October 15, 2005 at 4:07 pm
· Filed under Travel
2 / 10 Visit a giant cypress which is 2500 years old. Tour the Lulang Forest which has the world’s largest species of flora and fauna
We arrived in the birthplace of SongZhanGanBu. At the entrance, we met two local children asking for money. We gave them some money and took some pictures of them. People in Tibet region is still very poor. The money-making opportunities are mainly in the tourism industry. The employees in these sectors still need to become more professional. The restaurants are mostly owned by the Sichuanese cultures. Trading is mostly done by the Qinghai and Gansu people who are Muslims. The local Tibetans do make much money but yet they seem to live a very peaceful life. For the capitalistic society where we come from, it is very important to make money. But Tibetans lives in a completely different and isolated society where praying is more important than making money. Are the Tibetans better off to live in the primitive and closed society as they have done for thousands of years? Or are they better off by entering the modern society? Or we can ask another questions: do they have a choice??The same question also applied to the American Indians. When I was traveling in the wasteland in North Dakota, I see the Indians drinking in the local bars. I certainly know this: the arrival of the
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October 15, 2005 at 7:13 am
· Filed under Travel
30/ 9 Beijing -Lhasa flight CA4112
Before landing in Lhasa, we can see from the windows of the aircraft, the barren mountain that stretches in the distance. There is no vegetation. It is difficult to imagine how mankind can make a living here.
Upon arrival of the airport, driver Mr. Wang has been waiting for us. Our group was a six person team. There were three men and three women. Mr. Wang took us to the guesthouse by coaches. Although I felt fine, the girls in our group began to fell the altitude sickness They had headaches and difficult to walk. After reaching the hotel, they immediately lie down and rest. Mr. Wang told us to take it easy for today and rest in the hotels.
Instead of resting in the hotel, I decided to go to the Potala Palace Square. The square is only 10 minutes by foot.
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October 14, 2005 at 6:05 am
· Filed under Travel
The Manjushri Bodhisattva – the Buddha of Wisdom.
The White Tsanbala or The God of Wealth
Traveling to Tibet has long been my dream. When staying in the United States, I studied the books about Tibetan Buddhism specially the art of Thangka painting. I can recognize various deities in the Thangka painting. I listened to the Dalai Lama’s speech when he was visiting my university. In my opinion, he is a very humble, intelligent and charming person. I remember vividly when the people asked him about his views on the world’s population growth. He answered: If all the population is like me, as monks (no marriage and no children), the world population problem is certainly solved. When the audience asked: Do you think you are really the Dalai Lama reincarnation? He said: I have been the Dalai Lama all my live. I thought those were really very clever answers.
I also watched a National Geographic documentary called Mr. Everest. The story is about a group of mountaineers climbing the world’s highest peak. It showed various scene of Tibet. For me, Tibet is a very remarkable; a very mysterious and very beautiful place. What is Tibet really like? I decide to visit Tibet and see everything through my own eyes.
In October 2005, during the National Day holiday, I booked a flight to Tibet and spend 10 unforgettable days there. Here is my personal account of the trip.
I booked the trip in Beijing. It is called the freeman trip. It means that the itinerary was designed by us. Our travel agent would take car of all the traveling details such as booking of the airplane, accommodation, buying entrance tickets to the tourist spots, local tour guides, and transportations and even provide us with a driver. The total cost for the 10-day trip, over 10,000 RMB (including tips, meals, etc) is considered expensive comparing with the Chinese standard. I also donated some incense money to a Tibetan temple.
Tibetan style funiture
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