A room with a view!
by grets
As we settled into the room, David called me over to the window and said: “come and have a look at the view Grete”. There, looming over the city like a wedding cake was the Potala Palace! To say I became emotional is an understatement. I didn’t just well up, I cried. I sobbed. I became so overwhelmed by emotions relating to this wonderful piece of architecture with such poignant history, that I couldn’t control myself. I wept for several minutes, and every time we went back to the room, I would be drawn towards the window and this magnificent view, and every time I would feel overwhelmed by emotions. I have wanted to see the Potala Palace for so long, and the final ‘pilgrimage’ if you like, was just so incredibly powerful!
Rainy season
by tompt
When you visit Lhasa in july or august you can expect some rain, as it is the rainy season in that period. We had rain every day in july 2004, but almost always only at the end of the day. So if you go sightseeing always take you umbrella and/or raincoat.
THE LOCAL SATELLITE DISH
by mavl
when going around lhasa (even within the monasteries), don't be surprised to come across one of these. from afar, it looks like a portable satellite dish - which really surprised me, tibet may be more developed than i thought after all.
it's actually a kettle heating device.
i've never seen anything like it anywhere else, as a matter of fact. ingenious, huh?
great photography subject.
Lamaism
by Sharrie
Pictured here is the mani-wall - stones inscribed with mantra.
The soul of Tibet lies in its religion & culture.
LAMAISM is ... (well, I didn't do an indepth study b4 arrival & after departure either, so I shall not attempt to define it; instead here's what I found on the net which at least try to give an insight into it):
Excerpts from The Soul of Tibet - http://www.theosophy.org/tlodocs/SoulofTibet.htm :
What is religion to the Dalai Lama, to Tibetans?
Religion, he says in his book, has got everything to do with the mental discipline, the peace of mind, the calm and poise, the inner equanimity achieved by any human being, which is bound to show in his daily life. The Dalai Lama says explicitly that religion is not a matter of merely going into retreats and monasteries. No doubt when this is done it has its value, but religion is not a matter of outward profession or formal observance. His Holiness does not even use the word 'Buddhism' with anything like a sectarian sound. He is simply not interested in making claims of any sort. Religion means for him something quite different from what it means to almost all of us in the modern world. For him, and for the Tibetans, religion means what it meant in Carlyle's definition – the beliefs by which a man really lives from day to day, not the beliefs to which he merely gives verbal or even mental assent.
....
(Continue on next tip.)
People having a chat!!!
by sugarpuff
Everywhere I go in China, I try to take photos of women in a group drinking, talking or walking...I like to show my mum what she could look like later in her life with her friends..it's just a running joke we have! So this is the one I captured in Lhasa.