Depart all the way west

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Qinghai Muyunji

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Tanggula Pursue the height of life

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Meet Lhasa for the first time

 

August 25 sunny

The most important task today is to book tickets for the Potala Palace. Due to current restrictions, the Cloth Palace can only receive 3,000 individual visitors per day, and reservation resources are very tight. Before five o'clock, Elder Tang and I went to Bu Palace to line up.

Driving on the streets of Lhasa in the early morning, there are gorgeous and quiet buildings in the fresh air, as if they have not yet woken up from the night.

 

When we arrived at the ticket reservation window of the Bu Palace, there were already 20 or 30 people lined up there, and a young man at the front was said to have come over at 12 o'clock in the middle of the night. Everyone has their own tricks. Some people stand and play with their mobile phones, some bring chairs and sit in line, and some sit with sheets on the floor. We were at the end of the queue. The ticket window is inside the iron fence in front. It is said that the gates will not be opened until 8 o'clock. I asked Elder Tang to go around to find something to eat first, and then come and replace me later.

After a while, Elder Tang came back and stuffed two tea eggs into my hands. After I finished my breakfast, I let him line up here, and went out for a walk to explore the way by myself. Before dawn, under the corner of the wall not far away, I once again saw a few worshipers saluting to the Potala Palace in the most standard worship posture. Among the passers-by, there were many middle-aged or old people, some wearing Tibetan costumes, and some were no different from Han people. They held prayer wheels in their hands and spun them while walking, chanting words in their mouths.

 

 

 

When it was almost eight o'clock, the sky was already bright, and I asked Elder Tang to wait on the side, and I entered the queue by myself. The gates officially opened at eight o’clock, and the process of buying tickets went smoothly. We successfully got three reservation tickets (reservation tickets, not official tickets, and there is no need to spend money here, but the identity information has been verified and corresponding up, so it cannot be transferred). After the important task was completed, we felt very relaxed. We hurriedly took a few photos in the square, and hurried back to the hotel to find Junior Brother Sha and the others.

 

 After packing up, we went to visit the Tibet Museum.

This is a museum with a very exquisite layout. Walking into the museum, the red and green style looks magnificent and full of national characteristics.

 

Here we learned about the past and present of Tibet, and saw the customs of the Tibetan people. In the multi-function hall on the first floor, there is a large-scale video broadcast every two hours. The scene is very shocking, accompanied by distant and exciting background music, which made us feel emotional and tearful. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the corner of the hall on the first floor, there is an area for audience interaction. Master Tang and Brother Sha have found their favorite jobs. One of the grandpa and grandson played with building blocks, and the other sat down and copied Buddhist scriptures, very focused. The second brother also found his love. She has always dreamed of being able to take a photo in national costume, and this time she finally got her wish, and the effect is very good, she is very happy.

 

 

 

After visiting the museum, it was already noon. The moment I walked out of the museum, I saw blue sky and white clouds, green trees, and under the strong light, everything looked bright and harmonious. Brother Sha's mischievous heart is overflowing, and he has long forgotten the embarrassment of altitude sickness.

 

Norbulingka, not far from the museum, is said to be the old royal garden in Lhasa. We came here admiringly. The green trees, flowers and plants outside the gate have been carefully built, which looks very beautiful. A super cute little stone lion caught the attention of Junior Brother Sha, who giggled and giggled at it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

But in the face of the 60 yuan per person ticket, we decided not to go in for a visit (I'm not poor, I just don't have money). I heard that the Jokhang Temple does not require an appointment, so we turned to the Jokhang Temple.

Fortunately, it is not far from here. It takes less than 20 minutes to drive to the Jokhang Temple. When buying tickets, we saw many believers and monks worshiping and saluting in the porch outside the temple gate, and the scene was better than the Potala Palace.

 

 

 

Entering the Jokhang Temple, we follow the tourists to visit in an orderly manner. The studious brother Sha likes to listen to the tour guides of other tour groups. After hearing it, he comes back very excitedly and tells us such things as Master Padmasambhava, Princess Wencheng, and Sakyamuni at the age of 12. Waiting for a golden statue.

Jokhang Temple is very popular, with overlapping pavilions and pilgrims. Butter lamps are always on, and yellow and black curtains cover every incense pavilion and rooftop. Standing in the courtyard of the temple and looking up, the lofty and elegant blue sky and white clouds form a sharp contrast with the deep tranquility here. Going up to the rooftop, overlooking the city of Lhasa, it is bathed in the golden sunshine, looking extremely peaceful. The Potala Palace in the distance is also clearly visible, and the white palace wall echoes the golden dome of the Jokhang Temple, a perfect match.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming out of the Jokhang Temple, we were full of excitement and walked around the Barkhor Street in front of the temple gate (many people say it as the Barang Street). 

 

 

 

 

I feel that the commercial atmosphere here is very strong. There are many kura restaurants on both sides of the street. We found one with good reviews on the Internet, went in and sat down to order food. The atmosphere of the restaurant is very good, giving people a feeling of fusion of Chinese and Western. When I went downstairs after dinner, I saw the message board on the wall. Many donkey friends in the past left messages here to express their feelings or leave messages for others. There are also chartered car drivers who pull jobs to advertise here. It is full of pictures and texts, but it is also humorous and interesting. .

 

 

 

As night fell, we came to the Potala Palace again. This time, our goal is to find the cloth palace perspective on the new version of RMB 50 and frame it with it. When I arrived at the square, I took out a brand new 50-yuan note that I had prepared earlier, and carefully changed the position to find the angle of view. I have long heard that the best shooting point is on the hill west of Bugong Square, but unfortunately there are too many people, so we had to find another place. Fortunately, there is not much difference. Each of us happily took a photo with 50 yuan, as if what we were holding was just picked up from the ground for nothing.

 

 

 

 After taking photos, the four of us ended our day's tour contentedly and returned to the hotel to rest.

 

Back to Potala

August 26 sunny

Today we are going to visit the Potala Palace, and everyone is very excited. We made an appointment to enter the venue at 9:20. We arrived at the gate of the Potala Palace early, passed through the circuitous ticket inspection channel, and followed the crowd into the Potala Palace one by one. After entering the gate, I found that I was inside the outer wall of the Potala Palace. Looking up, the Potala Palace was built on the hillside, standing tall, as if a wise man was overlooking the earth. We were overwhelmed by its momentum and went up the stairs, wanting to get closer to it. On the tall and wide steps, people stopped and walked in twos and threes, panting heavily, but they all had contented smiles on their faces. Maybe it's because we have come to the kingdom of Buddha, the root of Buddha's wisdom in everyone's heart has been opened up.

 

 

 Junior Brother Sha seemed very excited, jumping up and down without feeling tired at all. But Master Tang had a problem at this juncture, feeling a little dizzy, sat on the steps to rest for a while, and then he recovered.

 

When we reached the halfway up the mountain, we arrived at the ticket gate of the scenic spot. After purchasing the ticket with the reservation card, you enter the ticket gate immediately, and this is the real entry into the Potala Palace. After reading the introduction, I realized that the main building of the Cloth Palace is divided into two parts. The white one on the lower floor is called the White House (but not the one where Obama lives, he can’t afford it). Called the Red Palace, it is the real superstructure, and it is also the core and extremely noble place of the Potala Palace.

 

 

Inside the entire Cloth Palace, there are overlapping pavilions and halls, crisscross passages, and a strict hierarchy inside. Different directions, different heights, and different offerings all reflect the hierarchical concept of religion and political power in the past. Walking silently with the crowd, looking at the overwhelming objects of worship and religious treasures in front of me, I have to lament the ability of the ancients to overcome nature. Countless skilled craftsmen have worked here all their lives and passed on from generation to generation. It has achieved the miracle of the Potala Palace. Only the common people are the real creators of history. This was true of the Central Plains Dynasty, and so was the Tubo Dynasty.

There are many monks practicing in Bu Palace, some are cleaning butter lamps, some are reciting Buddhist scriptures, and some are introducing something to tourists. At a corner, we saw a young monk, perhaps attracted by the beauty of Lhasa city at the foot of the mountain, taking pictures with his mobile phone. After a while he left, we also took pictures and enjoyed the bustling beauty of Lhasa where he was just now.

 

In an attic close to the exit of the White House, we were fortunate enough to see the toilet installation known as the highest in the world. Everyone discussed with great interest how to use it, which is really interesting. Passing by a big drum hanging high, Junior Brother Sha really wanted to beat it, but the height was not enough, so he had to look at the drum and sigh.

 

 

After visiting the White House, we went up to a rooftop and came to the entrance of the Red Palace. A huge black curtain appeared in front of us. Entering the Red Palace from under the curtain, you can see the splendor and solemnity. Many respected figures in the history of Tibetan Buddhism have left traces of their lives here. Although we are not devout Buddhists, we are still attracted by these wonderful and moving Buddhist stories. We have learned a lot by watching and listening carefully along the way.

The exit of the Red Palace is on the back hill of the Potala Palace. Coming out of the Red Palace, the solemn and deep scene in the palace just now suddenly turned into the noon sun in front of us, which made us feel like a world away. When we returned to the world again, we felt extremely relaxed. Brother Sha happily ran up and down the stone steps on the back mountain of Bugong, forgetting the altitude of 3750 meters (100 meters higher than 3650 in Lhasa City).

 

 

Walk out of the scenic spot, walk one or two hundred meters along the back wall of the scenic spot, and you will come to Zongjiao Lukang Park. Along the way is a row of glittering prayer wheels, and there are hundreds of them by visual inspection. Junior brother Sha was very interested in this, so he imitated the others, turning the prayer wheel as he walked, but he was impatient, he only walked halfway, and he didn't have the strength to continue turning.

Zongjiao Lukang Park is located at the foot of the mountain behind the Potala Palace. It is lined with trees and has beautiful scenery. After visiting the Potala Palace, many people will rest here to relax. Looking back, the Potala Palace is looking back on the mountain; looking ahead, there is a piece of clear water and blue sky, giving people a cool and bright feeling. On the square in the center of the park, there is also a circle of prayer wheels, which is very huge. Thinking of the purpose of our journey to the west, although we can't get the scriptures, it is still necessary to come to this holy place and pure land to turn around the scriptures devoutly. So I dragged Junior Brother Sha to follow the prayer-turning team, and turned carefully while walking.

 

After playing leisurely for more than an hour, before dusk, we ended the day's trip and went back to the hotel to rest and replenish our energy for tomorrow's trip to Nyingchi. Looking forward to the next surprise.

Misty Rain Flowing Clouds Nyingchi Road

 

August 27 rain

Nyingchi, some people say it is Jiangnan in Tibet. Since it is in the south of the Yangtze River, how can there be less rain? So, on the way to Nyingchi, God gave us a misty and rainy South Road with the rainy weather.

When we got up early and set off, it didn't rain, but the sky was already gloomy. We drove south out of Lhasa City, and soon got on National Highway 318. Speaking of National Highway 318, this is another road full of stories. The lifelong dream of many people is to ride a bicycle and go to Tibet once along National Highway 318. It is said that this is a legendary road that combines beauty and majesty. Along the way, there are not only towering snow-capped mountains, majestic canyons, cattle and sheep all over the mountains, continuous forests, but also such as Mira Pass, Tongmai The natural dangers and other majestic passes are endless, attracting countless donkey friends. We originally planned to take National Highway 318 on our return trip, but we heard from other travel friends that the Tongmai Bridge was closed a few days ago due to rain and landslides. Had to bypass the Qinghai-Tibet Highway into Tibet. So we regretfully abandoned this great project.

Walking on the 318 National Highway, it turns out that the scenery along the way is quite different from that of the 109 Qinghai-Tibet Line. On one side are towering mountains covered with lush forests, and on the other side is the Niyang River flowing eastward from the canyon. The road wanders forward among the mountains, singing and advancing for a while, and swooping into the valley for a while. In parallel with 318 is a newly built Lalin Expressway, but unfortunately it has not yet opened to traffic. We had no choice but to drive along the 318 all the way to Nyingchi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arrived at Mozhugongka at 10 o'clock in the morning. It is said that this is the hometown of Songtsan Gampo. There is a scenic spot of Songtsan's hometown on the mountain not far away. Since this place is not in our travel plan, we did not visit it, but went directly to the next stop, Mira Snow Mountain.

 

 

 

The Mira Snow Pass is 5013 meters above sea level, second only to the Tanggula Pass. When we arrived, it was raining lightly. Under the gloomy sky, the Mira Snow Pass looked beautiful with a hint of melancholy. Looking up, the pastures on the high mountains in the distance have turned yellow, like a light-colored landscape painting. There is a group of sculptures on the mountain pass. Three powerful alpine yaks are forging ahead in the wind and snow. We can easily think of those people who walk and live in a difficult environment. Enough to conquer any so-called forbidden zone for humans in the world.

 

 

 

After descending from Mira Snow Mountain, after walking for more than an hour, we arrived at Gongbu Jiangda, and then entered the vast plains of Nyingchi. The scenery in front of me has changed, one after another farmland is neatly distributed on both sides of the road, occasionally small villages come into view, typical Tibetan two-story small buildings are next to each other, and several puppies are sitting at the gate of the courtyard. Sleeping and fighting, a quiet and leisure farm time.

 

 

The light rain stopped and fell, and the mist accompanied us all the way. When we approached Linzhi, we finally returned with a beautiful rainbow. On closer inspection, there are clearly two more, but the outer one is slightly lighter. We walk towards this rainbow, but it is always in front of us, keeping the same distance.

At some point, the rainbow gradually faded, and we arrived at Nyingchi County. After checking in, the arrangements were made. We went for a walk in Nyingchi County. Unfortunately, it was raining harder and harder. After dinner, we went back early to rest.

In Linzhi, we originally planned to go to the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon to take a look. But after inquiring, things are not as simple as we thought. The real Grand Canyon scenic spot is far away from the main road. You need to park your car and go there on foot. It takes about two days to visit. Only in this way can you stand on the shore of the Grand Canyon and see the beauty and majesty of the Grand Canyon. Considering that our return date is approaching, this plan was abandoned.

Early the next morning, we returned to Lhasa the same way. This time, in order to make up for our regret of not being able to see the Grand Canyon, God gave us a bright and cheerful sunny day. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is cheerful, even the white clouds in the sky are like cheering children, some are flowing freely under the blue sky, some are hugging the mountains in circles, and some are casting their reflections on the calm lake. Appreciate the shadows, and some are constantly changing different forms. The blue sky is clear, white clouds are accompanied, the years are quiet and beautiful, and there are relatives walking with me, what other extravagances can I ask for!

 

 

 

We walked and strolled along the way, and the national highway was also very lively. The second brother was surprised to find that several of his compatriots were crossing the highway regardless of the passing vehicles, and he was very worried about them. Then I saw two cows standing in the middle of the road and jacking up the cows. It seemed that they were arguing over some academic issue, so they had to use force to resolve it. Not far from the two of them, another gray cow was crossing the road. Seeing the scene of the dispute, he also stopped to watch the excitement, and became a crowd eating melons.

 

 

Walking on National Highway 318, I saw beautiful scenery along the way, with white clouds flowing freely under the blue sky, like a hearty splash-ink landscape painting.

 

 

 

 There are unknown flowers blooming proudly by the roadside.

 

 

 

 

 

Passing Mira Mountain Pass, the statue under the bright sun looks vivid and majestic, and the white hada on the cow's body shines with auspicious light. Several big black dogs came out to bask in the sun in a team, lying lazily on the ground in front of a stone monument, occupying the best position for tourists to take pictures and refusing to move. Their arrogant behavior of acting like no one else annoyed Junior Brother Sha, so he almost took out the crescent shovel and started fighting with them. Master Tang hurriedly dissuaded him and said: Young people, don't be impulsive. God knows if one of them is the mount of a roaring dog or some god. Let's hide it if we can't provoke it. After hearing this, Junior Brother Sha had no choice but to give up. At this moment, standing at the Mira Pass, I can only see green mountains and long white clouds in the distance, which is quite different from the scenery under the wind and rain yesterday.

 

 

 

 

 Passing through a Tibetan village, we stopped to rest. The afternoon sun shone through the shade of the trees and sprinkled on Master Tang's face, eliminating all his fatigue from the past few days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we got back to Lhasa, it was only two or three o'clock in the afternoon. We're planning to go to a big local live action show tonight. Such performances have appeared in large numbers in various tourist attractions across the country in recent years, and most of them are labeled as live performances or impressions. Maybe the locals think it is common or not worth it, but we still went to see it with great interest.

The performance was called "Princess Wencheng". The scene was magnificent, magnificent, and the rhythm was tight. It left a deep impression on us. The second senior brother praised it repeatedly and felt that it was worth the money. The performance firmly grasped the main line of national integration between Chang'an and Lhasa in the Tang Dynasty, coupled with various Han-Tibetan elements full of ethnic characteristics, bringing people back to the most glorious Han nationality more than a thousand years ago. The years of the Tubo Dynasty were also the most splendid years of the Tubo Dynasty. At this moment, in the hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the southwest of the motherland, looking back at Chang'an, there is an indescribable sense of pride and homesickness. I think the mood of Princess Wencheng, the first cadre to aid Tibet in history, is roughly the same.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The location of the performance is located on a hillside in the southern suburbs of Lhasa. When you step out of the theater, you will step into a street full of ethnic characteristics. Looking at the city of Lhasa from a distance, the Potala Palace is clearly visible, as if it came from the clouds in the sky under the cover of night, let us worship again.

 

[Due to the limitation of the number of pictures in a single article, this travel note is divided into three parts, the first, middle and lower, and this is the end of the middle part]

[For more content, please refer to the first and second articles]

 

Among the water and clouds, Yamdrok Co., Ltd.

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Sunset and morning in Namco

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leisurely way home

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 Raiders and summary

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trimmed neatly and orderly,