Braving the Tempest, part II

Where did I leave off? Oh, yeah, Yumbu Lha khang, also called Yumbu Lha khar. It was the fortress of the first king of Tibet, Nyatri Tsenpo. Technically speaking, it is not the original building. It was destroyed at some point...and then rebuilt in the 1980's.

The fortress is perched atop what is probably called a "hill" in Tibet, easily visible from the road, and quite easy to access. At the foot of this hill, there are people with mountain ponies available for hire for those who choose not to walk to the top. To our surprise, there was also a camel. One elderly woman was convinced I would not make it to the top with the use of her beautiful horse. I disagreed.

The walk up to the fortress (it can't even be called a hike anymore) takes perhaps ten minutes unless you stop for pictures, as we did. The surrounding view is incredible. The village below is quite small, and full of farmers, so the fields are plotted out for the spring, making beautiful brown and gray patchwork on the ground. Above, one can see the thousands of prayer flags strung across the adjoining peak.

On the way up, Tashi, who it appears is Tibet's biggest consumer, stopped at every small table with goods for sale, asking about this, or that, and buying frequently. Near the top, there are some incense burners, where we stopped and took turns making offerings.

Inside the fortress, there is not much to see. There are two small chapels and a small courtyard with a wonderful view. Once you visit these chapels, the real experience is actually outside the fortress. Behind the building, there is an open stretch of mountain top. There, more incense was offered and then we took stacks of paper prayer flags, perhaps an inch and a half square. These you throw into the air all at once, off the side of the mountain, where they flutter in the breeze like so many beautiful butterflies, carrying your prayers, wishes, and dreams into the heavens.

Following this, Tashi took our string of cloth prayer flags out to the top of the peak, a bit of a dangerous trek. Like all Tibetans though, he has the sure footing of a mountain goat. He was followed by Kelsang. After making sure that the prayer flags were secure and being properly moved by the wind, he and Kelsang returned.

In the mean time, Stephanie and I were watching and she was also taking video of them, us, and various people that were engaged in the same process. A group of the most beautiful Tibetan children ran by, laughing and shouting back to the camera. Together, they sent their own paper prayer flags into the wind, enjoying every moment, and running back and forth on top of the mountain.

After this, we went back down, and drove out to the tomb of Songtsen Gampo, the 7th century king who assisted with the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet by his marrying two Buddhist women, one from China and one from Nepal. In all honesty, there was little to see in terms of the tomb itself. There is a chapel with statues of Songtsen Gampo and his wives, and a few deities. The view from outside though, is as spectacular as from the fortress. The countryside is breathtaking and one can see a beautiful monastery and palace in the side of the mountain facing the back of the tomb.

Once we left the tomb, we drove back to Tsedong for dinner, where Kelsang and Tashi ordered somewhere around 60 momos (dumplings) filled with mutton. Six months ago, I had never eaten mutton, although I had eaten lamb. Now, I can't even tell if the meat tastes strong or not. Mutton is quite popular here, pushing a close second to yak. Anyway, let's say that I did not leave the table hungry. Tibetans order, and eat an incredible amount of food. It is almost incomprehensible coming from a country where each person orders a single dish for him/herself. However, it shows a great deal of hospitality and generosity on the part of the host. The return to Lhasa was uneventful.

On a more personal note, I would like to say that the bathroom of the hotel in Tsedong was equipped with a scale, the first I have had access to since arriving here. I took the plunge and got on the scale. I would say that so far, weight loss has been quite successful. To date, I have lost approximately 40 pounds. That's an average of ten pounds a month. I was, and am still, thrilled, so I wanted to share that with my family and friends.

All right, we are now up to date. I am still trying to upload photos, but it is still difficult to get the required bandwidth. Please be patient and they will be up as soon as possible.