Tibet

Tibet is not an easy place to visit. It's geographically isolated on a high desert plateau a few thousand kilometers into the 'outback' of western China. It's also politically isolated, mostly because China got tired of the bad press associated with the Chinese takeover of this region and clamped down on travel to Tibet by most foreigners. It took me three tries to get here: on the first two trips I was denied because of 'unrest' in the region. On my third trip I got lucky and was finally able to visit Tibet. It was worth the wait.

Lhasa, Tibet. The Potala, former winter palace of the Dalai Lama. It's an icon of Tibet and the centerpiece of the capital city of Lhasa. Touring the Potala is a must-do when visiting Lhasa. Be prepared to climb a lot of stairs.

Lhasa, Tibet. Politically isolated, geographically remote, high, dry, and very cold; Lhasa is not an easy place to visit. Even more so the way I came here: by train. It was the longest train ride of my life at 2 days and nearly 2,400 miles, but it crossed much of China, passed some amazing scenery, and provided some opportunity to acclimatize to the altitude- nearly 12,000 feet!

Tibetan Plateau. "Magnificent Desolation". Those were Buzz Aldrin's words describing the moon during his moon walk in 1969. I thought they applied here as well; his quote kept popping into my head as the train cruised across the Plateau. This empty scenery just seemed to go on forever. All this open space was quite a contrast to the city life in China.

Nomads still live out here in this freezing, barren tundra. You wonder "how do they do it??" And Why???

Lhasa, Tibet. The main entrance to the Jokhang Monastery, the most sacred Buddhist temple in Tibet. Pilgrims come here from all over the country, some prostrating themselves every inch of the way from their native villages, which are sometimes hundreds of miles away. For those unfamiliar with "prostrating" it's done like this: the pilgrim stands in place, says a prayer, kneels down, stretches out forward on the ground with arms extended, gets back up, moves forward to where his fingers touched, and - repeat. Over and over again, moving forward one body-length for each prayer. An incredibly difficult way to travel but many do it, usually once in a lifetime to get to this holy temple.

A few photos from in & around the Jokhang temple. There is constant activity here day and night as pilgrims come from all over the country to this epicenter of Tibetan Buddhism.

Top: Prayers after a long journey.

Middle: One of the many gods represented in the temple. Most of their names are so long I can't remember (or even pronounce) them.

Bottom: A ghostly visitor in the main temple. Once a ceremony gets going this can be a very noisy place!

These monks-in-training are taking part in what I can only describe as "final exams". The students are all seated in an outdoor temple courtyard as senior monks wander through the crowd, randomly stopping and grilling the trainees. It's a serious matter but you wouldn't guess that from these photos; there is still a lot of joking around and a lot of trash-talking back and forth. Like much of Buddhism, it's very loud and boisterous, and very colorful and full of ceremonial procedures. When a student gets an answer right the 'teacher' does an elaborate hand-slap routine, almost like he's giving himself a high-five for having taught them so well.

Top and right: Student-monks joking around with each other, and with the teacher. I wish my final exams had been so much fun.

Bottom: Enlightened.

Some of the rugged, tough, and funny people of Tibet. And their dogs. All have great karma.

A couple of local girls pose in native dress out in the Tibetan countryside.

Scenes from out in the "countryside". It's tempting to call this place a wasteland but the locals have thrived here for centuries.

Above: This region has many of the highest-altitude lakes in the world. This is not a used-car lot, although it looks like one. These Tibetan prayer flags release prayer-verses to the wind with each flap. A nice thought.

Right: Ruins of ancient trading posts and military fortifications are scattered around Tibet.

Lhasa (and much of Tibet) butts right up next to the Himalayas, and the mountain scenery is spectacular. Having an ancient Buddhist temple in the foreground just makes it all the better. Luckily the Red Army was kind enough to leave a few of these temples standing when they rampaged through the area in the 1950's.