Tibetan Motorcycle Diaries; Days 5 to 7
Today I have a Chinese license and am officially registered as a Chinese visitor. Couldn’t get into Lhasa without one, given we’re driving motorcycles in (as opposed to a bus). So if I ever get pulled over from now on, will show my Chinese drivers license and say “No hablo Ingles”. :))
The drive to Lhasa had us crossing the Tibetan farmland; where we saw grains (mostly barley), watermelons, grapes, a small Tibetan stone fruit, and a Tibetan tear shaped yellow citrus. And as always, we were greeted by the smile I’ve come to love about Tibet.
Throughout our ride we were approached by the locals who’d just stand around us, as though we were some unique animals at the zoo. They’d stare at our Royal Enfield’s and smile at us. With one these groups, I cheekily said, “And how YOU doin’?” <crickets>
It was noticeable once we started to approach Lhasa as we crossed more cars and trucks. Was later told that population of Lhasa is 500,000, of which currently 70% is Tibetan, and 30% Chinese. All of Tibet, on the other hand, has a population of only 5 million (which in Chinese standards is fairly small).
At last, we made it the Lhasa! Fabulous. It’s in a large valley surrounded by mountains, much like other inland mountain cities like Santiago, Tehran, and other cities in Colorado. Even from afar, we could see the picturesque monastic Bhuddist palace built right into the mountains, called Potala.
Once we got to our hotel, completely tired and covered in soil/dust, we thought we accomplished something. We made it. Until, that is, we saw 6 other Yamaha bikes with Swiss plates. It turns out this group left from Bern and hit the Silk Road, finishing in Ulan Bator in Mongolia! I briefly asked myself if I could do this, and my response was a quick “ah hell no!”
We now stay here in Lhasa for two days of R&R, resting and site seeing.
Days 6 and 7, Lhasa; resting and sight seeing.
Lhasa is the ancient and existing capital. Bhuddism came to Tibet in the 7th century to Lhasa, and spread throughout the country at the kings order.
But before I go into too much about the sites and monasteries, it is worthwhile to understand a little history.
Unlike many other mountain cities, pollution is less a problem given that they source electricity from both hydro and solar, with solar expected to eclipse (pardon the pun) hydro in the next decade.
Retirement age, which for me is an interesting subject, is 55. As most villagers retire from working the land, they then migrate to Lhasa. Unlike other major cities, however, life here in Lhasa is considered more relaxed than in more rural areas.
In Tibet, there are three religions: Tibetan Bhuddism, Bon, and Kashmiri Islam. Bon is predates Bhuddism by century, and more resembles Andean ones where Mother Nature is revered. Kashmiri religion comes from a migration from this region centuries ago. Tibetan Bhuddism is by far the largest, and differs from other Bhuddism inasmuch it adds Bon, or their reverence of Mother Nature.
One more unique Tibetan Bhuddist tradition, which is clearly influenced by its predated Bon (Mother Nature) are sky burials. It’s so privately Tibetan that foreigners are not allowed. Instead of burial or cremation, the body is cut, taken up the mountains, and given to there vultures and eagles as food. Returning to Mother Nature, only now as part of an animal. Remember in a previous note I mentioned the Tibetan Book of Death; where the body only houses our spirit which returns through reincarnation. Wheel of time. Life
Anywhooooow, the word “Bhudda” doesn’t necessarily refer to an individual as it does “awakened from ignorance.” To a Bhuddist, Nirvana is achieved after three consecutive stages: knowledge, wisdom, and enlightenment. I really really love this. Something worthy to strive for.
As for leaders of the Tibetan Bhuddist, the top three are called the Gelug sect; Daila Lama, Pacha Lama, and Gandechiba (which means Chairman).
The Chairman is essentially the teacher of the Daila Lama since he was around 7 years. Unlike the Daila Lama and Pacha Lama, the chairman is not thought to be the reincarnation of their predecessor. When the Daila and Pacha Lama pass away, the high monks search for a boy who they believe is the reincarnation of the deceased. Once found, they are brought to Lhasa and Potala and trained to take their position within their faith.
The current Daila Lama is the 14th, with the first dating back to the 10th century. The first leaders were not called Lama’s, and wasn’t until the 5th leader was called this. This name was given to them by the then emperor of China, from the Ming Dynasty.
An interesting observation, as a foreigner, is that I have seen photos of the Pacha Lama, the Chairman and of the 13th Daila Lama. What I never once saw once, however, was the photo of the 14th and current Daila Lama, who is living in exile in northern India (which is also where the Pacha Lama and Chairman similarly live, albeit they can return to Tibet).
Went to two monasteries on our first day of R&R; Deprung (built 1416) and Sera (1419). On our second day of our R&R, we went to two more; Jokhang Temple (8th century) and Potala Palace (8th century for the Temple inside the palace, though 17th century for the rest of the Palace). For Tibetans, the latter two are the most important religiously and culturally. They are also one of a handful of temples/monasteries which weren’t destroyed during the cultural revolution (which to be fair, happened across China).
As for monasteries, it’s important to understand that unlike temples, monasteries serve two purposes; one for prayer/meditation and the other is a school/university for the Bhuddist monks. So the number of monks housed in a monetary is significantly more than those in temples.
Like most monasteries and temples/ churches around the world, they have large candles around significant factors. These candles, however, are in buckets and don’t use wax for energy. Instead they use Yak fat, which the Bhuddist pilgrims top up as part of their prayer.
One last Tibetan observation I found quite surprising here is that they ALL have smart phones. Only instead of calling one another on the phone, their preference is to face time one another. A few days earlier, when we were in a small farming village, one guy came up to us while he was FaceTiming his wife and child. He was keen to show them us westerners and our Royal Enfields. Naturally, we obliged.
One final Prugue anecdote. Late on our last afternoon here in Lhasa, I went souvenir shopping. I saw the Tibetan hats worn in more rural communities. They are made from Yak fur, with the top holding a Bhuddist drawing. I knew my chances were slim as I have a rather large head; physically that is thank you.
So I went into the shop and the first one didn’t fit. So I asked her for the largest size they have. She brought out about 6, feeling one would at least fit me. She then fell laughing as this has never happened to her. So she calls the manager, speaking in Tibetan. The manager frowned, as if this was a challenge. So he went to the back and found another one, one which looked like a child’s inflatable backyard pool. Nope. That too didn’t fit.
Determined to make a sale, he runs out the shop and comes back with more; only this time he brought a posse. Not one fit, looking for like a peanut on my head than a hat. By now bystanders heard all this chatter; and before I knew it, the whole of fucking Lhasa was cracking up at my mothers misfortune. Some even asked me to take photos as they’ve never seen a Prugue head before.
Moral of the story? Tibetans have small heads. :))
Tomorrow we jump back on the bikes and ride through the Tibetan Lake District.
Comments
Post a Comment