RANDOM QUOTES, RANDOM THOUGHTS



Thursday, May 1, 2008

10 MARCH 2008: CHENGDU TO LHASA

Day 7: 10 March 2008
Itinerary: Chengdu-Lhasa

Taking the 1st flight (7:30am Air China) out of Chengdu to Lhasa this morning. Left the hotel at about 6 am and found out that there was heavy fog all over Chengdu. Check-in was a breeze, I did not check in my baggage as the counter staff said mine (a large backpack and a smaller backpack)were OK to go onboard. The security check was OK too, they even allowed me to bring on board a can of dessert after checking it.
Chengdu 双流机场
My ticket to ride!
While waiting to board, the public address announced delay of many flights out due to heavy fog. In fact none were allowed to fly until situation improves! That is for most other airlines except AIR CHINA!! Actual reasons I was unsure but I suspect must be the type and size of the plane or probably it's the national carrier? We boarded on time, the plane moved to the runway awaiting the fog condition to improve. However it was to be a long wait (more than 1 hour sitting inside the plane!). Luckily I had my mp3 and unblocked leg room, so it was bearable sitting in the plane. I also took the time to read up the Chinese travel guide on Lhasa. As soon as the clearance was obtained from the tower, our flight was the first off the ground.
Breakfast on board!
The only difficulty to adapt thus far in China was the lack of coffee during breakfast, apparently coffee was not the norm here. The coffee on this flight was the first 100% coffee I had for the past 7 days here and boy was it a good brew! Thick and strong, surprising for an airline in economy class! Singapore Airlines, eat your heart out! The best coffee in economy class I had was with Garuda International's flight Singapore-Shanghai. Of course Singapore Airlines in Business Class serve a variety of gourmet coffee, those were the best, especially the Kenyan beans.
Scene from the air
The wing
The Himalayas?
Snow Peaks

The descend into Lhasa
Gonggar Airport, Lhasa
On arrival at Gonggar Airport, made a phone call to one of the hotel to check if there was rooms. The answer was yes, so I was covered on that front. The number in the guide book for the hotel which I wanted was an invalid number! No choice just had to make my way there to check. Transportation to Lasa town area was a breeze, there were airport buses waiting just outside waiting to be board at RMB25 per person.

The bus terminal in downtown Lhasa was very close to the crown jewel, Potala Palace! So first stop was to get some photos of Potala from the ground since it was so close. Thus far, no signs of any altitude sickness (yet).

The crown jewel of Lhasa

After getting a couple of shots, hitched a rickshaw and head for my first choice hotel near Jokhang area to check if there was rooms available. The rickshaw man was unsure of the location we ended up having to make a u-turn. I dropped off at one of the entry points to Bakkhor Street and tried to find my way inside a crowded marketplace. Checked around with some of the shopkeepers and finally managed to find the inconspicuous entrance to the hotel. I actually missed it the first time and had to walked backwards. The signboard was on the side of the building and not easily seen as it was off Bakkhor Street. Had to climb a very narrow wooden staircase to the 2nd floor which was the reception area but no one was there. The place was so empty! No lights whatsoever, thought it was closed! Then a young lady appeared on the flight of stairs leading to the 3rd level. I confirmed with her that the placen was open and then she asked me to come up. I climbed another narrow flight of wooden stairs to the 3rd level and was told to sit and wait a while for her father to return. While waiting I looked around those rooms on the 3rd level. When the father returned, supposedly he was the Innkeeper, I asked about the availability of a room for 2 nights. He brought me to a single room on the 3rd level and then to what would be the best and biggest room of this place, the same room that was inside the travel guide. The room had 2 queen-size beds and a window overlooking Bakkhor Street! He was kind enough to offer me this room at no extra charge as it was not peak season. I will make a separate posting later with the pictures of this incredible place!
I settled in and took a rest to allow my body to adjust to the high altitude before going outside. The bed and linen was extremely comfy but the place was a little dusty probably because it was off-season and also the halogen lamps in the toilet attract a lot of insects into the toilet! The halogen lamps also served as a heater for the whole room.

Bakkhor Street views from the room window 从房间的窗口看出去的八角街景

My Room with A View is the one on the top right hand corner.房间就是右手边頂楼。
First stop: Jokhang Temple (大昭寺)

The ticket was RMB70 and comes with a card CD. No photo-taking was allowed within the Main Hall and if caught the camera will be confiscated, so be warned!

The Main Hall was rather dark as expected for a holy place, many altar rooms were sealed off with metal wire mesh but you could still take a peak from the outside. I was fascinated as it was the first time I had seen so many different statues and different variations of Buddha statues within a single temple all lined up against the walls of the entire Main Hall. I spent a long time revelling in the presentation of each statue, there were so many which I have not heard of! There were a couple of groups with guide and I heard parts of their explanation at some areas of the Main Hall. I was lucky to meet a Tibetan monk visiting the place and he was kind enough to guide me along. I also learnt from him how to pray as well. After we had finished the Main Hall, he even told me to follow him up to the roof of the temple where we took photos for each other. He also explained to me about some of the history about the place and also things which happened during World War II. We parted company briefly as later I would join him to do the prayer, walking and turning the prayer wheels around the outside perimeters of the temple. After coming down from the temple roof where you could catch a good sight of Potala Palace from afar as well as the surrounding areas of the temple, I went inside the Main Hall a second time as they had let in a line of pilgrims and I was curious to see what it was all about. As luck would have it, they were opening the altar room where the main Buddha (Sakyamuni) statue, the Holy of Holies (one of the precious cultural relics of Tibet) was located. The statue was brought to Tibet by Han Princess Wencheng during the Tang Dynasty originally for Ramoche Temple (小昭寺) but subsequently shifted to Jokhang.

I happily joined in the long line together with a group of western tourists and we took turns to pray to the seated Buddha statue. The process was to touch your forehead against the large pillow which the Buddha statue was sitting on and they did restrict the number of people allowed to enter. As I understood this was not done on a regular basis, only for specific days. I could count myself extremely lucky and blessed to be able to do this! As with all things Buddhism, it is all down to fate and timing.

As fate would have it, I bumped into the same monk as I left the temple onto Bakkhor Street and he asked me to join him in making the rounds around the temple perimeters. It was quite an experience and by the end of one round, my hands were soiled with oil and grease from turning all the prayer wheels around the temple perimeters. After Jokhang, the monk was kind enough to bring me to Ramoche Temple (小昭寺) but it was closed for the day. Despite of that we still make the prayer rounds around Ramoche and along the way also to other smaller temples along the route. We parted company thereafter as he was heading in a different direction to where his elder brother was staying. Before leaving, he was kind enough to direct me the way back to Bakkhor Street and also gave me a couple of suggestions on where to go the next day.
Pilgrims at the main entrance 信徒在大昭寺前门朝拜

Entrance to the Main Hall 中堂的入口






View of Potala Palace from the top of Jokhang Temple 从大昭寺看过去的波塔啦宫



Open air toilet on the top level 厕所!



Photos of Ramoche Temple (小昭寺):

Walking back towards Bakkhor/Jokhang area, I made a little detour to see the marketplace of Lhasa and sample a little of the local life:



Butter-- An essential item for Tibetan homes
Street bites.

Dinner for the night:
Went to one of the restaurant recommended in the guide book, not difficult to find as it was along the main road near to Jokhang area. Had what was called a Bobi, Yak meat fried with veggies and provided with rice skins to be wrapped up with. DELICIOUS!
Wanted also another item called Momo (Yak meat dumplings) but they were out. Drowned it all down with a nice cup of sweet Tibetan tea!
The ambience of the restaurant was simple but very cosy.

Went back to the hotel to savour a good night's rest after a tiring day on that irresistable cosy bed.

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