Tibet trip (2)

of two

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Tibet trip XI ZANG XING

Because it is a high altitude area and the distance is long ,

Therefore, I had doubts about whether I could go to Tibet and see it in this lifetime.

Overnight at Nagenla Pass

During this trip to Tibet, we passed through several mountain passes, including Rubber Pass, Kunlun Pass, Tanggula Pass, Nagen La Pass, Seji La Pass, etc., but I think Nagen La Pass is the most worthy of note. Naganla Pass is the passage from Damxung to the famous tourist destination Namtso. According to the advice of our friends, we set off from Damxung at around 5 o'clock in the morning. It was still dark when we reached the Genla Pass, and there were no stars or moon visible in the night sky. After passing the mountain pass, we will go down the mountain, but the road down the mountain is not only steep, but also has turns. Since the car's headlights can only shine directly, we couldn't turn the road ahead, so I had to get out of the car and take a flashlight to the front to see the road clearly before driving down the mountain. When I got out of the car, I immediately felt the cold wind blowing against my face. I shivered and my hands were shaking. After looking at the road with a flashlight, I got in the car, told Brother X where the road turned, and then slowly walked down the mountain along the road.

When we came back from visiting Namtso and passed through the next place, we found that the road coming at night was so steep and long. In a relatively flat place, there were several cars parked. Some people used beverage bottles to collect water from the creek on the roadside and poured it on the wheels. A mist immediately came out of the wheels. It turned out that the car needed to be driven continuously when going down this slope. If the brakes are applied to the ground, the hub of the wheel will heat up and need to be cooled down with water, otherwise an accident may easily occur. It was really scary to think that we had traveled this distance at night. It turns out that when we passed this place at night, we didn't know the steepness and curve angle of the road. It is true that "the ignorant is fearless". We clearly saw the road conditions at Genla Pass, and couldn't help but shudder again. How dangerous it was for us to drive at night! We actually drove through this mountain pass without knowing the road conditions clearly. It was really thanks to the blessing of the gods!

Morning tour to Namtso

Namtso is the largest saltwater lake in Tibet and the highest saltwater lake in the world. "Namtso" means Tianhu, Spiritual Lake or Divine Lake. It is a famous holy lake in Tibetan Buddhism. Foreigners who come to Tibet should visit here whenever possible. In the early morning of July 10, we arrived at Namtso from Damxung. When I first arrived here, my genius was bright. We parked the car in the parking lot and went to the lake. It was about 1 kilometer from where we got off the bus to the lake. When we arrived at the lake, there were already some people patrolling the lake, as if they were waiting to watch the sunrise. Looking at the top of the hill not far from the lake, there are also many people, maybe they also want to see the magnificent scene of the sun rising on the snowy plateau.

It's a pity that the weather is not good. Although there is a hint of bright color in the eastern sky, the whole sky is gloomy. Dark clouds were low overhead. Under the reflection of such a sky, the lake water also looks very gloomy, and it is by no means as clear, translucent and moist as imagined. I once thought of words such as "lover's eyes" and "gentle jasper" commonly used in middle school students' compositions to describe Namtso, which I have longed for. However, the lake in front of me was as heavy as the dark clouds, which made me feel depressed. Even the mountains in the distance were painted dark brown by the dark clouds. In other words, the clouds in the sky, the mountains across the lake, and the lake in front of us were all so dark. What’s even more uncomfortable is that although it’s midsummer, it’s very cold by the lake. Even though I put on thermal underwear, a thick coat, and a woolen sweater, I still couldn’t beat the coldness by the lake. The cold wind made me feel like I was in the cold winter, and my legs were still trembling. Xia Lei wore thinner clothes and of course felt colder. So we hurriedly took a few photos by the lake as a souvenir and hurriedly left the lake.

After leaving the lake, we went to a restaurant owned by Sichuanese in the parking lot to have something to warm up. It was about half past seven when we arrived, and there were no customers in the hotel yet, so it seemed very deserted. The proprietress of the hotel was very enthusiastic when she saw us. She led us to the stove to warm ourselves and added cow dung cakes to the stove. We gathered around the stove to warm ourselves up while the landlady prepared breakfast for us. After a while, hot breakfast was brought over. We finished our breakfast quickly, but did not leave immediately. We greeted the landlady and continued to warm ourselves by the fire. The landlady graciously agreed and chatted with us. She said that she and her husband came here to open a restaurant, and they only opened the restaurant here for a few months a year. When the weather was cold in September, the mountain was closed and there were no tourists at all. The couple closed the business and returned to Chengdu until April of the following year. Come again. I asked her what will you do after returning to Chengdu? She said she was busy taking care of the children and doing housework while her husband went out to work. It seems that although the couple opened a restaurant, their life was still quite difficult. While we were chatting, the restaurant owner came back with two sacks of cow dung cakes. These two sacks of cow dung cake weighed at least 70 to 80 kilograms. At this high altitude, even if we climbed a slope or walked a few steps, we would feel out of breath. However, the hotel owner asked us to I bought two sacks of cow dung cakes. What is particularly worthy of our attention here is that usually such heavy menial work is done by small workers hired in the store, but the boss did it. It can be seen that although they open a restaurant, they don't make much money. The boss and his wife are both strong, about 40 years old, and look like farmers, not like a restaurant owner at all. The boss told us that these cow dung cakes are the main fuel for their restaurants. They are collected by Tibetans from pastoral areas and then transported here. Each hotel then sends people to buy them. I said it would be much more convenient and less labor-intensive if we use a wheelbarrow or a flatbed truck to tow it, or if we sell the cow dung cakes and deliver them to each house. The boss said that it was not easy to find a car in the mountains, and the Tibetans were unwilling to deliver the cow dung cakes to each house, so he had no choice but to buy them and pick them up. Speaking of this, we said that it is understandable that the hotel prices are relatively expensive.

In Namtso, although we did not enjoy the legendary charming scenery, we did not regret it. We had a certain understanding of the life of businessmen here.

Wandering around Potala Palace Square

Just like Tiananmen Square is to Beijing, China, the Potala Palace can be said to be a landmark building in Tibet. On the morning of July 11, I came to the world-famous Potala Palace Square to admire this building that represents the highest Tibetan art.

I believe many friends have a relatively full understanding of the Potala Palace. Because books, movies, newspapers and periodicals, and the developed Internet are all introduced in detail with extremely rich texts, pictures, and images. Therefore, there is no need for me to give an intellectual introduction to it. I just want to talk about my viewing experience.

I am very amazed at the wisdom of the Tibetan compatriots to build the entire Potala Palace on a hill. Although this small hill does not appear to be high against the surrounding mountains, it is still dozens of meters high from the ground to the top of the mountain. The Potala Palace was built according to the mountain topography. It is said that this kind of palace built on the mountain was not designed as a whole, but was built from top to bottom by several generations of Dalai Lamas over hundreds of years. So it is conceivable how difficult it is to finally integrate the construction of different periods into one. At the same time, looking at the Potala Palace in front of me, another question popped up in my mind - of course not just about the Potala Palace, but also about all ancient buildings built on high mountains: In ancient times when there were no modern large-scale machinery, , how are those heavy and heavy building materials transported to the construction site? Especially when the Potala Palace is being continued to be built, the lower part has been built, so what about transporting building materials and tools upward? Obviously this involves the wisdom of the ancients and Tibetans. Perhaps in their eyes, these are very simple things, but for us uninformed people, they become very profound and mysterious.

People who travel to Lhasa usually visit the Potala Palace. Of course I also wanted to go in and have a look, but unfortunately I couldn't go. There are two main reasons: First, it is difficult to buy tickets. It is said that the number of tickets sold to the Potala Palace every day is very limited. If you want to visit, you must book in advance or find someone to buy it. I also wanted to ask Mr. Lan Guohua from the Tibet Academy of Social Sciences to purchase it on my behalf, but considering it would cause trouble to others, I did not propose it. Secondly, the Potala Palace is built on a hill. According to visual inspection, the relative height of the highest floor is four or five times higher. Ten meters high, this height is nothing in the plain area, I can climb up quickly; but in this plateau area with an altitude of more than 3,000 meters, I have to climb dozens of meters to reach the highest floor of the palace. For me, For people over fifty years old, can their bodies tolerate it? Besides, the altitude sickness I suffered a few days ago made me a little afraid of climbing. Furthermore, it is said that there are many people visiting the Potala Palace, and the management always urges people to see and go quickly, making it difficult to calm down and watch and taste it carefully. Rather than just walking around and leaving regrets, it is better not to watch and let her remain a beautiful imagination in my mind. Since I can't enter the Potala Palace to visit, I can sit under the tree by the pond on the east side of the square and just stare at this majestic classical building. In this concentrated gaze, I couldn't help but feel poetic in my chest:

Just let me stare at you like this

you look down at me

Sitting majestically on top of the mountain

My body is extremely heavy

Can't blend in with you

Then let my eyes fly over

Then let my mind fly

Then let my emotions fly

Then let my soul fly

Goshawks are circling in the sky

Hundreds of clouds are floating in the sky

The stars in the sky blink

The moon in the sky looks at the earth

The Potala Palace is with me

rising slowly

After staring for a while, I came to the Potala Palace Square for a walk! Wandering in Potala Palace Square, I feel like I am in Tiananmen Square. First of all, everyone who enters the square needs to go through a strict security check, just like passing the security check at the airport. Even the drink you bring has to take a sip to prove that there is no problem; secondly, the layout of Potala Palace Square is very similar to Tiananmen Square. There is a broad east-west avenue in front of Potala Palace Square, much like Chang'an Street in front of Tiananmen Square. The Monument to the People's Heroes stands in the middle of Tiananmen Square, but at the southern end stands the Peaceful Liberation Monument, far opposite the Potala Palace. If there is any difference, it is that Potala Palace Square is obviously not as big as Tiananmen Square, and there is Mao Memorial Hall to the south of the People's Heroes Monument in Tiananmen Square, and the Potala Palace Square to the Peaceful Liberation Monument, there are other Apart from an exhibition hall-style building in the south, there is no space to the south.

There are not many tourists in the square, most of them are from out of town. People strolled around the square and took photos to commemorate the event. Some foreign tourists have a strong interest in Tibetan costumes, so some business-savvy people rent Tibetan costumes to tourists in the square. Some female tourists put on Tibetan skirts and struck poses, which were really impressive. Especially the tourists with dancing talent turned their bodies so gently, really like Tibetan compatriots dancing. Some men also put on Tibetan robes and Tibetan hats, imitating Tibetan movements. When these tourists wearing Tibetan clothes danced, it was not only their relatives and friends who took photos of them, but also other tourists, including me. I thought this was also a scene on the Potala Palace Square. Although I cannot say that this scene has much cultural connotation, it is a kind of fun after all.

The scene with real cultural significance is in the area around the Potala Palace Square, where many Tibetans are kowtowing. Prostration is a very important ritual in Tibetan Buddhism. Beside the pond on the east side of the square, under the big trees, and in the open space on the west side, there are many people kowtow. They look quiet, holding black beads in their hands, facing the Potala Palace, and they fall down over and over again. Stand up, fall down, get up again... Every time they kowtow, the prayer beads in their hands move one by one, and they chant maybe scriptures. I sat on a chair near them and watched. Before I knew it, nearly an hour had passed. After I came back, I also wrote a short poem "Sitting and Watching People Kowtow":

over and over again

How many times have you done it?

Only the black Buddha beads know

Tibetans bowed their heads

Awe of time

After time exits

The soul is like a white cloud

light and fluttering

Me sitting not far away

Eyes rise and fall with the kowtow

After secularity withdraws

The soul merges with the Tibetan people

It is also worth mentioning that there is a small park for people to rest at the southern end of the east side of Potala Palace Square. The reason why this small park caught my attention is mainly because the trees there grow very artistically. Although they don't grow in flower pots, they grow by the river. The trunk of the tree is very thick, but it is not straight up and down like other trees, but twisted like a snake. It is obviously not artificial but grown naturally, so the shape of each tree is different, which makes people feel like nature. Very interesting too.

Bajiao Street

Bajiao Street is located to the east of Potala Palace Square, a few hundred meters away from the square. It is centered on the famous Jokhang Temple at home and abroad, forming a neighborhood similar to Bagua. I visited here before visiting Potala Palace Square.

Compared with the security check in Potala Palace Square, the security check here is stricter. Not only do you need to check your carry-on items, but you also need to check your ID card. After passing the security check, we entered the busiest street in Lhasa. We could see that every street was patrolled by heavily armed military police. They held a shield in one hand and a baton in the other. They were very powerful, but the atmosphere here was a bit tense. . However, Bajiao Street is still very lively. There are many people on the street, bustling and very lively. Moreover, people on the street are basically doing their own thing as if nothing has happened: those doing business, those having fun, those going shopping, those worshiping Buddha... Both sides of the street are filled with commodity stalls, various religious supplies, daily necessities, etc. There is a dazzling array of supplies, artworks, and Tibetan specialties. In particular, the silverware imported from Nepal, the jade imported from Myanmar, as well as local copperware, agate, dzi beads, turquoise, etc. are eye-catching. People wearing Tibetan, Chinese and other ethnic costumes walked between large and small shops, and some businessmen were trading cordyceps on the street corners using sign language. Many vendors sell various souvenirs and handicrafts to tourists at the stalls.

The buildings on Bajiao Street can be said to be typical Tibetan style. Most of the walls are made of open stones. Since they are not polished, these stones are relatively rough, making the whole building look rough, which is in line with the generous character of Tibetans. Some buildings are painted, some are not painted, and the ones painted are mainly khaki. The walls of some houses are inlaid with colored stones, and some beams, door frames and windows are painted with colored paintings. Residents on Bajiao Street mostly live in two- or three-story buildings, but most of them are courtyard-style structures. There are murals painted on the walls of the doorway. The content is mainly about Tibetan myths, legends and Tibetan scenery, and the colors are very bright.

Wandering on Bajiao Street, I always want to find something different from the mainland. In addition to Tibetan signs, posters, slogans, product packaging, and Tibetan clothing, I pay special attention to the unique customs of Tibetans. Near the Jokhang Temple, there was an old man, about 60 years old, walking among the crowd carrying a water bottle, which caught my attention. Sure enough, many Tibetans soon gathered around. Most of these Tibetans were over 50 years old, both men and women. They stretched out their hands to the pot, and the old man carefully poured the light yellow liquid into their hands. I didn't know what kind of liquid it was or what it was used for. I just watched from the side and took out my camera to take pictures of the scene. These Tibetans took the light yellow liquid poured from the pot and smeared it on their heads. They were mumbling something, maybe in Tibetan, but I didn't understand it anyway. But it can be speculated that the liquid may have come from a temple and had some religious significance. In addition to many Tibetans kowtowing in front of the Jokhang Temple, there are also many people who pick up some kind of grass from the ground and throw it into the white pagoda. There is a fire burning in the tower and smoke is rising from the top of the tower. This scene is very similar to the way we Han people go to the temple to offer incense, probably to pray for blessings and ward off disasters. Later, I saw white pagodas like this in front of many Tibetan homes, but the scale was much smaller than this. When I took a tour with a travel agency, the tour guide mentioned its name when introducing it, but my memory is not good and I forgot it.

Stuttering Village

Stuttering Village is a Tibetan village in Nyingchi Prefecture. Its name can easily make people misunderstand, thinking that most of the people in this village stutter. In fact, this is the name of the village in Tibetan. There is a stone tablet at the head of the village, explaining that "Stutterba" means "forgotten" in Tibetan. This means that "Stutterba Village" is located in a remote place and few people visit it, which means it has been forgotten. When I saw this monument, I was deeply moved and wrote a poem:

I don’t know if it’s been forgotten by the language

Still forgetting the language

I don’t know if it’s been forgotten by the world

Still forgotten the world

should believe

Stuttering Village will not be forgotten by the gods

Because there is a spirit living in her heart

There is a god

Stuttering Village will not be lonely

There is a god

Stuttering Village is free

Baiyun touches Stuttering Village every day

Stars visit Stuttering Village every day

The Brahmaputra River carries news

Lush trees are always a companion

Stuttering Village is not alone

Loneliness is only time

Now with the arrival of tourists, Stuttering Village is no longer "stuttering" and has begun to enter the horizons of countless tourists. We got off the tour bus on one of the main roads in the village and observed the village. The houses in the village are basically on both sides of this main road. They are mainly two or three-story buildings, and the tops of the houses are mostly green slopes. It is said that many residential buildings in eastern Tibet were built with assistance from mainland provinces and cities. Each province and city assisted in building houses in a unified color, so we could see blue, red or green roofs on the way to Linzhi. I took two photos on the main road. One was of myself standing on the street as a souvenir; the other was a pure landscape photo.

After taking a few photos, we quickly followed the tour guide. The tour guide took us to a hill on the side of the village. The hill is built with wooden planks as a plank road up the mountain. This is different from many mountainous scenic spots that use strips of stone or are cut on the spot. Plank roads are usually paved with wooden planks only in swamps. We followed the plank road up the mountain, and there was a pavilion on the mountainside. Entering the pavilion, we leaned on the railing and looked into the distance. The beautiful scenery was as far as the eyes could see. A blue river winds from the mountains on the horizon, bypassing the village a kilometer or two away from the foot of the pavilion. There is a blue sky above, dark green mountains in the distance, and lush trees and Tibetan-style houses nestled among the green trees nearby. It turns out that Jieba Village is not lonely. Since ancient times, it has been visited by clouds above, accompanied by green mountains below, and surrounded by rivers. How happy it is! How many people in the world can enjoy such a beautiful natural environment! Maybe this is how we tourists from afar feel. What do the people in Stuttering Village think? Whether they are as romantic as we are is unknown. Because we came and went in such a hurry, we didn’t have a chance to talk to the people in Stuttering Village. Maybe they are eager to get out of the mountains and see the prosperous world outside.

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