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. 🙂
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