What to do, what to do... we're in Nepal with an extra week on our hands...wait- I know! How about a 7-day jeep trek through the Tibetan Himalayas! And just like that we were on an Air China flight, which took us right past Mt. Everest. We de-planed straight onto the tarmac (which I love because it makes me feel like a movie star from the 40's) and into the radiant Lhasa autumn. The skies are a fictitious blue- the kind Salvador Dali would have painted were he a happier man. The air has its late October frost on and the massive Himalayan range looks down at us and nods its snow-capped peaks in a sweeping hello. As we drive from the airport into town, the aspen trees shimmer and dance as we drive through the valley. King Midas must have been on the flight before us because all the foliage is glittering gold. I am dizzy and it's not just because of the change in altitude but because, in my mind- this is the traveler's final frontier.
In this part of the world, they call these jagged peaks the bleeding mountains. This holy, mystical, rugged place is perched on the rooftop of the world between two megalithic countries. For just about forever, Tibet has been a geographic and strategic sweet spot for many wars, invasions and most currently the Chinese "liberation" but we'll get to that later. The only thing still protecting the ancient Tibetan customs and traditions are the harsh conditions and jagged guards of stone that stand at attention at more than 21,000 feet. What struck us most about this place however was not the landscape but the people themselves.
The people are unbelievably beautiful, sheltered for so long from foreigners and TV signals, they have been able to maintain their traditions. Fortunately for us it is the end of October which means the tourist hemorrhaging has already stopped for the season and that most of the visitors here in Lhasa right now are the pilgrims who have come from all over Tibet bringing their regional dress and traditions with them. I can't believe we are here!!!
These throngs of Tibetan pilgrims are really a sight to behold. Their dark tea colored faces host high cheek bones which have been a stained a deep magenta from the sun and the wind. Many of the people are wearing long thick shear ling robes with brilliant silk exteriors. Both men and women have curtains of black hair plaited with colored yarn, brass and copper discs and they are also draped in beautiful garlands of massive colored beads. We cannot stop staring. They are very shy and curious about us and sadly for us, most of them refuse to have their pictures taken. They must be some of the bravest most hearty people in the world to live in the freezing and barren conditions that the Tibetan plateau so generously provides.
And speaking of hearty people, let me tell you about us. Travel in Tibet is no joke. The roads are rough and we are driving 7-8 hours a day. And the accommodations are rougher. The "hotels" are concrete blocks with erratic power, sketchy bathrooms that may or may not involve a trip down the hall to a pit and may or may not have hot water. And there is no heat, which means seven nights of chattering teeth and goose bumps. Our alarm/thermometer says that the temperature in the room is 39 degrees at night- yikes! Angelo has insisted we fill bottles with boiling water and put them in our beds to keep warm. And as we lay there in the dark (no power), I am so happy to have a toasty warm left shin- I knew I married him for a reason!
This is also the land of sky burials. As with many cultures, we are learning a lot about how they live by how they see death. In Tibet, only the great Lamas or senior monks are cremated. The people who have been killed by weapon or by disease are buried in the earth. For everyone else, there is sky burial. This means that when you die, your family takes your body to a nearby village where the people prepare it. They cut the body up into little pieces and then lay it in a circle on the mountainside, saying prayers as they go. It doesn't take long for the groups of eagles to descend and soon, there is nothing left. The person has been returned to the Heavens from which they came. Very cool in theory but I have to admit I did have nightmares about what the guide delicately referred to as the "chopping villages." It sounds like something out of a Stephen King novel!
Of all the buildings in Lhasa, the most famous is the Potala Palace. It is everything we wanted it to be and more. Perched majestically on the side of a mountain, the whitewashed walls contrast with the azure sky and create a blinding glow. The slow walk through the ancient fortress/palace/monastery is very emotional. Within it the dark interiors are ornately carved pillars, murals, colorful Buddhist thonkas (banners) and the Dalai Lama's golden throne, which sits mournfully empty. Cranberry robed monks with shaved heads float through the rooms going about their business; chanting mantras, dusting statues, collecting donations and lighting the yak butter candles that fill the rooms. Throughout the palace, small windows look out to the over-sized mountain range in front. The windows are framed with fluttering awnings that give a wistful and peaceful feel to the place. We leave the palace feeling awe-struck and heartbroken.
Outside the palace there is a tall white monument, generously given by the Chinese as a reminder to the local people of the "peaceful liberation of Tibet."
THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (IN TIBET).
So, many of you may have read about the wonderful time we had in China and the friendly lovely people that we met there. After coming here though I feel like I made a new and unexpected friend there that I grew to admire and trust. Then one day a few months later I go over to my friend China's house for tea, only to find out that he is keeping someone prisoner in the attic! He tells me to ignore the screaming from upstairs, gives me some earplugs and by the way, would I like a dumpling?
Now I am angry with my new friend and I don't understand why the 1.3 billion people in his family don't say anything. Before coming here I never really understood the situation between China and Tibet. Sure, I would see Tibetans quietly protesting outside the Chinese embassy but I never understood why they were there. Now I know. Here’s the deal. (The info below is from our local Tibetan guide Dorji)
Low down: 1949. The people's republic of China "liberates" the Tibetan people who are minding their own business and living a quiet, prayerful life on the rooftop of the world. As part of Mao’s Cultural Revolution program thousands of Chinese armies march across Tibet destroying over 6000 temples, smashing and ruining Buddhist statues and works of art, killing men, women, children and monks and taking political prisoners.
1959. By this time the American CIA is involved. We train resistance fighters, bringing hundreds of Tibetan soldiers to Camp Hale (an army base in Colorado) for guerilla combat training. We also assist with multiple arms drops over Tibet. It is this year that the Dalai Lama, fearing for his life, is forced to escape from his homeland and walks over the Himalayas disguised as a peasant with a small group of people. From here on he will become a refugee in a northern Indian mountain region called Dharamsala. The CIA helps arrange this with the Indian government.
About 20 years later the US opens trades with China and decides it is no longer in our country's best interest to help the Tibetan people.
1996. In May of this year the Dalai Lama announces the next Panchen Llama (spiritual equal to the Dalai Lama but historically without as much political clout). The Panchen Lama is six years old at the time. Three days after the announcement he and his parents are abducted, never to be seen again. The Chinese government has admitted to this abduction and will not give any more information on the boy or his parents. Today he is the youngest political prisoner in the world and the situation has left the Tibetan community in a perpetual state of mourning. The Chinese have installed a new Panchen Lama in the meantime- this one does the bidding of the Chinese government.
And there you have it.
Tibet has been an occupied country since 1949. Since then, 1.2 million Tibetans have been massacred and over 200,000 have fled over the Himalayas to find safety in northern India. The stories are heartbreaking and tragic and in light of the flagrant human rights violations that China is guilty of to this day, it is hard to believe that the international community has stood by without demanding justice. It is harder to believe that China is also going to be allowed to host the 2008 Olympics and make it's shining world debut with this kind of behavior still in full swing. A quote from His Holiness the Dalai Lama: "This is the worst period in our 2000 year history. This really is the most serious period. At this time, now, there is every danger that the entire Tibetan nation, with its own unique cultural heritage will completely disappear. The present situation is so serious that it is really a question of life and death. If death occurs, nothing is left."
Today, the Tibetans are angry but resigned about their situation. The reality is that there is no way out from the powerful grip of its massive neighbor. At least for a while. And as the new train from Beijing brings tens of thousands of Chinese into the heart of Lhasa, the grey block communist architecture spreads like athlete's foot at the base of the mountains and through the valley. The locals are concerned that the each time the train goes back to China it will be carrying away precious minerals other materials. There have also been widespread reports of nuclear waste dumping throughout Tibet.
Two weeks before we arrived a group of Tibetans were trying to flee over the mountains to Nepal. Soldier’s open fired on them and several of the people were killed. Coincidentally, some Romanian trekkers happened to be video taping their hike day and caught the whole incident on tape. The Chinese government says it will "investigate." and so in Tibet, the mountains continue to bleed.
We really loved our adventure here. We saw things we could never have imagined, learned a lot and had all the yak cheese, yak milk, yak butter and yak oil we could handle!
MEANWHILE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HIMALAYAS...
Just north of Delhi, a hop, skip, 13 hour train ride and 3 hour cab ride is Little Tibet, a term affectionately given to Dharhamsala, the interim home of the Dalai LLama and many of his disciples. Known as one of the spiritual centers of India, Angelo and I make our way to the cool air of the mountains to get our Zen on. McLeod Ganje is set in what should be a phenomenal place. Sitting on the side of one of the mountains, high snow capped peaks surround us. There are tons of trees and trails for mountain hikes but unfortunately the people living and visiting here have not been as green as the hills themselves. There is trash everywhere. Plastic bags and bottles fill the streams and hiking trails, soda cans mark the shoulder of the road and other random refuse blows against buildings forming an embankment of sludgy muck. Such recklessness and insolence in this place of beauty.
Unlike the streets here, the people are absolutely lovely. A colorful mix of north Indian folks and Tibetan refugees, they welcome us with good food and lots of smiles. The older people look hearty and healthy and the 20 somethings are rockin' the mountain hip in their colorful urban kicks, retro US t-shirts and, faded and just holy-enough jeans. There are also hundreds of monks. Shaved heads draped in cranberry robes with orange bags and Nikes peeking out from under the hem. (For some reason I always have to giggle at their shoes. I can't believe they don't have some kind of obligatory monk kicks that they have to wear). The Dalai's holy disciples live and work here in town and you are surrounded by a beehive of activity as they descend from the monasteries and temples to buy onions and yak cheese and have tea at the cafes.
Now, we both have had plenty of training for a place like this. But even four years in Boulder, years in San Francisco and a moon walking bio-diesel selling brother could not prepare us for this place. Despite my love of eyeliner and a good wax every now and again, I consider myself pretty crunchy. Or at least as I told Angelo- crunchy on the inside. This place called McLeod Ganje was really a trip. Full of foreigners (mostly European, Israeli and Aussies) on major spiritual quests to find themselves and the light man. It could easily be 1968. This place is the epicenter of dreadlocks, aurevedic healing, drumming circles, chanting sessions and Tibetan massage courses. I have never seen my husband look so much like Alex P. Keaton! He said he couldn’t believe they even let us in!
Getting into the Zen vibe though we wandered around the Dalai Llama's temple (he was out of town), and took an Indian cooking course where we learned to make paneer masala, alu dobi, butter paneer and chappattis. I swear I will never take another saag paneer for granted again. There were also loads of "movie theaters" which were usually some room with a TV inside showing illegal copies of Tibetan themed movies. We went to a few of these and laughed as we sat down in old bus seats situated on a slope. The audio is horrendous but it was all good fun. I also took a pranayma breathing course on meditation and rebirthing. (Don’t ask.)
But after five days of getting our Zen on, eating plenty of yak cheese and fried momo's (Tibetan veggie dumplings) we are ready to get to the cultural heart of India. I think we are the only two white foreigners to be leaving here without dreadlocks.
Signing out,
Ohm Dusk and Chakra Light
