Drokpa Journal

I finished my first trip of the year on April 9th, and to say the least our time spent in Nepal was interesting. I’m currently in Beijing and just started my second trip of the season. This one will be 3-weeks and will remain in Mainland China – it will essentially be the same as the Tibet trips up until Chengdu, but then we’ll spend time in Yangshuo before crossing over to Hong Kong and the end of the trip.

I believe I last left you in Xian. We caught the overnight train to Lanzhou, grabbed a quick breakfast, and then took a bus for the 6 1/2 hour trip to Xiahe (Labrang in Tibetan). Labrang is always a nice introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, as the monastery there is considered one of the 6 most important in the Gelugpa Sect. It’s always enjoyable to walk the kora upon our arrival, tour the monastery the following morning, and have a bit of free time to wander the street and begin our immersion into all things Tibet.

From Labrang it was back on the bus…destination Langmusi. I’ve always liked Langmusi – it’s my kind of small, interesting town. There’s only one street of note, the people are friendly, it has an outback feel to it, and there are some nice hikes and great scenery in the region. Perfect.

As it was early evening when we arrived, the first day we simply gorged ourselves on food at Leisha’s Café. Some gorged more than others, as two people went for the biiiiig yak burgers. They polished them off in fine form, and then were in less than fine form for about the next day!

The following day we checked out one of the monasteries and did a small walk in the region. It’s always nice to get out and stretch the legs a bit – especially at altitude…Langmusi sits at 3400 meters.

The next day we walked up to the sky burial site, and for the first time while I’ve been in Langmusi there was actually a ‘burial’ taking place. As is usual there were some very large lammergeiers, or bearded vultures, patiently awaiting their opportunity to tear into the body of the deceased. Others braved the humans and darted in for some of the scraps. As I’ve mentioned in previous entries, it may sound barbaric to witness such a ritual, but I always feel privileged – and I believe my passengers felt the same. As long as one goes in with the proper knowledge and respect for the culture, you can’t help but be intrigued by such an intimate glimpse into how the Tibetans deal with death. Upon death, a monk is asked to recite over the deceased – guiding the spirit out through a ‘hole’ in the top of the skull. That process can take 3 days, and the spirit then finds a new ‘vessel’ within 49 days. As the sky burial always takes place at least 3 days after death, what we envision as a human corpse is actually considered merely an empty vessel by the Tibetans – the spirit has already gone off to find a new vessel. The merit gained in the life just completed determines what the person comes back as in their next incarnation, and the wheel of life keeps turning.

The imagery is something that remains long after the actual frenzy dies away, but the conversation generated by witnessing such an event I believe allows us to look at death in a different manner. I like the Tibetan way of looking at, and dealing with, death.

Back down the hill we popped into the second monastery in Langmusi and stumbled upon the monks debating in the courtyard. It was actually more interesting than the one we normally witness at Sera Monastery in Lhasa – more intimate, and we had the scene to ourselves. One poor monk seemed to be tag-teamed by all around him – he obviously wasn’t up-to-date on his Buddhist philosophy! I’m sure as he was sitting there being grilled he was wishing he was out on the grasslands again herding his yaks.

Back in the bus we drove to Tangkor, and again arrived there in the early evening. We popped into the courtyard of the school and became instant celebrities, as many people in town saw us head towards the school and followed us. With the average income of US$190 per person, school generally wasn’t an option for the poor children of the area. In 2003 there were very few students, but a group of Tibetan elders established an association to encourage schooling of the nomadic children. The school now has an enrollment of about 1000 students – many of them boarding on the premises. Each family had to contribute 1 yak to raise some of the money for the school, and it’s been a great success in getting the children of the area to attend classes.

We spent about 45 minutes at the school – each of us playing basketball, throwing Frisbees, or otherwise entertaining the throng of kids surrounding us with any stupid human tricks we had in our repertoire. It was great fun.

From the school we drove the short distance out into the grasslands and our homestay for the night. What a great experience. We stayed in the cramped winter home of a nomadic family – during later months we’ll actually stay in their tents somewhere out on the grasslands. We played games and enjoyed the cozy environment, and then awoke to fresh snow on the ground and hundreds of yaks being led out to the grasslands for the day.

Over the next couple of days we continued our journey to Chengdu, and then flew to Lhasa. Ahhhhh…..home. I always enjoy going back. We did most of the standard sites while in Lhasa – monks chanting at the Jokhang, Sera Monastery and the Potala Palace, and visiting Dropenling Handicrafts and the school at Braille Without Borders. As is always the case, everyone was impressed with the young children at the school – gaining confidence as they learn that despite being blind they can still function in society. I always enjoy playing with the kids, as they’re truly inspirational.

After the standard stops at Samye Monastery, Gyantse, Shigatse, and Sakya, we found ourselves at the Rongphu Monastery guesthouse – gazing up the valley at Everest/Qomolangma. The following morning we awoke early and set off on our 2-hour hike to basecamp. The temperature was 9F/-13C, but it was much colder with the wind in our face. Even I opted for more clothes…and a hat…and gloves, though my hands were still blocks of ice by the time I finally popped into the Hotel California tent at basecamp. Still, the Goddess Mother of the Earth (translation of the Tibetan name for Everest) revealed herself, so it was another great trip to basecamp.

While in Lhasa we heard that a general strike was being planned in Nepal for April 6-9…the exact days we were meant to be in Nepal. Therefore, we pushed up our itinerary by a day, stayed our last night in Tibet in the town of Nyalum, and crossed the border on April 5th. Within 1 1/2 hours we knew this wasn’t going to be your standard Nepal visit. We had to pull the bus to the side of the road while a gun battle took place on a hillside less than 1 km from where we were sitting. We could distinctly hear the semi-automatic weapons and mortars, and see the smoke. After talking to the drivers of two vehicles that sped through the area from the opposite direction, we decided to do the same. Sorry…can’t stop to talk…trying to drive through a war zone. Actually it wasn’t as exciting as that, as the skirmish seemed to be concentrated on one hillside, but a nice introduction to the chaos that has become Nepal.

That chaos and uncertainty also meant that we couldn’t make our 2-night stop at the High View Resort in Dhulikhel, so we simply paused there for lunch before continuing to Kathmandu. We arrived to the standard street scenes that one naturally associates with Kathmandu – motorcycles, cars, bicycles, and people all trying to negotiate the narrow streets of the main backpacker district – Thamel…horns blaring…shop owners trying to sell you something… It felt normal. We checked in, did a quick orientation tour, and grabbed dinner before scattering to explore the town before the nightly curfew…11 PM until 3 AM.

The following 2 days were mostly sane as well – sane being the standard insanity one comes to appreciate in Kathmandu. However, on the 8th there was a large anti-King rally planned, so the government responded by imposing a curfew from 10 AM until 9 PM (to go along with the already imposed nightly curfew). On the 9th, fearing that the rally would simply be rescheduled, the curfew was 7 AM until 8 PM. And even though the general strike was only supposed to be from the 6th through the 9th, they decided to continue with the daytime curfews – 11 AM until 6 PM on the 10th, and noon until 5 PM on the 11th. It was actually eerie to walk the streets during the curfews. Shops were closed up – steel doors pulled down and locked. There were no cars, and very few people on the streets. Those that were would stay very close to a shop/home, such that if a police vehicle laden with uniformed men and guns drove by they could beat a hasty retreat and slam the door. There were uniformed men and women on many street corners – armed with guns or sticks, and some sporting full riot gear. The newspapers reported various showdowns between angry Nepalese and the troops – rock throwing, burning tires, return fire of tear gas and beatings. There were a few deaths, though not many.

After a few days of no daytime curfew I was told it was going to be brought back, and the government stated that this time they would enforce it much more strictly. The troops always have a green light to shoot on sight during curfews, but I still can’t believe they’d actually abide by that. Just from my own observances – and from talking to locals, it seems that things are really coming to a head this time. The three main contenders for power have started to back themselves into corners, such that sooner rather than later something will have to come to a dramatic end. I only hope that most Nepali’s are kept out of the crossfire, as they continue to be the one’s suffering during all this uncertainty.

And with that, you’re up to date.

I’ll catch you from somewhere down the road.

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