When you travel, it's the people that make a place special. Tibet is no exception. We found the culture, traditional clothing and devotion to religion fascinating. Of all the places we have been to around the world, it was the Tibetan people who touched us the most. The language barrier prevented us from talking with the majority of them, but that didn't stop the communication. As we visited areas of Lhasa, particularly around the Johkang we were continuously smiled at. … [Read more...]
Sera Monastery Monk Debates
Sera Monastery sits on the outskirts of Lhasa. At one time it had a population of over 5000 monks, but now houses only a few hundred. The Chinese government has imposed restrictions that limit the number of monks allowed at each monastery in Tibet. Sera survived the cultural revolution with light damage, but most of the five colleges that were hosted on the site were destroyed. … [Read more...]
Exploring Lhasa
Arriving In Lhasa We took a one and a half hour flight from Zhongdian to Lhasa. We saw some great scenery from the plane. There was one huge mountain sticking up well above the clouds. We think it was Namche Barwa mountain at about 7756 meters high. We started to descend and could see small villages in the valleys below. Then suddenly the mountains opened up into a huge desert like plain. The Lhasa airport was very modern. We got our bags and went outside to catch the bus into Lhasa. We could see beautiful mountains in every direction we looked. The airport sits about one and a half hours … [Read more...]