Day 8 - Ganden Monastery & Tibetan Medical College

It was an awesome sight to see a 4th of July parade in Tibet. All of the pilgrims were wearing red, white, and blue costumes. Every home on the parade route had an American flag flying. The national anthem was played by a high school band. It would have been cool to see that if it really happened.

Kim woke up this morning feeling fine. Last night was the second test of the marriage. Kim wasn't feeling good and I was having trouble getting her to do the things necessary to get over the altitude sickness. We both went to bed mad that night.

We had a long drive out into the countryside. We drove through several small towns before our driver pulled into an auto repair facility (at least I think that is what it was). One of our tires must have been going flat. We drove for a while further when we pulled into a local supermarket. It was more like a corner store than a Wegmans or Giant Eagle. The shopkeeper lived in the last isle of the store. We got our lunch here. Ten Zin advised us not to eat at the monastery.

During the drive, we could see some beautiful scenery. We were in a valley with a wide shallow river next to the road. At one point there was a security check point. Well, it wasn't much of a check point. It was a policeman standing along side the road. He made the driver pull out his paperwork. While we were there the driver from the truck in front of us was squatting along side the road. Privacy must not be a big issue here.

Along side the road there were big piles of mud pies. I had Kim guess what they were. She got it on the second try. You might be asking yourself, why would they pick them up and saved them. Well, I shall explain, there is the obvious decorative value and the fresh scent it gives any household. Once I pointed out that there are very little trees, she caught on.

We turned off the main road onto a very bumpy dirt road. Once we started up the mountain, the road became very twisty. Every once and a while, we would have to make a yak or sheep move out of the way. When we got to the top, we could see the town and monastery. It was a beautiful sight to see. When you looked down to the valley, it was an equally impressive sight. This was the first elevation change we had since getting to Tibet. Kim climbed for a bit and told me she was too tired to go any further. So we let her sit by a incense burner. It was only when I returned that I found our why she wanted to stop. She had picked up a new man. They were conversing a lot by the time I got back. [I was quite a spectacle sitting alone on the steps of the monastery. I wasn't alone for one minute when a local woman came up to me and started gesturing for me to give her one of my diamond rings. She was very persistent, but eventually she gave up and wandered off. Next I pulled out a small Soduko puzzle book out of my bag and began working on a puzzle. Everyone that went by stopped and looked at what I was doing. One man even moved my water bottle over so he could sit on the step next to me and watch (thus my new man). I ripped out a page of the puzzle book and gave it to him. I don't think he had a clue as to what to do with the piece of paper, but he looked pleased. When Jon came back to where I was waiting he grabbed the sun screen out of my bag and started applying it to his arms. This also fascinated my new man because he thought Jon was spreading yak butter on himself. Ten Zin explained to us what the man thought Jon was doing and we all started laughing. Ten Zin now calls Jon "Yak Man".]

Road to Ganden Monastery 

Ganden Monastery 

Kim and her New Friend 

We went into the assembly hall for the monks. They were all there awaiting a meal. Unlike any of the monasteries we went to around Lhasa, these monks were not used to seeing tourists. It was like I was the center attraction. The all stared at me where ever I went.

Kim wanted to do some shopping when we got back. We went to Barkor Square where there were hundreds of vendors. Kim would pick out what she wanted and I would bargain for her. It was always fun to see the look on their faces when my opening bid was 10% of their original asking price. Twice we had to start walking away when they wouldn't drop their price any more. I was surprised how quickly they would settle on my final price. We still payed way more than the stuff was worth, but it was a lot cheaper than what we would pay back home. It was fun for them and me to negotiate on a price. Just when they would say "Last Price", I would give them a number and tell them I would not go any higher. I learned a valuable lesson. Always pay with exact change. One lady bartered with me for the 50 yuan in change. She wasn't too happy with me when it was over. Any time I would start bartering, a group of people would come over and watch. The vendors didn't know much English, but they kept shaking their heads and calling us cheap.

The Summer Palace was closed in the afternoon, so we toured the Tibetan Medical College. We were greeted by a tour guide and she showed us the ancient paintings/drawings that the Tibetans used many years ago. She showed us some ingredients they used for their cures. At the end, she asked if we wanted to have our pulses taken. I thought this was going to be a quick check-up, so I said "sure". She ushered us into a room filled with local people. The "Doctor" felt the pulse on both of my arms. He then made a diagnosis of liver problems. Hell, Sam Adams and Guiness could have told me that.

My New Doctor! 

We went to a dinner show that featured Tibetan traditional dances along with a buffet. Yak meat again was the head liner at dinner. We finally got to taste Yak Butter Tea.. Well, after all of the stuff we have read about this concoction, it wasn't that bad. It was close to a plain chowder. I'm sure that the stuff made by the locals along side the road may not be of the same quality. We had all kinds of funky stuff to pick from at supper. The entrees included sheep's lung, yak with onions, and lamb sausage (I really hope that the cook knew the word for penis and didn't just substitute it with the word sausage). I also got to try the local homemade beer (Chang). It wasn't bad.

Tibetan Dance