monastery. What have I done?? The other problem is that the others on the group, except for my roomie Monica, are all quite painful to be with. They are incredibly slow and expect that the 5 of us should all spend every waking moment together. After the last few months travelling on my own I certainly don’t want that but it seems that Monica and I not wanting to participate in 3 group meals a day, or me going to use the internet or a walk by myself for a bit is causing dissention in the ranks. Hard to believe these people are all older than me when they act like school children!

Today was a free day and whilst the others opted to drive 2 hours out to the Ganden Monastery for the day, I am luxuriating in no plans at all and wandering around Lhasa at my leisure. It could be my only monastery free day in awhile so I am revelling in it, despite the disgruntled reponses from some of my travelling companions when I said I wasn't going with them.

So stay tuned for MORE monasteries for the next week or so *sigh*. I am not sure how often I will have internet access for the rest of my time here in Tibet as its pretty rural from here on in, so the updates may be few and far between.

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