Racing through the Rooftop of the World

Oxygen-filled cabins. Automatic doors. Small table with smaller fold-up seats by the passage-way. Boiling-hot water for making instant noodles. Push-cart service selling take-aways and water-melon. Six-to-a-cabin hard-sleepers or four-to-a-cabin soft sleepers. Buffet car serving dinner that usually don't survive the journey because rumour has it that the staff ate up all the food. Large double-glazed windows offering a view of endless mountain ranges, glistening lakes, engulfing clouds and grazing wildlife.

That's what makes up the memories of the Qinghai-Tibet train-ride. Even during the waking moments.

The Qinghai Tibet Express speeds across the plains, reaching altitudes as high as 5,072m at the famous Tanggula Pass. Departing from either Shanghai or Beijing, the ride can take up to 52 hours non-stop until it pulls into the train station at Lhasa.

My ride began at Xining, Capital of Qinghai Province and didn't end until it covered 1,956km worth of railway track to arrive at Lhasa. The entire journey took 26 hours and spanned across some of the most breath-taking scenary the top of the world has to offer.

I guess even heavenly bliss can sometimes be marred by inconsiderate human behaviour. I was annoyed by a group of affluent mainlanders who spoke several decibels higher than they really need to, playing cards while paying little respect to other passengers' need for quiet and rest, eating and littering and smoking in the cabin and generally bahaving badly.

Notwithstanding, the imagery passing by outside the window tells of a different world - one of abundance, magnificence and resilience, all etched into the rocks, sands, clouds, rivers, sky and grass that quickly forms a picture before disappearing outside its termporal frame forever, only to be alive again in the mind's eye thousands of miles away.

Here, on this passage through land and time, every moment is a postcard picture and every scene a snapshot waiting to be frozen in time.

It is in this world of fleeting moments of natural beauty that one easily finds himself to be happily lost. Isn't this - life?

Mirror of the Heavens

While sorting out my photos, I couldn't help but drift back in time to the day I ascended 4700m to Namtso Lake - the highest lake in the world.

And what a spectacular sight it was!

A flat calm watery surface stretches out into the misty distance to join the rugged outline of snow capped mountains, reflecting the wispy clouds that almost caresses its pure and unbroken face. And the blue - it's like nothing I've ever seen... The Tibetans tell of a love story between the highest peak - Nychentangla and the lake - Namtose, and how the heroic mountain casts its reflection onto her face to be united in love. The only thing that breaks the spell of a perfect calm and stirring the reflected image of the mountains are seagulls and wild geese diving in to fish for supper.

What do you do when set upon such perfect beauty? You simply stand in awe...

Two weeks and Twenty Gig

In a flash, two weeks has passed since my flight back from the high altitudes of Tibet.


And I'm still sorting out the photographs - hence the lag in updating this blog.


Apart from piecing the facts and information together, I'm transferring photos from my CompactDisk to my computer and a new external portable hard-disk I just acquired. It's not because of the GSS, nor the impending GST hike next month that I got myself a long-overdue portable hard-disk. It's because I had taken more than 20 Gbytes of photos (16,954 pictures in high res mode).


I do hope you'll check back soon as I'm planning to put more pictures and information up. In the meantime, here's the answer to the trivia question I posted in the previous entry:

Pilgrims who visit monastries often carry with them Yak butter, which they melt and pour into large receptacles with lighted candles. Yak butter is also widely used in Tibet for food - as a mix in Tsampa - powdered roasted wild barley staple and also in the famous Yak Butter Tea.





Till my next update, here's another trivia - what's the name of the highest lake in the world?

I'd like to thank the wonderful team that made my journey possible, especially the wonderful people at X-Trekkers (http://www.x-trekkers.com/) - thanks for their professionalism, integrity and helpfulness. They made all the arrangements so my journey was almost a walk down Orchard Road. If you're looking to go to Tibet, look for X-trekkers. Thanks CK for all your help!


Thanks also to all my guides, agents and drivers - Phuntsok (Guide, Owner of Windhorse Adventure Tours) , Pema (Guide - Xining), Mr Shi (Driver), Dho Kho (Owner, Namchen Tours), Migmar (Assistant Manager, Namchen Tours), Tashi (Guide - Lhasa), Gumpo (Guide - out-skirts) and Dawa (Driver) - Thanks for showing me the warmth at the top of the world.

The Palace at the Top of the World

Greetings from Lhasa!

I've been on the road for the past few days and rushing from site to site so didn't have a chance to blog. And when I finally get a terminal that works, the system doesn't allow me to upload anymore pictures than the following. Still my dear friends, enjoy Potala Palace!


View of Potala Palace from the main street.


Potala in splendid sunshine

Entering the palace grounds

Notice to tourists. Read the fine prints

Stairway to the Dalai Lama's Winter Palace

Breath-taking: both view and steps climbing

Pensive monk looking over Potala walls

View from a trishaw - just 5RMB (SGD1) for a ride anywhere in Lhasa

I'll make more attempts to upload more pictures and also update the entries. But in the meantime, I'll leave you with a little trivia: what do pilgrims add to the candles of light in all the monastries?

Till then, tashidelek!

Day Eight - Jyekundo to Xining

Saturday, 19 May 2007

4.50am - I woke up and packed my bag. Knowing that we wouldn't be having breakfast till much later (the shops don't open early in the rurals), I made myself a cup of coffee and have a snack bar to give me energy.

5.15am - Met up with Mr Shi and Pema and drove our way out of a sleeping Jyekundo in darkness.


Sun rising over the tibetan plains


The sun peering out over the mountains


Crossing the bridge into Domda

Stop for breakfast at the only restaurant open at 7.50am

On our way again after a nice big bowl of vermicelli with mutton and bread, washed down with salted tea.

View of a river meandering into the distance

Highway 214 to Xining

An eagle watches over at Da Ye Ma Ling mountain pass. Elevation 4326m.

An ealge's nest along the road

Grazing to clear blue skies and waters

The famous Huang He Luo Li - in its natural form

And when cooked in hot pot

Mr Shi's treat at Mato!

Road block for almost an hour

Two lanes become none

Dark clouds gather around Heka en-route to Xining

Rain is imminent

Snaking up the hills at Heka

Speeding our way into Xining

Making our way on the Xi Dao Yi Ji (West Way No One)

We arrive at Xining at 6.30pm, after driving for about 12 hours and for more than 800km. We returned to the Overseas Chinese Building where I would stay for the next few days before my journey to Lhasa. I bought Mr Shi and Pema dinner and had a taste of "Si Lu Hua Luo" - a 45% alcohol that taste like vodka.

Cheers to a successful expedition to the source!

Mani Moments

Just a short drive from Jyekundo town lies one of the largest Mani stone fields in the whole of Tibet - the Gyanak Mani. According to my trusty guidebook (Footprint - Tibet, by Gyume Dorje - whom both Mr Shi and Pema had the pleasure of working with before), the mani stone field is about 1 sq km wide. I took my time to take in the sight of devotion of such monumnetal scale.


Painting of Buddha marks the start of the mani field, facing west.


Circumambulating the mani field in a clockwise direction


Tibetan devotee spinning her prayer wheel while circumambulating the mani field

Rest in peace at the foot of a holy mani pile

Young and old partake in the walk of faith

Beautiful hand-paintings of buddhas

For my dog-loving friends!

Spinning the golden mani wheel to set prayers in motion

More devotees spinning the mani wheels while circumambulating the field and its adjoining monastry

Prayer flags adorn the mani field in the setting sun

Lamas joining in the prayer walk

House of prayer beneath blue sky

Scripture verses etched on mani wheel

White stupas- the receptacles of offerings - reach skyward

The sun setting behind the mani field

Devotees making their rounds

A young monk helps an old lady fetch water from a well

A myriad of activities by the monastry

A devotee prostrating himself while circumambulating the mani field - the highest act of devotion

As we drive back to our guesthouse in Jyekundo, I reflected on the sights of devotees carrying out their acts of religious devotion independently and openly - walking, praying, spinning the mani wheel, prostrating. What are they praying for? Are they praying for more? Or thanking that they have more? Whatever their prayers may be for, I think to myself: How easy it is to overlook such simple acts of daily devotion? How easy it is to forget that each mani stone on the mountainous pile was painstakingly carved with lines from scriptures and handpainted? How easy it is to take for granted that each step taken around the field was an individual's show to God his deep belief perhaps in exchange for protection for his family or thanksgiving for there is food on the table? How remarkable the man who in full view of the public carries out the highest act of humility - by prostrating every step of the way - and for how many rounds God only knows....

How many of us take the simple blessings in our life for granted? And how do we show our appreciation to the powers that be, or for that matter, the things and faces around us?

Perhaps it's time to take a mani moment.