Breathless in Tibet
May 1, 2005 | 12:00am
I was told that as a travel writer and poet, I would never be complete until I visited Tibet, known as Shangri-La, the Land of Snows, and the Rooftop of the World. Once completely inaccessible to the world, this Buddhist kingdom is locked away in its mountain fortress in the Himalayas, the world’s highest peak. Draped in magic and mystery, riches and treasures, Tibet does not only enchant, it intoxicates in a way very few other places do. It offers splendid monastery sights, exquisite treks, stunning views of snow-capped mountains and a rich culture that antedates Christianity.
Tibet is a showcase of Buddhism. Their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, whose tireless efforts on behalf of world peace won for him the Nobel Peace Prize, fled the capital Lhasa in March 1959 at the height of the civil uprising against the communist invaders from China. The Tibetan god-king then established a government in exile in northern India. Tibetan exiles around the world fervently hope for the day when their Dalai Lama will return victoriously home.
It was only in the mid-1980s that Tibet opened its doors to tourism. With an altitude of 14,000 feet above sea level, and surrounded by dramatic mountain ranges, the highest of which is Mt. Everest at 24,000 feet, this breathtaking sanctuary is unsurpassable. No wonder it is included in the world traveler’s guide as one of "the 1,000 places to see before you die."
From Manila, we boarded a chartered Cebu Pacific plane to Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan province in China, then took a domestic flight to the ultra-modern Lhasa military airport which opened just last month. A pilgrimage of sorts over the Holy Week, I was joined by my group of 18 dear friends, led by Golden Airy’s Chris and Clota de la Paz, Lettuce King Lyndon Tan and his dad Ramon, Monchet and Marylou Albert, Loida Rapal, Vernon Prieto, Ina Ledesma, Mel Martinez, Armand Padilla, Bong and Yoyoy de la Paz, Fr. Gilbert Luis R. Centina III OSA, and Lolita Nocum and son Lawrence, Virette Bordador and Edwin Santos, who jetted in from Texas for the trip. Traveling by bus to the ancient town proper of Lhasa, I spotted herdsmen leading yaks to grazing pastures. The newly constructed highways in Tibet stripped away years of isolation, providing access to a world curious to witness a culture that has been painstakingly preserved by an indomitable race.
Two monks garbed in long maroon robes were sprawled in the middle of an adjacent country road with prayer wheels and beads in their soiled hands. Our Tibetan tour guide, Mandy, said they were prostrating their way across the country to Lhasa, which seemed to be endless miles away.
Protected only by crudely-padded knee pads and wooden blocks strapped to their arms, the monks stretched themselves from head to toe, took three steps forward and repeated the routine in perhaps the most extreme expression of religious fervor.
Evident everywhere were signs of Buddhism: Prayer flags in red, green, yellow, blue and orange hang from barren trees. At the giant statue of Buddha, our ace photographer Armand Padilla took pictures as our prayer requests were strewn into the gentle wind. Most people in Tibet adhere to the tenets of Buddhism, which is a ubiquitous force propelling endless rituals that assure good fortune and, ultimately, rebirth.
Blessed with the many wonders of nature, this plateau was once a turbulent sea. Two great earth plates lifted the Tibetan plateau from the bottom of the sea, giving rise to the world’s highest mountain ranges. To this day, the Tibetan plateau continues to rise in height. From such a visual experience, one feels the tremendous changes the planet has gone through and a sense of being out of time, out of space and out of breath. The air here is so thin, the oxygen supply being only 60 percent of what lowlanders are accustomed to. To combat the altitude sickness, which is characterized by throbbing temples, nausea and difficulty in breathing, every newcomer in Tibet must be prepared with available altitude- sickness pills and aerosol oxygen can sprays. We were advised to talk less, move slowly and not to make unnecessary movements to conserve our energy. For a while, I thought the raconteurs in our group, Loida Rapal and Vernon Prieto, turned contemplative. We used the oxygen machine provided in our five-star hotel rooms until we were acclimatized after a day or two, except for septuagenarian Ramon K. Tan. Tito Ramon, who is 72 years old, earned the moniker "Last Man Standing" for his tenacity to withstand the cold temperature and high altitude attributed to his daily tennis games, regular diet of grilled fish, fruits, veggies and lots of water.
Despite its zero-degree temperature, Tibet enjoys an average 3,000 hours of sunshine a year. The extreme ultraviolet rays have given the locals a golden complexion. Mighty torrents of sand and icy-cold winds, like a sculptor’s chisel, shaped the landscape of Tibet, an image of serenity and simplicity, revelry and reverence.
In this sparsely populated region, the monasteries and their vicinities have become the centers of activity. Dominating the Lhasa skyline is the Potala Palace, a monument of ancient architecture, which is the world’s largest and most intact, ancient castle-style complex situated on the highest altitude. The tombs of previous Dalai Lamas are preserved here.
Today, Buddhist monks lead the procession of chanting pilgrims to the Jokhang Temple, two kilometers to the east of the Potala. The mystical Jokhang Temple embraces a labyrinth of rooms and chapels containing over 250 statues, including a beautiful gold image of Buddha and the finest treasures of Tibetan art.
At the local market, crowds jostled in a maze of picturesque cobbled alleyways lined with street performers, teahouses that serve brews made from yak butter, and stalls hawking everything from prayer wheels to jeweled artifacts. It was like stepping into an MGM back lot where they shoot Westerns, but with Mongolian and Tibetan cowboys and cowgirls instead. In fact, many films have been shot here, like the 1937 James Hilton classic The Lost Horizon, The Golden Child (1986), and Bernardo Bertolucci’s Little Buddha (1993). But it was the release of Seven Years in Tibet, starring Brad Pitt, that truly popularized this ethereal haven.
It was Easter Sunday when my companions and I attended the Mass officiated by Fr. Centina. Our sojourn to Tibet was indeed a journey back to the beginning as we learned that respect for life and love for neighbor are in themselves a form of prayer that translates one’s religion into a way of life. As we stood breathless in Tibet, in our hearts we knew we would never be the same again.
E-mail the author at miladay_star@yahoo.com.
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