Adventure on the Roof of the World
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caption : Palhu Lu-pak - 7th century meditation cave retreat of Songtsen Gampo
The reason why this site was selected in this presentation was because all the distant pictures of Potala Palace with it's greeneries was taken from here (see the first Potala picture). This was said to be the cave meditation retreat for King Songtsen Gampo and Princess WenCheng.
What is interesting here is the relief rocks craving and the "self arising" rock images. I am skeptical about those "self arising" rock images and would prefer to leave it to the believers but this particular one is interesting. I can only say that it takes great faith and imagination to create an image so life like.
caption : painting on the surface of a "self arising" rock
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caption : Scenery along the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra River)
Today, we have decided to travel outside Lhasa and our choice was to Ganden Monastery, some 50km away from Lhasa. The weather was good and scenaries along the way was enchanting. If there's anything I can praise the Chinese, it's the excellent road infrastructure across Tibet. It had help cut the travelling time, make travelling comfortable and to make travelling to once an inaccessible place possible.
caption : DaZi suspension bridge è¾¾åœå¤§æ¡¥
New bridges were build across the river to cut down travelling time and bigger and stronger bridges replaces the rickety suspension bridges. However, suspension bridges still attacts me. With the colourful prayer flags fluttering high above, this bridge gives me a peaceful and serene feeling and I would have stayed longer if the police had not moved us on.
caption: These houses seems to be able to adjust itself with the change in water level
New form of agriculture are being introduced into Tibet and farmers are learning to grow crops like potatoes, cabbages and watermelons in "glass house" bringing new found wealth to the farmers. Other improvement includes planting new trees to the once barren land.
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caption : The Ganden Monastery 2009 - 甘丹寺
Ganden Monastery sits on top of the mountain with a stupendous view of the surrounding Kyi-chu valley. And if you are already monastery sick, Ganden offer you a fascinating mountain trail circuits that gives you a different view.
A little history of this monastery before moving on. The Ganden monastery was founded in 1409 by Tsongkhapa, a revered reformer of the Gelugpa order (Dalai Lama sect). After his death in 1411, the abbotship was passed on to his disciples who was to earn it by his scholarship merit rather than his lineage. Today, this practice still passes on.
caption : The Ganden Monastery before the Chinese Invasion
The Ganden monastery soon became one of the greatest monastery University in his time. It had more than 200 building structure during its golden era. But because of its political influence, Ganden suffered the most in the hands of the Red Guards. It was throughly destroyed by the Red Army artillery fire and bombing during the 1959 uprising and 1966 Red Guard Culture Revolution.
caption : The Ganden Monastery in 1985 with its first reconstuction in the middle of the picture
In 1966, the Red Guards destroyed the original tomb of its founder and the preserved body was burned. However a lama managed to salvage fragments of Tsongkhapa skull and today it is encased in the newly build silver-gold chorten in the monastery. Whatever building you see (some 50 units) here on the top picture is no older than me.
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7-11! I love yr pics and the commentaries!!
Only managed to read a few but I will definately read everyone of them!
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Nice narrations and pics.
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caption : Starting point to the mountain trails
We were first welcomed to the trail by the prayer flags flying in the wind at the starting point of the trail. Once there, we started our walk first with the zig-zag climb up Angkor Ri. It's a tough 40 minutes climb up to the top of the ridge but the superb view is worth the effort.
caption : Bird's eye view of Kyi-chi valley with Yarlung Tsangpo River running along it
Along the trail, you can see the a sangkang (incense burner) whereby pilgrims will burn Juniper leaves and give offerings of tsampa (tibetan food) before heading for the monastery.
caption : Tibetan pilgrims taking a break and enjoying the quiet moment
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caption : Ganden Sky-burial Site
Shortly before reaching the highest point of the trail, is the sky-burial site. As non of my team-mates wanted to visit the site, the Tibetan guide and I went on to try our luck to see if there was a sky-burial ceremony going on. I was disappointed there was non and there were no vultures to greet me.
caption : Tools used in the sky-burial ceremony
I decided to offer myself as bait to see if the vultures would come, so we sat down there chatting while waiting for the vultures to come. The Tibetan guide told me that he had seen a sky-burial ceremony before and went on to describe in graphical detail how the priest would used the rock to smash the corpse head and how they would use the axe and saw to chop and cut up the body into pieces to feed the birds.
Just like the disappearing Tibetan culture in Tibet, I was told that the number of vultures in these area are also disappearing. He told me that in certain area in western region of Tibet, the body are fed to wild dogs because of the diminishing numbers of vultures.
caption : For a moment, I thought it worked!!!
I had no luck with the vultures and not to keep the team waiting, I had no choice but to leave the sky-burial site. Can you see the hairs and bone fragments on the ground?
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caption : Those slow and weak will be abandon! That's my motto
I was at the highest point of the trail while my team-mates fall behind. No, I did not abandon them. In fact, they were the smart one. They were conserving their energy and slowly getting acclaimatize to the altitude. They proved to be correct when we went to Mount Everest base camp.
caption : My very own rock chorten
While waiting at the top, I saw alot of rock chorten (stupa) on the trail. So I too stacked up my very own chorten. When the Tibetans saw me, they laughed and told me that by stacking up the chorten, I have make a promise to come back again.
I just did that?
. It took me 22 years to return to Tibet and would I be able to do that again 22 years later? Maybe.......maybe in my next life, if there is one. 
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Ah would love to share photos of my Tibet trip few years back. Too bad my computer crashed.
The lake at the top of the mountain is definitely one of the most beautiful view I've ever seen.
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Originally posted by KrU:
Ah would love to share photos of my Tibet trip few years back. Too bad my computer crashed.
The lake at the top of the mountain is definitely one of the most beautiful view I've ever seen.
you did? which part of Tibet did you go? How did you travel? There are several lakes in Tibet. I believe you meant Yamdork-tso -
Originally posted by SevenEleven:
you did? which part of Tibet did you go? How did you travel? There are several lakes in Tibet. I believe you meant Yamdork-tso
Yeah I don't remember all the places names haha. But the Potala Palace really took my breath away. I don't think words can describe such a majestic architecture.I went with a tour group so it was all organised.
How long was your trip? I think mine was about 10 days.
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Originally posted by KrU:
Yeah I don't remember all the places names haha. But the Potala Palace really took my breath away. I don't think words can describe such a majestic architecture.I went with a tour group so it was all organised.
How long was your trip? I think mine was about 10 days.
I did a 24 days including the western region (Mt Kailash, Toling and Guge). We did a self iternary trip.
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Originally posted by SevenEleven:
I did a 24 days including the western region (Mt Kailash, Toling and Guge). We did a self iternary trip.
Ic yours was a pretty long trip.
Any Tibetan dog photos haha? They are pretty huge haha.
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Originally posted by KrU:
Ic yours was a pretty long trip.
Any Tibetan dog photos haha? They are pretty huge haha.
yes...the tibetan mastiff -
caption : Tsongkhapa Hermitage at the end of the trail.
Along the trails, there's a couple of test or "game" such as squeezing through the rock to test your karma (or is it a fatty test?), putting your ear against the rock to listen to the underground water flow (hearing test), peering at the rock through a clenched fist in order to see a vision (eye sight test) and putting your finger into the hole in the rock with our eyes closed to see if your wish will come true (argh!!!...there goes my toto jackpot prize dream).
caption : Psst.....want to hear a secret?
Towards the end of the trail on the ridge, we came to a small golden building known as Tsongkhapa hermitage. Inside it are some relief images of Atisha, Sakyamuni and other images. It was said that these images have the power of speech, unfortunately I always seems to have hearing problem and heard none.
caption : A 3 dimensional sand mandala
I never really understand the meaning of the sand mandala other than the beautiful design and colours. It may take craftsman weeks to produce the sand mandala when each of the craftsman become oblivious to its surrounding and concentrate on putting the coloured sand by vibrating the sand holder and watching the sand falls in place. After creating the mandala, it is left on display for a week before they are swept away.
What??? Swept away? What about all the hardwork....the beauty.....the.......That's the whole idea of the sand mandala. To learn that all things are impermance and not to hold on to it.
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Originally posted by angel3070:
That is true.
Singapore doesn't have much natural scenary and PAP fucked up the place by building too many high rise buildings, so the entire country is naturally geared towards a stressful mentality.
PAP fuckers as usual.
If you don't have the cow sense to appreciate the pictures and grasp the reality of Singapore in the first place, don't even think about hijacking this thread.Anyway, that's some nice pics, 7-11...when I have the time and money in the future, I would want to travel a little also. hmmmm
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Nice place to be, but too cold for me...
Visit my profile to see my forum and discuss about real men!
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Nice.
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Originally posted by angel3070:
Grasp reality of Singapore?
I think I am the few that really grasped the reality of Singapore.
That is why PAP must die.
If you don't grasp the reality, you won't understand why they must die.
I understand.
That is why they have to die.
I think someone like Chew Bakar can also understand why PAP must die.
Yes, I understand your political point of view but this is a thread of a different nature.
Enjoy the nice pics and narrations.
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Dear All,
TS would like to thank you for your readership, your comment or your criticism if any. However, TS would like to be apolitical in this non political topic and TS detest vulgarities in his thread. TS would appreciate if vulgarities is kept out.
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caption : Sera Monastery
Sera monastery, like Ganden belongs to the Gelugpa sect. In its heyday, it hosted 5 colleges of instructions. It is famous for it instructions of itinerant monks from outside Tibet and Tantric studies. Although Sera suffered light damages during the Culture Revolution, all its colleges round it were destroyed.
caption : Mural Painting on the wall that survived the Culture Revolution
As you can see, this painting is tantric in nature. Many other monasteries also have this painting on the entrance wall. This also happen to be the favourite in thangka painting. The monster is Yama (King of Death) and he holds the wheel of existence with his mouth. In the centre of the wheel are 3 animals (snake, rooster and wild boar) each holding on the the other's tail in a cyclic manner.
The snake represent hatred, the rooster represent greed and the wild boar representing delusion. This is the central teaching of Buddhism that unless you eradicate greed, hatred and delusion, you will not be able to get out the six realms of existence.
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caption : Choding hermitage taken at about 800 metre above Sera monastery
Like all major monastery, Sera (some 3600m above sea level) also offer a kora (pilgrimage circuit) along the mountain track. My team were tired and did not want to do the walk so I decided to leave the team and do the kora alone. While walking the kora, I looked up and saw this golden hut some 1000m up the mountain. I decided to visit it so I asked around for the way up but nobody was able to tell me.
caption : A view of Sera from some 500m above
Old habit die hard so the only way was up, climbing up the rocky path straight from where I was standing. As I saw prayer flags above, I was certain there must be a way up so I started climbing. I make it to the 1st prayer flags point easily but subsequent prayer flags point got more and more difficult as I have to climb down again when I found the path inassessible and my hand were getting cut by the thorny shrubs. The altitude have also increased and every effort seems more exhausting. Like every other time, I started to feel lonely and regretting my stubborness.
Anyway I did not want to give up whenever I looked up and I was getting nearer. Finally I made it to the last prayer flag point some 800m above. I was only about 200m away from my goal. Then I realised that there was no way up otherwise more prayer flags point would be available. The slope was getting more vertical and I had already spent 2 hours climbing. Tired and hungry, I started to get worried that it might get dark soon even if I make it to the top. I finally had no choice but to give up and make my way down.
caption : short cut to Choding Hermitage and in just 1 hour!!!
I continued with the rest of the kora, looking back at the golden hut each time I rested and asking for the way up each time I meet a Tibetan pilgrim. Finally there was someone who could give me the direction but it was too late and I was too tired to do it again.