SERA to TSURPHU MONASTERIES

Sweet little nun that asked me to walk with her as she walked through the empty alley ways of the main compound at Sera Monastery. She is holding a spinning prayer wheel filled with handwritten prayer slips. 

The tour buses have left and I had the monastery practically to myself (and a cat that followed me around). The tower in the background supports a giant tapestry during special ceremonies 

Extremely quiet and peaceful afternoon wandering up and down the passageways around the priest and monks residences at Sera. This was our last day in Lhasa and we were about to set off on a big curving tour of sacred Buddhist sites

Driving west from Lhasa we past carpets of mustard plants and small vegetable fields. The valley elevation is at about 14,000 feet and the surrounding mountains reach up to 20 thousand foot ridges. Small farming villages dot the edges of the streams and springs.

It was June and the mountains were just starting to sprout green grass and wildflowers up their flanks. The hand built stone walls have grazing herds of yak and the occasional goats and sheep. They have to be hardy to live out in this climate.

Tsurphu Monastery, and the grand landscape its located in. The mountain is filled with dozens of little hermit caves and huts with prayer flags streaming up and down the ridges and sacred shrines.

The back of the monastery where the prayer rooms and residences stack themselves up the ridge. The alley ways were starting to starting to stir with the monks readying themselves for a special ritual ceremony.

Local pilgrim with spinning prayer wheel walking in from a nearby village. Very devout and quiet group of Buddhist worshippers doing the holy kora (trek) through the compound. 

The ceremony began with a procession of the holy relics stored in special chambers in the main priests house. On this special day the objects, wrapped in ceremonial packages are paraded down the stairs and up to the temple

Two monks looking over the temple relics before they are presented in the sacred ceremony. Lots of laughing and chatter going on before the grand ceremony

Two of the many pilgrims waiting patiently on the front stairs of the assembly hall/temple. While we were in the States we were told Tibetans didn't like to have there pictures taken or interact with "foreigners". Nothing could be farther from the truth. Everyone loved getting their pictures taken and then seeing the portrait in the cameras review screen. Wonderful people.

Chorten on kora (holy trek) away from the main compound. Various shrines dot the mountain side as we make our way to a sky burial platform further up the mountain. This was our first day traveling in the country and there was a wonderful spartan emptiness and crispness to the air.

Farther up the valley we encountered a Sky Burial site. This a sacred spot reserved for the preparing the bodies of dead Tibetans and giving their bodies to the Tibetan eagles (reincarnated royal deities) . This is meant for the mortal "shell" of the body to be also "recycled" and used endlessly. I must admit it was a mite strange to be walking over the remains of what were hundreds of people.

One of the young apprentice monks polishing a bronze statue that belonged in the Dali Lamas old summer palace. There were a batch of these folks out in the grass courtyard scrubbing and cleaning 

Ceremonial drums gathered in the basement of the summer palace along with flutes and horns. I thought it was beautiful as the afternoon light streamed through the windows. Every room had a natural color scheme through the building. The windows and roof were overgrown with plants and flowers 

Large fields of mustard plants that lined the roads we traveled through. The smell filled the valleys when we would be hiking around throughout the trip.

NAM-TSO LAKE & KORA

Driving from Lhasa we traveled North through huge valleys and storms that never seemed to touch the ground

The second highest salt water lake Nam-Tso Lake at about 16,000ft . Beautifully crisp and like its another world

The shores of Nam-Tso. The beginning of the kora, sacred walk around the island. The altitude was definitely making us feel the journey

The holy hands draped with curtains of prayer flags and scarves. These two rocks represent the balancing qualities of male/female dualities and squeezing in between erases sin

Local woman who had 4 children and was starting her kora around the local shrines. I found it amazing just how "burned" the average Tibetans skin was. The high altitude and lack of cover baked any exposed skin. 

Local sunburned stonecutters that inscribed prayer stones for tourists and pilgrims. Had a little dog that would keep him company in his little rocky workspace

The Woman/Male sacred rock towers, holy because they represent Buddhas hands in prayer . The white streaks are scarves that pilgrims have tossed up on the  rock walls. The higher the scarf, the better chance the prayer will be answered. Mines up there somewhere.

Older nun who asked us to come into her small room and have some yak butter tea. The room was carved out a cliff and covered by a natural limestone roof

At the start of the loop kora there is a small temple residence with a large prayer wheel. The woman would take your written prayers and place them in the wheel before it would start spinning

Under a large deep cave was a small shrine and its caretaker who cleaned and maintained the statues. Sat me down and told me about the night he saw a giant sacred dragon flying over the lake during a thunderstorm. So had our Tibetan guide.

The shrine and living quarters of the local monks where daily chants, drumming and prayers were given to various deities

The great expanse of Nam-Tso Lake with its clear turquoise water and crystal clear skies. The mountains still had snow in July and the air was thin as tissue paper 

A grandfather and son wandering over the kora trail. they would take turns looking after each other and the granddad would occasionally prostrate on the ground and pray

George walking around the shore on Nam-Tso Lake watching the afternoon thunderstorms build for the spectacular storm that evening

Jameson holding up a prayer flag that covers the entrance to what is considered the Buddhist limbo or purgatory. Just around the corner was the gateway to hell and heaven. Fairly intense

We stayed in a canvas tent as these huge thunderheads built and grew in this incredible deep blue sky

Sunset over Nam-Tso Lake and chortens. The place is so far north and high that sunset isn't until 10:30 PM. On the other side of the lake was a massive lightning storm heading towards us

White and black yaks wandered through the temple grounds as the clouds broke and a full moon emerged over the encampment. A rather surreal event walking around watching the lighting glow on the glaciered peaks and the bright moons reflection bounce off the tranquil lake