Tibet - "the Rooftop of the World"

As we mentioned at the end of our last update, the flight we were scheduled to take from Chengdu to Lhasa, Tibet was cancelled. We didn’t find out about the cancellation until we reached the airport, and then Mike, our guide, had to really scurry to get us all through flight and baggage check in. While waiting in line, we noticed large market displays of fresh fruit. It all looked delicious, but in our hurry to get checked in, we passed on the opportunity to purchase some. Once through the check in process, we were rapidly on our way.

We reached the Lhasa Airport in about three hours, then had a one-hour bus ride into the city. The bus, with its driver and guide, had dropped another OAT tour group at the airport for their flight out of Tibet, and they were returning to the city, when they got a call that we were arriving earlier than planned, so they turned around and were able to meet us as we cleared the baggage area.

For the first time since our arrival in China, the sky was bright blue and the air was crystal-clear. Lhasa is over 12,000 feet in elevation, and we guessed that the winds were able to keep air pollution away. On our way into the city, we saw a number of yaks in fields and along the road. We were told that these were domesticated yaks that are used to pull plows and give milk. There is also a large population of wild yaks in Tibet, but we didn’t see any sign of them. Because of the country’s high elevation, crops seem to be primarily grown or at least started in hot houses. There were a number of roadside stands selling all sorts of vegetables from beans to watermelon, which our local guide said were all dependent on the hot houses.

Buddhism is the universal religion in Tibet. It spread from India during the 3rd through 7th centuries AD. In 1641, two Buddhist sects fought, and the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) sect won. Their leader adopted the title of Dalai Lama, and presided over both religion and politics. Each Dalai Lama was considered a reincarnation of the previous one. With the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911, Tibet enjoyed a period of de facto independence until 1950, when Chinese forces invaded. China brought modernization and mandatory schooling to the region, but by 1959, growing popular unrest resulted in a revolt that was crushed by the Chinese army. The Dalai Lama, fearing a plot to kidnap him, fled to India where he continues to represent over 100,000 Tibetans in exile.

One of the first sights we saw as we approached Lhasa was the impressive Potala Palace, once the seat of the Tibetan government and the winter home of the Dalai Lama. It rises 13 stories on a hill and contains more than a thousand rooms. Parts of the palace are painted red, other parts are white. The red section is full of chapels which are used for religious functions, and it contains the tombs of a number of previous Dalai Lamas. The white section was used as the living quarters for the Dalai Lama and it now functions primarily as a museum.

Our hotel was located in a section of the old city near the Jokhang Temple, and is in the midst of a large bazaar. The streets are very narrow and crowded with pedestrians and Buddhist worshippers, who walk, prayer wheels in hand, round and round the periphery of the temple area. Many of them prostrate themselves over and over as they go around the area. Spiritual items and tourist baubles are sold in shops and stands that line the route.

Since many travelers suffer from altitude sickness upon arrival at the high altitude of Lhasa, the rest of the day was at leisure, although a number of the more adventurous walked and shopped their way around the bazaar until dinner was served in our hotel.

The next morning we visited the Potala Palace and climbed the more than 600 steps from the street to the top floors of the palace itself. The present palace was built in the 17th century, and supposedly took 7,000 workers and 1,500 artists and craftsmen more than 50 years to complete. At the time it was built, it was the world’s tallest building. The views of Lhasa from the top are spectacular.

After lunch we took the afternoon’s optional tour to the Sera Monastery, about three miles north of Lhasa. The monastery, founded in 1419, was one of two great monasteries in Lhasa. Originally the home of 5,000 monks, about 600 are still in residence. We arrived to find their daily “debate” in full swing. Held in a garden in the center of the monastery, teaching monks quiz their students in a hubbub of loud and emphatic chatter while tourists, both local and foreign, skirt the perimeter, snapping photos as fast as they can. It was a mesmerizing exercise held in a captivating setting.

From the monastery, we traveled to a small mountain village near Lhasa and visited the home of a local farmer. They live a fairly primitive life, for while their homes have electricity; they draw their water from community wells and heat their homes with dried yak dung.


After leaving the village, we returned to our hotel and soon were having dinner at “The Original Crazy Yak Restaurant”. Dinner also included a music and dance show featuring typical Tibetan culture. At least it did until several of us “big nose people” were encouraged to join in the show. The cultural experience rapidly deteriorated from that point on.

The next morning found us at the 1,300 year-old Jokhang Temple, where we were able to observe worshippers prostrating themselves and making clockwise circles of the bazaar on their hands and knees in reverence to this sacred site. Smoke from burning incense and thousands of yak butter candles filled the air in the temple, built to house the 7th century Sakyamuni Buddha statue. Other religious observances that we saw included large brass prayer wheels that the faithful spin as they walk past in prayer, and thousands of prayer flags flying from rooftops.

That afternoon we visited the De Ji Orphanage and school, which is supported in part by donations from Overseas Adventure Foundation. Started a number of years ago by a woman who saw an urgent need for housing and schooling local orphans, it has recently moved to a much larger facility which provides for about 60 children from infants through their teen years. We were impressed with the large room full of computers for the kids’ use, and the beautiful artwork that they have produced. While we were there, several other groups were visiting as well; most of them bringing various supplies for the orphanage.

Following the orphanage visit, we were welcomed into a local home where we enjoyed Tibetan snacks and yak butter tea, which we decided was definitely an acquired taste. This local family, like what appeared to us to be a very large majority of Tibetans, practices their Buddhist religion enthusiastically. They have a room in their home set aside as a spiritual shrine. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to interact with the local culture.

It rained in Lhasa during our last night, and we woke up in the morning to snow topping the nearby mountains. We loaded ourselves and our luggage onto our bus and, after a stop at the Potala Palace for a group photo, headed for the airport, and our flight back to Chengdu and a bus transfer to our Yangtze River cruise.

More later.

Chengdu and the Panda Sanctuary

We took an afternoon flight for the 500 mile trip from Xi’An to Chengdu, a city of 5.2 million people, the capital of Sichuan Province. We were met at the airport by our local guide and bus driver. That was one thing that was really great on the whole trip; we had a local or city guide and a bus and bus driver in addition to our national guide, Mike. After settling into our hotel, we enjoyed an excellent but spicy Sichuan dinner at a local restaurant.

From the restaurant we traveled to a theater to observe a “Changing Faces Opera”. Face changing is an ancient Chinese dramatic art that is part of the traditional Sichuan-style of opera. The above photo is a link to a short video of the Changing Faces. Double click on it to view the video. When you are finished, click the Back button on your browser to return to this blog.
The performers wore brightly colored costumes and vivid masks. What was amazing was their ability to change the masks and even the costumes in just seconds. The “changing faces” was only one of several dramatic performances. Other acts included music, dance and comedy which were all very entertaining. Shortly before the performance began, we were treated to another ancient tradition, Chinese massage. We each experienced a 30-minute neck, shoulder and back massage while remaining seated in the theater. It was relaxing and enjoyable, but Tom had some back soreness for a couple of days after the massage.


The next day we boarded our bus to visit the Giant Panda Sanctuary, located just outside of Chengdu. Sichuan Province is the native habitat of the giant panda, and the sanctuary is a simulated habitat, with acres of space for the pandas to roam and thrive as nature intended.
More pandas can be seen here than at any other location in the world.

China has embarked on an ambitious conservation program to preserve existing wild habitat, expand existing reserves and create new reserves in an effort to stave off the extinction of pandas. Only about 1,000 animals are still living in the wild in Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi Provinces. The giant panda is under siege due to habitat eradication, but also from poachers who can sell a giant panda hide for as much as $10,000 in Hong Kong or Japan.

We took an extensive guided tour of the sanctuary and observed adult pandas sleeping, eating and playing. We also saw a number of juvenile pandas and visited the panda nursery where the little ones are kept and cared for.

For a fee, visitors are able to touch an adult panda, and for a larger fee, they can hold a baby panda. Mary Ann came to China with the intent to touch or hold a panda, and she was able to satisfy that wish. We also had the opportunity to observe the other panda at the Sanctuary, the Red Panda, which looks sort of like a large, reddish-brown raccoon.

After lunch at a local restaurant, we had the afternoon free. Mike, our guide, offered to take us to a local park and teahouse, if we’d like. Most of us chose to go, and it was a fun afternoon. Since this was a “Mike Tour”, we paid our own expenses, including taxis and refreshments.
The park has a lovely lake with boats to rent, an extensive bonsai garden, and a large old teahouse under the trees. A number of types of tea are available as well as other snacks. It’s a very popular place for locals as well as tourists to spend some free time. Vendors roam around through the teahouse, including “ear cleaners” who, for just a few Yuan, will clean your ears with picks and cotton balls on long sticks. After leaving the park, we returned to our hotel for dinner on our own.

The next morning we took our bus to the airport, only to find that our scheduled flight to Lhasa, Tibet, had been canceled and we had been rebooked onto an earlier flight. We just barely made it through check-in and security in time to board the plane. We’ll tell you all about our adventures in Tibet in the next posting.

Xi’An and the Terracotta Warriors

Xi’An, pronounced, “Shē-ahn”, with a current population of about 3.3 million, was the capital of several major dynasties, going as far back as the 11th century BC. Besides the well-known terracotta warriors, the central portion of the city is bounded by old city walls. They were built in 1370 during the Ming dynasty as a defensive perimeter and are 40 feet high and up to 60 feet thick at the base. It is about 9 miles around the perimeter, and the walls are surrounded by a moat and a park-like strip. Most sections have been restored, and many people walk or bicycle the top of the walls in its entirety.

Upon departing from our overnight train, our bus picked us up and took us to our hotel for breakfast. After breakfast, we walked a short distance through a park to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Built in the seventh century to house Buddhist scriptures brought from India by the monk Xuan Zang. The pagoda is surrounded by a large temple and gardens which dates from the Qing dynasty (1644-1911).

From Xi'An and the Terracotta Warriors

Walking beyond the pagoda, we were able to observe a huge water fountain display set to music. The performances are held twice a day, at noon, and in the evening. It is said to be the largest water show in China, perhaps in the whole world. It certainly puts the show at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas to shame. The show lasts about 20 minutes and draws a crowd to every performance. From the water show, we walked back through the temple gardens at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda to our hotel.

At that time we discovered that the room we had been assigned was in an area that was undergoing renovation and the corridors were covered with sheetrock dust and the smell of fresh paint permeated the room. We requested a move to another floor which was quickly and graciously accomplished. We later caught our bus for a visit to the City Wall.

That evening, following a Mongolian Hot Pot dinner at the hotel, many of us headed back to the water show plaza to watch the nighttime performance. The crowd was just as large, but the colors made the show even more spectacular.

The next day, Monday, we hopped on our bus and traveled to a jade factory where we watched jade carving, saw an exhibit of historic jade objects, and of course, had the opportunity to purchase jewelry and other jade objects. Debbie exhibited remarkable restraint and we got out of the shop without any major purchases.
From there we journeyed about 30 minutes to the one spot that everyone comes to see; the Terracotta Army. The army of thousands of life-size clay warriors were built to guard the tomb of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the Qin dynasty in 200 BC. The pits that contain the warriors are about one mile from the emperor’s tomb, which is still unexcavated. Reportedly, the tomb took 38 years to complete, and required a workforce of 700,000 people.
The underground army was discovered in 1974 by a farmer digging a well. The 6,000 plus life-size figures are ranked in military order, hold actual spears and swords, and each warrior has unique facial features and expressions. Three pits of warriors have been unearthed;
Pit 3, containing 72 warriors and horses, is believed to be the army headquarters, due to the number of high-ranking officers found here.

Pit 2 has five soldiers displayed up close; two archers, a cavalryman and horse, a mid-ranking officer and a general. These figures, all unique, are representative of the 1,300 warriors and horses found in the pit.

The largest pit, Pit 1, is certainly the most impressive. Approximately 6,000 warriors and horses are arranged in a rectangle with three rows of archers in front. The main body of infantry is accompanied by 35 chariots, each pulled by four horses. The chariots, made of wood, have long since disintegrated.

The roofs of these pits collapsed within just a few years of their completion, smashing the warriors and horses into many pieces, so all of the soldiers on display have been reconstructed from the rubble.
Many figures are still undergoing restoration, and there are large areas in each pit that have yet to be excavated.

Next to the three pits is a small but impressive museum which includes figures that can be viewed at close range. Also in the museum is a pair of remarkable bronze chariots and horses excavated from an area near the Tomb of Qin Shi Huang.

Our visit to the Warriors was certainly a “Wow!” and one of the highlights of the entire trip for us.

Upon our return to Xi’An, we had the opportunity to visit a wholesale herbal remedies market to see the many items, from dried geckoes to goat bladders to dried herbs of every kind. It was an interesting and colorful place to see. From there we headed to a "17 dumpling” dinner which was followed by a stage show featuring music and costumes from the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD). Since it had been “another very big day” for us, we quickly retreated to our hotel after the show and enjoyed a good night’s sleep.

The next morning (Tuesday) after breakfast, we visited a lacquer furniture factory. Debbie fell in love with a set of four nesting tables, and after striking a hard bargain with the sales representative, they were ours. They are being shipped on a “slow boat from China” to Oakland, where we will pick them up once they arrive. Several others on our tour also purchased furniture items at the factory that will also be shipped to Oakland, so when we pick up our purchases, it’ll be time for another party!

From the lacquer ware factory we traveled by bus to the Shaanxi Museum, considered to be one of China’s premier museums. It features artifacts from ancient bronzes from the Shang and Zhou dynasties (16th century to 5th century BC), to the more modern artifacts of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368 – 1911 AD). It also has a fascinating display of Chinese calligraphy through the ages as well as a display of the terracotta warriors.

From the museum, we traveled to the nearby farm village of Dong Han where we visited the Guang Ming Primary School. The school is partially supported by donations from the Overseas Adventure Foundation, a charity within the organizational structure of our tour company. We were welcomed by the students and had the chance to visit a second grade classroom and participate in an enthusiastic game of tug-of-war.
From the school, we walked a half-mile or so through the oldest and partially abandoned village to the present village proper, where we met local residents who were to host our group for dinner and an overnight stay. We were divided into groups of four and introduced to our hosts, who then took us to their homes. We were the guests of Mrs. Yuan, who, after offering us a welcoming cup of tea, invited our ladies, Debbie and Carol, to assist in the preparation of dinner. Both of them enthusiastically jumped into the small but efficient kitchen and were soon chopping veggies, rolling dough for noodles and other kitchen activities. After consuming a fine dinner, thanks to Mrs. Yuan, we walked with her to the neighborhood square where we joined the rest of our group and the villagers, or at least the ladies of the village, in an evening of dancing and singing. After stumbling through a couple of Chinese dances, the speaker system blasted out the Hokey Pokey, followed by the Macarena. The locals knew the Hokey Pokey well, but our ladies led them through the motions of the Macarena. We then headed back to our host homes for the night. Our host’s home was two stories with guest quarters on the 2nd floor. We had comfortable, if very firm, twin beds and a western style bathroom with a shower head in the middle of the room. The whole house was very clean and tidy from the kitchen and bath to the 52” flat-screen TV on the wall in the living room.

The next morning after a home-cooked breakfast, we walked through the village to the home and studio of a well-known Chinese artist, Pan Xiao Ling, who specialized in a “farmer style” of watercolor, although she also had examples of her straw art and oil painting as well. She quickly drew a simple watercolor to demonstrate her technique, a process that took all of five minutes. Several of our group purchased art from her; all we bought was a series of post cards of her art. From her studio, we walked to the shop of an artist who specializes in cut paper designs. She demonstrated her technique of folding and cutting paper, and then let us try our hand at creating a double happiness symbol following her instruction. Our attempt was mostly successful.

After heartfelt goodbyes to our hosts, we boarded our bus for a trip to the airport from which we flew to our next stop, Chengdu and its incredible panda sanctuary. More on that later.