Around Lhasa - Ganden and Sera Monasteries

We were keen to see some of the surrounding sites, not just restricting the 4 days based in Lhasa to the city itself, and so on our 3rd day we had a day trip to Ganden monastery about 45 km out of town. It is set high on a hill top in a natural amphitheatre with beautiful views over the surrounding countryside. We really felt the benefit of traveling with a couple of journalists (though our American companions were calling themselves teachers for the duration of Tibet) as we spoke to several people who answered questions we would not have asked ourselves. They were understandably reluctant to answer several more probing questions about the government and current situation for those following their way of life but we were left in no doubt that the clamp down after the protests in 2008 was severe with hundreds of arrests and many new rules brought in, perhaps the most extreme being that it is currently not possible for any budding monk to join a monastery, they must instead simple practice their religion at home. We also learnt of the huge police and army presence ant this one monastery alone with there being 200 to 500 soldiers and police resident at any time. This number is in comparison to the 300 monks that live in the complex which once housed around 3000. The other "big brother" fact we learnt is that at the sites in Lhasa plain clothes police often follow guides to ensure that the so-called correct version of history if being told and to add to the risk of any slip-of-the-tongue many of the city monks are actually Chinese with little interest in religion but instead have a role of reporting any such issues (from guides or fellow monks) to the relevant authorities. All this information simply added to the sense of injustice about this area and gave us a good understanding about why some of the facts we had been told contradicted our other sources of information. All in all our visit was not only interesting but the monastery and surroundings were beautiful making the site worthwhile in its own right. (our companions articles can be found here and here)

our final day in Lhasa, after rising early to photograph the sunrise over the Potala, was spent first at the free (cost) Tibetan Museum which housed some interesting exhibits and propaganda before heading to Sera monastery on the city outskirts in the afternoon. Here the monks gather every afternoon to hold lively debating sessions on the finer points of their faith. It was heated but all very good natured with monks gathering in groups of 2 to 4 and every question or answer accompanied by an elaborate hand slap and arm point. there was a large number of tourists gathered around the courtyard to watch these antics though it was still a good spectacle to witness. In the evening we had dinner with our guide before she left us after an amazing 4 days, some of the best of our trip so far.