4 days in Tibet
Hi everyone:
The flight into Tibet was absolutely breathtaking. We had to get a special visa to get into Tibet--only foreigners need to get it. It is nothing more than a foreign tax! No one has looked at it! We left Chengdu and flew over the mountains--both brown and snow-capped up through the clouds mountains.

It was spectacular! To land in Lhasa the plane flew between big brown mountains. At the airport, we caught a bus to downtown Lhasa--about an hour and 25 Yuan. We kept saying to each other "we are in TIBET!!!" We were dumped at some central place, I forget--took a bicycle rickshaw to a hotel called the Shangbala Hotel, where we didn't want to stay, so took the rickshaw further to a place called the Yak Hotel. We are really happy with it.

Sparkling clean and almost new. Squat toilet, small room, but there is heat, hot water, and it is very comfortable. 130 Yuan a night split in 2. We arrived in Lhasa around noon--went for lunch to a place near our hotel. The hotel is in the Tibetan part of Lhasa--we have not even wanted to go to the Chinese part of Lhasa, because we are in Tibet after all.

We are near the Barkhor Square, where there is tons and tons of shopping to be done. This leads to and becomes part of the pilgrimage circuit around the Jokhang Temple. Hundreds and hundreds of people go around the Monastery, clockwise, some chanting mantras, some twirling their prayer wheels (clockwise), some moving their fingers over one bead at a time, rosary-style. Most of the people are in traditional Tibetan dress--both the women and the men--young and old.

There are so so many beggars, but they are begging in the name of their religion--asking for yi mao (1/10 of a Yuan). The parents get their children to do the begging, but some are older people begging as well. Many people are praying by sliding down to their stomachs on the ground or on prayer mats. They have pieces of cloth or wood on their palms to they can slide easier.

The first afternoon here, I felt very weak, kind of sick and couldn't do much--Lhasa is 3,700 m. high. We went for lunch, but I didn't feel like eating the noodles and vegetables I ordered. That night I didn't sleep much--threw up nothing, just empty gagging, about 7 times. I guess you need this information--sorry if it is too much. I couldn't move.
I should have gone right to the hospital the first day, but didn't feel I had the energy. The next morning, I roused myself, my ferocious headache and terrible weakness. With Ashley's help we went to the hospital. The Lonely Planet says that they are used to this and to go if you feel sick. Ashley had a headache, and a little lack of breath, but generally felt pretty good.
I felt bad for not being able to keep up with her and I felt I was holding her back. I was so excited to be here, but wondered if I would be able to go on the other outings we had planned!
At the hospital, I was ushered to a doctor who spoke a little English--she sent me for eye tests to see if there was any brain damage from the lack of oxygen. She assured me there wasn't! Good to hear. I had 2 hours of oxygen and felt 100% better. I was still moving slowly, but didn't feel anywhere near as bad as I felt the first day. I still took it slowly and was still off my food.

We spent time walking around the temple with the rest of the people, gazing into the many, many stalls of goods for sale, discovering and Indian/Nepalese restaurant which we have been to about 3 times now.
At the hospital I asked the doctor about what to do for the rest of the time I was in Lhasa and Tibet, since our plans were to go much higher. He said that if I felt better that day, I could go higher and if I didn't I shouldn't go higher.

On Monday afternoon we went to the Potala Palace--the former home of the Dalai Lama. It is an impressive, huge, huge place with a commanding view of the entire city of Lhasa. It is built up on a hill, actually about a 15 minute walk from our hotel. We took the tour of the Palace--where we saw the study, the bedroom, the throne and various other rooms that the Dalai Lama used--about 27 in all--and we didn't even see a quarter of it! Many people take the pilgrimage around the palace every day--following the prayer wheels all around the palace.

The inside of the rooms made me feel a little woozier because of all the yak candles burning. Many people had bags of yak butter or waxy stuff that they spooned into huge candle bowls where there were wicks burning. The smell of yak was over-powering. In the afternoon after our tour of the Palace we went to the park across the street. It used to be a lake, but now it is a cement square. We were accosted by women wanting to sell us Tibetan jewellry--very aggressive saleswomen. We had our photos taken wearing traditional Tibetal old-style costumes, with the Palace in the background. That was a really fun, touristy thing to do!
We arrived in Lhasa on Saturday, Jan. 21--on Monday we went to a travel agency to see about taking a trip toward Everest (Qomolongma). We heard there was a couple of people looking for another couple of people to share the expenses of a Jeep. We said we would go back the next day to tell them what we had decided. I wasn't sure whether I could go or not.

On Wednesday we went back to the travel agency (F.I.T.) to tell them we wanted to go. The two had already found 2 more, but while we were there talking about where we wanted to go and how to arrange it, 2 more people came in. They were leaving Jan. 28, and we wanted to leave Jan. 25, so we couldn't combine our trips. What was interesting though, was that this couple had been in Lhasa for 8 days and has spent the first 3 full days in their hotel room watching TV because they felt so sick. I didn't feel so bad after hearing this.

The weather has been amazing. It feels warmer than in Yangshuo--the sun is hot and bright; the skies are clear and blue! The evenings are chilly and there is no snow whatsoever.
All the Tibetan doorways and buildings are decorated inside and outside with multi-coloured paint done in artistic ways.

We can tell when we get to places that are more Chinese influence because of the loud, loud music. Mostly Lhasa is a lot more quiet than any Chinese city I have been to. There aren't many horns--the bicycle rickshaws use their own whistles to tell people they are coming up behind.
Lhasa is surrounded by brown high hills--I guess with the altitude they would be called mountains.

One thing that is really different is the hours of daylight. Since all of China is on the same time zone, and we are in the west, it doesn't get light until about 8:30-9:00 in the morning and stays light until after 8 at night. The people seem to rise and begin opening their shops about 9:30 or so, eat lunch around 2 and dinner around 8.

We were having our meals at the regular times of noon-ish and 6-ish and wondered when the Tibetans eat. At one meal I tried yak--I ordered noodles and there was groung yak meat in them. It is pretty gamey. I was a little turned off the meat from the smell of the candles in the Potala Palace still in my nostrils, but after a few small bites, I got used to it and quite liked it.
This is all for now. In the next installment I will talk about our journey out of Lhasa.

Judy
Jan 31, 2006, from Lasa.

在西藏的4天
大家好:
坐飞机去西藏真的是很惊险,我们得拿到一个特别的签证才能进入西藏-----只有老外需要它,这不算什么!没有人曾看过它!我们离开成都在高山上飞翔----山被云层笼罩着显出棕色和雪白色.

景色真是壮观!飞机在丛山峻岭间飞翔,最后着陆于拉萨.在机场,我们搭了一辆公共汽车去到拉萨市中心----大约一个小时的路程,花了25元钱.我们不停地对对方说:"我们到西藏了!!!"我们在某个中心地带下了车.我忘了----我们搭了一辆人力车去到一个名叫上巴拉的旅馆,其实我们根本不想呆在这家旅馆,所以我们又坐人力车去到了一个远点的旅馆叫亚克旅馆.我们对这家旅馆很满意.

旅馆非常干净,房子几乎是全新的.用的是蹲式马桶,小房间,但有热水供应,很合适,130元一晚,分成2间.我们是在中午到达拉萨的----来到一个离我们的旅馆近点的地方吃午饭的.这家旅馆座落于拉萨的藏民住宅区----我们不想去拉萨的汉人住宅区,因为我们毕竟来的是西藏.

我们离巴克哈广场很近,这儿是个很大的购物中心.这就形成了人们围着杰克汗寺院朝拜的其中一处风景.成百上千的人以顺时针方向围着修道院走着,有些在唱着颂歌,有些在按着顺时针方向转着他们的祷告轮,有些人则在一粒一粒地拨着他们手中的念珠.大多数人都穿着传统的西藏服----无论是男的,女的,还是老的,少的。

然后那里有很多乞丐,但他们都是以他们的宗教名义进行乞讨的----乞要一毛钱.有些父母也叫他们的小孩去乞讨,但也还有一些老人在乞讨.许多人祈祷时是蹲下来,胸脯朝下,跪在地面上或跪在为祈祷人准备的席子上进行的.他们还准备了一些布或是木头放在他们的手掌上,以便他们能更容易地滑动。

到这里的第一个下午,我感到身体很虚弱,好像是病了,不能做什么事---拉萨海拔3700米,我们去吃午饭,但我根本就不想吃我点的面条和蔬菜.那个晚上我也没睡好-----呕了大概7次也没呕出来,只是干呕,我想你是需要这信息的---如果我说得太多了那就对不起了.我无法活动.
第一天我应该马上去医院的,但我没力气.第二天早上,我让自己站起来,但我头痛得很厉害,身子极度虚弱.亚诗莉把我带去了医院.如果你觉得病了,最好就这样做.亚诗莉也患了头痛,还有轻度缺氧,但她总的情况还是好的.

因为跟不上她而拖了她后腿,我感到很难过.来到西藏我感到非常兴奋,但我不知是否我们还能按原计划继续去别的地方旅行!在医院,我被带到一个医生跟前, 她会说一点英语----她把我带去进行眼部测试看我的脑部是否因缺氧而受到损伤.看来她确切地告诉我没有受损!真是个好消息.然后我进行了2个小时的吸氧,感到百分之百的好多了.我还能慢慢移动了.已不像第一天来时那么糟糕了.但还不能进食.

我们和其它一些人围着寺院走了一些时候,盯着小摊上的物品看,看来我们找到了一家印度/尼泊尔餐馆,到目前为止我们已经来了3次了.
在医院,我问医生,在我继续呆在拉萨期间我该怎样做,因为我们原计划是要往更高处走的.他说如果我感到好些了,我可以走到更高的地方,但如果我的身体状况不太好,那我就不可以那样做了.

星期一下午,我们去了布达拉宫----那里原是达赖喇嘛居住的地方.这是个很大的地方,加上整个拉萨城景色的点缀,这个地方给人留下了深刻的印象.它建在山上,实际上离我们的旅馆只有约15分钟的路程.我们游览了这个宫殿----在这个宫殿里我们看了书房,卧室,
王座,和其它各式各样达赖喇嘛曾用过的房间-----大约有27间---而我们看到的还不到它的四分之一!每天都有许多人来到这里朝拜---跟着祈祷轮,围着这个宫殿进行祷告.

在房间里面让我感到很虚弱,因为所有的蜡烛都在燃烧.许多人还带了一袋袋的牛油或是蜡制品,那样他们可以将它们放入烛碗中,在碗中可以利用灯芯来燃烧.这牛油的气味真是太浓了.下午,在完成宫殿之行后,我们穿过街道去到一个公园.以前这里是个湖,但现在成了一个由水泥地铺成的广场.有些女人向我们兜售西藏珠宝---非常难缠的一群销售员.我们穿着传统的老式藏族长袍,以宫殿做背景拍了些照.很好玩,值得一游.

我们是在1月21日,周六到达拉萨的----周一我们去旅行社看关于去珠穆朗玛峰的旅游情况.我们听说有几个人正在找人一同前往,以此来一同承担吉普车的费用.我们说我们会第二天过来告诉他们我们是否去,因为我还没确定是去还是不去.

周三我们回到那家旅行社,告诉他们我们想去.那两个人已经找到了两个可以一同前往的,但当我们说到我们想去的地方以及如何安排时,另两个人进来了.他们准备28日离开,而我们想在25日离开.所以我们不能安排同行了. 有趣的是这对夫妇在拉萨已经呆了8天了,前3天他们花了整整3天的时间呆在旅馆看电视,因为他们病了,听到这些我没觉得很难过.

这天气一直都很让人吃惊.比起阳朔来这里暖和些---阳光很耀眼,天空很睛朗,一片蔚蓝!这里到了晚上就有点冷,但没有下雪.所有西藏的门口及建筑里里外外都装修了的,经过艺术加工用各色喷绘而成.可以说当我们到达有些地方时,因为很大声的音乐,那里的中国气氛更浓.很大程度上说,拉萨要比我曾去过的任何一个中国的城市要安静.没有很多喇叭---人力车会吹口哨来警示行人他们在后面.
拉萨被高大的群山包围着----我想以它们的海拔高度来说,它们应该被叫做山.

有一件不同的事是白天的时间,因为中国所有的地方都是在同一个时区的,而我们在西部,所以早上直到8:30-9:00才会有阳光,晚上8点以后,天才会暗下来.这里的人们似乎是9:30左右才开始营业,在2点钟吃午饭,8点钟吃晚饭.

我们是按我们的正常时间吃饭的,当西藏人吃饭时我们就散步.一次我试着吃了牦牛肉---我叫了一碗面,在面里放了些牛肉.味道很浓.因为在布达拉宫闻的那些蜡烛味,我对这种肉有点感冒,那味还停留在我的鼻孔里.但咬了几小口以后,我渐渐习惯它了,而且还喜欢上了这种味道.
今天就说到这了.下一站,我将会谈到拉萨之后的旅行。


Judy
2006年1月31日，拉萨