Tashi dele once more to all of you! Here we are again and there are some stories left before we have to leave the roof of the world and get back down to mainland China again! After our wonderful trip through Tibet's incredible countryside, Lhasa welcomed us back with all its colorful contradictions and fascinations. We, however, felt rather strange, left alone once more after the agreable company of our two fellow Dutch backpackers, and somehow I couldn't help but think that it's been a long time now since we left friends and family behind... 10 months! Well, I guess travelling is no exception in life, it has its advantages and its disadvantages and the incredible freedom we experience implies human contacts to be reduced to 3-5-day "friendships". But who would complain if you are visiting one of the most fascinating places on earth?!? I said, Lhasa welcomed us back and we enjoyed a couple more days there before getting back on the train. Our main plan was to do another 2 day-trip and to visit an - apparently - awesome lake at about 4800m, however, we never got to see that one because... well, it started to snow and the travel agencies told us that the passes were closed for traffic. We couldn't really belive it at first but you'll see later on why we finally were convinced that it had been a good thing not to go camping at that lake.
Anyhow, besides strolling through Lhasa's streets and markets, we thus decided to visit another monastry, Sera, famous for its monk debates. As we were so very busy doing nothing much or eating yak steaks and sizzlers, we actually ended up missing most of the debate and only arrived in time for the common prayers. Still, that was a very interesting experience. The mass of red monks swaying from one side to the other while mumurring and chanting was quite a sight to look at. Even more interesting, however, was to discover that monks are not much different from us students or even school children. The ones in the first row eagerly follow everthing the leader has to say - or pray - while the rest employs the time in very different ways, some laugh at the stupid tourists flocking around them in herds trying desperately to get good close-up shots while pretending to take a picture of the most interesting stonewall or tree ever, some simply chat and laugh with friends, some fall into the sweetest daydreams while starring blank-eyed at the leader, and some have given up even the slightest pretence of being interested in what's happening around them and they take a little nap in the last row. Isn't life great? Even here in remote Tibet people do have the same little weaknesses as we have - it somehow makes them very likable.
Besides the monastry, we also went to a diner-show at a local restaurant and tried to get a glimpse of what Tibetan music and dance is like. Even though the food was not miraculous, the amateur show was really fun and we learnt a lot about traditional instruments, dances, customs, and occasions for singing and music. The latter was actually much more audible than what we had experienced in India or even, to a certain degree, in Chengdu, and the dance was, let's call it "cute". Everything was rather simple but the "actors" were enjoying their performance so much that it was just contagious. The best part, however, was to learn how to tame a wild yak. It actually went lose in the audience, attacked the men and kissed the women, chased the performers and made everybody laugh very much.... :)
And then it was over, our time in Tibet. The train was to take us back to mainland China, in 36 hours we were to be in Xian. It seemed strange to leave so soon, having only gained a first glimps at the fascinating country and having only just started to understand little bits of the very different and deep culture. What happens when the middle-ages collide with an industrialzed and quite well-developed country? What happens when a very secular culture meets with one of deepest religiousness and worship? Tibet is trying to figure out a way to live those clashes and this makes it one of the most interesting and bizarre places I have ever been to in my life. I would have loved to stay longer and to be able to speak the langue to understand everything a little better and I am very curious to see how
thing will develop there. I truly hope that the Tibetains will succeed in preserving at least some aspects of their very particular culture! Anyhow, our train-ride soon stopped me from lingering on my serious thoughts because the landscape became so surprising and breathtakingly beautiful that it overshadowed everything else. People had told us that it had been snowing up high and well, we drove right into some awesome snowstorms on our way! What a great experience. The whole vastness of the Tibetan plateau covered in white. The horizon bearly distinguishable between the white of the snow and the white of the ground. It was amazing! I imagine that people in Siberia or in Alaska must be used to those landscapes but I found them extremely beautiful!
Anyhow, besides strolling through Lhasa's streets and markets, we thus decided to visit another monastry, Sera, famous for its monk debates. As we were so very busy doing nothing much or eating yak steaks and sizzlers, we actually ended up missing most of the debate and only arrived in time for the common prayers. Still, that was a very interesting experience. The mass of red monks swaying from one side to the other while mumurring and chanting was quite a sight to look at. Even more interesting, however, was to discover that monks are not much different from us students or even school children. The ones in the first row eagerly follow everthing the leader has to say - or pray - while the rest employs the time in very different ways, some laugh at the stupid tourists flocking around them in herds trying desperately to get good close-up shots while pretending to take a picture of the most interesting stonewall or tree ever, some simply chat and laugh with friends, some fall into the sweetest daydreams while starring blank-eyed at the leader, and some have given up even the slightest pretence of being interested in what's happening around them and they take a little nap in the last row. Isn't life great? Even here in remote Tibet people do have the same little weaknesses as we have - it somehow makes them very likable.
Besides the monastry, we also went to a diner-show at a local restaurant and tried to get a glimpse of what Tibetan music and dance is like. Even though the food was not miraculous, the amateur show was really fun and we learnt a lot about traditional instruments, dances, customs, and occasions for singing and music. The latter was actually much more audible than what we had experienced in India or even, to a certain degree, in Chengdu, and the dance was, let's call it "cute". Everything was rather simple but the "actors" were enjoying their performance so much that it was just contagious. The best part, however, was to learn how to tame a wild yak. It actually went lose in the audience, attacked the men and kissed the women, chased the performers and made everybody laugh very much.... :)
And then it was over, our time in Tibet. The train was to take us back to mainland China, in 36 hours we were to be in Xian. It seemed strange to leave so soon, having only gained a first glimps at the fascinating country and having only just started to understand little bits of the very different and deep culture. What happens when the middle-ages collide with an industrialzed and quite well-developed country? What happens when a very secular culture meets with one of deepest religiousness and worship? Tibet is trying to figure out a way to live those clashes and this makes it one of the most interesting and bizarre places I have ever been to in my life. I would have loved to stay longer and to be able to speak the langue to understand everything a little better and I am very curious to see how
thing will develop there. I truly hope that the Tibetains will succeed in preserving at least some aspects of their very particular culture! Anyhow, our train-ride soon stopped me from lingering on my serious thoughts because the landscape became so surprising and breathtakingly beautiful that it overshadowed everything else. People had told us that it had been snowing up high and well, we drove right into some awesome snowstorms on our way! What a great experience. The whole vastness of the Tibetan plateau covered in white. The horizon bearly distinguishable between the white of the snow and the white of the ground. It was amazing! I imagine that people in Siberia or in Alaska must be used to those landscapes but I found them extremely beautiful!
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