Xi Bai Hotel

Tibetan Temples Survey Trip Qinghai China 2002

by beaverk

"Am I really doing this?!"

Sept 23rd, 2002

It was a really busy day. Shopping for supplies, met with a lot of people, then finally getting on a plane to Chengdu. Sadly, I did not sleep well last night. Finally went to bed by two something, saw, for the strangest thing, Homer's Odyssey on the Hallmark channel. I think I need to read the book as this production converted a classic into a TV action movie of some sort...with Vanessa Williams...

Caught a couple of hours of z...tired and red eyed I rolled out of bed around 9:3 AM.

Had a slight tummy problem when I arrived in Chengdu...maybe it was the raw tuna lunch I had in Hong Kong.

I suppose I will have to remain cautious with what I will consume in the next few days. A bit of advices from Amy so I will stay vigil about...DRINK LOTS OF WATER.

So here I am in Chengdu. Must prep for the inquiries that I will conduct in the next few days.

I believe it will be a drive for around twelve hours tomorrow. To a place called Jigzha somewhere up at 5500 M and 4000 M. Which translates into a height between 13000 ft to 16000 ft.

I'm feeling pretty good right now. Hopefully I will stay this way tomorrow night.

"Here we go...I suppose...."

Not much sleep last night as the person next door was moving stuff around between 1 to 2 AM. Then I had to get up at 5 AM. Then Rinpoche called me and told me we had a two hours delay...great...I tired to sleep again with not much success. So I went ahead and headed down for breakfast around 6:30 AM. Here I was, in the hotel restaurant, filled with foreign tourists!!! All of these white but not really white tourists were asking for the Chinese staff for bread which the Chinese staff was ill prepared to serve. Instead, there were pickled peanuts, soy milk, buns, spicy cabbage...well, I asked and found out these tourists were from Israel!!! Friendly sort, but not happy because there was no bread. They were traveling around China...long trip.

When I got back upstairs, I did get some sleep. Then GunKa came to picked me up...here we were, a Tibetan lama in his red outfit, dragging my dive bag, eight in the morning, trying to wave down a Chengdu taxi with me standing there, confused by the zipping passed morning hour traffic of bicycles and cheap Chinese cars...Anyway, we met Rinpoche at another hotel, and off we went in a Mitsubishi 4x4.

Nice SUV I must say, roomy and powerful.

We went the route we took last year to those magnificent lakes where HERO was shot. This time around, the road was much improved. Still, three hours in, we halted for an hour waiting for some road crew to finish rock blasting ahead of us.

There were some extraordinary images this time around. As the SUV whisked pass the landscape at 50 miles per hour, I saw...

* bundles of golden corn being hanged from the pillars of mud farm houses.
* an old lady in traditional ethnic purple garment, by herself in a lonely field, tending to the cabbage.
* fields and fields of carpet of purple lilac flowers.
* majestic mountain peaks,
* little children, no more than five or six, with their school backpacks, wondering up and down the treacherous roads with huge trucks screaming by, not a care in the world, playing with each others, singing, laughing...

We went as high as 13,000 feet. I did get a bit light headed.

Well, we stop for meal twice. Food was hearty, numbing, and spicy, Sichuan style.

But sanitation leaves much to be desired. Especially the toilet situation. It is down right horrible.

If you ask how is Chinese toilet here in the remote area? Well, there is no toilet or sewage system whatsoever.

People just *** and *** in some small room with a hole at the floor. But this stuff does not leave when you dropped it...it sips into the soil nearby and it smells...

There is no toilet and I have yet to take a big one...we'll see.

Anyway, it was a bumpy thirteen hour ride, on a dirt/mud/cement/wet road.

We finally arrived at a stop around 12 AM. I am quite tired by then. Nose dry and bleeding. Lips all chapped. Slight headache an overture of things to come. Oh no, we are sleeping tonight at 12,000 feet.

Well, it was bone cold at these people's house...whatever happened to insulation?!

They served some Tibetan hot milk teas. I asked for sugar...hehe..tasted better this way.

Then I am put into their version of the VIP room.

I think I must been given over eight blankets! And they were amazed that I brought my own...and it was a REI space tech blanket that was so thin and light…

But my cell phone no longer works...Well, off to bed I go, as tomorrow is one more day of travel and from the looks of things, I will need all the sleep I can get...

"Oh no! The headache begins..."

Sept 25th, 2002

I woke up this morning around 7 AM with the mother of all headache. Even my eye balls ached! Plus I felt like I needed to vomit. I suppose this is what they called altitude sickness. Well, let's see what happens in the next few hours. I am drinking tons of water and took 2 Advils.
_________________________

Well, after two hours, after lots of water and lots of walking and breathing exercises, the headache finally subsided. Well, not exactly skipped town, let's say the headache checked into a cheap motel...my eye balls still hurts.

But then my tummy began to make noise. It seems the local food maybe a bit tough for my LA stomach.

There is this milk tea that the locals live by. I can tolerate it if I put sugar in it. But mysterious items lurk in the bottom of this murky creamy tea which I want no part of. So I always sip away carefully. Luckily, they always re-fill the cup to the brim so I need not to explore the unknown fathom of my tea cup.

The tea I am handling. But the boiled Yak on a plate is a bit overwhelming...

By 2:00 PM, my headache finally checked out so we left this pit stop behind and off we went.

I was told that the distance to the monastery is maybe about 100 km due south west, but we will be riding mostly in mud and dirt.

Well, the monks were not kidding. Let's just say the ride kicked my ass! It was rollercoaster without the suspension. It was thank-goodness I did not have that yak before we left! It took tremendous effort to traverse across trenches, ditches, mud pits, creeks, dirt and more dirt!

Along the way we saw plenty of Yak shepherds. These folks rode their horses atop these gigantic savannas that just go on and on forever. Some sat by their traditional black tents against the backdrop of snow peak caps. It is a sign out of this world.

We stopped at a couple small towns. Compare to our standard of living, these people are dirt poor. There is no plumbing, no employment. It is a strange sight seeing a whole bunch of Tibetans in their traditional garments, standing there by the dirt road, playing pool in bright day light in the mud. And they were totally into it. I saw some schools, but the kids were wondering around. Dirty clothes, dirty faces...but their eyes...their eyes shined with innocence. This place...this is definitely an unfamiliar way of life.

Will the trip continues with me not eating any Yak? Will I finally find a toilet? Will the headache continue?

"Yak cowboys at 3900m!!!"

Well, all I know is that we drove through this valley which must have been shaped, cut, and formed by the path of a glacier eons ago. It was nature spectacular. Here I was at 13,000 feet in the valley of Heaven, evidences of Giants' crossing, with Yaks and all... I'm high...maybe it's the lack of oxygen afterall.

One single sleeping dragon of a road spawned across this giant valley and our SUV crawled across its back over the pass to cross over to the other side of the valley and the highest point of our trip so far!!...14,440 feet!!! Or 4400 KM. Damn! When I went sky diving at Perris Valley, I jumped out of plane at 15,000 feet! This is almost the same height!

So, we all got out of the SUV. At this highest point we've been so far...All four of us, the Rinpoche, the quiet dark driver with a mustache and wearing a ten year old suit, and my new buddy Gun Ka...all of us smiling like fools...my head spinning. And I could not take a leak no matter how hard I tried...hehe...dizzy...easy man...relax...

Anyway, little bundles of blessed papers were passed out to all of us, and as the SUV once again tumbled down the mountain, we threw the prayer papers out into the wind as Rinpoche and Gun Ka said their Tibetan prayers.

Then we saw these Tibetan cowboys herding their yaks...hundreds of them....

We drove by this little shepherd boy. He must have been sitting there all day, looking at his Yaks. As we drove by, his eyes wide and curious...sucking in every image of our SUV passing him by. His focus and the intensity of his stare matched my own...I stared at him and him at me...we, two creatures from the opposite end of this crazy world...for a brief second, we met, we had eye contact...and then...the second was over...him....back to his Yaks...for the rest of his life...and me back to my own version of Yaks....modern life...

Sometimes I wonder.

What determines who gets born to whom and where? Having just come from Hong Kong, where people mass as ants, workers, lovers, losers, fighters, strangers, adulterers, sinners...all...ants...their only goal in life is to move from one location in Hong Kong to another. Most thought only of money, of material gain, of how to make themselves feel good and happy. And these children here, sitting on this plateau, day in and day out...do they know something we don't...these innocent savages?

It seems a life of simplicity, of serendipity...obviously still fueled by human frailty and weakness...but maybe to a lesser degree? I dare to wish.

But then again I suppose I can not assume as I know nothing of these people. I know not what goes thru their mind.

They may be as complicated as us...pre-occupied with mundane thoughts...trivial thoughts...instead of...will I get to eat filet mignon and drink nice wine tonight...maybe the little kid is thinking...I better get a bigger piece of the Yak than my brother tonight!

Regardless, this scenery, these people, these past two days, whether to my liking, I am inspired. And I feel I have gain some insight into life, into what is so called my life. And its non-importance. All my attachments, my desires, my goals, my love and fears...this world with its imperiousness...the universal question of all…why am I here? Bouncing down the Tibetan dirt highway...I have all the time to reflect on what I did, what I do, and what lies ahead. It is interesting that I am surprised by the beginning of this discovery. This trip to observe these people...to do something other than for myself...for them...and strangely enough, I think I am the one who will benefit from it most...as I am in the process of learning how to live the rest of my life. Maybe I will forget all of this when I return to my world...but for this very moment, this glimpse...I may finally see how one can interact with those he/she loves, or not...

We have arrived at the temple compound. I am staying at the quarters Rinpoche built especially for visitors. IT IS COLD!!! They have some strange furnace burning some strange coal...smell strange. More Yak tea, more boiled Yak...

"Oh lord, is that what they use for fuel!"

They are treating me well here. Everything is quit nice except for the bathroom situation. A whole week of taking a leak by the hill side and taking a dump in the wild...I think I gain true appreciation for modern plumbing definitely. I will kiss my toilet bowl when I get back to the US!


Sept 26th, 2002

Woke up around 4 AM with the mother of all headaches. I don't know whether it was from the lack of any trace of warmth in this room...aka...Tibetan brain freeze...or lack of oxygen in the room. It is ironic that the only source of heat in this room...the peculiar smelling furnace, uses what precious oxygen there exists in this room...and I need this oxygen to survive! Well, heat or oxygen...warmth or headache...the choices really suck.

The smell of the heater...4 AM with a stinking headache...I finally figured out what they used as fuel for the furnace. The contraption burns dry Yak poo poo! So that's the smell!

So I got up, drank a freezing bottle of water...man I miss my Jamba juice! Covered my head with my vest, and went back to a deep but troubled disaster of a sleep.

The sleep was fitful, but I slept all the way till 9 AM.

Woke up with the grandmother of all headache...this is getting tiresome...why can't I wake up without a headache? It was frigid and grey outside. I sort of did a wipe bath with 1/4 of a bucket of semi warm water. "Thanks Robert for your suggestion!" And one of the lamas helped me washed my hair. Here I was, standing there at the balcony of this Tibetan temple prayer hall/quarter...a washing pan in front of me...I've got the mini-Pert from Save On in my hair, bended over...a monk pouring water over my head...and four monks standing there staring at me...talking among themselves in Tibetan. of course...like they are watching a freak show...glad I was of some use.

It was a cold and dreadful day.

Grey and tiring. Did I say that already? Plus the stuff in my head pounding away, "give us more oxy or you will have PAIN!!' My grey matter was on strike...and I was dizzy all morning. Feeling nominally better after the yak lunch, I took out my camera and surveyed the temple ground. Took plenty of pictures and I never felt so breathless moving about and around. I literally had to pause and catch my breath every few steps when I came up with the stupid idea of climbing up the hill facing the temple so I can get some vantage and wide angle shots of the entire temple complex. My head was spinning and the monks told me - color deserted my lips...well, so much for my plan to run at 12,000 feet! I can't even walk let along jogging. This is depressing.

:(

Maybe I'll try again tomorrow.

By the way, I have had enough of Yak! I've had so much Yak that the smell of this stuff is coming out of my belly button. That's all they have; Yak dumpling, Yak stir fry, Yak broiled, Yak milk tea, Yak! Yak! Yak! The only veggies these people have are potatoes, green pepper without the green color, and some sort of egg plants. So guess what, I know what I'm having for dinner...Yak with potatoes, Yak with green pepper, Yak with egg plant. Ok, I'm not being fair. These people are feeding me with the best they have. Who knows what the guy who brought the Yak poo poo for the furnace is eating? I think I saw him sleeping amongst the bags of cement mix in the storage room in his only set of clothes, a really, seriously wore out suit of some sort...I guess I should not complain...that's it...more Yak! Here I come!

Yak! By 2:00 PM, I'm ready to go back to Hong Kong!

Anyway, today, I did complete the tasks I was sent here to do. I conducted interviews, inspected the future construction sites, reviewed the paperwork. Not bad for a dreadful day.

"Almost half way done..."

It seems most of the lamas have gone home before the winter sets in...So I heard no prayer sessions like what Jet and Robert heard last year. But I did try out all the prayer wheels. Big ones as tall as a full story high and small one about 2 feet in heights. I took a lot of photos of the locals. And they are actually quite shy. Every time when I am looking through my viewfinder, I wonder what they think I am doing...it reminds me of the story of how the natives thought the photographer was using a demon device to capture their souls. The natives were so frightened by that thought, they killed the photographer and destroyed the camera. Boy, I hope they are not thinking that when my camera is pointed at them...but seriously, what awesome power we give to the things we made!...the camera is inanimate but for our intention in framing it...the soul catcher! On another level, this applies to human beings as well! So who we think we are...may be it is just that, an illusion....we give it power, maybe we can take it back as well. What does that say about our fear? Our desire? Our love? Our hate? Without these facades, just who are we?

The sun did come out around 4 so I took the opportunity and went for a walk by the streams...toward this twin peaks and a valley. The hike was the sliver lining of this ghoulish day...sun peeked out through the mist...I sweated a bit. Took in some fresh (despite the occasional drifting hint of Yak poo poo furnace from the temple's direction) and crispy air, and the view of the valley...this monument of silence, sitting right there...for one to behold. As I pass through this splendid valley, the late afternoon sun revealed the true nature of the fall savanna foliage...it was a Waverly carpet of golden radiance...WOW!

On my way back...a quality settles through me...these views, these people, my thoroughly useless modern homo sapiens ass...the juxtaposition of it all...I have insights...and I feel more secure about the rest of my life. Back when I was at the boarding school, we had a retreat every year before Easter...no talk for 3 days! In a way, this trip has become a retreat for me again, a retreat into my soul.

With my hike over and me turning in for the night, my work here is done. I'm quite ready to move on to the next location. Get that job done, and then...return to civilization! Enough of Yak, headache, toilet au natural...

I have one more day of travel. Mayhap I will do some more reading and thinking about the Wolf script tonight. Hopefully only one more day is all that is necessary at Site B. Then a drive to Xining. Then a plane ticket to Hong Kong, then Taipei, then back to US. Such is the plan.

Dinner was Yak with potato, Yak with green pepper, Yak with egg plant...and some flat noodles too...it was really nice of them to go out of the way to try to accommodate me. Unfortunately, I ate only one forth of a bowl.

It's Thursday night already and I'm half way thru with my trip.

Hope I won't have a headache tonight.

"The darkest hour has begun..."

Sept 27th, 2002

Headache is getting worst. Another freezing night with my head frozen with pain by 4AM. When is this going to stop!? Woke up to a chilling morning, lethargic and pale, they fed me some warm yak soup. I could not take much. Packed and ready for the next leg of my journey. It was explained to me that the distance to the next temple is too far so the monks will drop me off half way, to a outpost some 500 km northwest of our current location. Once there, we are to meet up with the monks from the other temple, where they will pick me up and return to their temple in their vehicle. I have no idea how long that portion of the journey will take.

Well, what can I do but off we go. Said goodbye to all the hold hermits, the lamas, the kids, the chickens, the yaks…

Eight hours of another fantastic odyssey through the plains of eastern Tibet. My headache eased slightly as the day progressed and it did not diminished my mind’s ability to remember these out of this world imageries.

* Thousands of Yaks with the cowboys and family trekking, crossing the roads and into the plains…migrating to warmer locations. The slow rumbling mass of fur stretches for as far as the eye can see. Funny thing is, maybe because the air is so cold, there is no smell of Yak.

* At 4200m, seems so much at the top of the world, in the middle of nowhere, at this snow covered peak, three women, yes! Three women! Are working by themselves, using only shovels, engaged in the construction of the road which we were riding on. Their little tent was located near by the side of the road. It is just mind-boggling! What are they doing here? How did they get here? How long are they going to work here? What are they eating? How could they be working at 4200m digging at dirt? I had trouble just standing…

* We stop at this hill sitting in the middle of this gigantic plain up at around 4000m. This hill is covered with Tibetan prayer flags. We arrive in the middle of a Tibetan Smoke ceremony surrounded by a crowd of at least a hundred. Vehicles of all sizes are parked near by. Gunka tells me that usually here at this spot, is also used for the Tibetan sky burial (where the monks chop up the dead and feed it to the vultures). Thank goodness no sky burial is scheduled today.

We travel on. By the sixth hour, I can feel the energy evaporating out of me. My headache, which never subsided, now comes back in strength. The ride is coarse and I declined lunch. I feel a terrible sickness lurking nearby, waiting for me to give in. This is not good. I still have half a journey to go!

Arriving at this dirty strip of a outpost in the middle of nowhere, our rendezvous is nowhere to be found. The monks tried calling with their mobile phone but could not reach them. So it is decided that we eat dinner first. I have no appetite whatsoever but what else am I going to do.

This restaurant we decided upon, was situated at junction of a Y fork road, next to a huge pool of liquid, which I find out later is consisted of human urine and waste water…nice! Sat down in the restaurant and it is Sichuan food. I had to pee so I went outside, found a out house next to the restaurant. Basically a concrete hut with a hole on the floor. Oh man! Human waste full of flies lay frozen there underneath the hut, going nowhere but seeping into the ground nearby. I did my business. Went outside and unfortunately glimpsed the rear of the restaurant where the staff was washing dishes and veggie on the floor, next to this out house!!! Yuck! Suffice to say I could not eat anything at all. By now I am pale and felling sick. A chill is creeping into me. The monks see it. Gunka continues to call and finally reach the other monks…oh lord! They are still another ten hours away!

The monks know I need to rest. But this frontier outpost has no lodging. Are we going to sit in the SUV for the next ten hours in the middle of the freezing night?

TO BE CONTINUED>>>

"The turning point of the trip"

Gunka went looking around and came back to speak with the rest of the party. They tell me that there is a PLA (People Liberation Army) barrack near by. Maybe we can get some lodging there? Oh great! Me in a PLA base! I can see the headline in the next CNN report…an American spy was caught spying in a eastern Tibetan PLA barrack last month! Well, what choice do I have? I need to lay down! Fast! I am so tired and I need rest…I feel a terrible illness coming upon me…