Day 67 - Ganzi

27.09.09

We all have a bit of a lie in, which is sweet and then at around 9am we head off to the downtown monastery (Gompa). It's situated down a small lane and is being circled by a procession of Tibetan people who spin the prayer wheels on the outside as they walk around the building. It's quite a sight and apart from the Gompa in Tagong, this is the first glimpse I have seen of real Tibetan Buddhism. Inside are people doing full body bows, first on their knees, then hands, and lastly with their whole body flat on the ground face down. We get what I can only describe as blessed by one of the monks, who asks us to drink some water, then rub it into our heads and he says a few words during the process.

After our downtown experience we have a walk out to Ganzi Gompa which is situated on a hill overlooking the town and with snow capped mountains in the distance. When there Denis decides to get his head shaved by one of the monks and I am tempted, but the cold of the evenings and the rest of my high altitude adventure quickly puts me off, but what better place to get your head shaved... by a Tibetian monk in a monastery at near 3500m. When at Ganzi Gompa, we are also invited for tea with one of the monks. We sit in his room in the Gompa and watch videos of the Dalai Lama receiving awards in different countries and the many speeches written about him. The monk talks about the riots in the previous year and how he was imprisoned and beaten, how people were killed in Ganzi and the excessive levels of force that the military and police used to calm the unrest. It all gets very emotional, the monk starts crying as he talks about the events that happened and how he hopes for a free Tibet, overall he has been imprisoned 3 times and is now 28. The monks all seem to have a false hope that the west will help them out and apply pressure to China to give Tibet it's freedom. They see the Dalai Lama received by all the European countries and America and think that we will help them, although in reality, it's all good to put on a good face but when it comes to actual action, it's not going to happen.

Today was my first insight into the conflict between Tibet and China and how it has affected people. On the surface there are lorrys roaming around town lined up with soldiers holding assault rifles and fully laden in combat riot gear and Tibetan monks hiding 'illegal' videos of the Dalai Lama and forbidden books, but then beneath the surface the situation between the two people is a lot more complicated.

Day 66 - Tagong, Ganzi

26.09.09

It's the Israeli expedition to Litang at a bright and breezy 8am, they board their minibus and prepare to take the 4014m high town by force. It's been good fun talking with them and travelling around with a big group of people, but my loneliness doesn't last for long. I go and get ready to wait for my bus to Ganzi, which is supposed to pass through at around 2pm on it's way up from Kanding. While waiting I run into a French couple, who I met briefly a few days before, they are also going to Ganzi and so we band together for the journey. Due to the bad weather it turns out the bus might not arrive or it might not be able to get all the way to Ganzi on the dodgy roads, we decide to cut our losses and take a mini bus to Ganzi which ends up costing a little more, but we are assured of making it to our destination.

We end up changing vehicle 3 different times, and feeling like we are in a game of pass the parcel as we are shifted from driver to driver, each one with a worse Rally Driver mistaken identity. By the time we are in our third and final car, it's night time and pitch black, yet the driver still thinks he is Colin McRae and takes the corners like he is driving in the World Championships. What makes it even better is that we actually take off about every 30 seconds and catch so much air that Tony Hawk would be proud. When we arrive at Ganzi at a sleepy 10pm I can honestly say that it was the most ridiculously dangerous driving I have ever experienced.