Tibet: the Roof of the World

Tibet should come with a warning: it is painful for your body, but even more painful for your heart. The body pain comes from Tibets' altitude. Of all the countries in the world, Tibet is the highest. In a moment of total stupidity I decided not to take my pills for altitude sickness and paid for this decision. Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, where I stayed, is at 14,000 feet and the highest part of Tibet is 16,000 ft. At 14,000 feet oxygen is at 65% of what it is at sea level. The result was 3 days of excrutiating headaches, always gasping for breath, continuous chest pains, and a cold. Eating dinner at the hotel was like being in the hospital. We tourists were truly a ragged looking group. I was tempted to use Valerie's expression; "you want some cheese with that whine?".....The pain in my heart, however, is a different matter. You really can't talk about Tibet without touching on their sad political situation. Like Bhutan, Tibet is strongly Buddhist. For centuries Tibet was ruled by a succesion of Dalai Lamas, men who served as both political and religious leaders of Tibet. The Buddhist religion teaches non-violence and the Dalai Lama is a living example of those teachings. For centuries Tibet was a country untouched, protected by the surrounding mountains. Tibetans lived their compassionate peaceful existence until Oct 7, 1950. Here is a paragraph from a tour book that summarizes the change;....."Unknown to the Tibetans, the communist takeover of China was to open what is probably the saddest chapter in Tibetan history. The Chinese "liberation" of Tibet was eventually to lead to 1.2 million Tibetan deaths, a full-on assault on the Tibetan traditional way of life, the flight of the Dalai Lama to India and the large-scale destruction of almost every historical structure on the plateau." To this day the Dalai Lama continues to live in India, waiting for the day when he will be restored to his rightful place in Tibet.......Visiting Tibet made me realize how quickly the Tibetan culture is vanishing and the Chinese culture is taking over. (Visit now while you have a chance!!!) The few temples that are still standing are riddled with destruction from the Chinese invasion. Almost overnight, Lhasa has been turned into a shopping mecca. Chinese is the language seen everywhere with Tibetan seen and heard mainly in the temples. All Tibetans must speak Chinese in order to get work. The Chinese army is everywhere. Loptsong, my guide, was taking me to a beautiful temple close to my hotel. A visiting Chinese dignitary was using the temple for a meeting and hundreds of soldiers in riot gear kept the religious pilgrims and tourists from getting close to the temple. It is truly heartbreaking. If you want to learn more about this issue and see the gorgeous scenery near Tibet, do see the movie "Seven years in Tibet." It is the true story of Tibet and the Dalai Lama before, during, and after the Chinese takeover. Interestingly, the movie is banned in Tibet.....Despite all my kvetching, I loved being in Tibet. You can't look at the temples and mountain scenery without being awestruck. The Tibetan marketplace is huge and gives you a rare opportunity to interact with the Tibetans. A warning - yak is an important part of Tibetan life, both as a beast of burden and as food. Butter is made from yak milk and the national drink - butter tea - is made by pouring hot water over yak butter. Yummy! I also had sweet and sour yak for dinner. It tasted like beef......A warning to Tibet - I will return for at least a week and this time I will take my pills for altitude sickness.....Farewell for now. Next stop Hong Kong and the 27 hour trip home. Happy Trails, Marion
Pictures Below from China!