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.

Day Seven - Dzato to Jyekundo

Friday, 17 May 2007

8.30am - Last night was probably a night that I slept like a log. Althought the altitude was still above 3,000, the drop in height from Tashi Chil was significant enough to give me a restful night. I woke up brushing my teeth to the view of a misty morning but with a sun that was helping to warm things up.


View from the corridor outside my room


Crossing the bridge over Dzachu in Dzato town


A view of dusty cowboy town Dzato

Restaurant serving Szechuan cuisine - our breakfast joint before we set off

View across one of the Dzachu tributaries near Dzato town

Leaving Dzato County gate behind

To search for blue skies and mountain passes

We found the blue skies... and juniper trees

Pema collecting a branch with its dark green fruits

Painting of a buddha on a rock face by the road

With scriptures accompanying to bless the area

A nomad's residence up on the hills

Tong Ren La Ka Ya mountain pass. Elevation 4760m

Latse and prayer flags at the pass

Snow filled ditches in the marshy plains

Amazing cloud formations at high altitudes

Going to the edge

Signs of spring in the highlands

Three Latse (prayer flags) marking the Chang La San mountain pass

Prayer flags frame snow-capped mountains in the distance

Prayer flags partially covered by snow on the ground

Mr Shi and his proud vehicle that took us safely through hundreds of kilometres

A nomad's house at the foot of a snow back mountain

Clouds fill the space in the valleys

A cloud sails above a knoll

One of three bald vultures scavenging for a meal

Taking flight

Soaring through the crips mountain air

A stupa aglow in the rays of the sun

Ren La Ren San mountain pass. Elevation 4505m

Colourful prayer flags sends blessings into the wind

"Mani" stones bask in the sun

The other road user

Clouds drift over the top of mountain ranges

Dashes of white on a blue sky canvas

Long road ahead with only the elements for company

Racing across an open plain with the mountains as markers

Hundreds of prayer flags stand tall like troops protecting the land

Yaks graze the open fields

The mountains part to let a river flow

The final stretch before Jyekundo

2.30pm - We arrive in Jyekundo and checked into the same Guesthouse as a few days before. The landlady wasn't there but a young assistant checked us in. We took the same room, while Mr Shi shifted to the room next to ours.

2.45pm - Hungry, we went across the street for a hearty lunch of vegetables (Shang Hai Qing), beef trips with pepper, egg omelette with tomatoes, stir-fried Bai Cai with Mushrooms, and a big bowl of noodles. The meal was excellent and we were stuffed.

4pm - After lunch, Pema and I went to a nearby bookstore in search for books that detail the location of Taschi Chil but couldn't find anything useful apart from a pictorial book containing maps of Qing Hai province. Feeling ill, Pema left me to my own devices where I decided to hunt around for a Wang Bar (Internet Cafe). I found one about 10 minutes from the Guesthouse

5pm - after fumbling about with the terminals, I found one which actually worked and allowed me to upload pictures onto my blog. I'm a happy man. I did have much time because Mr Shi had arranged to pick me up to send me to a nearby monastry famous for their "mani" stones and so I uploaded what I could and then hurried off to meet Mr Shi at 6.30pm.