by Jeff Delkin

View from roof of the Johkang overlooking Barkhor (Potalla Palace in background right) Fortunately we had remembered the tip,  “left side of the plane” and had made the mental note as we requested our seats on the dawn flight from Chengdu, China to Lhasa, Tibet on a clear April morning. There is nothing quite as awe-inspiring as the first glimpse of the majestic peaks of the Himalayan range as they slowly reveal themselves bathed in the morning light of dawn. It is the first of countless entries to a scrapbook of memories one cherishes from a trip to Tibet. It is a spectacular site. Jagged edges reaching towards the sky, peaks layered over other peaks, an endless sea of white snow-encrusted caps glowing in the soft morning light.

We touch down after 1 1/2 hours under the crisp clear sky in Lhasa. We immediately notice the visible breath and the gloves worn on the hands of the airport crew as we prepare to disembark. A far cry from the thick humid and hot air at sea level from where we had begun our journey in Bangkok. The dry cool air was a refreshing change. The abrupt change in altitude was immediately felt as we walked the short distance to the primitive baggage carousel. We were welcomed with the traditional "scarf of respect" that is often presented to visitors and more frequently draped over the statues of deities throughout the 
temples. 

We boarded our ragtag 4WD and headed off towards the town of Lhasa with our soft-spoken and delightfully friendly Tibetan guide, Niyma, and driver, Mr. Chin.

The barren landscape of sporadic ground cover intermixed with a few scraggy trees spotted here and there as we wind our way to town. We make our way through small villages. Homes of painted white concrete dotted with colorful prayer flags atop the roofs. Windows and doorways framed in black paint to ward off the undesirable spirits. Adjacent in the fields, Yaks slowly being guided down the rows as they prepare the land for the planting of barley seed. Amidst this scenery it is quite unexpected to see the countless numbers of military vehicles making their way to and from the nearby base.  Approaching the outskirts of Lhasa, the Chinese presence is evident. 

Potalla Palace

Lhasa like many towns in Tibet, are two cities, one new and Chinese and the other old and Tibetan. A real frontier town. Dusty two-story building structures of equal sameness and blandness line up along each other flanking the wide newly paved street. Cement mixtures, hydraulics, light industrial equipment for sale, all symbols of the new Tibet. Off in the distance hugging the hills that surround the city we see monasteries, what's left of a once thriving monastic life that served as the spiritual base for tens of thousands of practicing monks and nuns. Today, among the remaining dozen or so monasteries there only a few hundred resident monks whose primary task is the care and upkeep of the monasteries. At one time there were over a thousand monasteries in and around Lhasa. 

We situate ourselves in the old Tibetan section of town at the venerable Yak Hotel a quaint and colorful inn with hot running water, and as a bonus, a fantastic view of the Potalla palace from its rooftop. The Potalla palace sits up high on the edge of the city and is impossible to miss as you enter the city. It is an architectural wonder. It consists of over 1000 rooms. Niyma guided us through many of the rooms each with historical significance, nearly all with beautiful wall murals of deities still preserved. Today, it rests eerily quiet as it now houses only few resident monks there to maintain and look after the palace.

The Yak Hotel forms an ideal base. It sits on the edge of the Barkhor, a section of town immediately surrounding the Johkang temple. Countless folks circumambulate the Barkhor circuit continuously. Ancient Tibet can still be observed here in this bustling area of incense burning, chanting, and commerce with shops and stalls selling all sorts of curios and fabric items

The Johkang is situated in the center of the old city of Lhasa and without a doubt is the most sacred temple in Tibet. Created in the 7th century by King Songtsen Gampo. Pilgrims from as far as several thousand miles away journey sometimes by foot and even by prostrating their way to chant their prayers and obtain their blessings from the Johkang temple. Cylinder prayer wheels line the inner walls surrounding the temple. Pilgrims turn each of the prayer wheels in succession while chanting often rotating their personal handheld prayer wheels as well.

Pilgrims and prayer wheels at the Johkang

Tibetan Buddhism integrates the three principle trends of Indian origin Buddhism of Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana into a singular whole. Before the communist takeover Buddhism enveloped every aspect of Tibetan life; the origin of the world, the role of the individual in society, the relation between mind and matter, the principles of ethics, the arts, medical science, and religion.

We were fascinated by the diversity of people. Their elaborate dress and ornamentation, hairstyles and skin color indicate the varied regions these pilgrims had come from. Outside the entrance to the Johkang, Tibetans prostrate throughout the day and night to seek retribution and demonstrate their blessings. You hear the shhhh, shhhh shhhh sound of men and women, young and old as the elongate themselves flat against the smooth stone and rise again in continual succession.

Newly opened for the first time to outside visitors in Lhasa is the Lukang, a small temple down and in back of the Potalla palace. The Lukang sits off center in a small lake (Lake of the Naga King). It consists of 3 floors of small rooms each containing exquisite murals still beautifully still. These murals are quite unusual in their rare depiction of tantric mediation. The top floor previously served as the Thirteenth Dalai Lama’s private meditation room. 

Monasteries 15,000 feet up.

We could have easily spent a full week or more in Lhasa, but instead embarked on the typical Tibet traveler circuit from Lhasa to Gyantse then to Shigatse and returning to Lhasa. The "new" road we travel is gravel, filled with potholes, and washed out from landslides. The 6 hrs to Gyantse reduces our bodies to mush and brings on a constant ache at the back of our heads.  As we traversed our way up to over 5000 meters the landscape gives way to the numerous prayer flags flapping relentlessly in the steady wind.

In each town or village, we are met with smiles and occasional touches or handshakes. Feeling welcomed and charged with an unusual spiritual
adrenalin. A most unusual place The towns themselves are a bit nondescript and generally colorless. It’s the monasteries that are the real jewels in each of these towns steeped in history and religious significance, stories told on the ancient walls. A highlight of our visit to Shigatse and adjacent to the Tashlihumpo monastery, we visited a thriving rug factory employing local townspeople who weave well-crafted rugs using traditional Tibetan and Chinese motifs. A significant portion of their proceeds goes to the monastery. 

There are numerous resources to help uncover the wonders of Tibet. Among them,

The Sacred Art of Tibet, Robert Thurman
The Tibet Guide, S. Batchelor
The Dalai Lama’s Secret Temple, Ian Baker
The Art of Tibet, Robert Fisher
Tibet House