ok… I’ve been in the same clothes for 36 hours… i smell like a yak fur and dung-fuel cocktail… and my ass hurts from sitting in a car for 10 hours… yet (and no offense to anyone) i’m the happiest i’ve been in six months… easily... i love what i'm doing here... i love this place... anyhoo, onto my namtso lake-o-rama...
the logistics of this kooky little adventure to namtso: left lhasa at about 9 a.m. Saturday… sat in a vehicle for about five hours… driving, at best, roughly paved… at worst, teeth-shattering dirt and rock “roads”… hey… minivan-lovers out there, i take back most of what I’ve ever said about you… those suckers can go just about anywhere, even if I did nearly bite through my tongue a few times…
pretty much the closest brush with total disaster with a huge tour bus coming from the opposite direction on a two-lane road… seriously, if I understood chinese, I could have told you the damn bus’ VIN… inches from my window… scared the living shit out of all of us…
anyhoo, we survived… sort of chuckled about it… a moved along to la ken la, the pass to namtso lake at an astounding 5,190 meters (more than 18,000 feet…) windy as hell, but beautiful… brian hung prayer flags he brought along, and we wound our way down to the lakefront tent city…
shoot, I’m already babbling… ok… i was so excited, as i wanted to go here in 2006, but our itinerary just didn't have enough room... anyhoo, we did the short kora… about a mile and a half… not too much, but at more than 16,000 feet above sea level, it’s a trek… we all (at least tried… not all prevailed...) crawled through this little hole that’s supposed to tell you if you’re good or evil… (i scurried through there as fast as possible in the hope that i’d be too quick for it to notice… ha!)… and crossed paths with a monk doing a full prostration … i mean, throwing himself on the rocky path and all… wow… just… you know…
really, the whole thing was beautiful… and totally worth the drive (and the terror)… as well as the wait...
took a little solo time as sunset as the rain-heavy clouds started to roll in… had myself a nice, little reality check… just me, the lake, the clouds… and the peeps still trying to sell me a yak ride for 10 yuan… seriously, I had a good think-about… good and bad, alike… kicked my own ass… realized i’m sick of some of my own bullshit… as well as others’… was reminded that you get what you give... did s
ome forgiving all around… set some new goals…put a big, old deposit into the kristen bank account… and, mostly... remembered to be GRATEFUL!!!!!!
honestly, i feel better and stronger than I have in a while… physically, mentally and emotionally… nothing like going halfway across the world to rediscover one’s path, eh? ;)
what i didn’t get to do was build a ragger’s point at the lake... and i was SO looking forward to it... alas… those who know, know… those who don’t, don’t worry about it… i found myself a reasonable alternative…
anyhoo, the tent was actually quite nice (ours is below... the one in the middle… faaannncccyy… eh?)… the public bathrooms on the other hand… seriously, I’m pretty brave about this stuff but this was beyond horrific…. the bright side? i found out i can hold and breath and pee in less than 30 seconds (might be worth adding to my resume)! as far as the actual accommodations, oddly the bed is softer than at the hotel… after the day’s journey, i was pretty beat so i put myself to bed at, get this… 9:30 p.m…. i’m pretty sure there were toddlers outside playing long after that… but, to the sound of rain and thunder -- as well as the WOOF! WOOF! of the many stray dogs .. including quite a few of my beloved tibetan mastiff -- I did the ambian mambo and had the best night’s sleep I can recall! yay!
did one more kora in the a.m. and then hit the road as the tour buses arrive (seriously, most tourists leave lhasa at, like 7 a.m…. drive five hours… get their pics taken in front of the lake with a yak… and then get back on the bus for the five-hour drive back to lhasa… weird!)…. we gave a tibetan woman a ride about halfway back to lhasa so she could herd the cattle for a few days… I don’t make this up… really…
and, now, back in lhasa… our trio has parted ways for the evening for a little space… I’m back at dunya for the cheap lhasa beer and free wi-fi… who knows? maybe I’ll even stay up until 10 p.m. tonight… whoot!
out early monday a.m. to ganden monastery.. and then to the afternoon debates at sera… yay!
tuesday, back to class!oh... and, in case you weren't aware... i just love prayer flags!
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