Inauspicious Start in Lhasa
Trip Start
Aug 25, 2003
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41
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Trip End
Jul 18, 2004
Lhasa,
China
Thursday, April 29, 2004
Two days later we headed out and visited the famous Potala Palace. It was quite different from what I expected - more of a religious center than I would've thought
Kyichu River
. The whole thing was very impressive but in the back of my mind I kept thinking "I shouldn't be breathing this hard going up these steps, should I?" The next few days were filled with guided tours (courtesy of our mountain bike tour) of a few monasteries in the area. Drepung monastery, only a few kilometers out of town, was huge. At it' height our guide told us that it housed over 7,000 monks. This was probably the first time I really noticed the smell of the yak-butter lamps filling the rooms. People who come and visit bring butter to fill he lamps which can sometimes lead to buttery slick railings. I guess a buttery hand is what you risk when visiting a monastery.
The most impressive sight had to be the Drepung monastery kitchen. Formed into a giant clay platform were three huge pots that could hold 8 yaks each. There were also two pots that could hold me easily, and underneath the pots was room for fire. Tea pots that could probably hold 4 gallons lined the walls. This was definitely a kitchen that could feed thousands.
At Sera monastery we got to witness monks debating and teaching. This was similar to what we had seen in Mcleod Ganj during Losar but on a much larger scale
Potala Palace
. This was hundreds of monks shouting and slapping to ask questions or make points. Johkang monastery in the heart of Lhasa is what most Tibetan pilgrims come to visit. All day they circle the monastery with prayer wheels. Inside we found the familiar smell of butter lamps and got to learn the history of it's construction. On the roof we found an excellent view of the Potala. We even got to witness a work crew of women pounding into place a new roof. They sang and stamped as they worked, somewhat reminiscent of African American spirituals.When our bike finally arrived from Kathmandu we found mine with the handlebars put on backwards, Sarah's with a flat tire, and both bikes looking like they were worth half of what we paid just to rent them. Still, they were here so I as excited to ride. The next day we took a brief ride out the the Drepung monastery to give our bikes and ourselves a test ride. The bikes seemed OK and at this point we were more worried about ourselves.
