Category: Tibet 西藏省

Tibet 西藏省

Shigatse Tibet
Tibet 西藏省 Shigatse 

Tibet 西藏省:  Tibet is difficult to travel around independently, we were lucky to visit during a window of relative openness in 2007;  before the riots and the insuing clampdown.

The articles below are only a part of what we saw. We will be uploading more over time.

Hui Minority in Lhasa: A collection of photos depicting the Muslims living in Lhasa.

Gyantse and the Kumbum are the beating heart of Tibet and Tibetan culture.

Remoche Temple Candle Making (酥油灯; SŪYÓU DĒNG) is an incredible spectacle to behold

The Shalu Monastery in Tibet is a fantastic example of Tibetan Culture. The murals on the walls are spectacular and the surrounding village is 100% Tibetan.

The Yumbulagang Palace was purportedly built in the second century b.c. and is said to be the home of the first Tibetan King, Nyatri Tsenpo. 

The Ganden Monastery bus. It left from the west side of Barkhor Square at 6.00 in the morning and returned in the early afternoon.

Catching Fire in Shigatse: This series of photos was taken during a Tibetan Festival in the Tashilunpo Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet.

The Ganden Monastery Pilgrim Bus

From our Diary: September 2007

The Ganden Monastery Pilgrim Bus

The Ganden Monastery Pilgrim Bus: Even in 2007, when Tibet was somewhat more open than now to foreigners travelling without organized tours,  it was still difficult to travel on public transport outside Lhasa. One exception was the The Ganden Monastery Pilgrim Bus. It left from the west side of Barkhor Square at 6.00 in the morning and returned in the early afternoon.

Our Driver Let’s us Down

The night before our excursion, the taxi driver had rung at 11.00 pm to say that he had been offered a more lucrative trip to the Everest Base Camp and the Nepalese Border and he wouldn’t be taking us to the Ganden Monastery in the morning as previously arranged. “It’s the pilgrim bus then.” Margie and I decided, and set our alarm for 5.00 am.

Going to Ganden

Approaching the bus in the pitch black we could make out the shape of a large group of people standing silently in front of its closed doors. The only other sign of life at this time in the morning were the mysterious, hazy figures of pilgrims on the Barkhor Circuit, mumbling prayers and twirling their prayer wheels, the personification of piety.

However, once we got to the bus which was about to open its door, all signs of piety and spirituality went out of the window and it was a clear case of every man for himself! Pandemonium reigned as the pilgrims wielded their hips and shoulders to get on and swept down like hawks on any available seat.

Continue reading “The Ganden Monastery Pilgrim Bus”

Catching Fire in Shigatse

Shigatse Festival
Shigatse Festival

Catching Fire in Shigatse: This series of photos was taken during a Tibetan Festival in the Tashilunpo Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet.

A group of young children were dressed up as white paper horses and led around the square in the front of the monastery by a pair of Tibetan clowns; two guys dressed in animal skins with shaggy white wigs and red masks who built an elaborate contraption with a hoop at one end and set it on fire.

Finally, the children had to jump through the ring of fire. Unfortunately, the last child got himself hooked on the hoop and his costume caught fire. For a brief moment I feared the worst as he was engulfed in a ball of in flames.

My anxiousness must have been down to that overly western obsession with children’s safety, for the rest of the crowd, monks included, were all rolling around on the floor in a fit of hysterical laughter. Of course nothing happened, and the poor boy was left to face the ridicule and jokes of his mates.

SHIGATSE PRACTICALITIES:

Accommodation and Food: We stayed at the Shigatse Post Hotel, a new-ish place right opposite the posh Shigatse Hotel, down Shanghai Lu. Our double room was painted and furnished in Tibetan style, complete with thankas and white ceremonial scarves all very bright and clean; good value for 180 Yuan.


Going down Shanghai Lu towards the centre we found plenty of food, though restaurants were mostly of the simple, snack food variety. A ten-minute walk from the hotel will take you to the night market.


Festival info: We were in Shigatse on September 15 (2007), but we have no idea whether there is a fixed date for the festival, or whether it is related to the lunar calendar. We never even found out what it was called; any clarifications are welcome!

Monasteries around Ganzi

Places to visit around Ganzi 甘孜

Dagei Gompa大金寺, Began Gompa, Beri Gompa白利寺

Monasteries around Ganzi are well off the beaten track and make a great day trip if you hire a taxi. We visited 3 monasteries within a 30 kilometre radius of Ganzi: Dagei Gompa, Began Gompa, or Baigei Si, and Beri Gompa, or Baili Si (all names are approximate).

Hire a taxi to see all three in a day

In order to do this, we hired a taxi for a half day for 250 Yuan. Our driver was a friendly chap who seemed to be of mixed Chinese- Tibetan origin and could speak both Mandarin (of sorts) and Tibetan. More importantly, he seemed to get on well with everybody.

Monasteries around Ganzi: Our first stop, Dagei Gompa

Our first stop, Dagei Gompa, is about 30 kilometres back towards Manigango. The landscape along the way is glorious: lots of grazing animals, imposing mountains and small villages, their houses and walls covered in vertical beige and white stripes.

Dagei is quite large, almost a monastic village. Hidden away above Continue reading “Monasteries around Ganzi”

Ganzi /Garze /甘孜 Revisited

Ganzi /Garze/甘孜
(by Margie)

Ganzi /Garze /甘孜 Revisited
Ganzi /Garze /甘孜 Revisited

Ganzi /Garze /甘孜 Revisited. Ganzi is a place to visit more than once in your llifetime. If asked about our favourite place in China, Ganzi would be one of the first to spring to mind. Ganzi to Dege (click here).

Ganzi Scenery

Ganzi /Garze /甘孜 Revisited: Our First Visit

We have passed through this small town in the heart of Tibetan Sichuan a few times since 2004, and last year was another opportunity. Ganzi has everything – except nightlife perhaps – a traveller could possibly want: wild and majestic mountains rise up just beyond its last houses, offering amazing hiking opportunities; scarcely explored, ancient monasteries dot the landscape in every direction; the large Ganzi Si looms high above the Tibetan quarter, offering great views of the surrounding countryside.

Ganzi /Garze /甘孜 Revisited
Ganzi /Garze /甘孜 Revisited

Down below, in the town centre, there are quiet, old streets of wonderful traditional architecture, bustling shopping streets, lined with colourful shops selling a whole array of exotic Buddhist paraphernalia, a hidden temple or two, as well as a cool Continue reading “Ganzi /Garze /甘孜 Revisited”

ON THE RAILROAD Lhasa to Beijing

ON THE RAILROAD: Lhasa 拉萨 – Beijing 北京

Thursday, September 20, 2007, on the famous train at last!

ON THE RAILROAD: Lhasa 拉萨 - Beijing 北京
ON THE RAILROAD: Lhasa 拉萨 – Beijing 北京

ON THE RAILROAD Lhasa to Beijing

5.45:

5.45: Our alarm goes off at this barbaric hour, so that we can finish our monster packing, trying to stuff all our Tibet souvenirs into our backpacks, which are straining at the seams.

6.50:

6.50: Since Lhasa, like the whole of China, is run on Beijing time, it’s still dark when we leave the hotel and go looking for a taxi. Even so, we can dimly make out the silhouettes of the pilgrims, as they quietly make their way past us, turning their prayer wheels and softly murmuring sacred mantras, headed for the Barkhor Circuit.

7.15:

7.15: The mammoth station is virtually deserted at this time, as the first passengers are only just beginning to arrive. We are let into a huge marble hall with shiny floors and high ceilings, but nothing inside: no shops, no cafeteria or restaurants. There is nothing to do but sit in the waiting room, instructed and lectured by uniformed staff with megaphones who tell us not to put luggage on the seats, not to smoke, to fill in our boarding cards, etc. etc.

7.50:

7.50: We are told to line up and marched onto the train. This is always a crucial moment, when you find out who your travelling companions are going to be. As it turns out, we are sharing with a group of two women and a man, Chinese tourists from Xi’an, who frantically snap and record everything in sight from the moment they get on the train. Number six is a quiet, arty-looking man, possibly Tibetan, who chain-smokes and therefore has to stay outside in the hallway most of the time. Among the passengers further along the corridor, a stocky Tibetan monk stands out, due to his friendly, yet serious disposition.

Continue reading “ON THE RAILROAD Lhasa to Beijing”

Tibet re-opens?

Tibet re-opens? It seems that foreign tourists will be allowed back into Tibet. The Question for indivdual travellers is whether they will be allowed in too? Or will travel be limited to expensive and highly controlled tour groups? And what about the Tibetan areas around Tibet?

For travelling independently in Tibet go to: HolaChina: Your Gateway to China

Excursion to Litang

litang1.jpg
Changes are coming

The journey to Litang takes about 7 or 8 hours and takes you through some pretty rural scenery. For the first two hours or so, the bus goes through farming land and past some gorgeous two-or three-storey Tibetan farmhouses; these are sturdy stone and wood dwellings with a courtyard and….

Update: There will soon be high speed trains stopping off close to Litang. Much will change. Read our in depth article about when we visited Litang in 2004: https://holachina.com/?p=12149

New Material

In the next few weeks we will be putting up the following  new material.

There will be a 3 part special section on the province of Guizhou.

A review of our trip to Tibet.

A trip around Wuyuan in Jiangxi. Famous for having the most beautiful scenery in China.

What to do if Stuck in Shijiazhuang.

Two new gems will include Dazu near Chongqing and Yangmei near Nanning in Guangxi province.