Shuffle off to Shigatse

June 9, 2012

It is a beautiful day in Gyantse, cool, sunny and clear. Today we will spend the morning touring Gyantse and the local monastery, and then hit the road for Shigatse.

We have enjoyed excellent weather thus far, with unusually warm afternoons, so our only concern has been protection drom the sun...a nice problem to have! Neil is well equipped to battle the intense sunshine...not so well-equipped for blending into a crowd...

The most prominent landmark in Shigatse is the old fort that looms large over this small city, and it stands out in the morning sun while the town below is in shadows. The city is just waking up, and we walk down the street taking in the sights and sounds.

We turn off the city street and enter a neighborhood in the old part of the city. It feels like we have stepped back in time as we see traditional-style Tibetan homes, residents dressed in traditional Tibetan clothes, and a way of life that seems a couple of steps behind the city life that exists just around the corner. We see the old way of life meeting the new as we see electrical power lines and street lights hovering over livestock tethered to the front of homes and dung drying for winter fuel. So much change is occurring so quickly it is fascinating and yet there is also a sense that eventually the old ways will be replaced by the new, and that will be a loss...so we take it all in as we stroll through this meighborhood and watch the residents begin their morning routines...

While progress may be threatening some of the traditional aspects of life here in Tibet, this communal spigot is an incremental improvement for the folks who live in this neighborhood. While they do not have running water in their homes, it was not too long ago that they had to walk to the nearby river to fill their water jugs and haul it back to their homes. And the street has been paved with cobblestones and a drainage system which must be a great improvement particularly during the monsoon season...

And here is an example of old meeting new...this home has no running water, but they have a washing machine. There is electricity to operate the machine, but they have to fill the washing machine by carrying water in jugs from the communal spigot, and because they do not have indoor plumbing the machine discharges into the street...and all of this takes place in front of their home, right next to their two cows and the drying dung patties (we've mentioned dung a few times, so look for our special edition on dung coming soon)...

As we approach the Pekor Chode Monastery, we can see the top of the stupa and the great wall that encircles the monastery. In the small building on the right there is a large prayer wheel, and Steve gave it a turn...we believe he is looking for as much help as possible in handling our group...!

Once inside the monastery grounds we again get a view of the great Stupa Kubum as we pause to read the official marker for the monastery, and anxiously hope our tickets will pass their examination (they have been studying so hard...). Phew, they passed, so we're in...!

We first visit the Stupa Kubum which is over 100 feet tall and contains 108 chapels. The stupa was built in 1427. Outside the stupa, pilgrims are walking the kora early and are putting juniper incense into the large incense burner...several pilgrims are prostrating themselves facing the stupa. As experienced pilgrims ourselves, we walk the kora clockwise around the stupa and monastery accompanied by pilgrims, and of course there are prayer wheels to be spun...

Once we complete the circuit of the kora, it is time to enter the stupa itself, and as we approach the entrance we catch a glimpse of the moon still shining in the early morning light over Gyantse...

The chapels contained within the stupa are spread over three levels, and most are quite small and dark. Generally there are larger chapels on the west, north, east and south faces and these contain larger statues. The 108 chapels contain all sorts of statues...some are Buddhas, some are protectors, some are other gods like compassion, longevity, wisdom, etc...we began by looking frequently into nearly every chapel we passed...but this soon changed as we realized that most were very similar to one another, so we did not visit each of the 108 chapels...we did pass by them all, but we didn't poke our noses into each one...here are a few photos from these dark little chapels...

From the third level of the stupa, which is the highest level you can walk on, there are some great views and some great photo ops...like the three women sitting on the hillside across from the stupa, the fort on the hill, and the monks' quarters...our group was taking it all in through their viewfinders...

Next we visit the monastery itself. This Pekor Chode monastery is unique in that three sects of Tibetan Buddhism...the yellow hat, red hat and black hat...all coexist at this monastery. The monastery was built in 1418, and looks similar to other monasteries we have visited. We have a unique opportunity in this monastery today, however...the monks have the scriptures open in the main chapel and we are able to see them. These scriptures are more than 600 years old; they are made from thick paper which has been painted black, then the scripture verses are painted by hand with gold paint. This is really an extraordinary opportunity, so we pay our ten yuan and get some remarkable photos...of the scriptures themselves and of the monk tying them back up in gold silk...

The collection of old scriptures at this monastery is quite extensive...take a look at the height of this stack, and this in only one of three walls similarly stacked with old scriptures...

After our visit to the monastery, we hit the road toward our next destination, Shigatse. On the way we see the ruins of ancient forts...

During our visit we have been told about barley being a staple grain for Tibetans...they make flour from it, and they even make beer from it. Along the road to Shigatse we make a stop at a mill that grinds barley into the staple food of Tibet...sampa...barley flour. This finely ground flour is the basis for many Tibetan foods, not the least of which is a mix of sampa with sugar and a little butter which Tibetans eat with their cream tea. In monasteries, pilgrims bring this barley flour and donate it as an offering to the monks. This mill uses a water wheel to move large flat grinding stones to create the fine flour. We get a chance to see how it all works, and get to sample some barley...

We continue on to Sigatse, and we see more local scenery...these tractors are everywhere...they are referred to as the tractors that built Asia. They are used to haul material like stones and dirt, they are used to haul produce to market and back, and they also carry people to town. They move very slowly, and therefore cars and buses spend a lot of time weaving around them on the highways...

When you don't have a tractor, you go by foot...it is hard to imagine how many miles rural Tibetans cover walking...

Livestock are also a common sight on and off the road..

At last we arrive at our hotel in Shigatse. And our room looks pretty standard...two hard beds, two chairs, curtains that are difficult to close, and a control panel for all the room's lights and electricity located on the nightstand between the beds.

The hotel lobby and dining room are tastefully decorated with that distinctly understated use of color for which Tibetan design is known...

We have an hour or two after lunch to get settled, and then we head off to see the carpet factory in town. We are welcomed to the factory by the unofficial greeters...who were quick with their "Hello" as well as their request for pencils...

Inside the carpet factory we got the chance to see local women working to produce really nice carpets...we watch them as they spin wool into yarn. They get paid according to the amount they spin each day, and many of them are very fast at this age-old task. The yarn then goes on to be dyed and used to make the carpets.

In the adjacent workshop, we watched as pairs or trios of women worked on carpets, tying the knots, etc...We took a video of a couple of these women, and as we thanked them and started to exit the room, they called us back because they wanted to watch the video of themselves...very fun to watch the expression on their faces...

We also got a chance to see how they trim the carpets to give their intricate designs texture...

On our way back to the hotel we stopped at a local market which was filled with vendors selling the same necklaces, bracelets, masks, etc., that we have seen nearly everywhere else...so we made relatively quick work of this stop and headed back to our hotel.

We gathered for happy hour in the bar, polished off a few Lhasa beers with Ted's almonds, then headed to dinner in the dining room.

Now, we just had to take a photo of this...particularly for one Boston Celtics fan we know...this is the phone in our bathroom, right next to the commode...nice color choice...

Tomorrow we will do some touring in the morning and then hit the road to Sakya!