Monthly Archives: August 2019

Valley of the Drakyerpa Meditation Caves

August 31, 2019 – 3:20 am

August 29, 2019

Beginning the climb out of the Lhasa Valley. Many Chinese high rises under construction, as everywhere around the city.

Beginning the climb out of the Lhasa Valley. Many Chinese high rises under construction, as everywhere around the city.

Another 9am start with PinPin, pronounced PeenPeen.  This day we are off on a 47 kilometer drive to a cave monastery up in nearby mountains called Drakyerpa Meditation Caves.  The scenery is lovely once we get away from the city.  We pass fields of wheat, corn and barley and gradually begin to climb into terraced hills. 

 

Big Nose Pass. Prayer Flags everywhere.
Thousands of prayer flags.
Prayer flags galore

Soon we reach Big Nose Pass, where there are thousands of Prayer Flags fluttering in the breeze.  We stop to photograph the scene, and remembered other hillsides with many prayer flags—especially the hills of Bhutan.  However, nothing so intense as this.  

Drakyerpa Cave Monastery
Drakyerpa Cave Monastery
A large section of the Monastery
Another section of the Monastery.
The Valley of Drakyerpa from the Monasterypaking lot.

Shortly, we can see our destination in the distance and I am wondering how I will manage the climb.  Even at city level the elevation is 11,992 ft.  By the time we arrive at the car park the elevation is still 11,992.  How curious is that?

Upon arrival at the first level we encounter 2 very relaxed monks
They were sitting near this door with a beautiful view.
Buddhas tucked into the blackened rock of an ancient cave.
A large cave, The meditation area is in the back left
Ladies adding hot wax butter to a candle holder
Brass sculpture of a Red Hat Buddha
Close up of a buddha of Compassion
A path of prayer wheels leading to another cluster of caves.
Mark heading up to the next set of caves.
Sculpture of an old man with a Snow White beard
Highest point of our walk and highest elevation gained on this trip…so far.
View of lower monastery and three stupas as we begin our way down the hill

It is a little after 10am when we begin the climb.  PinPin takes my hand and helps steady me as we go up the irregular and often steep steps.  After a short time we loose the tile steps and are going up partially carved dirt.  Not east for sure.  Thank goodness the path is not wet.  Every few steps I must stop to catch my breath.  Why am I doing this, I think to myself.  After a hundred feet or so, we pick up the tile again and I am relieved.  The view down the Valley of Drakyerpa is lovely and the monastery buildings and caves above are inviting.  Up we go.  Finally, we reach the first buildings, inside which are several caves.  Each cave is a blackened rock enclosure with a nitch for meditating, one or more buddhas and candles.  Some are a squeeze to enter, others are comfortable sized rooms.   Women, some even with small children, have already come, deposited yak butter in the candles and moved on.  We continue up to the next building and repeat the process.  Currently, only 22 monks live in the whole monastery.   We must have visited more than a dozen caves, all inside charming house facades.  This place too was destroyed during the cultural revolution.  There is still much more to be rebuilt and crews are working away at making it happen.  The highest elevation we attained was 14,315 feet.  

On the hill we encountered women loading and carrying large and heavy stones.
They carried the stones up a ladder where men unloaded them to build a wall.

We came down a different path on descent, but still encountered a ragged dirt path without steps.  While in that area we encountered several women carrying large, heavy stones up a wooden ladder.  It was hard to watch, but Pin Pin insisted they were young and willing to work for the money,  He said their husbands were probably home tending their children.  They are not forced to do this work.  Hmmm!

The sweet light of candles.

The sweet light of candles.

It was a relief to reach the parking lot and a restaurant…even if I wasn’t carrying stones.  We each had noodle soup.  I had mine with vegetables, Mark had his with yak meat.  It tasted great.  Never mind the dirty table.   By the time we got back to the hotel, it was 2pm and we had only 3 hours to relax before our next appointment.  I wrote and Mark read and napped.  At 5pm we met PinPin again for a momo, or pot sticker, making class.  Rather than noodle making, which we both already knew, we opted for pot stickers.  The Chinese word for it is momo. 

Learning to make momo, or pot stickers

Learning to make momo, or pot stickers

I tried very hard and almost got the hang of folding it.  Mark gave up early.  It did not take long, however, before my tired body wanted to stop.  So we sat down and waited for the momo to be steamed and served.  The dough was a little too thick, but the filling had good flavor, which, of course, had nothing to do with us.  We ate a bunch of them and called it dinner.  All we really wanted to do was crash.  I was in bed with oxygen at 8:15 and asleep soon after.  Woke up at 6:15 the next day.  

August 30, 2019

Up early and feeling more rested, if not completely caught up.  This was a travel day and I hoped to get a post off before we left the hotel at noon.  I had the text ready and most of the photos imbedded, but computer glitches slowed me down and I did not get finished.  Sure hope I have WiFi in Urumqi.  During our 2 flights I have continued to write and organize images, but am dead in the water without connectivity.

Strange flight plan we have had to endure.  We had a short 1.5 hour flight from Lhasa to Xining in the north east, which was the wrong direction for us.  Then a half hour layover in Xining before boarding another flight to Urumqi, this time the flight is going in the right direction, northwest. If you are following on a map, it will take 2.5 hours.  It will be dark when we arrive.  We will have only tomorrow to see Urumqi as we will fly off early the next morning.  

Riding on Chinese aircraft is a lesson in Chinese rules.  The English speeches are canned and very officious.  You are told that the speaker is the head Chinese Security officer and that you are to do what the hostesses say or you will be incarcerated for refusing to obey.  Even the usual speech about seat belts, exits, slides, etc. is presented very officiously.  I was using my computer as a typewriter during the flight and was told, more than 30 minutes out, to put it away as it was not allowed.  I told her it could have no affect on the flight crew, but she insisted I put it away anyway.  Once the cabin crew were seated, I started working again.  The young lady in the aisle seat called the hostess forward and I got another lecture—in Chinese. So I put it away, but was really incensed by the woman reporting me. How very Chinese.   I thought about it and, when we were on the ground I tapped her shoulder and said “Thank You,” with a big smile, “for teaching me about Chinese people.”  I think she understood, but I will never know for sure.  

I’m sure it was against the rules to tear a page out of a Chinese magazine, but I took the page that will help me give you our direction of flight, the places we are visiting and the idea of distances we are covering.  It was 1.5 hours from Lhasa to Xining, 2.5 hours from Xining to Urumqi and about an hour and 45 minutes from Urumqi to Kashgar.

A map of Xinjiang Province in far eastern China. THe Counter clockwise direction indicates our route of flight.

A map of Xinjiang Province in far eastern China. We flew from Lhasa in the south to Xining in the north east, then to Urumqi or Urumchi in the northwest.  Next we will fly from Urumqi to Kashgar or Kashe.  From there we drive west to Tashkorgan and into Pakistan.

By adventureswithjulia | Posted in 2019 Aug-Oct: China/Tibet/Pakistan/India | Comments (3)

Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Summer Palace

August 30, 2019 – 4:22 pm

August 28, 2019

A panorama of Potala Palace

A panorama of the Potala Palace

Buddhas are the name of the game for another day.  We start with the Potola Palace, which was the spiritual and governmental heart of Tibet until 1959 when the Chinese government sent in troops to capture the Dalai Lama, forcing him to escape in disguise at night.  The troops proceeded to kill many people in the process.  Today it is a living museum for the faithful and a treasure trove for historians and tourists.  When we first arrived there were hundreds of people walking clockwise around the facility saying mantras, using prayer beads and spinning wheels.  They all seemed very devout.  We walked with them for awhile and then went back to to the ticket booth to pay and begin the walk up into the Palace.

An old lady wants to sell me trinkets. We pay for a photo.
In front of the PalaceEntering the PalaceBeing manhandled by the medical team.
The medical team insists I use oxygen. I finally convince them I am fine, just slow.
A character we walked up the steps with. He was even slower than I.
The Chinese Square opposite the entrance to Potala Palace as we climb up. How pretentious is that?
Mark with many buddhas
This is a gold and bronze mandala. My only photo inside. They were very strict.
An upper courtyard where the Dalai Lama watched activities from the top story.
Walking from one section to another.
The view down the back side
Potala Palace from the back side

We started at 11,992 feet, the same as our room as it happens.  As we walked, we learned the Palace was founded in the 7th century by Songtsen Gampo with 2 chapels and slowly enlarged over time.  In the 17th century the Fifth Dalai Lama made extensive modifications and moved his residence and administration into the Palace.  Since then each Dalai Lama has made extensions and modifications.  The white part of the Palace buildings are for administration and politics the red part is for religious purposes.  It is clearly more administrative and political than it is spiritual or religious.

Without a guide, I would still be lost in the labyrinth of the 999 rooms.  After walking up long steep ramps in the sun, we arrived at the bottom of the 13 floor complex and began to see inside a room here and there until we reached the top, where the huge Assembly Hall is located.   I checked the altimeter again and it read 12,467 ft.  I was amazed so many people made the climb without assistance.  Just at the beginning, as a ploy to get us in the door earlier than our scheduled entry time ,our guide told the Chinese medical team that I might have difficulty walking and they all but carried me up to a shady place where they stuck a spray oxygen bottle in my face and wanted to check me out.  I insisted that I was fit enough to make the walk and eventually started walking up the steps on my own.  They stayed behind.  I was a bit embarrassed but in the door 20 minutes early.

Again I was not supposed to take any photographs so I do not have many unfortunately.  The attendants were vigilant.  Some of the incredible artifacts we saw included huge, jeweled burial tombs of the 5th through 13th Dalai Lamas (Dalai Lamas are always mummified), except the 6th.  Interesting story there.  He liked beer and ladies and was not a good example of a traditional Dalai Lama, so he was ostracized at his death and buried somewhere else.  However, he proved to be a very good writer and published books of poetry that, our guide said, could still be purchased today.   He is remembered more than some other Dalai Lama’s.  We also saw many chambers of statues of Buddhas and lamas, frescos and murals.  One special statue was of a Buddha that was over 2000 years old and had survived the cultural revolution.  One mural on a huge wall depicted the history of Buddhism.

Line dancing in the park behind Potala Palace

Line dancing in the park behind Potala Palace.  The guy in white shirt is sporting big hair.

Back at the bottom of the Palace complex, we found ourselves in a park with a crowd of locals line dancing.  It was fun to watch as all ages and styles of dress were happily dancing away.  Several young men sported large pompadours and a few looked absolutely gay.

Our driver picked us up and off we went to a Tibetan restaurant for lunch.  We are both noticing how filthy restaurants, restrooms and public places are, not to mention the monasteries and the Palace.  Cleanliness is clearly not a priority.  The streets, meanwhile, are being swept clean all day long by people in orange uniforms.  We’ve also noticed that people are pushy, especially when lined up for something.  And while we are complaining, Mark added that men and women spit a lot without apology .

Entering our lunch spot
Barkhor bazaar
A street vendor
A vendor selling seemed sweet potatoes
A fruit store. The seller is on her phone
A brass wares shop

Although we were sitting at a dirty, but pleasantly located roof top table, our lunch was just ok.  Mark ordered a stir fried yak and vegetable dish.  I ordered fried eggplant to go with it and a dish of pot stickers.  The whole thing was pretty greasy. Time to get beyond yak, I think.

PinPin met us and off we walked through the Barkhor, Lhasa’s medieval Bazaar, to the nearby Jokhang Temple.

The temple was built in 647AD by King Songtsen Gampo, who also founded the Potala Palace, and is the holiest temple in Tibet.  It too was enlarged by the 5th Dalai Lama in the 17th century.  The story is that the King had 3 wives–a Tibetan, a Nepalese and a Chinese.  The Chinese bride brought a very old and important Buddha from China as her dowery.  When she arrived and found no place to install it, she threw her ring.  It landed in a small lake, so she had the temple built on the site of the lake to house the buddha.  The charming story is told on a mural inside the temple.  The king had only one son, who was from the Tibetan wife.   He died at age of 32 and the Chinese sent an army to take back the statue of Shakyamuni, the 2,500 year old, original, Present Buddha, which had been made in India in the 8th century BC.  The Tibetans hid the statue in a vault behind other statues in the temple and the Chinese did not find it.  It is in the temple today.

The Nepalese bride also brought a buddha for her dowery, but it was destroyed during the cultural revolution.

When we arrived at the front of the temple, we passed people praying in several ways including prostrating themselves or building mandalas.  The temple was, happily for me, on one level and there were not many rooms or statues.  Again, I snuck a few photos in spite of the rules.  There was a roof top level I did not climb.  Mark said the roof top was gold colored and probably was the real thing.  From the ground it certainly looked like a fancy gold roof.

We engaged with a few people in front of the temple and enjoyed the afternoon light.  But there was no time to linger as we had one more stop—the Summer Palace.

About 3 miles away, the Summer Palace was built in what gradually became an 89 acre horticultural park in 1755 by the 7th Dalai Lama, Kalsung Ghatso.  All the Dalai Lamas have used the Palace from then on including the current Dalai Lama.   We saw groups of people picnicking on the grass here and there under lovely shade trees.  Flowers were everywhere.  There are several palace complexes.  We entered the Truzing Palace of the 8th Dalai Lama and got to see an excellent Buddha of Compassion with 11 heads, 1000 arms and 1022 eyes.  Also there, was a statue of a buddha we had not yet seen, the Medicine Buddha from the 11th century.

Finally we entered the 14th Dalai Lama’s Palace. It was built in the mid 50’s and he occupied it for about 6 months before escaping to India to avoid the Chinese government.   Unlike any other, it had twin staircases with modern handmade carpets and a clock that is stopped at 9pm, the time the Dalai Lama left for the last time.  There was a wall with a huge mural depicting he at the age of about 27 surrounded by family, teachers, mentors, dignitaries and many others.  Each face was very identifiable.  We saw his throne and living spaces including his study room, sleeping room, meeting rooms, bathroom and living room.  It was a very personal tour.

What I learned from PinPin about succession is:  in the normal course of time, the two next highest people under the Dalai Lama, the Pachenlama and the Karmapa, choose the future Dalai Lama under a very strict set of procedures.  In the current situation there are two Pachenlama.  The real Tibetan one, the 12th Pachenlama, is in prison, and the second one, who has been appointed by the Chinese, but is not recognized by Tibetans.  So the Dalai Lama and the Karmapa, who himself escaped to India in the early 2000’s, have been conferring on how best to decide on the next Dalai Lama.  It seems like the Karmapa will have to do it alone following a set of procedures he and the Dalai Lama have laid out.  The current Dalai Lama is 86 years old.  I wish him a very long life and fear for Tibet once he has passed.

Dinner for the third night we again ate fruit in our room.  We have lovely peaches, apples and bananas and lunches in restaurants have been less than satisfying.  Oxygen again to sleep.

 

 

By adventureswithjulia | Posted in 2019 Aug-Oct: China/Tibet/Pakistan/India | Comments (5)

Lhasa’s Monasteries and Palaces

August 28, 2019 – 6:13 am

August 27, 2019

Entering Lhasa from the airport
A city street leading toward the mountains
Typical street shops
A very nice shop selling lovely scarves.
Muslims making square pasta for a muslim dish
A sidewalk cafe with a Chinese flag.
The torn up sidewalk made for hard walking.
The Potala Palaced at night from our hotel room

Last evening, we went for a walk around the area. It was still very light out 7:30, but the sidewalks are mostly torn up for sewer or other repairs, so walking wasn’t very pleasant.  We did stop at a muslim shop with a handful of people making pasta squares for a popular muslim dish.  Most of the shops had Chinese flags flying, but not all.  Back in our room, we went to bed.  Mark dropped off quickly, but I was having trouble breathing while laying down.  Fortunately the room has a large oxygen generator and cannulas to go with it, so I hooked myself up to it and was finally able to fall asleep.

This morning we were waiting for our guide at 9am.  Mark corrected what I thought was his name.  It is not PingPing, but PinPin.  Off we went to the Drepung Monastery.

While on the way, PinPin told us the Tibetan language is based on Sanskrit, a fact Tibetan kids will not learn.  Today they are not taught about their history or culture, only the Chinese version of Tibetan history.  PinPin’s wife, a grammar school teacher,  is not allowed to teach the truth in her classroom.  No wonder Tibetans are distressed.  Changing the subject, he told us Lhasa has a population of 500 thousand and it has been the capital of Tibet since the 700’s.  The current local population of monks is about 10,000 with 400+ at Drapung Monastery, which is one of the”great three” of central Tibet and was founded in 1416.  It was home to 10,000 monks before 1959, when the Dalai Lama escaped to India with his life.  It was also the seat of central government until the Fifth Dalai Lama expanded the Portala Palace and moved his residence there.  Today there are about 400 monks living at Drapung.

These first images are of the outside as we ascended up and into the buildings.

 

The entrance to Drepung Monastery
Standing in the smoke of an incense pot.
She just finished working the prayer wheels
Passing by more prayer wheels.
An outdoor courtyard.
Another passageway to climb
This elderly lady tackles the steps
Buddhas on the mountainside. Thankfully we did not climb up there.
Traditionally dressed ladies coming down the steps
A Monastery scene
An outdoor assembly area, which the Dalai Lama could view from the top floor.
A collection of Monastery buildings cascading down the hill.

Once inside any room in any building, we encountered the smell of incense, wax, butter, dust and grime as well as people and buddhas.  Everywhere, people were carrying small bank notes, hot wax and yak butter in thermoses.  In front of each buddha, they would put a note worth 20 to 80 cents into a collection box and pour wax and or butter into candle holders intended to keep the candles burning.  Monks would collect the money periodically and pour out the wax before it overflowed the vessels.  We were not allowed to take photos, but I managed a few anyway.  Sorry I could not get more.  There were some spectacular objects and statues and tombs.  Here is what I captured.

There were the major Buddhas of Past Life, Present Life and Future Life repeated in every hall and space plus images of the different Lamas up through the 13th Dalai Lama.  Images of the current Dalai Lama were conspicuously missing.  In addition to the prayer halls, there were meeting rooms for the monks and at the top of the complex was the main Assembly Hall, which could hold many more monks than there are currently in residence.  I logged the elevation at the parking lot at 12,439 feet and again at the Assembly Hall at 12,629 feet–our record so far on this trip.

As we started down the steep, irregular steps, we heard musical sounds and followed our ears to an outdoor garden where a handful of monks were making music on oboe-like instruments.  They stopped when we arrived, so we had to coax them into playing more, which they graciously did.  Then we saw two very long, maybe 10 feet, horns on a tall rack and asked if they would play them.  Two other monks got up and played an entire tune in perfect unison.  I captured some of it on video.  We had a pleasant conversation with them through PinPin.  A large festival is coming up in a few days and they were practicing for it.  Finally, we left them and continued down the steps.

Playing an oboe-like instrument
Ancient instruments that looked a bit like oboes
Blowing on a 10-12 foot long horn. Lots of effort required.
Starting down the hill. Lhasa with Chinese high rises and a sand hill in the distance.

PinPin took us to a tourist  restaurant, not our choice, but we ordered yak curry. The curry was greasy, the meat fatty and the spices dull.  However, we did not get sick, so it counts as a success.  After lunch we walked to Sera Monastery, founded in 1419 and another one of the”great three”, it also houses about 400 monks currently and  5,500  prior to 1959.  Fortunately, this Monastery is not as high and has fewer rooms.  The special Buddha here was the Horse Buddha.  There was a huge line of people waiting to get a blessing from the buddha.  Again I was not supposed to take photos.

The Assembly Hall in Sera Monastery
A Buddha called Manjashna
Horse Head Buddha, a favorite in the Sera Monastery

Horse Head Buddha, a favorite in the Sera Monastery.  The horse is at the top and small.

We happily walked on by and snuck in at the back entrance to see the buddha without getting a blessing.  The other interesting aspect of this monastery is that it sports 4 colleges with the topics: meditation, enlightenment, mantra & tantric, and debate.  At 3pm the debate school stages a performance for the public, so we went to the large courtyard where it is held and watched the process.  One monk is seated and answers the questions.  The other monk stands and puts the questions to the seated monk.  There is much slapping of hands and posturing and trying to make the seated monk “lose”.  It was a bit too staged for my taste, but it was mildly entertaining.  We watched for an hour and leaded down the hill.

The debates begin
Lots of noisy action
The pressure builds
The loser is not happy
A Cheme lady in traditional dres.s
Another Chema lady. They come from Marking region in eastern Tibet.
The two traditional ladies, the daughter of one and her daughter on the right.

When we reached the level path, we met up with a couple of elderly ladies dressed beautifully in traditional Tibetan clothing, so I stopped and gestured that I would like a photo of them.  They surprised me by saying yes, so I took several photos and was about to depart, when two ladies in modern dress  approached.  They were obviously related so I showed them the images.  PinPin got into the conversation and we learned that the two ladies in traditional dress were sisters-in-law and one of the western dressed ladies was a daughter and the other was her daughter.  A few steps further along, we met up with the husband of the modern mother and her new baby. The whole family are members of the Chema group of Tibetans,  who live in the Marking area in eastern Tibet.  It was quite a family scene and we could have chatted for a long time if we could have understood each other.  Anyway, we all laughed and smiled and said good-bye.  I really love this kind of encounter, like with the musical monks earlier, and hope they happen more often.

That ended our first day of monasteries.  It was good to get back to our room, have a piece of fruit and relax.

By adventureswithjulia | Posted in 2019 Aug-Oct: China/Tibet/Pakistan/India | Comments (8)

From Beijing to Lhasa

August 26, 2019 – 4:05 am

 

August 26, 2019

We are now in the air between Beijing and Lhasa, a 4 hour flight.  It seems a server in the Air China airport lounge was able to get me back up with Word Press so I am a happy camper.

 It turns out the distance between Beijing in the east and Kashgar in far western China is 2,716 miles.  I was surprised to learn that the distance between NYC and SFO is 2,902 miles, almost 200 miles farther.    

Except for not being able to access WordPress, we had a very nice time.  The weather was very warm, but not too humid.  Almost comfortable.  Our guide while there was a fellow named Wei, who spoke English with a thick accent.  I had a hard time understanding much of what he said and had to ask repeatedly until I understood.  Not fun for either of us.  But I learned a number of facts to share with you.   

The population of China is now 1.3 billion.  The city of Beijing was designed for 4 million people, but is struggling with 33 million now.  The infrastructure is totally inadequate, especially the roads and the water system, which is running low and no longer potable.   I can’t even imagine what the sewer system is like, although the streets were clean.  Just to buy a ticket to ride the subway takes 40 minutes and to get to work can take 3 hours if you live on the outskirts.  Imagine 6 hours of commute each day plus 8 hours working.  Most people, said Wei, especially the younger generation who have no means to live closer to town, barely have time to eat and sleep when they are home.  The more affluent people are, the closer to the city they live.  The average person in Beijing lives in a 30 square meter space (323 square feet).

Money and competition are the driving forces, plus the desire to live like Americans, in spite of the Communist rhetoric.  We saw signs of America everywhere—fast food places like KFC, Starbucks, McDonald’s (there are 120 of them in Beijing alone), Wumart (a copy of Walmart); cars like Buick;  western style clothing like the Gap.  

The one child per family law that went into effect in 1980 has had unexpected affects.  Most people wanted a son, so many girls were aborted until the couple had a boy.  Today there are not enough girls to go around.  Girls, meanwhile, are now better educated, have well paying jobs and many do not want children or even marriage.  Many men are remaining single.  Wei said he did not know anything about gays—obviously a taboo subject.  The government reversed itself in 2017 and now wants more children.  However, the population is declining anyway.  The largest population is in the 60-67 age group.  Retirement is allowed at 60 for men and 55 for women.  The government is thinking about raising the retirement age.

 

Najmidin’s wall of work.
Najmidin talking about his art
One of Rashida’s oil paintings. The face reminded me of my mother’s painting of me in a pensive mood.
Rashida Eli and Najmidin Azeri, Zuby’s parents
Rashida with her current work in progress.Arriving at Zuby’s parents studio
Rashida Eli, Zuby’s mother enjoying Polo
Rashida served us all a lovely Polo lunch in the studio.
The four of us in front of Rashida’s paintings.

 

Wei was very helpful in getting us to visit Zuby’s parents, which we did yesterday.  We drove about an hour from the center of the city to the outskirts, where Zuby’s parents lived and worked in a pleasant, quiet, artist colony.   Rashida Eli, Zuby’s Mother, was waiting for us on her balcony and welcomed us with a big smile and open arms.  You would not have known we were meeting for the first time.  Her husband, Najmidin Azezi, was only slightly less outgoing.  They whisked us into their 2 story studio/apartment and we were instantly surrounded with floor to ceiling works of art, mostly oil paintings and charcoal drawings.  In spite of the art work everywhere, the place was very clean and tidy with a kitchen and dining area down stairs and 2 sleeping areas upstairs.  We found their work to be mostly somber and dark in spite of their happy, warm and upbeat countenances.  Gradually we began to understand that their work reflects  their experience and inner feelings about the hateful treatment of Uyghur people in general and their family in particular.  Her sister and a brother were captured and held for some time.  Finally, her sister returned, very changed.  Her brother is still missing.  She does not know why they were taken.  Sad story.  For once, I did not press to learn more.  

No wonder they do not go back to Urumchi.  The two of them are ok as they immigrated to Canada when Zuby was a small child and are now Canadian citizens. As foreigners, they reside in China with renewable visas. 

While there, Rashjida surprised us with a hot Uyghur meal called Polo.  It consists of rice mixed with chopped stewed beef, lamb, bell peppers, roasted garlic and spices.  It was very tasty.  She also served us a green salad and honeydew mellon, and a fruit tart for desert.  We ate it all, including the salad.  They were very generous and served our guide and driver as well.  

After 4 hours of visiting, it was time to go.  We left with warm feelings all around.  

Back in the city center, we stopped at our hotel, grabbed the computer and walked to the Apple store.  It made our Roseville Apple store look small.  It consisted of 3 stories and every floor was crammed with people.   We made an appointment with the Genius Bar, and were surprised to get called in less than 10 minutes.  I sure appreciated the fast service.  However, after conferring with each other, the 2 geniuses that served us, said the government had disallowed the use of our servers, Safari and Chrome.  So no Word Press either.  Bummer.  

Back at the hotel we cleaned up and went with Wei and our driver to a simple dim sum restaurant to enjoy steamed dumplings.  The dumplings were great.

 

National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing
Another view of the Center for Performing Arts.
Inside the Performing arts building with the vaulted wooden ceiling
Another view of the ceiling
Inside the concert hall. We did not see the symphony hall.
The exterior of the dome after the concert

Afterward they drove us to the National Center for the Performing Arts to attend a Woodwind and brass concert being conducted by a young American named Michael Kevin Holzman from Ohio.  They performed the Candid Overture 7th Symphony.  The concert was interesting and entertaining.  There were 45 musicians and the sound was quite engulfing with 9 clarinets, 5 horns, 3 trombones, 3 flutes, 2 bass fiddles, 2 oboes, 2 tubas, 3 French horns, a bunch of percussionists and more.  

Best of all was the Center itself.  The facility was spectacular.  From the outside it looks like half a very large glass egg floating on a lake.  It changes colors in the evening and is very appealing.  Inside, we walked underground and passed through a 30 feet high passageway with a glass ceiling that granted visibility of the large, shallow lake above.  Quite unusual.  Once through the passage, we climbed up again inside the “egg” where that ceiling was made of vaulted pieces of beautiful wood.  The effect was extraordinary.  Mark and I had seen the center from the outside during a previous visit to Beijing and we knew we wanted to experience the center from the inside.  Our effort was well rewarded.  

Today, As we approached Lhasa, the view outside the window was awesome–Snow covered peaks in all directions.  The Gongkar Airport is quite a large facility serving the capital of Tibet and the surrounding area.  Somehow I thought the place would be small and religious or spiritual, but it is overrun by Chinese, who seem to be hell bent on doing away with all things Tibetan.  Our guide, PingPing, told us on introducing himself that he is a “full Buddhist Tibetan”.  As soon as we were in the car, he admitted how upset he is with the Chinese ruining Tibet.  If the Chinese have their way, there will be no more Tibet.

There is a tremendous amount of construction happening with many Chinese moving in permanently.  The population, according to PingPing, is currently 6 million Tibetans and an additional 3 million Chinese.  The drive to Lhasa from the Gongkar Airport was 45 kilometers on a new raised highway that went over the Brhamaputra River and through 3 large, modern tunnels.  The area is quite wealthy due to large mining operations in gold, iron, tungsten and silver.  Twenty % of the money raised in mining stays in Tibet to develop the area.  The rest goes to the Chinese government.  Schools are free for both Tibetans and Chinese, but they are largely segregated.  HIs wife is a first grade school teacher in a Tibetan only school.  Along the way we saw fields of barley, wheat, corn and mustard.  Ping said they also raise potatoes, carrots, peach trees and flowers.

Finally we arrived at the St Regis Hotel through a maze of bumper to bumper shops and restaurants, high rises and construction zones.  We could see the Portala Palace as advertised, but barely, due to the building congestion.  The weather is sunny and warm.  I did not need a sweater as I thought I might.

As we checked in and I realized that I was feeling light headed and slow, so I looked at the altimeter on my phone.  We are at 11,754 feet.  The hotel staff provided hot tea, which tasted super.  Once in our room, I was happy to find that we have WiFi and Word Press.  We went to lunch, which took way too long time just to get soup and a small sandwich.  Back in our room I can sit by the window and see the Palace about a mile away.  We are content to enjoy our room and our view at an elevation of 11,993 feet.

  

 

By adventureswithjulia | Posted in 2019 Aug-Sep-Oct: China / Tibet / Pakistan / India | Comments (6)

Getting ready for Beijing

August 25, 2019 – 4:01 pm

August 26, 2019

Things are very weird here in Beijing.  I had no access to Word Press while at the Peninsula Hotel or at the Apple store.  Now, at the airport, I have access through a Chinese server called BAI.  Hopefully it will hold.  But now I have no more time and must run to the gate.  Here is what I completed before we left home.   More as soon as possible.  Do not hold yours breath.

August 23, 2019

We are over Russian territory at 37,000 feet on our way to Beijing.  Our 7-week adventure to unvisited places in Asia has begun.  For the first time, I am feeling somewhat undone by the amount of time we have agreed to spend traveling.  Is my age the issue or have the stresses of work at home gotten the better of me.  I’d like to believe the latter.  For sure I am exhausted by all the stress.  In addition to difficulties finding a tenant for our Dickinson, Texas property and dealing with unfinished landscape issues at a property in Grass Valley, we recently entered into a purchase agreement for a house at Lake Tahoe. It is expected to close on October 22, but at the moment our financing is unsettled because the required appraisals have not been completed.  When we left SFO today, none of the issues have been resolved or even concluded.   Although we did make some progress with the landscaping repair problem at the last minute.  

Now that we are in the air, I am telling myself to relax, let go and lose myself in our coming adventures.  The stresses at home will naturally re-assert themselves the we return.  Maybe I should be grateful for seven full weeks in a different world where all I have to do is keep a low profile and stay away from trouble.  

We cover China from east to west, mostly by air

We cover China from east to west, mostly by air

I have brought a lot of material to read about the places we will visit and hope I manage to get to the reading……soon.  To start, I downloaded a few maps, as many of you express appreciation for having them to study.  The first map is of China and shows all the places we will visit in that country.  We start on the east coast in Beijing and gradually work our way west across the entire country, albeit mostly by air.  After a day in Beijing, we fly to Lhasa in south central China and spend several days in Tibet.  From there we fly northwesterly across the country to a city called Urumqi, pronounced Urumchi.  It is the heartland of the muslim people known as Uighur.  There are about 12 million of them and they are in the news lately for being persecuted by the Han Chinese.  We will have a couple of days there and then fly further west and south to Kashi, aka Kashgar, where we will pick up a car, driver and guide and proceed by road into Pakistan.  The distance across China is much further than across the US.    

Back to our arrival in Beijing.  At the Peninsula Hotel we will rest and try to adjust to the 9 hour time difference.  The next day we plan a special meeting with the artist parents of a young woman we have gotten to know during the Classical Tahoe summer season in Incline Village on Tahoe’s north shore.  Her name is Zubaida Azezi, aka Zuby.  She is a violinist in the orchestra.  Her fiancé is Tim Dilenschneider and he is one of orchestra’s three bass players. During the regular season, they play in the Houston Symphony Orchestra. 

Zuby and Kim with us at Gar Woods.

Zuby and Kim with us at Gar Woods.

We took them out to dinner one evening after we had learned that Zuby is Uyghur and from the city of Urumchi.  We were surprised.  She was shocked that we had even heard of her city, let alone planned to visit it.    She identifies as Uighur and told us about the difficulties happening in her homeland, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwestern China, where the largest muslim minority resides.  She has not been there or seen her relatives since she was a young girl.  It is too dangerous for her to go back, but she is confident we will have no problem as tourists.  I asked if we could look up some of her relatives and give them her regards and a photo or two.  She declined, saying even that was too dangerous for her people.  Of the 12 million Uyghur population, 2 million are incarcerated in “re-education camps” similar to what Kim Jung Un is doing with his people in North Korea.  Very sad situation.  Last October the BBC released details of an investigation into China’s “hidden camps”.  Perhaps you can find more news about it.  

 However, she said she would love to have us visit her parents, who are English speaking artists living safely in Beijing and ask if they would mind meeting with us and showing us their art and the art community in which they live.  That sounded really good to us, so she called them, made the contact and the next thing you know we cancelled our other activities in Beijing and agreed to meet her parents.  So that will be most of our day.  The drive to her parents home is about an hour from our hotel.  In the evening we have dinner reservations and tickets to the Wind Orchestra Show at the National Center for Performing Arts. We have seen the building from the outside and it is quite a lovely space.  I am looking forward to seeing the interior, which was not open when we were last in Beijing.

By adventureswithjulia | Posted in 2019 Aug-Oct: China/Tibet/Pakistan/India | Comments (3)