Oct 16, 2017 - Goodbye to Tibet

I've tried to upload photos and send this for two days. Traveling within the gorges of the Yangtze River means that wifi is intermittent at its worst, and weak at its best. None of the photos from my iPhone have uploaded to the Cloud and then to my iPad since we left Tibet because of the weak signal, so it's been a struggle. At least my devices are working. Today Diana's iPhone ceased to hold a charge no matter what we did; we used my email to alert her family they can contact her through me. So I feel lucky. Our last night in Lhasa we had...

Oct 15, 2017 - Part 2: Get Thee to a Nunnery

After lunch we made a brief visit to Canggu Nunnery, the only Buddhist nunnery in the old city of Lhasa. Our guide studied to be a monk for several years, so he knew some of the nuns there who were washing dishes in the courtyard. The nuns were nice enough to let us take pictures inside, something that we were not able to do at Sera Monastery. I've include a picture of the yak butter candles I've mentioned before. They permeate the inside of temple we entered. I'm not certain I could ever get used to the smell. The final picture in this...

Oct 15, 2017 - Part 1: Namaste

For a moment I considered naming this entry "War and Peace" because of the juxtaposition between the peaceful Buddhists visiting the Jokhang Temple and the menacing Chinese military marching around the temple in formation with submachine guns and shields, SWAT written on the back of your jackets. Security is high everywhere we go, party due to the government, and partly due to the 19th Party Congress that will meet October 18. We go through multiple security screenings to get into a site, including of our bags going onto conveyer belts to...

Oct 14, 2017 - Debate Club in Lhasa

In the afternoon we visited the Sera Monastery in Lhasa. Our first stop was to see the Mandalas that had been made by the monks. Monks spend days creating mandalas of colored sand that are swept away on completion to signify the transient nature of life. We saw three that were under glass in a crowded storeroom that stunk of yack butter. But they were beautiful. We then walked up to the Debating courtyard where there is an open-air courtyard. The monks assemble here for debates of philosophy and Buddhist teachings. Their ritualized...

Oct 14, 2017 - Closer to Heaven

We climbed the 200 steps to the top of Potala Palace Saturday morning. It is built on Lhasa's highest point and is the greatest monumental structure in Tibet. I thought I heard our local guide tell us that the climb was 300 ft and didn't think about it, even when my heart rate got to 90% of max capacity several times while ascending the uneven height steps. Then, I read in the guidebook that the climb is 300 meters, nearly 1,000 feet (!) so I better understood why I needed to stop along the way for my heart rate to come down. I'm proud to...

Oct 13, 2017 - In Shangri-La with Spurious Steps

Yes, we've arrived at the Shangri-La Hotel after 10 hours of travel today. We continued our tradition of sitting *just* behind First Class. The Himalayas were a sight to behold as we flew right between them on our approach to Lhasa. When we arrived at the Lhasa airport I had about 5,500 steps, 12 flights of stairs, and 28 active minutes on my Fitbit Blaze. Between being at 11,200 feet where my heart rate at rest was about 102 after walking through the airport to baggage claim, and sitting in the back of the bus for the hour drive to the...

Sep 20, 2015 - Qomolongma (aka:Everest)!

Wow, Everest, need I say more? The Tibetans call her Qomolongma (mother of the earth or holy mother). Even during the best season, she is often covered in clouds, so many visitors never get a glimpse of her. Imagine our delight when after almost 5 months on the road, we drove over a ridge, and there rose the Himalayan range with Qomolongma in all of her glory. Sun shining down on us, prayer flags waving, we jumped up and down with delight taking photo after photo. So very lucky. We realized how lucky when we arrived at the collection of...

Sep 16, 2015 - Tibet's Friendship Highway across the Roof of the World

After a short time in Lhasa, we traveled over the Friendship Highway to Gyantse and Shigatse on the way to Everest Base Camp, our southernmost destination in China. We were unable to continue along the highway into Nepal because the earthquake damage had rendered the road impassable, so instead, we would loop back up to Lhasa for an expensive flight (US$500 each!) into Kathmandu. With the multitude of switchbacks and crumbling asphalt, high up through the mountain range, I would not have been eager to try to make it over the highway. The...

Sep 14, 2015 - We made it to Lhasa!

No picture can ever do the Potala Palace justice. Admittedly, after eight full days of driving through mud and over crumbling roads, camping at altitude in all kinds of weather, shivering with all my clothes on at night, and and struggling to catch my breath when doing any kind of activity, I was desperate for just a tiny glimpse. But I must admit, even after all the impressive buildings I have seen all over the world, I truly think the Potala is the most impressive. The Potala was built by the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo in the 7th...

Apr 7, 2015 - Monks

This morning we went to the Drepung Monastery. Aafter going through security there was an elderly ethnic lady that asked the guide if we would give her a ride up the hill. We of course agreed to do it. This is the largest and richest monastery in Tibet. It was founded in 1416 by Tsong Khapa under the patronage of the noble family and enlarged by the 5th Dalai Lama. Drepung means rice heap. It covers a floor space of 200 thousand square meters. It was an eduction center which housed 10,000 monks at one time, now there are about 400. We...

Apr 6, 2015 - Lhasa

Tibet has a population of about 5 million. Tibet is the capital and the largest city with a population of 400,000. Lhasa means Holy Land or Buddha Land. It is located in the south central region on the north bank of the Lhasa River, surrounded by mountains. It was settled over 1,300 years ago and covers over 11,583 square miles and is at an altitude of almost 12,000 feet. Our guide lives in the city for 4 months to work as a tour guide. The rest of the year she lives a nomadic life with her family. They raise sheep and yak. In the summer...

Apr 5, 2015 - The Roof of the World

Up early for the plane to Tibet. FreeIng cold n the airport. I've got 4 layers plus gloves on! On the plane and again flight delay due to Air Traffic Control! The Chinese lady next to me said it was probably military related! You know it's going to be awhile when they serve snacks and beverages before you take off! At least we have a direct flight! Had to show passports and Tibet permit when we arrived. Met by our guide, Guo Guo (pronounced Go Go), or we can call her by her English name, Amy.mshe gave us Each a khala, a white, long silk...