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Co-editors: Seán Mac Mathúna • John Heathcote
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Journey to the Land of the Snow - a visit to Tibet in 1986: Part Two
Sean Mac Mathúna

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Contents

The Jokhang Temple in Lhasa

The journey unfoldsTatopani and KodariGenocide in TibetArrival in TibetTo NyalamShigatse - Seat of the Panchen LamaTo Gyantse Arrival in LhasaThe Tibetan sky burial Drepung monasteryI leave LhasaCycling through the Himalayas

Arrival in Lhasa

When we left Gyantse, just Lee and myself caught the bus to Lhasa some 157 miles (254 km) away. We got up early one morning, and waited for ages on a lonely dusty road for a bus which came after some wait. When it stopped, we boarded and asked for the fare to Lhasa. The price the driver gave was double the normal one. This was a common practice throughout Tibet with the Chinese. They even had separate Tourist currency which we were supposed to use. But like everyone else, we exchanged the useless money (one of first things we did in Shigatse), on the streets for proper Chinese Yen. We kept our other money (such as the US dollar, which everyone trades with) for emergency situations. Being disorganised and terrible with money, l was carrying a variety of Chinese Yen and tourist currency, Indian and Nepalese rupees, US dollars, Sterling and travellers cheques - by then all in really small amounts.

Everywhere we went Chinese hotel owners and bus drivers would try and charge us double. But the bus is not like a range rover, you don't pay later - you pay now. Lee and I quickly realised our situation and paid the double-fare: The alternative was simply to go back to the hotel and wait for next bus the following day. Stuff that we thought, and reluctantly paid the fare. The bus drive from Gyantse to Lhasa took some 14 hours. We saw the Yamdrok Tso (Turquoise Lake) - a vast lake which takes some one hour to drive around. It is one of the four holy lakes of Tibet (the others being Lhama La-Tso, Nam-Tso, and Manasarovar), and home of wrathful deities. The scenery was amazing. We then went over the the beautiful Kamba-La pass 15,729 ft (4794m), and began to enter the Kyi Chu valley, on the way to Lhasa. To my surprise, at no point did l feel any altitude sickness.

I remember from some distance away catching my first sight of the Potala Palace in the distance. This distinctive building is on a large hill with the city of Lhasa around it. I felt very excited, but very stressed from the days journey, and me and Lee were starting to argue. We arrived in Lhasa just as it was getting dark, and stopped off in the Banakshol, the first hotel that we found in the main road called the Dekyi Shar Lam. It was May 17th 1986, the beginning of a 24 day stay in the capital of Tibet.

When Lee and I walked into the foyer of the hotel we came across a huge argument between some Westerners and Chinese hotel officials. We automatically took advantage of this, and slipped by them and went straight upstairs and started to explore the hotel, which was a square building with a large courtyard. We soon found a room with two beds in it and simply put our rucksacks down and l put my own lock on the door. I felt quite excited about squatting a hotel room in Lhasa. I was starting to get really short of money and resented being treated as a rich tourist by the Chinese. It was an opportunity to even up the odds - and extend my stay in Lhasa for a few weeks.

Lee and I crashed out exhausted and in the morning there was a polite knock at the door. It was a Chinese maid with a broom to clear out the room. She was very friendly and we knew after she had gone that we had the room. For almost two weeks l stayed in the hotel rent-free. When the time to go came, Lee and I crept out in the middle of the night and jumped the fence, throwing our rucksacks over first. We were well chuffed. Considering l spent over three weeks in Lhasa largely rent-free, l was able to save myself a considerable amount of money.

As Lhasa is at 11,811 feet (3650 m), some travellers make the mistake of flying in from the another country without getting acclimatised. That can be very dangerous, and we heard horror stories of backpackers who had done this, or had tried to make there own way to the Everest base camp. I only felt sick once as we passed a high-pass, but that was on the way back from Lhasa, but that could have been because of the erratic way that the buses speed up and down the mud tracks over these mountains.

On reflection, it was the height of my eight-month journey to end up in Lhasa, the highest capital in the world. Tibet is undoubtedly a magical place, despite Chinese attempts to suppress it. Several places left a profound impression on me: firstly, the Jokhang Temple, which is the holiest place in the world for Buddhists. The temple has a circular path around it known as the Barkhor circuit, and it is the tradition to walk clockwise, as the Tibetans do. Along the Barkhor circuit, there were always Tibetans prostrating themselves as they made their way around the temple. I heard that some Tibetans do this all the way from their villages some distance from Lhasa. Indeed, walking along the outskirts of the city, it was quite common to see a solitary Tibetan doing it on the way to the Jokhang Temple. The front of the temple had been destroyed by the Chinese in 1985, creating a modern style plaza, which on most days had a large market in it.

The Jokhang temple (or Tsuglagkhang) is the most sacred of all Buddhist temples in Tibet, and was built between 639 and 647 AD. King Songtsen Gampo, who made Lhasa the capital of Tibet, initiated the construction to house a Buddha image (Akshobhya) brought to Tibet as the dowry of his Nepalese wife Princess Bhrikuti. At the same time, another Ramoche Temple was constructed nearby to house and another Buddha image (Sakyamuni), brought to Tibet by his Chinese wife, Princess Wencheng, who feared a Chinese invasion. It was taken to the Jokhang by Princess Wencheng for safekeeping and has remained ever since. I understand that it is the basis of the marriage between King Songtsen Gampo and Princess Wencheng in the 7th century, that China makes some of its so-called claim to the whole of Tibet. It would like France claiming England today because of marriage between one of the medieval Plantagenet Kings of England and a daughter of French king.

After the first major riots against Chinese rule in 1989, I remember being greatly disturbed, when on the news, l saw Chinese soldiers beating up Tibetan monks on the roof of the Jokhang. There again, l also remember seeing a Chinese café ablaze where Chris and I had been ripped off. Chris and I had just walked into the restaurant, when we noticed two Chinese youths practising their martial arts skills - kicking and punching at each other. We remarked at how good they were as we tucked into our food. However, when it came to paying the bill, we flipped out after being charged an extortionate amount. When we refused to pay, the restaurant owner called his two friends over, who looked at us menacingly. Chris and I looked at each other and decided to pay. They were clearly going to do something drastic to get their money, and we quickly decided it wasn't worth getting into a fight over. I was pleased to see it burning on TV: they had clearly pissed off the Tibetans, so they burnt it down.

Inside the Jokhang Temple, Tibetans walk around clockwise the main courtyard, turning the huge prayer wheels in, chanting Om Mani Padme Hum ! Being someone with a strong interest in Buddhism, l also took part, and lit some Tibetan incense that burns in Yak oil. The inner sanctum of the temple houses the most important images and chapels. The most prominent being the six huge statues that dominate the central area. There is also a 20 ft (6 m) statue of Guru Rinpoche. There are other statues such as Maitreya, who is believed by Buddhists to be the future Buddha. Around this enclosed area of statues is a collection of chapels, which Tibetan pilgrims visit in a clockwise route. This was the busiest part of the temple, with Tibetans queuing up to make prayers, offer white scarfs and burn incense. All in all, it's like a step back to medieval times. I noticed that some of the pavings stones in the temple had been worn thin by centuries of devotion. Another interesting temple is the Chapel of Songsten Gampo where the King is flanked by his Chinese and Nepalese wife's. I noticed that there was a offering of Chang (barley beer) in front of him.

Standing on the gilded roof of the temple you can see the whole of the city - and how the traditional view of Lhasa (represented by the Potala Palace) - is being changed by the cultural vandalism of the Chinese occupation. In older times the Tibetans never built high houses, as they believed that when the Dalai Lama was paraded through the streets, no one should be higher than him. This tradition - carefully preserved in Bhutan - has been totally ignored by the Chinese. They have demolished scores of traditional Tibetan buildings around the Jokhang, simply for the purposes of tourism (and l suspect, crowd control), and erected typical Communist style concrete blocks everywhere.

The old Tibetan quarter around the bottom of the Potala Palace was being demolished when l was there, and the old gateway to the city by the Potala had long gone. Beside it is a small hill, called Chagpo Ri with a huge telecommunications mast on it. I could see rubble, and wondered what had been there before. When l checked it out, l found that the Chinese army had blown up Lhasa's principal medical school (founded in 1413), that once stood on top of the hill. I explored the area one day, and noticed some carvings on the hill. These are a series of rock carvings (some 5000), some of which date back to the 7th century. There was a tradition of carving images on the hill for over a 1000 years.

One day exploring the back streets of Lhasa, l came across the Ramoche temple, its door locked by a huge padlock. It had been extensively damaged during the "cultural" revolution in China in the 1960's. At time of writing, the temple now appears to be open again, although renovations are said to be slow. I remember looking through the main door and seeing smashed Buddha's and other religious objects that had been trashed by the Chinese. It was a sad sight. I also remember seeing in the Tashilhunpo monastery widespread evidence - as l did in the Sera and Drepung monastery's near Lhasa - of the demolition of surrounding buildings. It seems that the 10 or so monastery's left standing by the Chinese army had large parts of them - say 50/75% - blown up by the army.

Everywhere you went near the monastery's you could see evidence of this. In the Tashilhunpo monastery l saw Chinese graffiti sprayed up on the walls of the main courtyard. It reminded me of the Nazi's during the second world war and the way that they had destroyed synagogues and Jewish graveyards. I also heard rumours from westerners that had been in Lhasa before l arrived that the Chinese had executed two Tibetans and displayed their bodies near the front of the Jokhang Temple. This, no doubt, would have caused great offense to the Tibetans. On one occasion, however, l saw a convoy of military trucks with motorbike outriders driving down the main road of Lhasa. In the back of a truck I saw a solitary Tibetan, with a placard around his neck (probably saying something like "Traitor of the Motherland !"). He was either being taken to court or a place of execution outside Lhasa. This is common practice after political prisoners have appeared in so-called "Peoples Courts" in Tibet and China and "confessed" to their "crimes" (i.e., political activity) before being taken to be shot in the back of the head (with the price of the bullet being sent to the family of the deceased).

On May 30th, whilst walking down the main road of Lhasa, l bumped into "Robert", the American l had met with the mountain bike back in Khasa. To my surprise, he told me that he was planning to do the same journey as me - i.e. travel into China, and then along to the Karakorum highway to Kashmir and into India. The only problem being that he didn't want to take the bike with him, and when l told him that l was not planning to do that journey any more, he asked me if l would take the bike back to the US embassy in Kathmandu. At this point, l said yes, if he agreed to give me the bus fare all the way to Kathmandu. I then realised that not only could l get some money to get out of Lhasa, but also l could cycle through the Himalayas to Tatopani.

At the time, l didn't think it was suspicious. I remember telling him that he didn't know me, so how could he trust me ? I knew, that if l wanted, l could sell the mountain bike in Kathmandu for several hundred dollars if l wanted too. So, l gave the guy my address in England, and shook his hand and told him the bike would be safely delivered to the US embassy. Only later, after coming home, did l think of the possible CIA connection - was l unwittingly used as a courier ? where there documents or film stashed in the bike-frame ? I speculated on being stopped at one of the many Chinese army checkpoints along the way to Nepal, and what would have happened if they had stripped the bike down and found anything linked to espionage - l would have arrested as a spy. Maybe l am being paranoid, but l remember thinking that "Robert" was very casual about handing over a expensive mountain bike to a total stranger and entrusting him to deliver it to Kathmandu. I was suspicious because l knew they had loads of cameras on them, and that there was clearly some kind of covert political activity by Westerners in the city.

One of the hotels that l was staying in had a sort of unofficial "information office" run by a variety of Westerners providing all sorts of information on Tibet. I remember having the thought that this would be a good contact place for dissident Tibetans to link up with the outside world. Not that l was opposed to any help being given to Tibet, l just wonder what the purpose of was CIA activity in Tibet - probably just keeping a eye on their own interests, not that of the Tibetans. Chris and me were sitting in our room next to the "information office", when suddenly there were about seven or eight Chinese policemen at the door led by one plainclothes officer. They all piled in to the next room to search it (the European they were after had disappeared). Chris and l just sat there calmly and waited for them to come out. After they did, we wondered why the Chinese police were after some of the Europeans in the hotel. Later, when the first major riots happened in Lhasa against Chinese rule, l saw the "information centre" on a news broadcast being shown as contact point for Europeans and Tibetan dissidents.

The only black market in Lhasa seemed to revolve around exchanging tourist currency for Yen or US dollars, with Tibetans, Muslims and Chinese eager to do business. For many of these poor Muslims and Tibetans, the business of the black market is one a few ways to get a bit of money for their families, and l never felt, unlike the Chinese, that they were trying to rip us off. Round the back of the Jokhang temple I stumbled across the main mosque whilst exploring the back streets, and took off my shoes and walked in, after asking permission. It is beautiful mosque, and l was surprised to discover that Lhasa has a small Muslim population, mainly made up of traders from eastern China.

Food in Lhasa was very good, compared with everywhere else. The Tibetans loved yogurt, which was easy to get everywhere, added to that we had our (dwindling) supplies of cheese and muesli that we had bought from Nepal. It was possible to get basic supplies like bread and other foodstuffs. Another nice bit of Tibetan food was Tsampa (barley wheat flour), which when hot water was added, created a sweet tasting rich sauce.

Although a vegetarian, I was a meat-eater in Tibet, as there was very little other choice. You have to be flexible when you travel - if you want to stay healthy. If you want to remain a vegetarian, fine, but when there is little else to eat apart from Tsampa, Momo (a dumpling with meat inside) and butter tea. You soon bite your lip and eat the Yak meat or Yak burgers which is common food for travellers in Lhasa - at least its good organic food. The other nice drink is Chang, a Tibetan beer made from barley wheat. Very tasty, reminding me a bit of ginger beer. You can take any size of container to a shop and they will fill it with Chang. Many a nice moment was spent drinking it. It's not very alcoholic, but it has a nice sweet taste.

On May 31st, l visited the Potala Palace with my girlfriend Camilla (who l had met on May 23rd) and her friend Lottie who was going out with Chris. It is an amazing place, with panoramic views across the whole of the Lhasa valley. It is on a hill called Marpo Ri (Red Hill) which stands at 426 ft (130 m), over half the height of the Canary Wharf building in London. It was the sight of King Songtsen Gampo palace in the 7th century. The present building was started by the 5th Dalai Lama in 1645 and finished in 1649, when the Dalai Lama moved his palace from the Drepung monastery to here. The larger Potrang Karpo (Red Palace) was completed in 1694. Since then, it has been the home of all the Dalai Lama's, and the seat, until 1950, of the Tibetan government. Although shelled in 1959, the Potala Palace suffered no direct damage. Apparently it was saved by further desecration by the Red Guards during the Cultural revolution when the Chinese leader Zhou Enlai deployed his own troops to protect it.

I felt a real sense of history there, after all this was the place where Tibet had been ruled since the 17th century. It certainly is an awe-inspiring place. The entrance takes you into the Deyang Shar, the external courtyard of the Red Palace, and then up a flight of steps into it. At the top of the Potala, you have the room with a throne where the Dalai Lama's had sat for centuries and held court. I paused for a few minutes in front of it, before walking along a series of dark narrow corridors filled with rooms which contained hundreds on minuet Buddha's. This led into the Dalai Lama's bedroom - a small room with a simple bed. I remember being taken aback by the Spartan conditions that even the Dalai Lama lived in.

The other part of the top of the Potala place contains Chörten's that hold the remains of many of the previous Dalai Lama's, up to the 13th. We walked through, turning the prayer wheels, and touching the Chörten's. Another place we saw in the west wing of the assembly hall was the incredible tomb of the 5th Dalai Lama. His huge 45 ft (14m) Chörten is gilded with some 3700 kg of gold. Flanking him is the Chörten of the 10th and 12th Dalai Lama's.

The Potala Palace was another place where l felt a real sense of magic and history in Tibet. But, although it is preserved as it was (like the summer residence, the Norbulinka Palace), from the top of the Palace, you can see the devastation that Chinese occupation has brought to Lhasa - the wholesale demolition of buildings and ancient sites, and the building of ring roads and ugly concrete blocks.

On June 2nd, l picked up the mountain bike from "Robert" and spent my first day with it cycling around Lhasa checking the sights out. One problem l had, was that every time l stopped Tibetan kids would want to play with or ride it when my back was turned. Fortunately, l had a study lock and chain (which l used to secure my rucksack to the roof of buses), so l was able to lock it up wherever l went. This didn't stop kids playing with gears and other parts even when locked ! Because l didn't have a puncture repair kit, l had to take real care not to get a flat tire, as most of the roads are terrible. In fact its one of the few places where having a mountain bike with solid tires (instead of inner-tubes) would be common sense. The last thing you want miles from anywhere in the pouring rain or extreme cold is a puncture !

On June 4th, l visited the Drepung monastery with Camilla, another once large monastery similar to Tashilhunpo a few miles outside Lhasa. It was founded in 1416, and was once the largest monastery in the world (with 10,000 monks). Now about 500 live there. Here we saw the monks debating religious issues in a tree-filled courtyard. There were loads of monks sitting down being asked questions by a monk standing beside them. Every time they were asked a question and gave an answer, the monk standing would give a single clap of his hand. We sat there for several minutes watching this.

The Tibetan Sky Burial

The following day l decided to check out a Tibetan sky burial. I had heard that the ceremony was performed outside Lhasa early every morning, and because of my interest in Buddhism l wanted to check it out. Now l had a mountain bike that was possible. Although Camilla and everyone else didn't want to go, l had met by complete coincidence, Bridget, the sister of an old partner of mine, and she expressed an interest in seeing it. So, l arranged to get up early at around 4.30 am, and give Bridget a call and go and find it. I had already asked some people where the sky burial was performed, and they indicated an area northeast of the Potala Palace where the mountains begin. I asked how l would know how l had got to the right place, and l was told to look out for a large fire and the base of the mountains.

So, l got up early and called up Bridget and we had a small breakfast. Bleary-eyed she got onto the saddle of the mountain bike and we cycled off in the direction l had been given. We didn't have to go far, l would say no more than a couple of miles, before we saw through the breaking dawn, and large fire with some Tibetan's sitting around it. I cycled over with Bridget and stopped the bike some 100 yards from the Tibetans. I thought it unwise just to ride up to them, thinking it would be better to show some respect by asking permission to attend the ceremony. When we stopped and got of the bike, l shouted Tashi Delek ! and gestured towards them. They shouted the same back and gestured towards us, so we walked over.

Putting my bike down, l noticed that we had walked up onto a small plateau, with a distinct separate and large flat stone at the end. There was a huge bonfire of Juniper burning slowly and about six Tibetans sitting round a fire smoking fags and drinking Chang. There was also a European there with a camera who we didn't talk to, but who probably had paid some money to take photos at the beginning and end of the ceremony.

Around the slaughter stone l counted about 50 birds-of-prey from vultures and crows and even hawks, calmly sitting there and waiting for the ceremony to start. I had hoped that there would be a few monks there chanting and playing instruments to add to the atmosphere, but this was not the case, it was clear that only members of the deceased family and Tomden - the men who dismember the body were present. The sky burial consists of dismembering the corpse in order that it could be easily eaten by birds, who would then "carry the body into the sky". According to one website l visited, this is seen as a "final act of generosity" to the deceased. Such burials are often the source of skull bones and thighbone trumpets used in Tibetan Vajrayana rites. Another Tibetan view is that the dead persons body "is used to benefit other living things". The following description of a sky burial is from Carroll Dunham and Ian Baker writing in the 1997 issue of Tricycle, a US Buddhist magazine:

Like a Bodhisattva shaman, the Tomden goes back in among the vultures and begins to dismember the skeleton, throwing arm and leg bones to the ravenous birds. Then, with a stone mallet, he pulverises the remaining bones. Reciting mantras, he takes the skull and crushes it with a large rock. He mixes the brain and powdered bones with tsampa flour and again invites the birds to feast. Soon there is nothing left: only wisps of smoke from the juniper fire drifting across the barren stones. The birds fly heavily to the crest of the ridge to digest; then, slowly, they soar off into the heavens - black shapes fading against a pale, undying sky.

Bridget and I sat down and waited for the Sun to rise before the ceremony began. After about half-an-hour, the Tibetans suddenly stood up and went to the back of trailer attached to a tractor. I had noticed that on it was a large sack. They carefully took the sack off the trailer and put it on the ground. They then cut it open to reveal the body of a elderly man in an advanced state of rigor mortis. They then laid the body out flat, and carried it to the slaughter stone and laid it down. Two Tibetans, who l guess were relatives of the deceased, watched as the four other Tomden's prepared for the ceremony to begin.

As two of the Tomden's stood ready on the slaughter stone, the other two sat down. Of those standing, one had a large knife and the other, a axe. Their function was clear. The ceremony began with one of them who was standing chanting a quick prayer, and with the other began the process of cutting the body up for the sky burial. The one with the axe cut off the right foot and passed it to the other who had the knife. He quickly took the skin off, put it down on the rock, and then took all the flesh off, and put that in another pile. He then passed it to the first of two Tibetans who was sitting down. The first had a large hammer, with which he proceeded to break the bone up into small pieces. He then passed it to the other one sitting down who broke it up further and pulped it into a sort of paste. This was also put into a separate pile. Next to be cut off the body was the lower part of the leg, and then the upper part above the knee. The process was carefully repeated: the limb was amputated, passed to another who took the skin and flesh off, then the remaining bone would be crushed and reduced to a paste.

After 30 minutes or so, the flock of birds was increasingly getting excited as the ceremony progressed. I can say for myself, that l went into a bit of trance, probably because l was sitting in front of the Juniper fire which tripped me out a bit. Witnessing the ceremony itself was a mystical event: I had stood by the burning ghats at Varanasi in India and been greatly moved by the Hindu ceremony that celebrates the journey to the other world by the side of the River Ganges. Now, l was seeing how the Tibetans performed their ceremony. There is very little fertile land in Tibet, so no-one gets buried (except Lama's whose remains are put into Chörten's). Everyone ends up at the sky burial, where the body is cut up and fed to the birds as the sun rises above the mountains.

Just as Bridget and l were being mesmerised by the ceremony, the Tibetan with the axe suddenly jumped off the slaughter stone and ran in the direction of a about five or six Chinese policemen that were keeping the event under surveillance. We had noticed them standing behind the stones on the brow of a hill when we turned up, but took no notice of them. There presence was clearly irritating the Tibetans who probably felt that the Chinese just intrude to much on their personal life's. To our astonishment, the police fled down the hill and ran away, clearly keen to not to cause a major scene at the sky burial. As he marched back welding the axe with an angry look on his face, l thought to myself "what if this guy is pissed off with people turning up to watch the sky burial ?". After all, he already had a axe in his hand and had threatened the Chinese police with it. I quickly thought to myself, if he makes a move for me and Bridget welding the axe, we should back off quickly and leave. But he didn't. He went back to work, and began the process of dismembering the upper part of the body.

I didn't think about it the time, but later l read that apparently, the Sky Burial can also serve as an unofficial autopsy - as evidence of torture (such as broken bones, lacerations on the skin etc) - can easily be found by the Tomden, and of course, reported back to the family. I remember thinking it strange that only two people (who l assumed were relatives) were present (and no women) - maybe it was a homeless person.

He repeated the same process with both arms. Off came the hands first, then the lower part and the upper part of the arms. They were skinned, the bones broken up and pulped into paste. All that was left now was the torso and the head. They started on the stomach first, skinning it first, and then carefully removing all the internal organs and putting them in a separate pile. By this time, the piles of skin, pulped bone, flesh and entrails had grown considerably - as had the number of birds-of-prey, eagerly awaiting their meal. The Sun was almost up over the mountains. They had completely disemboweled the torso, carefully cutting into pieces the ribcage, and removing the heart and liver, and soon, were left simply with the spine and back bone, with the head attached to it. With one swipe of the axe, that was cut from the head. The back bone was then cut up and pulped. I started to think to myself "I've never seen a severed head before !", when one of the Tibetan's picked up the severed head, gauged the eyes out, scalped it and handed to the other one who carefully removed all the skin, leaving a bare skull. When this was finished, he put the skull down on the ground, shouted a quick chant, and then picked up a large stone and crashed it down on the head. To our astonishment, he narrowly missed, forcing the severed head to roll along the stone. He then placed it back and tried a second time, this time he was successful and the head was completely destroyed.

They then gathered all the different piles of flesh together, and one of the Tibetans raised his arm, looked at the sky and shouted "shey, shey" (eat, eat). After this, all four of them then slowly threw out all the different piles of flesh and bone to the birds until it was all gone. The ceremony was over, the body was gone and it was about 9.30 am in the morning. Bridget and I got up, thanked the Tibetans, and cycled back to Lhasa. We didn't talk much except in astonishment about what we had witnessed. It left a profound impression on me.

Drepung monastery

Later on that day, l visited Drepung monastery (founded in 1419), a couple of miles outside Lhasa with Chris, Camilla and Lottie. Once this monastery had over 5000 monks, but when l was there, that was down to several hundred. The Sera Je college within it has two thrones - one for the Dalai Lama, the other for the Panchen Lama. It is a large impressive complex and well worth a visit. It was here in the main assembly hall (which dates back to 1710), that l joined a large groups of monks praying in the huge hall guided by a lama. The monks sit in long rows chanting, led by the Lama. The changing goes on in cycles of between 10 and 20 minutes. When the end of a stanza comes, the monks stop, and pick up various instruments, notably the conch (a large shell found in Tibet, similar to a seashell), horns, cymbals and bells. After playing the instruments for about five minutes, they would stop, have some butter tea, and carrying on chanting. Throughout the whole session, young monks would walk around, filling the monks cups with butter tea.

I found witnessing the monks chanting together quite a mystical experience, as l was there for some time, sitting cross-legged at the end of a row of monks. The music, the incense and the atmosphere generate a trance like-experience which absorbed me. I found the all the monks very friendly and weren't offended if people like myself sat and watched or joined in. I didn't see myself as a tourist but someone on a different kind of journey.

I leave Lhasa

By this time, l got together with Camilla, Lottie and Chris, and we planned our return to Nepal. Lee was going to make his own way onto Kashgar and Pakistan and would meet Chris later. After staying a few more days in Lhasa, we left at 8.30 am on June 10th for a bus direct to Khasa via Shigatse. I felt sad leaving Lhasa, and promised myself that l would return one day. On board, l had my rucksack and mountain bike, which had paid my fare to Kathmandu. I had already decided to cycle from Nyalam to Tatopani. To my astonishment, as we were pulling out of the Lhasa Valley l saw two tents and two mountain bikes from the other American cyclists that l thought were travelling with "Robert". I remember thinking to myself "Wow, there taking a long time to get to Lhasa". I wondered why they had all split up, and if "Robert" had given me his bike, what had happened to the fourth cyclist ?

After driving quickly through Gyantse, we arrived at 9.30 pm in Shigatse, and went to bed quickly after some food. Because if was night time, we didn't even get the opportunity to see the Tashilhunpo monastery (except for a fleeting glance in the morning). On June 11th the bus set off for Nyalam, going via the Lhakpa La pass one more time. As with all buses that pass over mountain passes, the Tibetans shout a mantra to the Gods if the bus does not stop. We soon all joined in. At Lhakpa La, the bus did stop though, and everyone got off - the Tibetan's to perform worship around the prayer flags fluttering in the wind, while we sampled the views.

When we arrived in Nyalam at half past ten in the evening, it was still almost light. We had a series of arguments along the way with the Chinese. The first in the hamlet of Lhaste (just before the Lalung Leh pass) where after trying to rip us of again over the price of a cup of tea, l stormed out, shouting "wanker" at both the cafe owner, and a Chinese policeman - who when l insulted him, didn't even bother looking up and acknowledging it. We stormed out back to the bus. There was a further argument when we arrived in Nyalam. The Chinese gave us literally the empty floor in a warehouse and demanded a huge rent for the night. We refused to pay. With me and Chris shouting obscenities at them, making it clear they would not get the kind of money, they backed down, and we got a quiet nights sleep.

Cycling through the Himalayas

Arrival in Khasa. Picture by Camilla Göthlund.

After waking up in the morning and having my breakfast, l unloaded my bike from the top of the bus. I had decided to cycle ahead of the bus before it left, in case of any problems. So l set off, leaving my rucksack on the bus with Camilla. The first couple of miles of the road downhill to Nepal were pretty bad. Because the road had gone in several places, l got of the bike and carried it. I remember wondering how the bus would make it. Looking over the side of the road seemed like a pure drop for several hundred, probably a thousand feet, and it is surrounded by steep ice-capped mountains. This is the land of the snow leopard, and the legendary Yeti. It's also quite green at that level, with forests of trees growing up the side of the mountains into the clouds. Someone on the bus gave me a camera to take photos, which l did every couple of miles.

The view from this side of the Himalayas is stunning. On a good day, like on the one l was on, you can see the plains of India. I decided to take my time cycling down the road to Khasa, not because of any danger, but because the view was so amazing. At one point, l came round a corner and found two Chinese soldiers standing in the middle of the road holding their AK 47's. I slowed down as l approached them, expecting to be asked for my passport, but they didn't saw anything. I tried smiling. No response. I noticed they were several others sitting round a fire drinking tea. I guess it was an army patrol making their own way down the road to Khasa. They moved out of the way a bit for me to cycle through them, and l continued on the journey.

Before very long, l arrived in Khasa just behind the bus (which caught up with me because l was going so slow, and stopping to take photos). After having my passport checked, l continued down to Tatopani. On the way down, l saw some Tibetans sitting by the road, and they gestured me to sit down with them, so l did so, spending a few minutes with them drinking some butter tea.

By this time, l was back near the so-called "friendship bridge". As l approached the bridge l noticed a posse a Chinese soldiers sitting down watching the bridge. As l got onto the bridge, suddenly two Nepalese kids came running up. They were very excited about the bike, so l got them both on the bike: one of the pannier, the other on the saddle, and cycled in a circle around the redline in the middle of the bridge that donates the actual border, for five minutes or so. After having my passport checked at Kodari, l continued onto the village of Tatopani and pulled up by the side of the road to wait for my friends. It was June 12th 1986.

It had been a good trip to Tibet - l had been 51 days in the country, and it had cost me only about £12 to get to Lhasa and back from Kathmandu - a journey of almost 572 miles (920 km). I had saved loads of money by squatting in the hotel room in Lhasa for almost three weeks, and had been greatly helped by having done the deal with the mountain bike which had paid my bus fare from Lhasa to Kathmandu. I was still short of money, and would have to borrow another £50 from Chris just to ensure that l had the bus and rail fare to get from Nepal to Bombay in India for the return flight home.

Within two days l would be in Kathmandu again, where l stayed before heading for Pokhara on June 26th. Here, I met an Canadian guy called Mike who l entrusted the mountain bike to return to the US embassy. I later met him again in Pokhara and he where he told me he had done this.

I still feel very lucky that l was able to make it to the country as a backpacker, so cheaply. In 1987, l saw a letter in a British newspaper claiming that a team from the British army would be the first to make the cycle trip across the Himalayas. I wrote to point out that the US team working for National Geographic magazine must have been some of the first (a year after the border opened). They didn't publish the letter. When l see travel companies offering organised tours for cyclists to Tibet today that cost thousands of pounds, it seems those days are over - certainly it appears difficult now for backpackers to travel as l did in Tibet in 1986. Most cycling websites recommend cycling the whole way from Lhasa to Kathmandu, over a period of some twenty to thirty days. Unless you are extremely fit and prepared for some of the harshest weather conditions in the world, l would advise against it. From my experience the journey is easier if split up between bus rides and staying in towns along the way.

As for visiting Tibet today, from what l have read on the Internet, it appears to difficult unless you are part of an orgainsed tour group, and these cost substantially more than backpacking, with the obligatory stays in new expensive tourist hotels in Lhasa and Shigatse.

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