Culinary adventures

On our last evening in Tibet we ventured one block - and a universe - away from the three or four standard tourist restaurants with nondescript food. Peter had a recommendation for a Tibetan restaurant which was down a dark deconstructed street, right at the end after a series of hole in the wall kitchens and street food vendors. It seemed rather dodgy.

Once we ducked through the door hanging it was clearly a cool spot: low-slung tables with carved legs and painted tops, bench seating with embroidered cushions, a painted ceiling, candles everywhere, a bar with funky looking drinks, the young Tibetan hip / artsy crowd at the tables around us. Though none of the waitstaff spoke English they had an English menu and good food - it could easily have been in East Van or some other bohemian hangout... except for the scarlet-robed monk at the next table who was happily chowing down on a whole sheep's head.

Yak Redux

Peter:

More yak yak from Tibet. Another meal of yak - noodles with yak, yak dumplings, and I thought it a good time to try yak butter tea. Yak butter tea is pretty much what you might expect. I think my cholesterol jumped 20 points. The next day I told our guide that I tried the butter tea. He said "you should only drink a small amount of this as it can cause diarhea". I'd had three cups... Fortunately my body seemed to handle it OK. For our last evening in Lhasa we went to a very traditional restaurant and tried hard to find something on the menu that wasn't yak. We tried ordering some "vegetarian" dishes but these were just dishes with vegetables and yak. There was even a "deep fired yak with yak" on the menu. True story. At the airport the next day we could have bought some "Freshly brewed yak". Not quite sure about that one but Vera has the photographic proof.

Landscapes and Yamdrok Lake

Today we left Lhasa for the first time during our stay. The city itself is mostly not inspiring: the western half is like any other Han Chinese city (immigrant Chinese outnumber native Tibetans in Lhasa), and the Tibetan quarter is filled with small windy alleys, street vendors and small shops - if one changed the accent and outfits it wouldn't be unlike parts of London and other old cities. The city is ringed by mountains, and the centre of the city is dominated by the bizarrely moonlike Potala Palace, which is faced by a giant square in typical Chinese style - apparently last year a lake was paved over to celebrate 50 years of Chinese rule.

Outside the city the Potala Palace makes more sense. Millenia ago the Tibetan plateau lay at the bottom of an ocean, and it remains an arid barren moonscape interspersed by stunning blue waters. It's not difficult to understand why Tibetans hold lakes and rivers sacred. Water is a precious commodity. Today we drove up to Yamdrok Lake, one of Tibet's three sacred lakes, at almost 5,000 m. [Lhasa is at 3,600 m]. Though Lhasa is relatively warm and water is running, as we drove higher all the streams were frozen. We passed a man chipping away at an icy stream: he would melt the ice to make tea before resuming work. The road we took leads to Everest Base Camp, and is remarkably good - apparently it's two years old, winding up and up and up and up and up and up and up: millions invested for the benefit of tourists.

Bizarrely, at the pass marking the highest point we reached there were vendors selling prayer flags which we duly invested in and tied to a high point for good luck, blue for the sky at the highest point. Another couple of vendors had placid yaks, brightly dyed and dressed up in tapestries. We were coerced into spending another 5 yuan each (about 60c) for the benefit of taking photographs of the yaks. We weren't too keen, but thought we should reward the vendors for their massive hike up from their home village down the hill. To our surprise they insisted that the poser sit on the yak: see Peter on the yak. These vendors had odd brocade and fur "carpet" hats, which they insisted that the poser wear as well. My favourite tribal look is the Kampa men, who have long braids with red ends which they wrap around their heads. I've been teasing Peter that he should grow his hair and dye it red, but somehow the carpet hat isn't quite as sexy :)

We convinced our guide to take us down to the shore of the lake, which was thinly frozen over with breaking ice caught up at the edges. We took some photos that should be wonderful - more promises.

Tibet - People and Places

On Friday afternoon we arrived in Tibet, where apart from all the yaks (see Peter's post) we've been incredibly fortunate with our timing. This year the Chinese and Tibetan New Year coincided. Saturday was the last day of the Tibetan New Year festivities, and a very important day in Tibetan buddhism. We visited the Potala Palace that morning, and the Jokhang Temple in the afternoon. It's the low season for western tourists, and high season for pilgrims from all over Tibet. We were virtually the only westerners at the Potala Palace, seeing only three others among the masses, and definitely the only westerners in the crush of pilgrims at the Jokhang Temple. There are three important circuits for Tibetan pilgrims: through the Jokhang Temple, around the Jokhang, in the Barkhor circuit, and an eight kilometre circuit around Lhasa city. Each circuit - and every visit to any chapel or monastery - must be completed in a clockwise direction for good luck. Some pilgrims prostrate themselves with every step, travelling thousands of miles in this manner. Young and old, monks, city folk, and nomads, the sense of faith and devotion in the atmosphere was palpable.

Within each monastery there are thousands upon thousands of statues of various Buddhas. After several monasteries it becomes a bit like the oversaturating "Maddona and Bambino" effect in the churches and art museums of Italy. Buddha doesn't come in just one flavour, but in several important ones: past Buddha, present Buddha, future Buddha, Buddha of Longevity, Buddha of Compassion, and many subflavours. There are also important monks, Taras, characters who were close to Buddha, and various fierce protectors. Four monasteries later I am dreaming about the various buddhas...

The New Year pilgrimage brought many nomadic tribal folk to Lhasa, and I could spend a month here simply looking at and photographing the people. It seemed that for many of the out-of-towners I was one of the few blonde women they'd ever seen, so I attracted a lot of attention on the circuit, with many people smiling at me, saying hello (in Tibetan "tashi delak") or asking if I would take their photograph. One old lady insisted that I sit with her and her friends for a group shot :) The townsfolk are far more cool, though they will also smile and say hello if they catch your eye. The kids are especially funny, shouting "HELLO" as we pass, then the bashful ones hide behind their siblings as we turn. A few more proficient in English have come up to us and started asking canned questions like "what is your favourite animal, what is your favourite sport?" One little girl who spoke great English was astounded to see Peter's green eyes, thinking that all westerners had blue or black eyes.

Yaks

Peter:

Yaks are everywhere in Tibet. Driving into Lhasa you pass a huge golden statue of 2 yaks. I've already had yak curry, stir fried yak with peppers, yak and onions, yak dumplings, and last night yak cheese on a pizza. Quite tasty meat - best described as gamey beef? There is also the famous yak butter tea which I've yet to sample. We've spent the last 2 days visiting monasteries (more later) where everything is lit by yak butter lamps. Pilgrims carry in thermos bottles filled with purified yak butter to top up the candles. Keeping the candles burning with pure butter is good for your next life apparently. After 4 monasteries the yak butter and the incense is really grabbing teh back of my throat - quite acrid. Then today we almost had a couple of nasty spills coming down steps at the Sera monastery where someone had spilled yak butter. Slippery stuff. Not only can you eat of the yak, use it to light your path both now and in the next life, but of course you can also wear it. Yak wool sweaters, jackets, and other textiles like rugs and blankets. You'll never want if you've got a yak.