Tibet Day #2: Lhasa

Today was slower-paced than yesterday, but I still found myself in an exhausted stupor by 4 pm (which was remedied by a 3 hour nap filled with vivid dreams of marketplaces, taxi drivers, and various acts of subterfuge).

We started the day at the summer palace of the Dalai Lamas, also known as Norbulingka. This estate was built by the 7th Dalai Lama after he recovered from a serious illness meditating in its vicinities. Norbulingka is essentially a sprawling park with a few residential buildings , and just as beautiful as any palace in Beijing. Extensive gardening and yardwork goes on during the spring, and we witnessed many workers planting new bulbs and trees, all of which sport the prettiest blooms. The weather was beautiful, the air was fresh, and it was a perfect day for strolling.

Siring gave us a little primer on Tibetan funerals as we walked among the shaded pathways and brightly colored houses. There are apparently four main kinds of burial: Earth, Fire, Water, and Sky. The last is the most uniquely Tibetan, and basically consists of putting your loved one - usually cut into smaller pieces - on top of the mountain where the vultures can carry their remains into the sky (and afterlife). Before the actual burial, the body must be consecrated by a holy monk within 3 days of death, and then rituals take place for 49 days to ensure that the deceased has a good afterlife.

After Norbulingka, we had a quick foray into the Sky Bead factory, which are modern versions of the ancient dzi beads (interesting article here). Dorelan got one with 6 eyes, which is purported to eliminate sadness and suffering, and Lydia and I both got 5-eyed stones, which guide you to happiness and wisdom.

The remainder of the day was spent at Sera Monastery, the first one built and once home to over 7,000 monks. Today, that number is reduced 10-fold to about 700 monks, but still impressive. Most join the order between the ages of 15-25, though technically anyone is eligible according to Siring. For 3 years, you learn about 1400 pages of holy text in isolation, then you engage in learning with other monks. This can take place in the form of a debate, which we got to witness while we were there. Imagine 100 red-robed monks conglomerated into a courtyard, the teachers standing, the pupils sitting, each arguing heatedly in a foreign tongue. Very cool.

Tomorrow, we make the 6 hour trip to Shigatse, the traditional seat of the 2nd highest-ranking Lama, the Panchen Lama.

Tibet Day #1: Lhasa

Our desk lamp looks like an alien spacecraft trying to disguise itself as an arcade console. But the rest of the day was awesome!

We started with Potola Palace, the seat of the Dalai Lama, built in the 7th century by the 5th Dalai Lama, and the original palace after Tibetan Buddhism moved to Lhasa. At the entrance, it really didn't look very impressive: the doorway was stained in the way of poor maintenance and a storm cloud was brewing in the sky. Cross the threshold though, and it was like entering into Narnia. The interior courtyard was flooded with the full force of the sun, every gorgeous plant was in bloom, and the palace itself was shining like a real-like Shangri-La. I quickly discovered that I LOVE Tibetan colors: the rich reds, the ebullient oranges, and the pristine whites spell out joy and comfort. Every house had picture windows, many adorned with potted plants jutting out as proudly as Dutch tulips. I could have spent an hour just wondering in the courtyard alone.

The inside of the palace was impressive, but cramped and ornate in a way that made me feel somewhat oppressed. The pugent smell of yak butter being burned as religious offerings permeated the air, sometimes so thick that I had to cover my nose. I didn't particularly enjoy watching poor Tibetans throw their money at gigantic tombs worth millions of dollars, but I suppose worse things have been done in the name of religion.

Lunch was at a Tibetan restaurant with some good local fare and an English menu. I had a very well-flavored beef and onions, Dorelan got some yak-stuffed pancakes, and Lydia had yak stew. Yak may be my new favorite red meat; it is gamey, pungent, and eaten in chunks, unprocessed. It was just the meal we wanted before we headed out for the Jokhang Temple and it's equally expansive Barkhor Circuit.

Now Jokhang Temple is not nearly as big as Potola, but this is the place to which devout Buddhists make their pilgrimages. Inside is a giant golden buddha (called the Golden Jokhama) brought to Tibet by the Chinese wife of the 5th Dalai Lama, Princess Wencheng. The Barkhor Circuit (which is now a marketplace, essentially) surrounding the Temple is also where Buddhist make their daily kora with their prayer wheels, and even during the day, there were many doing just that. The interior of Jokhang is not really worth mentioning; like Potola, it is a series of small rooms each with many religious relics and paintings and various offerings on display. I much prefer being outside in Tibetan religious buildings. On Jokhang's roof, the flooring was being repaired, and we got to observe a traditional Tibetan work song as the workers stamped out imperfections with the wooden mallets.

We opted to go explore Tibet by ourselves for the rest of the day, and let Siring go. Mainly, we wanted to shop around and people watch in Barkhor, which is a GREAT place to do both. I didn't try to bargain as hard as I probably could have, but that's my reward to nice shopkeepers. I nearly lost Lydia and Dorelan in the 2.5 mile shopping circuit, but luckily found them again after AN HOUR of searching. Note to self: never separate from your friends again while shopping! Stopped by at a Nepalese place recommended by the Lonely Planet for dinner, and like I said, I could eat Nepalese happily for a while. Yum yum curry! Best of all, Dorelan got her coveted yak butter tea, which tasted like salty disgustingness to me, but heaven to her. To each their own.

On the way home, we realized that the path to our hotel had become a GIGANTIC hole, and I very nearly fell to my death carrying my precious souvenirs with me. Apparently, construction is going to be a better part of our lives than we had wanted. Still, very happy with the sights and items I had acquired for the day, and eager to explore more of Lhasa tomorrow!

Tibet

We arrive 3 hours ahead of schedule, approximately 5:30PM Tibetan time (which is actually in the same time zone as all of China, as illogical as that is). Our guide is a sweet, if quiet, Tibetan man named Siring. He meets us at the exit of the station right on time, and we spend a little bit of time filling out paperwork to enter the TAR (Tibetan Autonomous Region). I'm happy we didn't leave anything out. How terrible would it be to finally arrive in this beautiful region, and then be forced to leave!

The ride to the hotel, by the Gichu River, takes about 20 minutes amid traffic as chaotic as traffic anywhere else in China. The hotel is nicely appointed, which compensates for the less-than-attractive construction going on outside of it. None of us have any symptoms of altitude sickness, which I'm grateful for. We greedily grab 3 quick showers - done Japanese style to conserve hot water - and then head out to dinner. It was, um, interesting, especially when we get to the part when I pull a whole rooster's head out of our "chicken and mushroom" stew. I'm sticking to Nepalese food from now on.... j/k. Sort of.

We're exploring two of most sacred temples in Tibet tomorrow, so it's an early bedtime for me. 

Train to Tibet

The landscape has been changing considerably since morning: we're at a noticeably higher altitude (Lydia notes that she is breathing faster) and some cabins are already pumping O2 from their valves. The scenery is desolate - gone are the city lights and stucco high rises that define China for me. Instead, through our train windows are vast expanses of brown sloping mountains, dotted with an olive colored scrub vaguely reminiscent of moss, with the shadows of mountains staining the landscape below. Rare farmers can be seen tending their herds of oxen. No sightings yet of the famed Tibetan yak. We see frozen ponds and meandering streams in amazing formations, and when the water is thawed, the color is teal blue without any contaminating imperfections. The sky is very blue, as they say, but more than that, it is still and clear of pollution. The sun is bright and feels good on my neck as I sit by the window. Oddly enough, looking at all this, I feel confined instead of free, but it could be that my body is subconsciously aware that it is trapped in a cabin. I want to breathe that air. I can't wait until we're outside.

Train to Tibet

Our cabin-mate, Tom, has a laptop with him, and I desperately want to ask him if it has internet access, and if so, if I could borrow it for just a few minutes. Such tawdry rudeness is the extent of my internet addiction :-(

Read more of Julie & Julia, which is really turning out to be quite delightful and wise in the way of The Zygote Chronicles, which I had read years ago. The train ride itself is going well, albeit the bathrooms are rapidly deteriorating just as expected. Apparently, this morning some girl decided to upchuck her freshly-eaten ramen noodles all over the communal bathroom counter, so now one sink (of 3) is decidedly out of commission. Yuck.

The landscape we are currently passing over is a mixture of plains and low plateaus. There is little foliage, and I can see terraces painstakingly carved into mountains to combat the natural aridness of the land. Sadly, not much yield (yet) for the effort. Occasionally, we enter into a tunnel dug into a long mountain, and our ears pop. The passengers coming onto the train looking increasingly like ethnic minorities, many in their traditional garb, which makes me happy as I imagine how much closer we are getting to our destination. We pass the time by playing cards, drinking, reading, and listening to music. There isn't much space to walk around. We take our acetazolamide like good little med students.

We're on our way to Tibet!!

Beijing Day #4

We leave for Tibet tonight so obviously we had to make preparations called 400RMB worth of snacks and a large bottle of vodka with mixers. Then it was on to the parent-approved tourist activity of the day, this time the Summer Palace.

Sadly, it was a cold overcast day so the gardens weren't in their full splendor but you could still get a sense of how magnificent it must be when everything is in bloom. The estate is huge, and the favored vacation spot of the Qing Empress Dowager Ci Xi (Wiki link here). The center of the Summer Palace is a large lake, over which extends a long elegant bridge with 9 arches surrounding the center arch, with 9 as the royal number. Residential buildings are on small islands off of the lake, with the main plaza with its ceremonial receiving halls before the bridge. Off in the distance you can see both a Taoist pagoda and a Buddhist temple, showcasing the respect for both of these religions during the time of the Emperors. We walked through the estate's Long Corridor, which is an open-air corridor that extends some 600 meters, and is the longest corridor of its type in the world. It is split into 4 sections for the different seasons, but unfortunately we were too frozen to really appreciate the painted motifs on the walls, and just sort of ran through it. My favorite quote of the day probably came from my guided audio tour, which stated: "Here is the residence of the Emperor's wife, who was unremarkable in both brains and beauty but wed to the Emperor because she was Ci Xi's niece." Ouch. What a way to live down in history!

Got some dumplings for good luck before we headed off to the train station, which was a bit of an ordeal given our luggage and the crowded bus system at 6 PM. Still, we made it in good time, and were pleased by the privacy of our soft sleeper cabin. Our cabinmate is an Australian traveling with his two friends, who are in another cabin nearby. It looks to be a peaceful ride to Lhasa, and I'm excited.

Beijing Day #3: Guided Tour

Met up with our rather fast-talking guide at the Peking Grand Hotel, and found out she was just guiding us. Sweet!

We started by talking a bit about Beijing's history as the main capital of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and about Emperor Yong Le, the 1st Ming emperor, who built up the foundations of modern Beijing. Our first stop of the day is actually to his tomb, in the outskirts of the city for better feng shui (mountain to the north, water to the south, hills on the east and west). Yong Le's is the largest of the 13 Ming tombs in the area, and his exact burial location is unknown - the "tomb" that we see is actually a gigantic grassy mound acres in area. To date, only one Ming tomb has been unearthed, and that was by accident. Someone once asked me if they thought the Chinese government would find it worthwhile to try and find the treasures within these tombs, but honestly, I think it's probably more worth it to them to keep it as a tourist attraction with its uninterrupted natural beauty. The site is very nice to gaze upon, and the architecture is slightly different than the other historical sites scattered around Beijing. For instance, the cedar pillars in the temples are singular trunks from trees hundreds of years old, and are kept in their natural color to highlight their size (other pillars in Beijing are painted red to hide the joints used to join many different trunks). We also learned that no wives of the emperor were allowed to stay in the Forbidden City past his death except for the Dowager Empress. Thus, it was either be buried with the emperor or a life in the nunnery. I know which one I would have chosen...

We made some quick stops to the National Jade Gallery, the Cloissone/Ming Vase Factory, and to the Chinese Herbal Institute afterward. Nothing particularly memorable, except for the apathy and erroneous predictions of the herbalist "doctor." Me have GI problems and menstrual cramps? I'm sorry, you must be thinking of the OTHER generic female. Don't get me wrong: I've seen some amazing traditional Chinese medicine doctors. But this was not one of them, and speaks to the poor regulation and improvement of the practice in China.

Then it was off to the holy mecca of tourism in China, the Great Wall. The section of wall we used wasn't particularly big and we only had 1.5 hours to scale our stretch and come back, but it was still a good view and more than enough to make us huff and puff. We passed 6 turrets in all, where soldiers used to create smoke to warn of invaders: 1 signal = 500 invaders, 2 signals = 1,000, and more than that = TROUBLE. Unfortunately, my camera died during this part of our trip so all the photos were by Lydia and Dorelan. Beijing wasn't quite into Spring yet so the Great Wall landscape was not nearly as verdant as I remembered, but the wonder of the human achievement remains. I would love to come back one day and hike the Wall for real.

We were pretty tired by the time we got back from our tour, but we had made plans to go to Club Banana and were not going to back down! It was well worth it - the crush of Asians awkwardly bobbing about, the loud crunk music with the incredulously lewd lyrics, the foam-rubber floor that shifted around, and zero cover for ladies.... AWESOME. I sweated, Dorelan got propositioned by all the Chinese men who could dance, and Lydia drew attention with her red hair. It was a hell of a way to end a day :-)

Beijing Day #2

Slept in for the morning, then started the day with the very importance business of getting money. Then it was off to the Wangfujing Street Market, where I got my first stick of glazed hawthorne berries in OVER 20 YEARS. The taste was a bit more tart than I remembered it, and I forgot all about the seeds (whoops), but it was a glorious thing just to hold that winter delicacy in my hands. I imagine I won't be having another one of those for quite some time.

Did a bit of shopping, though Wangfujing is 1/2 affordable and 1/2 "don't even think about it." It amused me to see Western implants such as the ubiquitous KFC even in this most expensive shopping boulevard in Beijing. Then took the opposite approach, and got some history at Tian An Men square, which was relatively deserted on this windy, overcast day. The guards didn't pay us much mind, though they didn't seem to want to take photographs with us.... I can't imagine why. We stopped to take a photo with the dear Chairman Mao, and I must say that I liked softening the effect of the imposing red fortress with my positional manipulations (see above).

The best part of the day, though, was seeing an acrobatics show at Chaoyang Theater. Getting to the theater at 6 pm was quite frustrating, as the taxi drivers all mysteriously "take a break" during the busiest part of the day, but it was worth the effort because it was a STUNNING show. Now I've seen quite a few acrobatic shows come through Atlanta, but the Flying Acrobats really blew them away. For one, the music was dramatic Westernized stuff, not the classical mewling noises that always made me fall asleep during the New Years Shows with my parents. Second, I seriously thought people were going to die during the show, and that I would be called upon to exercise my "medical expertise." One act involved two men, one blindfolded, running inside and outside of a gigantic hamster wheel, 50 feet above the stage. It was amazing. I've never enjoyed being nervous quite so much. For $30, I would definitely recommend seeing the show if they're ever in town. It was way better than going to a club for my birthday, though we'll certainly do that later.

Tomorrow is a guided tour day, so early bedtime for us!

Beijing Day #1

Woke up at 5 AM in the morning after a restful night's sleep to a rainy countryside landscape. Much to the chagrin of my fellow passengers, I quickly discovered that I had still not mastered the art of pulling open these sleeper cabin doors quietly. I got a lot of interested looks as I sat in the hallway reading more of Julie & Julia, which I take to mean there weren't a lot of foreigners on this particular train to Beijing.

Almost missed my liaison, Mr. Wei, as I exited the train. Apparently, one Chinese person whom I've never met before is hard to spot in a crush of other Chinese people equally anonymous to me. He was kind enough to chauffeur me to my hotel, which is conveniently located right in the center of the city. It was surprisingly decent given its somewhat shabby exterior, and in any case, I am grateful for hot showers and adequate beds after a 24 hour train ride. We explored the surroundings a little, had some good Sichuanese food from a hole-in-the-wall restaurant on DaDong street, and went over some Tibet paperwork.

Called the Beaudreaus around 6 PM to pick up Lydia & Dorelan at the Beijing Airport. Leigh Anne looked a bit dazed still from her epic hike of the Great Wall the other day, but we all made it onto the public shuttle like tried-and-true troopers. [Note to future travelers: the public shuttle at the train station is only $2, whereas god knows how much the taxi drivers in Beijing will try to charge you, and you get there in about the same time.] Lyd & D arrived at the airport around 8:30PM, looking surprisingly perky given their journey. We rushed back to the hotel, changed, and then it was off to celebrate my birthday despite our mutual exhaustion! (Man, I love my friends!)

Based on the concierge's recommendation, we went to the SanLiTuan district, which is a few tree-lined streets with some bars and clubs. It wasn't super packed on a weekday, but it was cute, and the lights scattered all over the place gave the evening a pleasant glow. We ended up choosing Club Swing, which definitely caters to Westerner's. There was a live band who were taking song requests from the audience (which was impressive as there were quite a range of countries represented), and they represented Rammstein and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, among other artists, well. We also had our first tastes of the Chinese beer, QsingTao, which is light enough to not get most Asians tooooo drunk. At midnight, Lydia and Dorelan surprised me by saying "Happy Birthday" to me in Chinese, which they had practiced on the airline - how sweet!

Leigh Anne had a 4 AM flight to catch the next morning so we didn't stay out too late. My tipsy impressions from the rest of the night involve wanting to buy some balloon animals from a woman from the Chinese countryside, and being happy that we were actually charged by the meter for our ride home. Maybe 26 is going to be a good year after all :-)

Anshan --> Beijing

Today was my last day with the family, which made me a little sad, but everything was so normal that the bittersweet was diminished. My aunt took me to a Chinese gym in the morning because she knew I was itching for a good work-out, as well as some driving American music. I really appreciated her thoughtfulness. Two things I learned about Chinese gyms today: (1) No one works out hard enough to break into a sweat and (2) no one wears tank tops, not even the men. Needless to say, my sweaty, sports-bra clad self drew a lot of puzzled looks today.

In the afternoon, we went to a neighborhood swimming pool, which was actually Olympic in size and relatively crowded. Even 4 years ago, the ability to do anything more than doggy paddle was regarded with absolute amazement in China, and I distinctly remember Lisa and I drawing small crowds as we dove into the pool. No more. Though most Chinese still don't swim well, it's becoming an increasingly popular sport. My aunt says it's because diabetes and hypertension are on the rise in China, and swimming is recognized as healthful and able to be performed all year long due to the fact that 99% of Chinese swimming pools are indoor.

Had dumplings for dinner, which is a Chinese custom before any long journey. It seems that the word for dumplings is similar to a word for luck (personally, I've always thought it was because it also sounded like the word for feet, and well, feet = journey). My favorite was the pork and sauerkraut dumpling, which, I know, sounds disgusting, but is terrifically juicy and aromatic. In another 4-5 years, I'd like to come back and treat THEM to the fantastic dinners they've been treating me. My family is so good to me.

Got to the train station just in time to board, even though we were there an hour early. My digs is a 4-person soft sleeper cabin, which I find comfortable enough and very sleep-inducing with the rhythmic movements of the train. My cabinmates seem nice, but don't speak any English, so I'm glad this is an overnight ride. Excited to meet up with Lydia and Dorelan tomorrow!

**Shot above of the ferris wheel in the park by my grandparent's house, a site of much joy when I was a child.