Sunday, May 23, 2010

"The Sequel" - Marie Richards

After a brief absence in Tibet,
the Lazy Susan has returned for it's sequel:
"Furman Eats China"

"Last Day in Tibet" - Tom Triplitt

On Saturday in Tibet, we visited the Samye Monastery, the oldest monastery in Tibetan Buddhism. The Monastery was amazing, getting to see the room where the Dali Lama slept and entertained guests while visiting there. As we were leaving the monks were just settling down to study and began chanting and playing music. Although we felt a bit like intruders, it was a moving experience.


Traveling to the monastery may have been the most interesting part. To say it was remote would be a bit of an understatement. We traveled two hours by bus to a ferry stop, then took a 30 minute boat ride upstream on the Yalungtzangpo River and then another 30 minute bus ride over dirt and sand roads to get to the town and monastery. We had lots of laughs over lunch and restroom facilities. We raced back to Lhasa for a traditional Tibetan dinner and native dance performance before turning in.

On the way to the boat


The Ferry!


Our Boat Guide



On the River


Bus to the Monastery


Local Dance Performance


Chairman Kate actually let us sleep in on Sunday! We did not have to board our purple bus until 9:30 AM for a relaxing day and our flight to Xi'an. We stopped by a Tibetan rug factory, a roadside shrine featuring a Buddha carved into a rock face and the home of a Tibetan family in a typical village.


Our hosts in the village


After an uneventful flight from Lhasa to Xi'an and dinner in the Xi'an airport (another lazy susan) we arrived at the beautiful Sheraton Xi'an hotel about 9:30 PM.



Tibetan Rug Workers

"Tibetan Idol!" - Marie Richards


A local man competes for fame and fortune on the next hit series, Tibetan Idol!