Our train T27 from Beijing to Lhasa (44 hours away) is announced.
Crowded on Beijing train station, the train is ready for boarding.
Similar to a Swedish wagon, but the middle bed could not be taken down. Crowded when the Chinese people lied on the two lower beds all days (not only in the nights).
Toilet, just now in good shape but not all the time.
Huge houses popping up on the countryside.
Buying water when the train stops on one of the few stations. Supervised by uniformed, not very glad, person.
The food on the train is not exciting, not even in the restaurant wagon.
We had lunch in the wagon.
Family next door.
The Chinese people poured boling water over their box with dry noodles.
Entering the Tibet highland the second morning.
Oxygen coming from the holes, starting at around 4600 m height.
Many Chinese people used the oxygen hoses. Some Swedes felt very bad, which was not convenient on this train.
Highest point, 5070 meter.
Tibetan landscape on 5000 m, road bridge.
Giant station out in the wilderness, 4 hours north of Lhasa.
The railway sometimes built as a bridge, probably due to the ground and sometimes for letting animals pass under it.
Arriving at Lhasa (3700 m) with its new and empty station. The railway from China was ready in 2006.
Tibetan performance, with many masks, instruments and dances.
Tibetan language, Chinese and English. Chinese is neccessary for making a career, and also influences the Tibetan language.
Potala palace from our hotel.
View from Johkang temple over the Barkhor square with Potala in the background. Two Dhavjas (Victory banner poles) are seen on the square.
Potala palace with Dhavja (Victory banner poles) in front.
The Dharma wheel and deer (classical Buddhism symbols) on top of Johkang temple. Johkang temple is the most important temple for many Tibetans, and originates from the 7th century.
The Dharma wheel and deer (classical Buddhism symbols) on top of Johkang temple.
Dhvaja (Victory banner) on top of Johkang temple.
Prostrating people in front of the holy Johkang temple.
Starting at young age with prostrating.
Tea break between the prostrating.
Praying.
Old people performing the kora, walking around the Johkang temple.
Old woman with prayer wheel, walking the Johkang kora.
Prayer wheels for sale at Barkor Square.
Sand Mandala at Sera Monastery, in the outer parts of Lhasa.
Monk debate at Sera Monastery, learning process in teaching Buddhism.
Debater presents his case/question with gestures.
...
Clapping his hands ("destroying" the wrong answer and asking a new question). The defenders sit on the ground, trying to answer the questions.
View from Sera over new houses in Lhasa and Potala at the back.
Traditional Tibetan Hospital, using old methods (pulse analysis, herbs, dietary modfications, therapy ..). For surgery western methods are used, at other hospitals.
Professor explaining the traditional methods.
Describing the balance of the body, teaching material.
Altar in the hospital.
The dentist room.
Queue of Tibetan people in the corridor.
Potala Palace at sunrise.
Potala palace at sunrise.
Potala Palace from southwest.
Potala, Red Palace (used for religious purposes).
Many stairs to climb in the palace.
White Palace, the living quarters for the current Dalai Lama (nr 14), until he had to leave Tibet in 1959.
Potala Palace from Potala Square.
Potala Palace at night.
Small monastery in a backyard in Lhasa.
Bengt rolling the prayer wheels, just going to sacrifice a bottle of liquor in a small monastery.
Liquor for sale, to be sacrificed.
The monk pours the liquor out while performing prayers.
Prayer flags on a pass outside Lhasa.
Prayer flags, used to bless the countryside and to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom. The colours represent the elements, e.g. blue = sky/space, white = air/wind, red = fire, green = water and yellow = earth.
Prayer flags on the slope at Drak Yerpa.
Prayer wheels at the Drak Yerpa monastery at 4500 m.
Drak Yerpa monastery, 4500 m. It has been (and still is) a center for meditation in the caves. Started with king Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century. It was destroyed during the cultural revolution, but is being restored.
Inside Drak Yerpa monastery.
Inside Drak Yerpa monastery, handling the wax candles.
Camilla and Tibetan women.
Parabolic water boiler at Drak Yerpa, different models exist.
Camilla longs for coffee.
Prayer flags.
Mats as a real tourist on the yak.
Place for sky burial, cutting the body in parts and giving them to the vultures. Sky burial is common in Tibet (and Bhutan).
Sky burial knifes. (Special people are performing this work in Tibet, in Bhutan it was said to be the son's work).
Stupa close to Drak Yerpa, people performing a small kora (walking clockwise, circumambulatin, around the stupa and praying).
Norbulingka, the summer palace of Dalai Lama, just outside Lhasa.
Norbulingka
Yalong River, origin of Bramaputra.
On the road to Yamdrok Lake.
On the road to Yamdrok Lake, approaching the pass on 4800 m.
Yamdrok lake, one of four holy lakes in Tibet, on 4450 m height. Norin Kang mountain, 7200 m, in the background.
Yamdrok lake and Norin Kang mountain, 7200 m.
View of Yamdrok Lake.
Streets of Nagartse, at Yamdrok Lake.
Hard cheese to chew (needs a long time to get soft).
View from Samding monastery.
Monuments outside Samding monastery.
Lunch at Samding monastery.
The head of the monastery is a woman, Dorje Phagmo. She is the 12th incarnation, starting in the 15th century. She is the highest female incarnation in Tibet and is ranked as number three after Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama.
Panchen Lama, inside Samding monastery.
Inside Samding monastery.
Instruments inside Samding monastery.
Statue of coming Buddha.
Harvesting highland barley outside Nagartse.
Harvesting barley.
Yak restaurant in Nagartse. Yak was popular on the menu.
Tibetan women at Karola pass and glacier, 5000 m.
Camilla geocaching at Kharola glacier, 5000 m.
Peter ordering chang (barley, hot water, yeast, a relative to beer) at a local bar in Gyantse.
Testing three cups of the local chang (three for being polite).
Street in Gyantse and the fortress from the 14th century on the hill.
Gyantse market.
Streets in the old part of Gyantse.
Drying yak dung on the walls, used in the stoves.
Drying yak dung.
Invited to a Tibetan home in Gyantse, served bread and potatoes.
Invited to a Tibetan home in Gyantse.
Making yak butter (does not taste very nice, but yak butter tea does).
Tibetan woman, we were invited to the home of the woman to the right.
Tibetan woman with child.
Gyantse monastery from the 15th century.
Streets of Gyantse, close to the monastery.
Kumbum, the largest in Tibet with 108 chapels, at Gyantse monastery. (Kumbum = building with a number of chapels containing religious images). 108 is a holy number.
Top of the Gyantse Kumbum.
Flag (the Chinese one) and prayer flags.
Tasting tsampa (flour from roasted barley) outside Gyantse.
Making barley flour inside a water driven mill.
Work at Shigatse monastery.
Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, founded by the first Dalai Lama in 1447, and expanded by successive Panchen Lamas.
Tashilhunpo Monastery
Dhvaja (Victory banner) on Tashilhunpo monastery.
Big golden statue of Buddha, Tashilhunpo monastery.
The Stupa-tomb of the Tenth Panchen Lama, Tashilhunpo monastery.
Tibetan woman at Tashlhunpo monastery.
Camilla and some Tibetan woman, taking a rest during the kora around Tashilunpo monastery.
Shigatse Dzong, originally built 1621. The Dzong was destroyed completely during the Cultural Revolution 1961 but was rebuilt in 2007 at the same location, although smaller.
Market in Shigatse.
Not cheese but instead yak butter. (Did not taste very good, except in yak butter tea).
Carpet factory in Shigatse.
Carpet factory in Shigatse. Sitting on the floor, except when weaving.
Child following her mother at the carpet factory.
Making patten with electical pair of scissors.
Bengt (and Sigbritt) finds a carpet for their home (it arrived before Christmas).
Simpler version of water boiler.
Dinner in a small, local, restaurant in Shigatse.
Gyatso-La Pass, 5250 m, with prayer flags.
One of the world's highest situated public toilets (at Gyatso-La pass)?
Showing the GPS, 5277 m, for some boys (I think it is about 20 m inaccurate in height)
Camilla with first view of Mt Everest (90 km away as the crow files).
Mt Everest from the main road, 90 km away.
First sight of Mt Everest, 90 km away.
One of many check points.
Our permit, that we had to show a number of times. And to queue in the same order as our names were written, to show our passports.
80-years old praying man at Shegar Dzong.
Ruins, and monastery, of Shegar Dzong. We made an adventurous kora around the mountain.
Mt Everest from the hill at Shegar Dzong.
Going down on the other side.
Stone monuments.
Some stupas at the other side.
Very steep, and then catched in a trap by the river.
Wading.
Meeting the people in the evening, on our way back.
The bus was cold.
The town of Tingri.
Tibetan plateau landscape (4300 m), west of Tingri.
Yaks on the Tibetan plateau.
Yak. They want cold (less than 15 degrees) and height (more then 3-4000 m).
Prayer flags over Tibetan valley, close to the border of Nepal
Dangerous "Friendship Highway" (Lhasa - Zhangmu at the border to Nepal). Cooling our brakes with water. A lorry has fallen down the slope.