After some interesting airline stuff ups we had the gift of a day in Shanghai. We walked miles, through old sections, along the Bund and up the main shopping strip. A productive photographic day!
After a 14+ hour bus trip from Lahrong Monastery to Chengdu, we were ready for some quiet exploration and photography!
We left Lahrong at 5 am to get the bus for Chengdu. Rather than go to bus terminus it was decided that we meet the bus at a small town on a cross road where it was expected at 6am. At 7am we were still watching the little town wake up for the day! Waiting in the town was fascinating, we watched people emerge to start their day, music blared at 6:30am (wake up call we guessed), a yak herd wandered down the main street, small buses headed out in different directions. Our bus was the 3rd big one to come through. A small town, but a busy hub!
No ‘first class’ trip this time, we were packed in like sardines, (Asian sized seats) – we were to learn that it was not a bad thing given the roads!! (See the post ‘Road to Lahrong Monastery’ for more info!)
It took 3 rotations of drivers to get us there.The third driver was slow and heavy handed on the horn. Any opportunity to blast his horn was taken – oncoming traffic, blind corners, cars, bikes people on the side of the road …
A long trip!!
Arrived in Lharong Monastery, the largest in the world. WOW, OMG!!!! A centre for Buddhist study and contemplation, 3000 monks and 8,000 nuns study here.
The monastery operates on the Buddhist Rime principle – all sects accepted and considered equal and important. Open mindedness and debate are the order of the day.
The Chinese bulldozed monk and nun homes outside a prescribed boundary, limiting monastery size but it is still the largest in the world. The height and land area of construction work has been limited by the Chinese (more control measures!)
Unfortunately, community sanitation is desperate. Communal drop pits and the side of foot paths are used. The local Doctor paid to set herself up – she has a surgery but no running water!!! Again an interesting thought – the Chinese control and proscribe but don’t seem to be managing the most essential of human needs – good sanitation. Wonder why?
One of my favourite topics is road quality. Anything I had seen up to this point paled into insignificance! OMG!! At home 95% of the road would be 4WD only and 75% of it closed as unsafe. Yet here in Tibet the local cars, buses, motorbikes etc pass up and down constantly! It was such an interesting contrast to the impressive tunnel region engineering that one had to wonder what it was all about!
The highlight of the day’s driving was finding a traditional nomadic family living in a yak hair tent. Each panel takes many years to weave – incredible workmanship! We stopped for tea – with yak milk – and despite trepidation, it wasn’t bad! Certainly didn’t fit in the ‘rancid and hairy’ bracket I was warned about. 🙂
The Annual conference of Buddhist monks was held in Chutung Monastery, not far from Dzamthang. It was seen as a photo opportunity too good to miss.
On arrival we were greeted by the sight of a thousand burgundy robed monks spread out across the fields, debating, listening, chatting, learning, eating and networking. Delegates badges, bags etc made the conference genre clear.
As we arrived they were breaking up for lunch of noodles, bread, fun and laughter. We were the oddity again. The source of great hilarity and interest.
We were taken into the conference dignitaries’ eating area and offered bread and given gifts – clock, blessing scarf, scroll of a Tibetan deity, note book and pen.
As we went out to photograph the monastery, we found ourselves on a fast exit!! Unfortunately we walked out at the exact time an important Chinese official (unbeknown to our hosts) was due. We found ourselves face to face with a Chinese official vehicle – with the 2 officials doing pre-safety check before the dignitary arrived.
We had planned to go the next day but left then!!!! Passports were checked and details laboriously recorded. We were told it was for our safety and that we could visit the monastery without taking photos. There were more delays, phone calls and debates and finally we were taken back out of the TAR to check in at the ‘Exit/Entry Administration Service Centre, public Security Bureau of Rang Tang County’.
We were supposed to collect our bags on the way, but our zealous non-English speaking police officer drove us straight over the pass to the required check in. After a long, anxious wait in the Security Bureau our gear turned up and we were checked into a hotel.
We learned that the conference is usually 2 weeks long, but that the Chinese had limited the numbers to 1000 and the length to a week. More control!!
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