Totally Tibet! Part 2

Day 4- Elijah wasn't doing too good on this day and so Jami and him stayed back to get some rest and use oxygen in the morning. Everest, Ethan and I went to a cool Monastery called Drak Yerpa. We feel that in China once you see one Monastery or Temple you have seen them all. They all have the basic same layout and same Shiva's or Buddha's, some bigger and some smaller. BUT Drak Yerpa was unique! It was built into the hillside and cliffs.

On the way to Drak Yerpa we went over this mountain pass, Nachen La pass, it was literlly covered with Prayer flags at  3800 meters or 12,467 feet.

The other side of the road on Nachen La pass, you can't see any mountain, just flags.

Looking up at Drak Yerpa

Starting up Drak Yerpa, 4386 meters, 14,389 feet a.b.s

Looking down on the parking area and start of Drak Yerpa, 4467 meters/14,655 feet

Everest at the highest point of Drak Yerpa

One of the buddah's inside of Drak Yerpa covered with tibetan welcoming scarfs

One of the many small caved entries

Many rooms built right into the rocks and caves

As you can see the doors aren't that big

Leaving the main buildings behind and heading over to the hill pictured below...

On this hill there were more prayer flags and just a good little hike for photos

Panorama of Drak Yerpa from the hill

A photos with my troopers as we hiked over 14,500 feet above sea level in the morning, barely winded.

In the afternoon we met up with Jami and Elijah. Elijah was feeling good enough that we went to another Monastery, Sera Monastery. Like I said before, once you've seen one you feel like you've seen them all. Sera was a little different and had some extra cool things. Who has seen 7 Years in Tibet staring Brad Pitt? If you haven't, check it out. If you have...remember the part when the Chinese general and his cronies come in and mess up the Sand Art that's on the floor? Well....we got to see 1st hand some of that art. GORGEOUS! So meticulous and colorful!

Sand art. All this is made of sand

So detailed and intricate.

In addition to the Sand Art there was a huge library with the old books and Sanskrit's (no pictures allowed, but later on, in another Monastery I got some pictures I will put up) and Monks debating. You can't understand what they are saying, but there are 250 or so monks that gather everyday and sit in groups of 5-10 and debate each other using hand signals and clapping and such.

Family outside of Sera Monastery

Monks debating about their lessons that they had earlier in the day.

They debate from 3-5pm everyday except on Sunday.

At the end of the day we were left to explore and chill. We went to Barkhor street again, which is really close to the hotel and wandered around. I took some good pictures of the crowds and people prostrating and the beautiful mountains. And last, but certainly not least, today we walked over to Potala Palace to get some night pictures. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Oh, and by the way...it doesn't get dark in Tibet until 10pm.

Some of the crowd at Barkhor street. Lady on left has prayer beads.

Group of orators lining up in front of Jokhang Temple

The sun glimmering off the top of the highest peak around Tibet,  about 5500 meters of 18,000 feet

Potala at night

Beautiful...and not just the palace! ;o)

Oh...some side notes: The movie 7 Years in Tibet is not allowed in Tibet. This means most Tibetans have not seen it. Also, when the current Dalai Lama dies they aren't sure how the next will be "picked" or how the current will re-incarnate due to the current state of affairs. There are only 3 things that will allow China to let the current Dalai Lama back into Tibet. 1) Admit that Tibet is China 2) Admit that Taiwan is China 3) He cannot work or teach when in Tibet and No "Free Tibet". AND Tibetans are not under the same 1 child law as regular China. The 1 child applies to those of Hun decent.

This is pretty long....I will break it off here and try and do day 5 and 6 on Part 3...be ready! The views are incredible! Just a preview....Holy Lakes, Deadly accidents, New heights, Flat and shredded tires in high altitudes and beauty, beauty and beauty (not just Jami).

Totally Tibet! Part 1

Tibet=WOW! We had a great trip. We were't able to go to Everest Base Camp due to it being closed because of the recent earthquake. In fact,  the tourist companies aren't sure when it will reopen. They hope end of June beginning of July, but aren't sure. At some points we were higher or just as high as EBC. We had some good fun experiences and a little bit of altitude sickness. Elijah got sick and we had to put him on oxygen for a day, but after that all was good.

Elijah taking some Oxygen in Lhasa, the real stuff came later.

I took close to 200 pictures a day! I will just put up some of them and the ones I like the most. The pictures don't do the beauty and magnificence justice. Definitely a trip to do again and something I recommend to all those that love mountains.

Day one 1- We had to catch a train in Yongzhou at 3am to Guilin, where we took a plane to Xining where we would catch the Highest train in the world to Lhasa Tibet.

An early morning start

Xining views. It reminded us of Grand Junction...

Just a lot bigger with millions of people.

We got to spend a day in Xining exploring...

Watching people practice their sword skills...

walking the market looking for good treats for our upcoming 21 hour train ride.

Day 2- Off to Lhasa. We loaded onto our train and settled in for a long 21 hour ride. The views from the train were fantastic and they altitude of the train reached 5090 meters or 16,699 feet.

The Train was packed and loaded, every seat was full.

This is the biggest lake in China Qinghai lake.

Someone is out cold

So hard to get comfortable

This is the Altimeter in the train. Top left side gives altitude in meters, 5040 or 16,535 feet above sea level.

The sun rise in tibet

Our 1st stop and taking a picture moment, we only had 2 minutes while others were getting on. 4702 meters or 13,359 feet.

This is the highest fresh water lake in the world. 

As we started to see the snow capped peaks the train was at an altitude of 4649 meters or  15,252 feet. So imagine how tall these peaks are! AMAZING!

This was a bend in the tracks and I thought I got a pretty good picture

These are some new friends that we met on the train. They spoke great english and gave us a selfie stick!

Day 3- Lhasa! Here we are in Tibet this day. We had arrived in the afternoon the day before and we are told to take naps, take it easy and do nothing so that we can adjust to the altitude. Which is at 3490 meters or 11,450 feet.
Today we went to the Potala Palace, a great dive to eat lunch and Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street. It is 365 stairs to the main buildings where the images are. There were no photos allowed inside. But it was a great sight.

Just across the street from Potala Palace, residence of the Dalai Lama (when he's in Tibet)

Getting ready to climb the stairs

Quite the view of Lhasa 

Colorful doorways

Getting ready to enter the white temple at the top of Potala 

The backside of Potala

There were hundreds, heck maybe even thousands of the prayer wheels going around Potala and hundreds and hundreds of people walking around with their prayer wheels

 After Potala Palace we went to lunch to this little place called the Tibetan Family Kitchen. As we entered this courtyard we were thinking "uh oh...where are we going?!" We walked up two flights of stairs and entered this little apartment. We walked right through the kitchen where food was being prepared and into one of two rooms. It was quite cozy and the hosts were great and the food was FANTASTIC!  It was so good in fact we went back later in the week....More to come on that.

Photos with the cooks!

The way to to Tibetan Family Kitchen

 After lunch and just down the street is the greatest or most important Temple in Lhasa (so they say anyway). It is Jokhang Temple. It sits in the center of Old Lhasa.

Jokhang temple front entrance

The tops of the Jokhang Temple. It was so bright.

View of Potala from the Jokhang

The tops where impressively golden bright. All the black and white curtains are made of 100% Yak hair

 All around Jokhang Temple is the famous street of Barkhor. It is filled with all types of shops and restaurants and again hundreds of devote believers walking clockwise, spinning their prayer wheels clockwise, some chanting and others prostrating (taking 3 steps, going down to their hands and knees and then pushing the hands forward going to their stomach, getting back up, taking 3 steps and going down again.....over and over and over). It's something else to see.

Picture of Barkhor street

Elijah on Oxygen the next morning with the real stuff!

I will have to do this trip in several posts....there is just too much that we did and saw that I want to share! After our 1st couple of days in Lhasa there was just a different feeling here than in China. We couldn't quite place our finger on it, but we believe that in all the places we have been in China there are more believers here in a higher deity or being, maybe just more hope.