I really love the Lomography Spinner. 360 degree views can be lots of fun.
These 2 images were taken on the roads in Tibet last June. Finally called in home and had all the film I’ve been unable to process in Phuket developed and scanned them in for the next few posts.
I have been through the photos, from the first 4 stops of our Tibet journey, to de-saturate some of my favourites. Here are some for your perusal. Love to know what you think!
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?
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