ཇོཨུརྣེཡ་ཏོ་ཐེ་ཝེསཏ 3
Tashi delek! (Tibetan greeting, which means “may many good things come to you”)
After a few relaxing days in Chengdu we took a 9 hour bus ride to Dartsendo (Kangding), Sichuan’s gateway to the Tibetan part of China. As soon as we arrived there, we started to realize that the coming days would be much more exhausting than those that lay behind us. This was mainly due to the fact, that the tourist infrastructure was much less developed; meaning that means of transportation are harder to find and that regarding accommodation, you have to pay more for less. This was something that we had to get used to at first. But after a while, we very much appreciated that there were hardly any western tourists and that the local people were very welcoming and curious towards us – as you will see in the following paragraphs.
The day after our arrival in Dartsendo, we decided to pay a short visit to Jiaju Zangzhai, a supposedly very beautiful Tibetan village close to Rongtrak (Danba). There we stayed in a Tibetan homestay for one night, before returning to Dartsendo again.
Rongtrak:
All in all, Dartsendo was a pleasant little city. Every evening the local community would gather on the main town square to dance together. This was a really nice happening to watch after dinner. One day we decided to visit Dentok Rawo (Paoma Shan), located just above the city. Because we were too lazy to walk, we took a really slow cable car to get to the top. On top of the mountain, we saw a small temple and ran into a Tibetan monk. He was really friendly and invited us to have tea on the rooftop of the temple. Although communication was difficult, both parties enjoyed the exchange. It seemed like he had never seen blue eyes before, since he asked whether they were real and almost couldn’t believe they were natural. After a while he led us further up the mountain to a nice hidden garden. There he introduced us to two chubby and extremely friendly nuns. The monk said that they were his best friends and that one of them was a living Buddha. We all lay down in the grass, enjoyed the hot sun and the nuns served yak butter tea and candy – it was a beautiful afternoon. When we left we were both blessed by the living Buddha and the monk escorted us back to the small temple.
Dartsendo:
From Dartsendo we took a bus to Garze (Ganzi). It was quite a horrible ride, because the bus was totally overloaded and almost all the passengers started vomiting on the curvy way through the highland. However, it was worth the torture. We really liked Garze, a rough and dusty town, surrounded by magnificent snow mountains. Most of the locals were Tibetans, so for once the Han-Chinese were the minority. Every day we could watch how Tibetan nomads came to town and traded their goods. They were very friendly and curious people, always greeting us with a warm “hello” or “tashi delek”. On top of this, the local children in the streets wanted to shake our hands euphorically. We visited the impressive and 500 year old Garze Gompa monastery and arrived just in time to see how the monks ate lunch in the main prayer hall. Later in the day, we got invited for afternoon tea, raw beef and momos by the local Tibetan SWAT team. One day, in the evening, we ran into a married Thai couple. They wanted to find a way to get to Yarchen Gar, a famous monastery, and we were glad to help them out with our basic Chinese skills. Since there were no more buses available and because we had been planning to go there aswell, we decided to visit the place together the following day.
Garze:
The busride to Yarchen Gar was epic. It was a bus filled with locals, including some monks and nuns and we rode over a 4800masl mountain pass covered in snow. About half way we stopped in a remote Tibetan village and helped to unload wooden panels, which had been tied to the roof of our bus back in Garze. The people in the village looked really wild and but beautiful. Again they were friendly and curious towards us. After another two hours on the bus we finally reached Yarchen Gar. You probably won’t find anything about this place in any guidebook. With a population of 10’000 it’s the second largest settlement of Buddhist nuns and monks in the world, the biggest being Larung Gar. Initially our plan was to visit Larung Gar, but on the way we had learned that foreigners aren’t allowed to go there anymore because the Chinese Government wants to reduce the population of currently 30’000 monks and nuns to 5000. They are tearing down buildings and don’t want foreigners to see this. The married Thai couple confirmed this information. Sadly, we had also heard rumors that the same will happen to Yarchen Gar soon.
Yarchen Gar was established in the 1980s. It is a place that is difficult to grab with words. It can be described as a huge slum of nuns and monks – but probably the world’s most peaceful slum. We have never seen anything like this before and we almost couldn’t believe our eyes. There was also a “sky-burial” site on the premises, where they hold death ceremonies called “jhator” (a funeral ceremony in which the body is chopped into pieces and fed to wild vultures).
Yarchen Gar:
Our next destination was Pelyul (Baiyu). Because there wasn’t any public transportation available to this remote Tibetan town, we had to organize a private driver. He turned out to be a very nice, hearty guy. During the ride, we started talking together. When we mentioned, that the Dalai Lama had visited Switzerland by plane and that one of us had already seen him in Zurich, he couldn’t help but start crying. It was a very touching moment. He said that the Tibetans were very sad to be separated from their spiritual leader and that the Chinese were suppressing them. When we finally reached Pelyul, he even helped us to find a decent hotel and escorted us to our room.
In Pelyul everybody was staring at us (they probably don’t see a lot of foreigners) but whenever we greeted the local Tibetans, they lighted up with joy and greeted us back friendly. We visited the Pelyul monastery. It dates back to the 17th century and is beautifully located on the hillside overlooking Pelyul and surrounded by a picturesque Tibetan old-town. On the top we enjoyed a nice view and on the way back down we had a little chat with some monks, who were all very eager to talk with us.
Pelyul:
To reach our next destination, Derge (Dege), we also had to organize a private vehicle. The town of Derge itself wasn’t very pretty. But still, beautifully located in a valley, it is renowned all over Tibet for the Bakong Scripture Printing Press Monastery. This ongoing printing operation still uses traditional wood block printing methods and maintains more than 320’000 scripture plates, which represent 70% of Tibets’s literary heritage. It also holds the only surviving copy in the world that describes the history of Indian Buddhism. Of course, we had to pay this impressive building a visit. But the printers would only be back in business at 2pm. That’s why we decided to sit on one of the benches in front of the entrance and watch the local Tibetans doing their “koras” (a clockwise circulation in prayer of holy sites) around the monastery. Suddenly a little Tibetan girl came running to us and asked in very good English whether she could talk with us for a while. It turned out that she and her family had lived in Kathmandu for some years (probably as refugees) and there she had acquired her English skills. It was a very pleasant little chat with this cute girl. She only left us, because school was starting again. This was also the time when the printing monastery opened its doors again. In the monastery, it was very impressive to observe the dozens of printers execute this old handicraft all by hand and to witness how fast it is accomplished by them. They produce more than 2500 prints each day.
Derge:
Again with a private vehicle, and cramped into a minivan with a total of nine people, we left Derge the following day to get to Jyekundo (Yushu). Though uncomfortable, it was a spectacular 10 hour journey over the Tibetan plateau. We rode over a total of four mountain passes over 4200masl and one of them, the Cho La Pass, was even at an altitude of 5050masl! To get over the Cho La Pass, the driver had to take a very bumpy dirt road. It reminded us of the old times, back in Nepal, when roads like this were part of daily life. Halfway, we had a lunch break in Manigango, where we saw wild-looking Tibetan Nomads riding through town on their iron horses.
On the way to Jyekundo:
We reached Jyekundo in the evening and wandered through the city, looking for a hotel. We must have made a lost impression, as suddenly a Tibetan guy and his Malaysian wife greeted us in proper English and offered to escort us to a nice hotel. We gladly accepted their offer and were once again struck by the kindness and helpfulness of these beautiful Tibetan people. One night there was a lot of noise coming from the room next to us and we had a very hard time sleeping. The following day we were suprised when we realized that this room was filled with Tibetan monks. The next evening we asked them kindly if they could please keep it down a bit. They all smiled and bowed to us, one even said that they were sorry and another one just came dripping wet out of the shower to see what was going on and said: “what are you doing here, welcome to Tibet”.
As a little souvenir we bought two authentic, but new “dzi”-stones. The ancient ones are unaffordable and are considered to be among the most precious things you can by in Tibet. Strangely enough, nobody knows where they are coming from and how they are craftet – it’s a big myth. The Tibetans value them for their spiritual and protective powers and also the Chinese are crazy about them, although they buy mostly fake ones. It so happened that the Tibetan guy and his Malaysian wife were also dealing with those stones, so they offered to show us around and help us with the purchase. We started on a local market, where people would sell the stones right off their necklaces. Whenever we showed interest in a stone, a huge group of people gathered around us to see what was going on. However, they never got pushy or impolite. Tibetans are very pleasant business people. Finally, in a small shop, we found two stones, which couldn’t be bought separately as their spiritual powers only work when they stay together – which sounded prefect for us 😉
Together with the Tibetan guy and his Malaysian wife we also visited the Seng-Ze Gyanak Mani Wall, a collection of an estimated 2.5 billion carved mantra stones. Although it was cold and snowing, it was still an impressive sight.
There aren’t many foreigners visiting Jyekundo and that’s why the Tibetan people of Jyekundo were just amazing, always curious, honest, friendly and joyfully open towards us. We really enjoyed our 3 days in this hidden town unknown to foreigners.
Jyekundo:
From Jyekundo we took a 12h busride through a desertlike landscape above 4000masl to Xining. Again on the way we crossed a 4830masl and a 4620masl mountain-pass. Xining was a pleasant but not too beautiful big city. We did our laundry, cleaned our gear and waited for our Tibet Travel Permit in order to board the train from Xining to Lhasa.
With the permit in our hands we were able to get on the highest train ride in the world, with a maximum altitude of 5206masl. The journey to Lhasa took us 22 hours and we slept in a six bed compartment together with four other Chinese. When we arrived in Lhasa, our passports and our Tibet Travel Permit were checked thoroughly by Chinese authorities. As a foreigner you can only visit this part of Tibet when travelling with an organized tour. After the checking procedure we met up with our travel guide Damdul and he drove us to our hotel next to the old town in the middle of the city. Finally we had arrived in the holy city of Lhasa! We had the afternoon to ourselves and used it for a first exploration. We went straight for an up close view of the Potala Palace and walked a kora around it. There we also had a nice little chat with some Tibetan pilgrims. Then we headed for the old town, also known as Barkhor, where we did a couple of koras around the Jokhang temple. This is considered the holiest temple in all of Tibet and every Tibetan must come here once in his or her life. We really enjoyed the special atmosphere of this beautiful place and kept on doing koras together with the locals. Although Lhasa is probably the most touristy place in all of Tibet, the Tibetans were still very open and friendly towards foreigners. They were always eager to have a little chat with us.
Lhasa:
The following morning the official tour program started and, together with our guide and our group, we visited the inside of the Jokhang temple as well as the Ramoche temple. Both were quite impressive and busy with Tibetan pilgrims.
Jokhang temple:
The next day started with a visit of the Potala Palace. After reading the book “Freedom in Exile” by the 14th Dalai Lama, it was nice to finally see his study- and livingroom in reality. Of course, we weren’t allowed to take pictures of the inside, as it is a very holy place. Afterwards we visited the famous Sera Monastery, where we could observe monks debating. For us this looked like an ordinary fight between two persons, but in Tibet it is considered a high art, in which the monks duel each other by exchanging philosophical phrases.
Potala Palace:
Sera Monastery:
The following morning we headed off early and drove over a 4840masl pass and along the beautiful Lake Yamdrok. Along the way we saw huge Tibetan Mastiff dogs and couldn’t resist taking a picture with them. Usually they are used to protect the yak and sheep herds from wolves and bears and they are considered to be the king of the dogs. We crossed another pass of 5100masl where we stood next to a glacier with an altitude of 7500masl. In the afternoon we visited the Pekor Chode Monastery in Gyantse and stayed overnight in Shigatse.
The next morning in Shigatse, we visited the Tashilhunpo Monastery. Then we drove over two mountain passes. The second was the Gyatso La Pass with an altitude of 5248masl. From the top we had a fine view of 5 of the 10 highest mountains in the world (Mount Makalu with 8463masl, Mount Lhotse with 8516masl, Mount Qomolangma with 8844masl, Mount Cho Oyu with 8201masl, and Mount Xixiabangma with 8012masl)! By nightfall we reached the Everest base camp. There we slept in a tent at an altitude of 5100masl. Even though it was bitter cold outside, we felt quite cozy next to an oven fuelled with dried yak shit.
Panoramic view of 5 of the world’s 10 highest mountains:
Mount Everest at sunset:
In a cozy tent at Everest basecamp:
The next morning we got up early to see the sunrise over Mount Everest (or as the Tibetans call it, Qomolangma). We were impressed to see this natural spectacle at the world’s highest mountain. Before we headed back to Shigatse, we took a look at the small Rongphu Monastery. At an altitude of 5000masl it is the world’s highest monastery.
From Shigatse we drove through the countryside straight back to Lhasa, where we enjoyed our last afternoon among the locals and did our final koras around the Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple.
Now our great “Journey to the West” has come to an end. Currently we are in Beijing, where we’ll visit the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Tian’anmen Square and other sights, before we’ll leave China for another country…
What we will miss about China:
- The low number of western tourists, which gave our travel experience a very authentic feel.
- The amazing food variety. Food is a very important part of Chinese culture and is highly valued. The Chinese restaurants back home don’t even come close to this.
- How often we got invited to share a meal with complete strangers.
- The mess on the table after a feast of hotpot.
- The curiosity and friendliness of the local people towards foreigners. Wherever we went, we ended up on numerous selfies with Chinese people. We were often greeted with the phrase: “Welcome to China”.
- Chinese people lighting up whenever we tried to say something in Chinese.
- Its natural beauty and cultural diversity.
- The contrast between modern megacities and sleepy countryside villages.
- Above all: TIBET and its beautiful people.
What we won’t miss about China:
- The public toilets, especially on bus rides. These are the worst we’ve ever seen.
- The epic crowds on weekends and at top tourist attractions.
- The impatience of the Chinese (the custom of standing in line doesn’t exist in China).
- The entrance fees. There are fees for everything, be it lakes, valleys, summits or old towns. But at least everybody, even the Chinese, have to pay them equally.
- The habit of honking rather than breaking while driving.
- Vomiting Chinese right next to us during curvy bus rides.
Finally we would like to give you some concluding thoughts about our experiences in China. After the third time we’ve been here, we are still fascinated by this country. It offers everything from modern mega cities to small provincial villages, from rich millionaires to poor farmers and its natural beauty as well as its cultural diversity is simply striking.
First of all we would like to point out, that we’re not experts in Chinese culture and history, so the following remarks are solely based on our travel experience, reading of various books and conversations with locals.
We grew up in a free democracy where the power belongs to the people and when you’re not content with something you have the possibility to organize yourself and fight for your rights. However this is not true for China. The Chinese government or the Communist Party (CP) is still ruling the country with totalitarian methods from Communist times. They control everything and everyone. Above all the CP is controlling the media and is making sure that every Chinese gets the impression that China is the best country in the world. The CP also controls the internet and blocks websites like google, youtube and all western social media, which might show China or its government from a bad perspective. In everyday life everything is captured on camera or on photos and every time you check into a hotel, the staff has to send your information to the People’s Security Bureau (PSB), meaning that they always know where you are. Chinese people are well aware of this and they are still traumatized by many decades of suppression and the tragedies of the Cultural Revolution. They will mostly avoid talking about their government in a bad way. Usually they will just say that they are not interested in politics. That way they won’t get into trouble. However, they seem willing to accept this lack of freedom, as long as their economy is growing and their living standard is rising. In that sense, the Chinese seem to be very materialistic people.
The rise of China is clearly visible. There are construction sites everywhere, from huge highways to train stations, skyscrapers to whole settlements of empty buildings. Modernizing an enormous country with a population of 1.3 billion is an endeavor never before undertaken in the history of mankind.
And now to the part, that saddens us the most: the Tibet problem. Tibet and its people are violently occupied by the Chinese since the 1950’s and are at best, second class citizens in their own country. They are deprived by all basic democratic rights and freedoms and must exist under a colonial administration of the CP and the so called ‘Peoples Liberation Army’. Tibetans don’t own a passport, which means they’re trapped in China, although it seems that in certain areas they start issuing Chinese passports for Tibetans now. The Chinese government has encouraged the migration of Han Chinese to Tibetan settlements for many years now, so that the Tibetans have become a minority in their own country. In worst case they will remain nothing more than a mere tourist attraction. Even now the CP is still tearing down Tibetan settlements and chasing away Tibetan monks. Besides violating human rights, this strongly threatens their cultural heritage and traditional lifestyle. The people of Tibet have suffered and gone through a lot in the past decades. Especially the separation from their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is an almost unbearable burden for these deeply spiritual people. The Tibet problem is a big taboo throughout China and the Dalai Lama is the public enemy number one.
Despite their tragic history, the Tibetans are among the friendliest and kindest people we’ve ever met. We highly admired and were deeply touched by their determination in clinging to their community and their faith which is something the Chinese can’t take away from them.
However, we hold no grudge against the Chinese people as they are most likely not truthfully informed and educated about the Tibet problem. But we are fed up with the CP and their policies concerning Tibet. Under the current circumstances it’s hard to believe in a free Tibet, but we hope that someday China will grant the Tibetans more self-determination.
Cheerio, the steffles
