Lost in China Day 5
Woke up by sunlight at 7am. This is so not right. Tibet is located at west of China, and sharing the same time as Malaysia. Shouldn't we receive sunlight at much later time? Maybe is the altitude.
Oh yea, there is a little dizziness. High altitude sickness started to kick in.
The place that we stayed is call Shambala Palace, a hotel that preserved classic Tibetan architecture, with modern sewage.
Bed with marble robe decoration
Toilet door
Toilet view
Toilet view 2
Shower
Wardrobe
Busy burning precious oxygen, do not disturb.
Above the hotel's cafe.
This hotel is located at the dead end of an narrow alley, so car don't usually drive in, guaranteed peace of mind.
Breakfast is served from 8am to 10am, with mostly Tibetan style food, like butter tea, Tsampa, oat.
Oat + yogurt, not sure how much Tibetan is this.
Butter tea, this is 100% Tibetan. I started to miss this, where can I find in Malaysia?
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Welcomed by our tour guide TenChuong, our first destination of the day was Norbulingka, the summer palace of Dalai Lama. This place was listed as UNESCO Cultural Heritage, this place had been badly damaged during Cultural Revolution, and had been undergoing restoration.
This is where Dalai Lama hangout during summer season. It consists of teaching room, bedroom, diplomatic room, a private toilet of dalai lama, and several rooms for religious purpose.
An old lady is practicing prostration
Tibetan cat. Animals in Tibet wasn't view as low class species, they are freely enter and exit temples no one really bat an eye.
At that moment, I wasn't really paying much attention to the scenery and stuff that explained by tour guide. The headache since morning is getting worst. We had been swallowing some High Altitude Sickness prevention pill since 2 days ago, but the effect don't seems effective. Trying to calm myself down, "this is not the worst yet". Maybe a puke and throw out everything in the stomach will feel better.
Quickly found a toilet at the corner of the site, in fact, is just a drain with flowing water. Coming from modern society, that is consider gross. Anyway, the smell and "product" left by previous toilet goer in the drain DOES help me to release everything, now I am feeling better. For now.
The worst is not over yet, now everything I put into my mouth will come out from my mouth later.
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We were suppose to be welcomed by the tour guide and served with meal when we arrived at Tibet, due to the flight delay, that meal is our lunch now, after visited Norbulingka. Really, I am very appreciate seeing the great delicious lunch in front of me, but knowing if I eat anything now, I will puke again.
Let's don't waste the food, let me go to the toilet and release my 2nd round of vomit first. Still don't have appetite to eat after that. Why only me?
Anyway, the curry soup is awesome. I will order one when I adapted to this altitude.
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Our tour guide knows people. When Jokhang Temple closed at 6pm, we entered at 6pm, we were told that there will be a closed chanting ceremony in there after 6pm. Climb up the stairs to the top, very tiring, but the view on there is able to see Lhasa surrounded by mountains in panorama view, just breathtaking.
Gold symbolic on the top of temple.
#FunFact by Bobby: no matter which direction you look in Tibet, you see mountains.
The grand Jokhang Temple rooftop.
The grand Jokhang Temple rooftop 2
Mountains at different angle.
Prayers outside Jokhang temple practicing prostration. Throughout the day, we see people doing that, facing the temple, and repeat for thousands of times. Prayers also walk around the temple in clockwise, too.
We wasn't allowed to take photo in the chanting hall, so nothing to show you here. And we just knew that tour guide was a monk. He put down his monk identity and left the monastery to learn new knowledge, but years later when he is done, new China policy made him very difficult to become a monk again...
#FunFact: Summer sun in Tibet set by 10pm.
2 comments:
Beautiful mountain views. The temple is very beautiful. The hotel is also interesting. Too bad you had altitude sickness.
Yup, great view up there!
Lucky my symptom only last less than a day. My friend lasted almost 3 days that he would rather sleep in hotel or van all the time. We need to remind ourselves to keep breathing faster, and walk slower, anything that burn oxygen fast is reduced.
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