Week Itinerary in Tibet: Lhasa, Gyantse, & Shigatse
Tibet བོད་
བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས! I had the incredible opportunity to travel around Tibet for a week during the National Holiday. Getting to experience another place outside of mainland China was unbelievable luck. Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) offered us the chance to take this week-long journey through part of Tibet. In advance, we had to apply for admittance into Tibet. All of us, my fellow PLU and ISEP classmates, decided to pay the extra money to go to three different places in Tibet. The landscape and towns are alluring and grand in appearance. The mix and blend of colors was gorgeous and stunning. Tibet is predominantly a Buddhist culture which is evident in the architecture and many temples throughout each city/town. Even though we only got the chance to explore a small part of the Tibetan region, it was wonderful to see the similarities and differences between each city we visited. Traveling up to heights that I’ve never been to before was both painful (I got altitude sickness) and rewarding.
On September 30, our group along with our on-site director drove to the Chengdu airport in the early morning. At 10:30 am we took off and headed for Lhasa. It was amazing to see the mountains up close. When we were getting close to our destination, it was slightly terrifying because we were navigating through the mountain ranges. Although it was scary, it was also beautiful seeing the barren landscapes dotted with sparse plants and bushes. The color of the mountains was unbelievable; blues and grays mixed with clay colored soil. At 12:45 pm we landed in the Lhasa airport, where we were greeted warmly by our guide, Puchang-la. He had an exuberant personality and immediately gifted us with the traditional white prayer scarves (kada). Once out in the open, I could tell there was a difference in the air quality. It seemed harder to breathe. The weather was super sunny but cool and not humid. Our guide showed us to the bus and we traveled for approximately an hour before reaching the capital.
Lhasa ལྷ་ས་
Reaching the capital, I was in awe of all the vibrant colors on the buildings, getting my first glimpse of the Potala Palace (where the Dalai Lama used to reside), seeing the people wandering around on the streets, etc. When we arrived at our hotel, the Yabshi Phunkhang Heritage Hotel, I didn’t see it at first since it was hidden among the shops lining the street. Entering into the hotel, it had a open courtyard with the rooms overlooking it. In the courtyard were places to relax under the shade of the trees. There was also an incense burner located on the right side. The rooms were very spacious but I could tell that it would already be cold in the rooms since they didn’t have a heater. The floors were stone slates and the windows didn’t have insulation.
Since our guide was being cautious about us adjusting to the drastic change in altitude (12,000′), we didn’t have any activities planned for the rest of the day. To make sure we didn’t have terrible reactions to the altitude change, our guide advised us to drink a lot of water and make sure to eat. Before we had arrived, our on-site director mentioned that we might want to get altitude sickness pills. The rest of the afternoon was relaxing and I spent my time exploring some of the surrounding area. I window-shopped while strolling around; looking at shawls, traditional instruments, Tibetan souvenirs, etc. Many of the buildings were painted white and rusty red with golden accents. A typical sight to see was the prayer flags strewn throughout the town on buildings and designated spots.
The food in Tibet is actually really yummy. The main dishes that I tried while there were soups, dumplings, and veggies. I even tried yak meat, which was really good. On the first night in Lhasa, we ordered some dumplings but we had no clue what was in them. It came as a surprise when we bit into one that it was full of yak butter. Let me tell you, the taste of yak butter is very unique. It was too exotic for my taste buds.
On October 1, we visited the Barkor area. This area was bustling with people walking around the shops, and paying their respects at the temples. Incense was wafting through the air as we walked to a temple where our guide’s monk friend was residing. The monk says that the monks are restricted from going anywhere and can’t even leave the Barkor area. He revealed that, of all the monks living in the temples in the Barkor area, only three were allowed to leave with permission. Since the Chinese are in charge, everything is controlled.
After our visit to the Barkor area, we meandered over to the Potala Palace. It is well-known as the resident for many generations of Dalai Lamas. The palace is made up of a red section and a white section. The red part of the palace is designated as the religious section while the white is political. Our guide revealed that there are approximately 1,000 rooms in the palace. It was fascinating to see the rooms inside the palace, which were decorated in reds and whites. Like much of the city, red, white, and gold colors prevailed as the main decoration style. Inside the palace, there is also a huge section dedicated to the tombs of many of the previous Dalai Lamas. They were so extravagant and huge. Many of them were inlaid with precious jewels and gold. The people would throw in money to the area in front of the tombs. While we were there, we saw monks sweeping up the money and collecting it. It was truly spectacular and I wished that we had spent more time going through the palace more slowly.
Our next stop was the Sera Monastery. The highlight of our time there was observing the monks debating. I sat along the edges of the area under the shade of the trees. Some of the monks were seated on cushions on the ground, while other monks stood in front of the seated ones. The standing monks would ask a question and clap their hands together loudly. In the meantime, the sitting monk had to answer the question. It was definitely an experience. The atmosphere was fairly peaceful even with the loud debating. The weather was quite hot so it was a relief to take a slight breather under the trees.
The next day, October 2, we toured the Jokhang Temple. In front of the temple, there were people kowtowing on their prayer cushions. It was a very spiritual experience to witness. It was stunning and extremely extravagant. Gold accents dripped from the white and red buildings. This temple is the most holy one because it houses the statue of Buddha. There are only two statues that are that ancient and this was one of them. The decorations and intricacy were so detailed and gorgeous.
We also visited the Drepung Monastery which was decorated in the style of many of the previous buildings we had seen the previous day. There were narrow alleyways that led to beautiful vistas of the land beyond the monastery. The buildings contrasted with the clear sky made for a picturesque scene.
Gyantse རྒྱལ་རྩེ་
On October 3, we checked out of our hotel and made the long 10 hour drive to our next destination, Gyantse. On the way there, we stopped a few times to look at several impressive views. We continually climbed our way slowly up the winding roads in the Gampa Pass. Seeing the view of the clouds touching the mountains was stunning. The pass was very narrow with steep sides. I was terrified that our bus would topple over the side.
Finally we reached Yamdrok Lake (16,000′), and got out to look at it. It was amazing how blue the water was, and how gorgeous the mountains were that were surrounding the lake. At the stop, there were yaks and Tibetan mastiffs that people could opt to take photos with for a small fee.
After admiring the lake for a bit longer, we continued on to Samding Monastery. The road to get there was very rocky and I feared that our bus would fall apart or tip over from all the rocking. We safely arrived at the top of a steep mountain where the monastery was located. There was an amazing view of the rolling mountains, luminous lake, and deep gouges in the fractured earth. At this monastery was the next Lama. He was only 9! It surprised me how calm and serene he seemed. I felt bad because it seemed like his whole life was planned out before he even had a choice. However, this is a part of the Buddhist culture that I had to adapt to. The monastery was the typical Buddhist architectural style. There were many small dogs wandering around the narrow streets.
At 6:30, we finally arrived at Gyantse. In Gyantse and Shigatse, we barely did anything in the cities but spent so much time on the road getting to each place. It was a great way to see more of the Tibetan landscape, but I wish that we had had more time to explore both of these locations. At the end of the day, we plopped into bed and promptly fell asleep.
Shigatse/Xigazê གཞིས་ཀ་རྩེ་གྲོང
October 4, we boarded our bus again and departed from Gyantse. We stopped briefly to look at a barley grinding shop. The shop owner let us sample some of the barley flour. There were also many souvenirs for those who wanted something from Tibet. At 11:30 we arrived at Shigatse (officially known as Xigazê) at stopped at our hotel. There was an annual ceremony that was going on at a temple, so we stopped and watched it for a few hours. The people performed dancing, singing, etc. Near the end, they took a monk who predicted the future for the next year. It was really fascinating to see the cultural traditions at work in the ceremony.
Also at the ceremony were many small children. One child was so excited that he got up and was performing a dance on the sidelines. A guard had to come over and drag him off. Two other little boys came up to us and offered us small, metal gold rings. They were adorable and were continuously chattering to each other throughout the ceremony.
The following day we left the hotel at 9 am and departed from Shigatse at 11 pm. On the way back, we stopped at a beautiful rest area. It was a park with yellow flowers on one side and a group of trees on the other. Lining the street, there were tall slim trees with leaves turning yellow and orange.
We arrived back in Lhasa at 5:30 pm where we returned to our previous hotel and rested. It was sad to know that we would be returning to Chengdu the following day. It was a bittersweet ending to our time in Tibet. Hopefully I will be back some day.
This short trip to Tibet taught me so much more about, not only the Tibetan culture, but also about China’s. The Tibetans love of life is evident in their everyday lives of worshipping at the temples, strolling about town, and spending time with their family and friends. I heard from some people about their resentment of China’s control and how that will look in the future. It was a spiritual experience too, because I was exposed to their religion and faith. Trying to understand their cultural traditions and cuisine was also a new but fascinating experience for me. I loved my time in Tibet, and I hope to return someday soon.