Seven Days in Tibet

We had to say goodbye to Rahul's father John and his wife Kathleen last night, as they took off for the airport this morning to continue their four-month sabbatical into India, Australia and New Zealand. But we celebrated in style last night by partying for John's 62nd birthday (okay, it's not till June 25, but when you only get to hang once a year, you gotta take every chance you get). We went to one of Lhasa's finest backpacker restaurants and had chicken sizzler, Tibetan noodles, a spinach patty, a potato pancake with applesauce, local wine and four pieces of baked cheesecake. We even convinced the ladies running the restaurant to sing a heavily-accented Happy Birthday, ending with them collapsing into a fit of giggles. Awwright!!

We have to give major props to J & K. We made them change their plans so that they could accompany us on a week-long pilgrimage to Tibet, forcing them to endure 5 days of bumpy jeep rides, altitude-induced light-headedness, dormitory accommodations with rat infestations and no showers, and squat toilets that make your eyes water. For anyone out there looking for a way to grow closer to their family, we highly recommend signing up for this trip, though we don't know many other 60 year-olds out there who can hack it. There was plenty of goodness to go with the travails. Here are some highlights:

• Blockades and Border Crossings: On our way to the Nepal-Tibet border, our bus suddenly stopped and didn't move for an hour. After futilely trying to get an explanation for the halt, we unloaded our bags, walked about 200m and found a bus parked horizontally across the road. Not seeing the owner of the bus anywhere, we walked a little further and found a big pile of rocks blocking the road. Not seeing the owner of the rocks anywhere, we walked a little further, found a nice Nepali family driving a jeep who let us pile 12 white people into the back and onto the roof, and drove us 30 minutes to the border for $2 a head. We think that this was our first encounter with the Maoist insurgency, but we don't quite understand what anyone stood to gain from the blockade. Silly Maoists. At the border, a Chinese soldier sprayed our bags with a bizarre chlorine-scented mist, pressed an inexplicable laser to our foreheads, and allowed us to walk into Tibet. China is wack.
• Nectar of the Gods: Within minutes of clearing customs, we went to the local Chinese market and discovered with delight cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon. America's worst beer tastes reallll nice on the road to Tibet. As Rahul's draw group would say, F$&k that Sh#$.
• Nobu-King of the Road: Our jeep driver Nobu didn't speak a word of English, sported a sweet black leather fedora, slammed the doors on us whenever he was ready to go and tortured us with one tape of bad Chinese pop that he put on endless repeat for five days. By the end of the trip, we knew every note but not a single word. We grew to love Nobu's brusque manner, and we gradually won his affection by giving him Pringles and biscuits.
• The Invasion of the Personal Space: Tibetans are aggressively touchy-feely, without the feely. Beggars "ask" for money by standing in front of you, pushing your shoulders, stopping you from walking forward, and smiling sweetly while saying "money, money, money." A souvenir vendor grabbed Meg by the arm, tried to sell her some trinkets, and slapped her on the ass when she declined. Even the monks get in on the action - one older lama used Meg's butt to steady himself as he tottered down a monastery staircase. Cheeky monk. Tibet's physicality takes a little getting used to, but since it usually comes with huge Tibetan smiles, it's actually not so bad.
• The Ecstasy and the Agony - Though the food on the drive up was pretty bleak, Lhasa's a culinary goldmine by our standards. We've been feasting on pineapple-chocolate chip cheesecake, momos (dumplings) of every variety, and the ubiquitous Yak meat (vegetarianism takes another beating). However, we can report that Tibet is home to the absolute worst beverage on the planet - yak butter tea, described accurately by one traveler as "a cross between brewed old socks and sump oil." Tibetans drink forty cups of it a day, but we will never ever let it touch our lips again.
• Prostrating Pilgrims - Most of the key sights in Lhasa are connected by a series of koras - circumambulations traveled clockwise by Tibetan buddhists spinning prayer wheels, chanting, and in some cases, falling to the ground every couple steps to prostrate themselves and pray. We saw people who apparently have spent a year prostrating their way for 5000 km from Beijing, and they've got the forehead calluses to show for it. It's hard to explain how cool it feels to be swept along surrrounded by happy, devout pilgrims. It's easy to feel that China has obliterated the Tibetan way of life, but the daily sight of tens of thousands of Tibetan Buddhists continuing their ancient traditions makes us believe that the culture will continue to survive.
• The Beauty - Tibet is stark and barren and harsh and ugly and absolutely beautiful. Somehow you see desert mixed with mountains, sand dunes with snow caps, and turquoise lakes with rock formations. It's cool to see the Himalayas from our third country now, and it's worth every bone-jarring minute in a rickety jeep to get here.