Saturday, June 16, 2007

Hello, friends and family back home!

Well, it's another good time for an update. We returned from our three-day/2-night campout last night. Needless to say, we all crashed, slept in this morning, showered, and overwhelmed the front desk with laundry. By the 10:00 call the next morning; all were rested and ready for the next adventure. More about the campout in a minute. Today, we visited the Dalai Lhama's summer palace had lunch, and then received a private lecture by a Tibetan physician on ancient Tibetan medicine founded in the 8th century and taught to medical students off of artistic diagrams utilizing trees, animals and human fitures. It was fascinating, despite the fact that we had just eaten a large lunch and the building was empty on a Saturday afternoon.

About the campout, suffice it to say, that the most important part of the experience is impossible to put into words. We just all know how rare an opportunity it was for us to take in.

When we arrived at the campsite in the valley below the Drigung Monastery, our campsite had been established (complete with wind/rain-proof tents with mattresses, sleeping bags, liners and blankets), and the lunch table was set in the mess tent. There was also a male and a female rest-room tent (since there were no trees or Yaks to hide behind!). The chef and many helpers made our stay feel like an outdoor hotel! In between the three hot, 4-5 course meals/day, we were also served tea, coffee, hot chocolate and snacks.

We made three visits to the Monastery on the top of the mountain. This beautiful mountain-top Monastery is known for its emphasis on meditation. Because our leader, Dr. Hun Lye is affiliated with this order, we were given high dignitary status whenever on site. We were there for a once/year ritual dance ceremony put on by the monks for the villagers. We were not only given front-row seating with carpets on which to rest our backsides, but we were also invited "backstage" in the assembly hall during some of the performances for a special audience with a reincarnated Lhama. He was only 25 years old, but his wisdom and wit impressed us beyond description. Besides knowing Tibetan and Chinese, he is fluent in English and was burning a CD while entertaining our questions! Humility and wisdom abound among high level monks, even the young ones.

You will see from our photos when we return how colorful and fascinating the costumes and characters in the dance were.

We also took a side trip to a nunnery not far from the monastery. It was interesting to see women who meditate and devote their lives to the pursuit of enlightenment and what their buildings, grounds and lifestyles look like (not much different from the monks). While there, many of us enjoyed a sit in the healing natural hot springs! Very relaxing, and the bath we greatly needed!

The last day we visited the monastery, we took a hike up to and around the most famous sky burial site in all of Tibet. It just so happened that the bodies that had arrived at the monastery just as we arrived were being processed for final "consumption" just as we reached the burial grounds. We were kept at a distance, but could appreciate the practice from afar, and had trouble counting how many Tibetan vultures we saw around us!!!

We look forward to more time spent in Lhasa enjoying our group adventure across the world living out of our home base hotel. Our next and final camping trip will be to the world's largest salt-water lake. With five days left of this incredible journey, we plan to make the best of our remaining time here. We also look forward to being awake while our loved ones and friends are awake and asleep while you're asleep (not to mention being back in your company again, which we all miss). Thank you all for allowing and supporting us on this unforgettable trip to such a fascinating and wonderful place with such beautiful people. We hope to share with you much of what we learned here, both intellectual and spiritual. We all feel so blessed to have this unbelievable opportunity.

Julie Lehman

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Hello, all back in the Swannanoa Valley from Lhasa!

It's morning here on the 11th, as it is evening for you on the 10th (proof that we are truly on the other side of the world from you!) We've finally reached the valley of Lhasa after four solid days of traveling (during which we spent a day touring a Tibetan and a Daoist monastery in Xining.) After a late night arrival at our home base hotel in Lhasa (Kyichu Hotel) we're all very ready to go explore Tibet! The group is diverse, brave and experienced at traveling. We have bonded and are having lots of fun together along the way. We are ever-impressed with 11-yr.-old Alyk's ability to enjoy the ride as well as the sights.

The 13.5 hour flight to Beijing was long and cramped, but we distracted ourselves by making friends on the plane and with staring out the window in awe of being able to fly over and look down on the north pole, the whole arctic, Siberia, and the Mongolian desert! Amazing!

The group has bonded well and is both having fun and watching out for each other's adjustment to travel, altitute and motion sickness. So far, we've only had minor symptoms, and have followed the recommended treatments with success. No food issues so far, but we've been in bigger cities until now. We're all helping each other learn to avoid the risky items. Some of us are making progress on our chopstick skills, while others of us remain hopeless! We are learning to eat large amounts of stir-fried and sometimes spicy vegetables and meats at morning, noon and night!

Last night we finished our 26 hour train ride. While long and slightly claustrophobic at times, we all found it quite a unique experience and opportunity. By far the best way to see and enjoy the vast expanse of mountains and plains across this beautiful country. I particularly enjoyed seeing the Tibetan nomads and their charming, yet rustic way of life. We discovered the dining car on the train and spent many hours there enjoying the scenery.

We had the pleasure of sharing a train car with the 45 members of Austrailia's new Sydney Philharmonic Choir and got a special seating at their rehearsal in the dining hall. They were lots of fun and a pleasure to share the ride with!

We'll keep in touch as we venture out into Tibet for the next week. Take care of all whom we left behind!

Julie Lehman