Monks, Horses, and Shopping—Oh My! (Shangri-La, Day 2)
June 6: It is our last morning and afternoon In Shangri-La, and we did two activities today: visit a Tibetan monastery and ride horses!
The morning started off with food at the cafe next to our hostel. Breakfast consisted of yogurt, granola cereal and fruit (I think the meal is described as musuli). Something a bit less exotic, but packed with enough carbs and vitamins to get our day started.
Our Monastery Experience
The first part of our day was a visit to a Tibetan monastery, which was adorned in gold and deep red roofs. You can see the temple as you drive towards it. A part of the monastery had been destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, so parts of the building looked new because it had been restored. I didn’t pull out my travel journal as much as I wanted to during this visit because I was too caught up in the activities we saw, but I scribbled notes down on my entrance ticket anyway.
Once you enter the monastery site, you must climb a long set of stairs to reach the temple. Here you see a mix of tourists and locals finding their way up.
I noticed two American girls standing at the top of the stairs taking photos. A local old Chinese man, who had been approaching people for money, approached them with a cup, asking for some money. One of the girls asked the man in english (slowly and pronouncing each syllable): “Is thissssss… a donationnnn, are you going to blessssss me?” The man just shook the cup feverishly. The girl responded, “ok—a—y, this is for my blessinggggg.” She gave him a couple of coins in the cup and then he suddenly turned around and walked away. She stood there dumbfounded, scratching her blonde locks, and figuring out if she was really blessed or if she had just given money to some poor guy.
Moving on…. at the top of the stairs, you enter the Monetary clockwise through the side rooms. There, you can buy bracelets that have been blessed. We spoke with some monks and I even bought a small necklace with several colorful beads laced on a black string. At the end of the string was a small silver moon shape with six engraved symbols that represented Buddhist principles.
It was time to visit the temple. “Entering the temple must be done through the side” a local woman told tourists. Only Buddha can enter through the front. Hence the front entrance was draped in red cloth, with tourists standing behind it since they were not allowed to cross into the temple from that direction. No photos or videos were allowed and so instead, we peered in from behind the red cloth. In the Temple was rows and rows of sitting monks, young and old, with red clothing wrapped around their tanned skin. There must have been more than 200 monks sitting in this dim room, with one half of the room sitting to face the other half.
Suddenly, the drum beats started.
Two rows of monks picked up their instruments and started to play to the rhythm of a single loud drumbeat, which would be hit once every couple of seconds. The slow, but progressively loud sounds would repeat. Local and visiting Buddhists would walk from right-to-left, pausing at certain aisles with hands in prayer. They raised these clasped hands to their head, mouth and then heart—some bowing down to the ground. We entered the temple from the side and sat among the locals, observing in the dim, full room of monks and drumbeats. It was mezmorzing. It is easy to walk with the local crowd, which stopped at certain aisles to bow to the ground—and before you know it, you can accidentally find yourself getting caught up with them. You may also bump into an elderly and most-respected Monk walking around the room, especially the one with silver-lined hair and sculpted arms.
I was wearing black pants that day and as I stood up from observing the procession, my knees were covered in red dust, which I am sure will be seen in my pictures. But, my dusty red knees became a personal reminder of my trip to the Monastery, from the red lining of the roofs to the red robes of the monks.
Speaking of monks…..
The girls and I soon exited the moving scene that was taking place in the temple and we sought to explore more of the monastery property. We spotted a sign for one of the nearby rooms that said, “No video, no photos, no women allowed in this room”. Um, yeah. We were planning to skip that room anyway.
We found another part of the monastery that housed a large Buddha. We also saw monks carrying baskets, helping with building construction, talking with other fellow monks. We even saw monks with Air Jordan’s and a cell phone running away from us and laughing. The monks were all fairly young boys---all sent here by their parents. But, as I soon found out, at a certain age they can make a decision to stay with the monastery or leave it to raise a family.
All four of us climbed a set of small stairs leading into a small open space terrace. We saw four young monks--probably from 15-24 years of age taking photographs with some visiting Japanese tourists. Since all of us brought cameras, we thought it would be a perfect way to capture our trip here by taking a photograph with the monks. Nancy, in Chinese, asked them if we could get a photo with them.
After talking to each other, they slowly agreed, and we took some snap shots on one of our cameras since we decided it would be best to just post the pictures online or send it to each other. We showed the monks how the photo turned out on the LCD screen and they smiled and laughed, moreso at how they looked, rather than how we looked. Soon, they were asking us to print out the photo and send it to them at the monastery. Pulling out our trusty entrance ticket, we pointed to the address (which was in Chinese), but the boys could not read it so they just pointed to the picture and asked us to send it anyways. They continued smiling and even taunting each other. In the end, I realized that these young monks are like any other boy their age: they want to have fun enjoying life, laughing and playing around.
And, as soon as more tourists saw us and realized they could possibly take pictures with the monks, a few of the monks again ran away inside the room, acting shy and laughing.
I guess a life of celibacy can turn celebrity when four traveling girls ask to be in a picture with you.
Horses that understand Tibetan commands
Soon, it was off to horseback riding—which I last did when I was 10 or 11 with the girlscouts. Back then, I had rode an old gray mare. Okay folks, we’re talking about an old horse that probably had cataracts and pranced with an arthritic limp, riding in small circles, at arms length from a trainer. How much more safe can you get?
But I tossed my nervousness aside and got on a horse. The groups were put in two, so Nancy and Reyna’s horses and trainer were clear on their way towards the far grassy knoll ahead. The large plain was full of horses munching on grass, probably on their off-shift hours. The sky was an enternal blue, and in the background, you can see the mountains. Arlene and I were assigned a trainer, and I hopped on my horse. It was a beautiful animal, and the hide and mane was thick, probably to keep warm during cold nights. The legs were also a bit shorter. I got on the saddle and the horse started to prance around, nudging other horses. In the next few minutes, the trainer was leading Arlene and I, on our horses, towards Nancy and Reyna--- and towards the large grassy knoll. He sang a tune the whole time and when Arlene would take a photo, saying “1…2…..3” in English, he would stop his tunes to practice saying his english numbers as well.
Our trainer would also mouth off words in his dialect and the horses would respond by either picking up its pace, slowing down, or stopping. It was pretty neat.
During our easy ride, I also had some “what-if” thoughts: “What if my horse is schizophrenic or gets pissed off and started to run away from the trainer? What if another grazing horse decided to pick a fight with my horse? What would happen if it suddenly wanted to practice jumping?”
Oh, those fleeting thoughts.
We got to the knoll where we stopped the horses. The temporary stop gave us a chance to take photos. As soon as the trainer let go of the reigns, Arlene’s brown-orange horse very gently walked towards my horse (whom I quickly named Shangri-La--yes how original). At first I thought, if I get bit by a horse, that’s it! I didn’t get my rabies shot, and I’d probably be foaming at the mouth in a couple of hours…. But then, ever so gently, the horse nudged my knee in affection (or seeking affection ) just like a cat caresses a leg and purrs. Now in addition to the red dust on my knee, I had an official affectionate horse nudge. (Your cue, readers: awwwwwww…)
The last part to this trip was a chance to hold a baby lamb—we’re talking about the cutest lamb in the world. So white, so small, so pure and quiet—it was an extra 5 Y I think. Another way to make(or as tourists, spend) some money, but still, you can be photographed with a cute little lamb and perhaps make the whole Friendster/My Space community scream “awwwww” when they see it posted.
But not me. I just wanted to look from afar this one time (any other time I would have). Again, I had visions of the lamb suddenly become full of rage, its red eyes blistering out from its tiny sockets, and suddenly deciding that it had enough of being used as a photo prop when it could be grazing with normal lambs (ah, those child stars). Then it would go postal on me—And then what? I’d be foaming at the mouth again in a couple of hours and kick myself for not getting those rabies shots. In the end, it probably wouldn’t have done that anyways, it was too cute!!!! But oh well, another time. C’est la vie.
Shopping and a Return to Lijiang
Here are the last couple of liners non-shocker for the evening—we drove back to Lijiang, napping most of the way. Good tip: Again, it helps to hire a driver because they know all the spots to visit. Anyways, we ended up back in Lijiang, with memories of Shangri-La dancing in our heads. But, like every (or every other day), we woke up to eat and then shop, shop, shop. That’s all folks.
Tomorrow: Our attempt to go on a four-hour bike ride in the countryside of Lijiang to visit temples. It should be a fun read. Bear with me folks, I’m still posting, since I have written records all the way until 7/13 and it only gets more fun and interesting. So keep checking daily!
The morning started off with food at the cafe next to our hostel. Breakfast consisted of yogurt, granola cereal and fruit (I think the meal is described as musuli). Something a bit less exotic, but packed with enough carbs and vitamins to get our day started.
Our Monastery Experience
The first part of our day was a visit to a Tibetan monastery, which was adorned in gold and deep red roofs. You can see the temple as you drive towards it. A part of the monastery had been destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, so parts of the building looked new because it had been restored. I didn’t pull out my travel journal as much as I wanted to during this visit because I was too caught up in the activities we saw, but I scribbled notes down on my entrance ticket anyway.
Once you enter the monastery site, you must climb a long set of stairs to reach the temple. Here you see a mix of tourists and locals finding their way up.
I noticed two American girls standing at the top of the stairs taking photos. A local old Chinese man, who had been approaching people for money, approached them with a cup, asking for some money. One of the girls asked the man in english (slowly and pronouncing each syllable): “Is thissssss… a donationnnn, are you going to blessssss me?” The man just shook the cup feverishly. The girl responded, “ok—a—y, this is for my blessinggggg.” She gave him a couple of coins in the cup and then he suddenly turned around and walked away. She stood there dumbfounded, scratching her blonde locks, and figuring out if she was really blessed or if she had just given money to some poor guy.
Moving on…. at the top of the stairs, you enter the Monetary clockwise through the side rooms. There, you can buy bracelets that have been blessed. We spoke with some monks and I even bought a small necklace with several colorful beads laced on a black string. At the end of the string was a small silver moon shape with six engraved symbols that represented Buddhist principles.
It was time to visit the temple. “Entering the temple must be done through the side” a local woman told tourists. Only Buddha can enter through the front. Hence the front entrance was draped in red cloth, with tourists standing behind it since they were not allowed to cross into the temple from that direction. No photos or videos were allowed and so instead, we peered in from behind the red cloth. In the Temple was rows and rows of sitting monks, young and old, with red clothing wrapped around their tanned skin. There must have been more than 200 monks sitting in this dim room, with one half of the room sitting to face the other half.
Suddenly, the drum beats started.
Two rows of monks picked up their instruments and started to play to the rhythm of a single loud drumbeat, which would be hit once every couple of seconds. The slow, but progressively loud sounds would repeat. Local and visiting Buddhists would walk from right-to-left, pausing at certain aisles with hands in prayer. They raised these clasped hands to their head, mouth and then heart—some bowing down to the ground. We entered the temple from the side and sat among the locals, observing in the dim, full room of monks and drumbeats. It was mezmorzing. It is easy to walk with the local crowd, which stopped at certain aisles to bow to the ground—and before you know it, you can accidentally find yourself getting caught up with them. You may also bump into an elderly and most-respected Monk walking around the room, especially the one with silver-lined hair and sculpted arms.
I was wearing black pants that day and as I stood up from observing the procession, my knees were covered in red dust, which I am sure will be seen in my pictures. But, my dusty red knees became a personal reminder of my trip to the Monastery, from the red lining of the roofs to the red robes of the monks.
Speaking of monks…..
The girls and I soon exited the moving scene that was taking place in the temple and we sought to explore more of the monastery property. We spotted a sign for one of the nearby rooms that said, “No video, no photos, no women allowed in this room”. Um, yeah. We were planning to skip that room anyway.
We found another part of the monastery that housed a large Buddha. We also saw monks carrying baskets, helping with building construction, talking with other fellow monks. We even saw monks with Air Jordan’s and a cell phone running away from us and laughing. The monks were all fairly young boys---all sent here by their parents. But, as I soon found out, at a certain age they can make a decision to stay with the monastery or leave it to raise a family.
All four of us climbed a set of small stairs leading into a small open space terrace. We saw four young monks--probably from 15-24 years of age taking photographs with some visiting Japanese tourists. Since all of us brought cameras, we thought it would be a perfect way to capture our trip here by taking a photograph with the monks. Nancy, in Chinese, asked them if we could get a photo with them.
After talking to each other, they slowly agreed, and we took some snap shots on one of our cameras since we decided it would be best to just post the pictures online or send it to each other. We showed the monks how the photo turned out on the LCD screen and they smiled and laughed, moreso at how they looked, rather than how we looked. Soon, they were asking us to print out the photo and send it to them at the monastery. Pulling out our trusty entrance ticket, we pointed to the address (which was in Chinese), but the boys could not read it so they just pointed to the picture and asked us to send it anyways. They continued smiling and even taunting each other. In the end, I realized that these young monks are like any other boy their age: they want to have fun enjoying life, laughing and playing around.
And, as soon as more tourists saw us and realized they could possibly take pictures with the monks, a few of the monks again ran away inside the room, acting shy and laughing.
I guess a life of celibacy can turn celebrity when four traveling girls ask to be in a picture with you.
Horses that understand Tibetan commands
Soon, it was off to horseback riding—which I last did when I was 10 or 11 with the girlscouts. Back then, I had rode an old gray mare. Okay folks, we’re talking about an old horse that probably had cataracts and pranced with an arthritic limp, riding in small circles, at arms length from a trainer. How much more safe can you get?
But I tossed my nervousness aside and got on a horse. The groups were put in two, so Nancy and Reyna’s horses and trainer were clear on their way towards the far grassy knoll ahead. The large plain was full of horses munching on grass, probably on their off-shift hours. The sky was an enternal blue, and in the background, you can see the mountains. Arlene and I were assigned a trainer, and I hopped on my horse. It was a beautiful animal, and the hide and mane was thick, probably to keep warm during cold nights. The legs were also a bit shorter. I got on the saddle and the horse started to prance around, nudging other horses. In the next few minutes, the trainer was leading Arlene and I, on our horses, towards Nancy and Reyna--- and towards the large grassy knoll. He sang a tune the whole time and when Arlene would take a photo, saying “1…2…..3” in English, he would stop his tunes to practice saying his english numbers as well.
Our trainer would also mouth off words in his dialect and the horses would respond by either picking up its pace, slowing down, or stopping. It was pretty neat.
During our easy ride, I also had some “what-if” thoughts: “What if my horse is schizophrenic or gets pissed off and started to run away from the trainer? What if another grazing horse decided to pick a fight with my horse? What would happen if it suddenly wanted to practice jumping?”
Oh, those fleeting thoughts.
We got to the knoll where we stopped the horses. The temporary stop gave us a chance to take photos. As soon as the trainer let go of the reigns, Arlene’s brown-orange horse very gently walked towards my horse (whom I quickly named Shangri-La--yes how original). At first I thought, if I get bit by a horse, that’s it! I didn’t get my rabies shot, and I’d probably be foaming at the mouth in a couple of hours…. But then, ever so gently, the horse nudged my knee in affection (or seeking affection ) just like a cat caresses a leg and purrs. Now in addition to the red dust on my knee, I had an official affectionate horse nudge. (Your cue, readers: awwwwwww…)
The last part to this trip was a chance to hold a baby lamb—we’re talking about the cutest lamb in the world. So white, so small, so pure and quiet—it was an extra 5 Y I think. Another way to make(or as tourists, spend) some money, but still, you can be photographed with a cute little lamb and perhaps make the whole Friendster/My Space community scream “awwwww” when they see it posted.
But not me. I just wanted to look from afar this one time (any other time I would have). Again, I had visions of the lamb suddenly become full of rage, its red eyes blistering out from its tiny sockets, and suddenly deciding that it had enough of being used as a photo prop when it could be grazing with normal lambs (ah, those child stars). Then it would go postal on me—And then what? I’d be foaming at the mouth again in a couple of hours and kick myself for not getting those rabies shots. In the end, it probably wouldn’t have done that anyways, it was too cute!!!! But oh well, another time. C’est la vie.
Shopping and a Return to Lijiang
Here are the last couple of liners non-shocker for the evening—we drove back to Lijiang, napping most of the way. Good tip: Again, it helps to hire a driver because they know all the spots to visit. Anyways, we ended up back in Lijiang, with memories of Shangri-La dancing in our heads. But, like every (or every other day), we woke up to eat and then shop, shop, shop. That’s all folks.
Tomorrow: Our attempt to go on a four-hour bike ride in the countryside of Lijiang to visit temples. It should be a fun read. Bear with me folks, I’m still posting, since I have written records all the way until 7/13 and it only gets more fun and interesting. So keep checking daily!
posted by RENEWED at
11:54 PM
