Beautiful, stark Tibet

[Wednesday, February 4]

We were up at 5 AM to put out suitcases, have breakfast and leave for the Chengdu Airport to fly to Tibet.   There was heavy military security at the airport.  One member made Michael get back in line because he was standing crooked!  We circled the airport at Lhasa an extra 40 minutes because of “military purposes.”

We arrived to bright sunshine and beautiful blue sky.  All of the land is brown.  We were given white scarves as a greeting for long life and happiness.  We were also given a yak butter cookie, which is worth a taste.

The air is very thin and dry.  My resting heart rate is in the 100s here.  I’m not experiencing any headaches or difficulty breathing or walking, but I do feel it if I walk up steps.  It’s not as cold as expected – with the bright sun it’s in the low 50’s.   But when the sun goes down, it will dip into the low 20s or high teens.  The air is so dry, many people wear masks to help with the breathing.

The city of Lhasa is a 2 hour bus ride from the airport.  There are at least 3 military check points that you pass through before arriving at the city.  Of course, you are not allowed to photograph any of this.

We learned a good deal about about the Tibet culture on the way from Yankee (Yangkyi), our guide.

Most Tibetan families have their own house.  The most important room is the store room on first floor.  Neighbors or others aren’t allowed into storeroom – some believe you will “take your wealth” by seeing it (village culture).  The second most important room is the shrine for Buddha.  She says, essentially, in Tibet, everyone is Buddhist and everyone has a shrine.  The room contains a tangka of Buddha, a precious painting of Buddha made with precious metals. She says this is much more practical for nomads than a statue, you can roll it up and take it with you.

Ninety percent of Tibet is not habitable - too high and too dry

Lhasa Airport (written in Chinese, not Tibetan script)

Greeting at the airport with prayer shawl for long life

Welcoming delegation at airport with yak butter cookies, water and sweets

A little taste of yak butter cookie

Typical village house - painted with three colors - white walls for purity, black around windows and doors for protection and red roof for long life

Prayer flags along the river

Welcoming reception at St. Regis hotel -- yak dancers

View of the Potala Palace - former home of the Dalai Lama - from our hotel room