Tibet
Stepping off the plane, I knew I was in trouble. Like the humidity in South East Asia, the altitude is merciless.
Stepping off the plane, I knew I was in trouble. Like the humidity in South East Asia, the altitude is merciless.The air is beautifully clear and a joy to breathe, apart from one thing - the lack of oxygen. During the bus
journey from the airport to the city my body gave me alternating feelings of nauseousnous and tiredness. 60-odd km later, I was ready to crash for the afternoon and by the time of our evening meal my head started to pound
%%Could not get body element policy for VersionedContentId(1.10330.UNDEFINED)mercilessly.
%%Could not get body element policy for VersionedContentId(1.10329.UNDEFINED)The next day I experienced the worst headache of my life and
was barely able to lift my head from the pillow, let alone participate in any of the activities I had already overpaid for with my tour group.
I rallied the following day but it was probably still to soon to visit Nam Tso, the highest lake in the world at 5,900 metres and higher than Everest Base Camp. It was spectacular though our tour group had been in town nowhere
near enough time to sufficiently acclimatise for such an excursion; the bus full of people vomiting, taking oxygen and generally feeling abysmal.
I naturally bunched with the other English speakers in our group - another British guy, his Chinese wife (very useful for translating from our non-English speaking guide) and an Indian-born American woman. Despite the broad national and racial mix, our guide bizarrely asked us to tell anyone
who inquired that we were all in the same family. Thankfully, no-one asked.
Our tour ended the following day and those of us who were staying on in Tibet were cast off onto our own. I found accommodation in Barkhor - a popular area for backpackers and therefore convenient to meeting people for
trekking expeditions. I proceeded to relax for a few days until my head stopped throbbing and it wasn't until I had been there for a week that I felt normal.
Lhasa is an amazing place for simply walking around, taking in the sights and sounds and getting a feel for Tibet and it's people. Barkhor is the centre of Tibetan life in Lhasa; home to the revered Jokhang Buddhist site and the area in the capital least affected by Chinese encroachment.
A labyrinth of streets and alleys are filled with stallholders selling everything today's Tibetan needs to get by. This, alongside the fact that the Jokhang is a site of religious pilgrimage with many Tibetans from all
over the country visiting to pay homage ensures that an authenticity is retained. This, despite us tourists and the stalls catering for us - happily we are comfortably outnumbered by the locals.
A visit to one of the many monasteries proved to be one of the most interesting occasions of this trip, the highlight being the debating courtyard where every day, around 200-300 monks congregate for a two-hour session of lively discourse. I imagined beforehand that there would be one topic of discussion, and the participants would take turns to have their say.
The reality is quite different. The tourists arrive before the monks and take their positions around the courtyard's periphery. After this the monks gradually file in and seat themselves on the ground, amongst the smattering of trees. When they are all there, suddenly, seemingly spontaneously, things begins in a flurry of energy and excitement that does
not let up for the next two hours. Some people leap to their feet and battle commences. Rather than one debate, discussions are taking place between groups of two and more and the levels of energy and commitment on display
are outstanding.
The younger adults are the liveliest, with much theatrical hand-clapping, often accompanied with feet stomping for emphasis as they present their arguments. With this age group, there is always a debate and those at the centre would revel in the limelight, the majority obviously having fun, laughing away and bantering with one another. Some of the debates would be very heated though, pushing occasionally occurring but in good spirit.
Towards the end, when the passion had accelerated to its apex, a group of around 30 monks were crowding round some particularly vociferous young ideological rivals. This was the only time I saw things get genuinely aggressive and physical shoving did seem to be done in anger every couple of minutes, although older monks would step in with a quick reprimand before allowing the argument to continue. As soon as the session ended, any anger between those monks who had been assaulting one another only seconds previously immediately vanished and they seemed to be having a good laugh about the contest.
I would have loved to have understood what they were talking about, though it was possible to make an educated guess as to how serious the topics of conversation were. Most of the monks are very expressive, and the good humour they display, as well as their enthusiasm, make it a captivating spectacle. I was utterly mesmerised by the whole performance.
And then, just as abruptly as it started and with no noticeable indication to do so, the session suddenly ended and the monks filed out. The vast majority were wearing big smiles, having obviously enjoyed themselves
thoroughly.
The only sour note was the behaviour of some of the Chinese tourists who encroached into the courtyard to thrust cameras into the monk's faces as if they were animals in a zoo. This despite the signposts specifically requesting that this is not done and the monks' obvious discomfort.
A pretty good illustration that these people have not only usurped Tibet but have done so in a manner that has humiliated it's people. The impression I get is that indeginous Tibetans welcome other tourists much more warmly than their Chinese counterparts. A logical reason would be because we treat them with a much greater level of respect.
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Weather for Grantham
Friday 03 September 2010
Today
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