Kindness and Stupidity

Sometimes I feel like kindness and stupidity are two of compassion's greatest children. The thought of us sacrificing something, for the sake of helping someone may feel stupid. But at the end of the day, we feel conflicted because we really want to help them. And we are willing to sacrifice for them. Although at the end of the ordeal, we may end up suffering. And then, the cycle goes on.

Recently, something like this happened to me. I won't go into details, but to summarise stuff, I basically lent some money to this person that I'm not even close with because they need some financial help. I thought I was crazy. That I actually gave the hard-saved money that I have with me, to help this person. And now, I don't even have enough money to pay the weekly-cost I have for my workers. I don't even have enough money for their monthly pay which falls tomorrow! I think I'm really crazy.

The craziest part is - I don't even know if I will ever have my money back.

I was frantically thinking of a solution on Sunday night. And I was like Adhi, what the fuck did you just do? Haha. But hey guess what, maybe it was indeed a good karma or something. Everything got sorted out because suddenly my customers began paying me on Monday, and today. It's so bizarre. And I got some help from my dad as well. If not I seriously don't know what to do.

Here's the thing. I have this philosophy in life that I will help you, as long as I can help you. And I won't help you if I really can't. And also, I don't expect anything in return. Because to me that's the ultimate freedom. So even if people say they'll return my money back, and they don't, because of whatever reasons, what else can I do right? I really rely on my karma and their karma. 

If they don't return because they want to lie to me, then it's their problem. I won't make it a huge ass deal. Whatever they do that are out of my knowledge, they do it with whatever God they believe in and them. Or their life and themselves. Simple. Because I don't want to jump into any conclusion without knowing the absolute truth. It is the best way to make me suffer and make them suffer.

But I think that to be honest, the best way to help someone is to help them so that they can help themselves. I don't think that helping someone so that they can always rely to you all the time isn't really "helping" someone. Unless there is nothing else you can do but for them to rely on you.

It is really a difficult situation when an issue got your heart involved. I really really want to help everyone, and hope to ease the suffering of others. But sometimes you'll reach a point where you feel very conflicted with everything and you feel so confused. So well when this happens I try to let things go and hope that life will give me a way somehow or somewhat to get me out of this standstill. 

You know the craziest thing that happened is this. So today I opened a cheque for the monthly pay of my workers. I didn't realise that I don't have enough balance in my account. But somehow somewhat, one of my customers, who usually pay when the new month arrives (for this case, June), paid me yesterday. And so I actually did have enough money on the account. Or else....

So yeah. Kindness and stupidity may be two of compassion's greatest children. But don't worry, their mother will take care of you too. When you treat them with sincerity and willingness to help others.

Wherever I Go

Currently hooked on OneRepublic's new song "Wherever I Go". It's currently been on repeat! Although I told myself err I won't buy the song, and I'll just wait for the album to pop. But hell no, I can't just stream YouTube endlessly for the song haha. So yes, I bought it off iTunes! I really love the lyric "I feel alive when I'm close to the madness". It kinda talks about me. Somehow :P

Anyway talking about new song... I've been using Spotify these days! And yes, to listen to new songs haha. Like for example the new Yumi Zouma album was released last Friday, and well although I've pre-ordered my vinyl, I really can't wait to listen to their songs haha. And also Tegan and Sara new songs, and OneRepublic! I suppose that's a good use for Spotify heh. But no worries, I will always buy the physical albums, unless the artist decided to go digital forever. Which I hope won't happen.

Alright, time to share with you the great music of May!

Great Music of May:

- Warning Call (Theme from Mirror's Edge Catalyst) by Chvrches

- Wherever I Go by OneRepublic

- What's It Gonna Be? by Shura

- Gotta Find You by Disco Hue

- I'll Be Waiting by Disco Hue

Chvrches released a new song that they wrote for the game Mirror's Edge Catalyst and I love it a lot! The thing I love about Chvrches' songs is that they really have this signature of theirs that make their songs so awesome. And this new song from them definitely has their touch. And also I love the lyrics of this song. And everything else about it. Especially the synths! They are so so good.

Shura also released a new single called What's It Gonna Be and oh damn it's such a great pop anthem haha. Anyway I was listening to her interview on BBC Radio 1 about how the album is about making a connection with someone but it's not gonna work out (or something along the line). Well hey hey hey, looks like I'll have another album that I can connect deeply with into! It's like #storyofmylife

Disco Hue is an awesome band from Singapore that I recently discovered from YouTube. Their video for "Gotta Find You" was on my recommended tab again and well I really love the song! I kinda feel that they're the Chvrches of Singapore haha. I hope to see them live one day!

Alright that's all for the great songs of May. A few of my favourite artists are releasing new albums and materials in June and I can't wait for them! Tegan and Sara is one of them, and they're releasing LY2D next Friday weeee. I hope I can get their album in Indonesia though. I think I can.

Holding On

In Buddhism, we believe that attachment is the cause of suffering. Sometimes, however, I think to myself about holding on. How about our dreams? Our hope? Can't we hold on to them? Will doing so cause suffering? I think from what I understand, from my point of view, what the Buddha means is that we will suffer when we solely attach ourselves to things, without caring about anything else.

And also I think there's a subtle difference between holding on and attachments. Holding on is like us holding the hand of someone else, and then happily walking together in a park, under a beautiful sky. What a wonderful scene isn't it. Neither of us are hurt by our hands, holding one another. 

But attachment is like us grabbing someone else's hand strongly. We feel uncomfortable exerting such a force to someone else, and the other person is hurt by our grip. Both parties are hurt.

Across the years I've learned the art of letting go. To really just let things go, and not letting them affect me in any way. Let happiness be felt and then melted inside my heart. Let anger be raged and then burnt into thin air. Let sadness flow inside and then evaporated into nothingness. Sometimes it is difficult, but through habits, we can do this. And ultimately you'll become a happier person. Because you've learned not to let them control your emotions and your daily life.

As for me, I've been reminding myself about the voidness of life. And through this constant reminder, I find it easier to practise letting go. Like the Prajnaparamita Sutra said, form is emptiness and emptiness is form. The same goes for feelings and thoughts. It really helps to overcome challenges.

However just recently, I thought of something else. I think there is a form of holding on that can actually liberate you. I wouldn't say it's a perfectly good thing - but it is us holding on to hope and faith. Attaching ourselves to hope - is a form of letting go. To have hope in difficult times allows you to let go of your worries and in some way, help you to be a happier (or at least, neutral) person.

But of course, I'm not referring to us just simply doing nothing in life and hope that all the good things will come to us. That's plain absurdity. But at the end of the day, we'll be tested in the end, when what we were hoping for didn't happen. And well, we still come back to letting go haha.

I've been holding on to hope for a long long time. And it is something I will never stop doing. That tiny spark that might develop into a huge fire that destroys all your worries, that clears the obstacles in your path, and let you walk on a new road again. But even if this tiny spark is put off by life itself, a new spark will appear. And I won't feel sad or anguished that this tiny spark is extinguished. Because I will create a new one, no matter how difficult it is.

I suppose this is what life is all about? The creation of this endless spark.

Roaming Angels

 And all I wanna do is go home with you but

I know I'm out of my mind

Let me share with you an awesome awesome story of the internet.

So as some of you might know, the 16th of April was Record Store Day. A day where artists release special releases on vinyls. Shura released Touch and its remixes too on a lovely hot pink vinyl.

I tweeted to her asking if it'll be available for online shipping but she said it's only for UK release. But she retweeted me to see if anyone has information about record shops that provide international shipping. A flood of replies came in. But suddenly I received a message from this lovely lady from Glasgow who just asked me for my address. I told her I'll pay her back (somehow).

But then she replied me with: "I lived in Malaysia for a few years and I want to get you this as a thank you to the kind Southeast Asians I've met while I was there.". And upon returning from Tibet she sent me a delivery notice and tracking number, and here it is now! I am so so thankful and touched (pun intended) by her kindness and I did send her something from here as well. 

The internet can be a scary place. But we do have angels like her roaming around :')

Anyway, I haven't shared with you the awesome music I discovered in April! Well I didn't discover a lot of new music in April and May actually. Quite a few, but here goes!

Great Music of April:

- Dissonance by Hammock

- Boyfriend by Tegan and Sara

- I Only Tell The Truth by Charlie Lim

- Youth by Troye Sivan (Gryffin Remix)

Hammock released their new album back in April and it's truly a masterpiece! I fell in love with it, every song stroke a chord inside my heart. I think it is definitely the best album of 2016 so far. My favourite from the album is Dissonance. And it is one song that soundtracked my Tibet trip.

Tegan and Sara will be releasing their new album next month wee! They released their single, Boyfriend, and whew I love it! The only thing I don't like about this song is that it's too short haha. But it's an awesome song nevertheless. The other singles they released in this month is awesome too. I really can't wait for their new album! I discovered Charlie Lim from YouTube again. The video for his song "I Only Tell The Truth" was in my recommended tab and boom, I'm blown away. I really really love the song. I'm going to hunt for his album when I'm back in Singapore definitely.

Last but not least, another awesome remix by Gryffin is Troye Sivan's Youth! I was really hoping that it will be released before my Tibet trip but nope! Haha, it's okay I did buy it after I'm back. I really love the vibe and emotions of his remix of this song. It definitely gave me a different vibe from the original song. And I love this vibe, but I love the original version too! I love Gryffin, he's awesome haha.

Alright that's all for April music! Not too many I know, but they are awesome songs :P

Three Years On

 Ever searching for the world

It's the 25th of May once again, and today marks the third year that I'm back at home! It's been a pretty exciting journey so far, this past 1096 days. I've learned a lot, went through a lot, discovered a lot, and I am definitely a changed man now. Well the past one year has been an exciting one too. Lots of changes, and hopefully improvements. The only way is up, as always.

Today was rather a busy day for me, and it didn't occur to me too much that today was this special day. I suppose it's kind of a symbolism that I've landed in a different place now, and soon, this day will probably be just another ordinary day. But it's always good to remember, and take some time to contemplate and reflect on my journey. After all, the eleven years in Singapore have truly shaped me into who I am and where I am today. The decisions I've made, and so on.

I left Singapore with questions inside my head, and doubts inside my heart. For the past two years when I returned, there are things that I haven't let go of yet. Have I let go of these things? Definitely not entirely, but some, have left me behind. I didn't let them go, they seem to leave me alone.

The thing is... The past three years have been quite an interesting journey. It seems like in every year, life gives me more and more reasons to why I made the right decision. I've said this countless times but yes, I truly believe that everything in life happens, and doesn't happen, for a reason. And life doesn't necessarily have to give you the reason right away. Sometimes it takes years for you to understand.

But trust me, someday you will understand everything.

These five words, are some of my mantra. Like when I'm filled with doubts about a decision that I made, I always tell myself these words. Because so far, eventually, I understood why I made all the decisions I made. Life to me is a collection of serendipitous moments, that can happen anytime and anywhere.

Oh well I am very excited to see what life has in store for me in the next year. And I often wonder still, if this day will have any significance in the future. I'll try to make it a significance for sure. I don't really remember birthdays but I somehow remember the 25th of May like my own. Perhaps it is, because it is a day I embarked on a new chapter. And I'm still writing it now! 

Anyway, just wanna end of this post with a tiny poem I wrote tonight.

Three years on, and the ghosts 

of could haves and what ifs

have started to leave me behind.

They've found their roads

and I've found mine.

Happy Vesak Day 2016

 Happy Vesak Day!

Shakyamuni Buddha from Pelkor Chode

Hello again! First of all just wanna wish you a happy Vesak Day! May all living things be happy!

It's Vesak day once again, a day where Buddhists commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death (parinirvana) of the Buddha. It's a day where we contemplate about the Buddha's life, and to think of the Dharma - his teachings. Spent a good amount of time in the dawn meditating and reflecting about his teachings. He's my teacher in life, someone I look up to, and someone I wish I can have a conversation with. He's someone I admire with because he's a human who with all his dedication and determination, found a way to end the suffering in this life and become enlightened.

Every Vesak Day I also spend some time contemplating about being a Buddhist. Last year I spent the month of May knowing more about the Buddha himself. His core teachings and so on. Like I once said, I consider myself a "bad" Buddhist - because I only learn more about Buddhism back in 2011-2012. This year... I've decided to dig more into the Sutras. Currently reading more about the Prajnaparamita Sutra, and diving deep to find the significance of emptiness in Buddhism.

So far it's been going well. I've yet to finish a book which... I never seem to finish haha. 

Anyway I'm kind of convinced with the fact that Buddhism is really a great religion for people who question their existence in this universe. The more I learn about it, the more I feel that we are truly learning about ourselves and about this life in general through Buddhism. I used to ask myself a question like... Why am I here? What's the purpose of life? And Buddhism seems to give me lots of answers to these questions. Not in a clear, cut-throat fashion, but through contemplation.

My meditation has been going pretty well too. I've been meditating longer and longer in the past few months and I'm very happy with that. I still feel that meditation helps me a lot in life. And I always remind myself that practising the Dharma is not an A to B method but an on-going one. Even till my next life and so on. Till one day where my soul will finally be liberated from Samsara.

There are a lot of unanswered questions that I have about Buddhism. And I'm still on the conquest to search for them. Although well I'm actually very happy with the fact that searching for these answers are the most enlightening (duh!) part of Buddhism. Sometimes it is through random acts and situations in life that I find the most enlightening answers to my problems.

And so far my journey through emptiness has been going rather well. I'm going to talk about it in a different post. As crude as this may sound, but once you see through the emptiness of this life, you're on your way to becoming the happiest and richest person on earth. I've always believed that you need to see it first, before you can fill your life with all the great things you want it to be filled with.

Across my life as a Buddhists, I've encountered lots of people ridiculing our religion. Who the hell believes in reincarnation? How can you prove that there is life after death? You see the thing is does it even matter if there is life after death, when you dedicate and spend your life spending compassion and doing the best for the people around you? And that's what I love about Buddhism. Every human life is precious. And through the law and teaching of karma, we should really make full good use of our current lives to build up good karma to liberate our soul from this cycle of birth and death.

Thus even if at the end of our lives, we found out that "oh sorry it ends here", at least we live a life of goodness and kindness. And we don't "waste" our life away.

This is to me, my take on the emptiness of life.

Although to be honest, I think every religion is the same - they preach and ask their devotees to cultivate kindness and to live their life to the fullest. So... Even if there is no heaven at the end of your "good" life, does it matter? We've lived our lives to the fullest anyway! :)

Okay I think I digressed a lot heh. Alrighty that's all for today. Once again happy Vesak day and wishing you an awesome week ahead! Can't believe it's 9 more days till the end of May :O

Sabbe Satta Bhavantu Sukhitatta. May all living things be happy.

Tibet Trip Part 7 - Thoughts

Right, I've finally come to this post, where I will conclude everything about my trip to Tibet.

To begin with, Tibet has been a place I've been fascinated with since I'm young. And as a Buddhist, it is definitely a place that I've always wanted to go to. The culture, religion and people of this region have captivated me for a long time, and to have spent these 10 days in Tibet and experienced all of these, I felt really really happy. It feels like I've made an accomplishment in life.

The beautiful landscapes and endless blue sky, probably the clearest shade of blue I've seen, have really been a feast for the eyes. The rolling hills, snow-capped peaks, rivers and Himalayan mountains are truly a beautiful sight to behold. And driving across these landscapes, and to spend ten days, seeing different and amazing sights in each day, is definitely an unforgettable memory for me.

The Tibetan culture is also something that I've never come across before. The Tibetan people are some of the friendliest and amazing people I've met on earth. They are also some of the most resilient and devoted people I've met. I left Tibet with three words inside my mind that remind me of Tibet and her people. They are: resilience, devotion and compassion.

The resilience of the Tibetan people has won a place in my heart. Seeing the landscape that the Tibetans live in - where nothing much grows, really made me gain an admiration from them. The hard work and determination that they put in to grow crops in such a challenging environment is endearing. And you can also see their resilience in how they work together, be it doing constructions or renovations. How they would work together, and at the same time sing and do it with joy.

This is resilience. To find joy in times of toughness.

The devotion of the Tibetan people has humbled my heart too. Seeing people spinning their prayer wheels as they walk, doing prostrations in front of Jokhang and all the devotees praying in the temples are pretty endearing sights to me. And I am thankful to have shared some moments praying together with fellow Tibetan Buddhist devotees, and at the same time learning more about their religion.

Seeing them queuing to go inside the temple/monastery to offer their prayers, or to add yak-butter to the candles and lamps is pretty heartwarming to me. I've always believed that devotion is something that keeps a religion alive and going. Tibetan Buddhism will not be Tibetan Buddhism without this devotional practices that the Tibetans do with all their hearts every day. 

And I really hope that these practices can go on forever in Tibet.

Compassion is a central component of Buddhism and I see no wonder that it is reflected in the lives of the Tibetans. Refusing to kill, liberating one's suffering at time of death, wishing happiness to others - all of these are compassion. And you can see and feel them in Tibet every day.

Just to give a few examples - Tibetan farmers would come together to do prayers before they start ploughing their lands. They do this for the small insects and animals that might get killed in the process. Drivers would honk their vehicles from a distance when they see cows/yaks/sheep on the road or even near the road to warn them. Some would even stop their vehicles to let them pass. And when they see a bug got killed on the window or something like that, they would quickly offer a prayer.

You can even see compassion in their forms of burial - the sky burial or water burial. This form of burial is essentially a last opportunity that they can take to be beneficial to other sentient beings. And I find this really really.... Just serendipitous. I would gladly perform a sky burial for my funeral but I'm pretty sure it's illegal in Indonesia heh. I'll just let my body be fertilisers to the surrounding soil.

And in general, Tibetans are some of the most caring, kindest and sweetest people I've met. They would greet you, wave at you and smile at you. I didn't come across any Tibetan that made me upset in this trip. They truly have a special place in my heart.

These ten days in Tibet has been nothing else but an incredible journey and a dream come true for me. An adventure of a lifetime, and truly a spiritually enlightening and liberating experience. The resilience, devotion and compassion of the Tibetan people will stay and go far with me in life. I want to give nothing else but my blessings to the Tibetan people. Tibet has been amazing in every aspect of the region.

The Tibetans are to me an endearing symbol of the human spirit. 

I would also like to once again send my gratitude to two of our wonderful guides, whom I feel so thankful to have crossed-paths with. And also the people that have shared this adventure of a lifetime together with me. I will definitely miss all of you and the days we spent together.

Well so long Tibet. I hope that I can one day walk on your soil again. Thank you for everything that you have shared with me in these seemingly short ten days. I'm glad to have brought this body of mine to see you and your culture before I leave him behind in this world. Tujeche from the bottom of my heart! 

:)

Tibet Trip Part 6 - Mountain Passes

A stupa with Mt Nojin Kantsang on the background. At Karo La.

As promised, I'm going to talk about the mountain passes that we went to during the trip! These mountain passes offer beautiful views and thus they deserve a special post. We went to a total of 5 different mountain passes. Two on the way to Gyantse (Kamba La and Karo La), three on the way to Basum (Tropu La, Gyatso La and Pang La). They are all located in different elevations and offer unique views. From rolling hills, to snow-capped mountains and the Himalayan mountains.

 The view from Kamba La

Kamba La pass (elevation 4280m) is located right before we reached Yamdrok Lake. It is here that I broke my elevation record mwahaha. It is a beautiful mountain pass at the end of a winding road, offering a beautiful view of the roads and hills in the distance. Sadly the weather was a bit cloudy when we were there. But nevertheless the yellow grass and the grey sky kinda gave a wonderful scenery.

 The most bad-ass dog award goes to...

There were a few locals who were handling their Tibetan Mastiff dogs! And they are so cute haha. I took a photo of one of them, probably the most bad-ass dogs I've seen heh.

 Prayers flags near Karo La

The next pass is Karo La (elevation 5045m), it is located before we reached Gyantse. We went to two spots here. The first one is a spot before the pass itself with a beautiful view of the surrounding snow-capped mountains and there was also a beautiful stretch of prayer flags on top of the road. It is a beautiful sight to see, the prayer flags dancing in the strong wind.

 Mt Nojin Kangtsang. See the avalanche?

Then we came to the pass itself and in the background, stands Mt Nojin Kangtsang (elevation 7191m). The mountain is huge and it is still covered in snow. Near the pass there is a stupa with a picture of Guru Rinpoche. While we were there, there was an avalanche in the mountain. And I didn't realise that I took a photo of it after I returned home and went through the photos I took! Lucky shot I guess.

 Tropu La 

Thanks Angely for the photo!

On the way to Basum, we stopped by three passes. The first one is Tropu La (elevation 4540m) and it offers a beautiful view of the rolling Tibetan hills in the distance. It's a common restroom stop I think. So there were lots of other tourists in the pass while we were there. I was a bit annoyed cause there was this German tourist who was hogging a spot taking photos of himself. While I was there waiting for him to get out of the spot so that he won't be in the frame heh. Oh well, got some nice shots!

 Gyatso La

The next pass is probably my favourite pass from all of the passes we went to. And also one of my favourite places in Tibet - it's Gyatso La (elevation 5248m). It is the highest pass that we went to and it is so beautiful up there. There was a lot of prayer flags that people hang and we were surrounded by hills too. But the place itself sits on an empty grassland, and its vastness is just amazing.

 The prayer flags. That's one of the boys who helped me.

I hung the prayer flags that I bought in Lhasa here, with the help of two Tibetan boys. But my flags were not long enough so I bought two more from them. Tujeche for the help! I'm so impressed by how much they can jump around to help me tie my prayer flag while I was feeling breathless watching them haha.

 It's so quiet here

Some of us went to hike on top of a hill in the distance. I tried to catch up with them but gave up halfway haha. The wind was so strong and I was quickly running out of breath. So I ended up just sitting on the ground on the foot of the hill. just enjoying the afternoon sun. When the wind stopped blowing, the place became very very quiet. I was enjoying the serenity there. It is really a pretty place. I wish I could have hiked to the top though, the view on top must be amazing.

 Taken at Pang La. Everest is on the left, hiding behind clouds.

Last but not least on our journey to Basum, is Pang La (elevation 5050m). This was the place where I see the Himalayas for the first time in my life. The pass is located on top of a high hill that we reached through lots and lots and lots of winding road. I could still remember like falling asleep on my seat and then suddenly I heard everyone cheered. When I looked on my left, outside of my window, a row of mountains could be seen in the distance. I suddenly felt so alive and excited hahaha.

 Five of the world's highest peak! Taken on our way to Shegar.

The view is so amazing! Although sadly Mt Everest was hiding behind the clouds. But seriously, I will never forget this moment. I've never been in the Himalayas before and neither have I seen the Himalayan mountains. So when I was there at the pass, I couldn't help but to feel so happy to see them! I think all of us were truly wowed by the incredible view. And also it was here that I experienced the strongest wind I have ever felt. I couldn't even talk properly cause it was too strong :P

Alright that's all for the mountain passes that we went to! Next I'm going to talk about other places that we stopped by on our way back to Lhasa - Shegar and a few stops near the Yarlung river.

 Sunset in Shegar

We stayed in Shegar for one night before making our way back to Shigatse. I didn't get the chance to explore the town, but I did share a great evening with Angely, Karli and Will! So it was after dinner and Will returned to our room first. I went to see Jamie first to pass her some medicine and when I returned back to the room, Will was packing his bags and he asked if I wanna join him to see the sunset. It was still quite early so I joined him. And then we asked Karli and Angely and we were all set.

 Beer, sunset, laughter. What else can you ask for!

We went to this spot near a river that offers a beautiful view of the sun setting. Will bought a couple of beers and we were sharing them, over a chit-chat session and just appreciating the view in front of us. Although it was here when it hit me that... The trip is coming to an end. I really didn't wanna leave Tibet, it's been a wonderful wonderful 8 days in this beautiful land and well, that evening was really a great chapter of an incredible journey's epilogue. Thanks for that evening guys! I'm going to miss you all.

 Part of the Yarlung

On our way back to Lhasa on the 27th, we drove along the Yarlung river. It was a road that we haven't been on (we took a different route on our way to Gyantse from Lhasa) and the view of the river is amazing. The water of the river is turquoise in colour and we can see it flowing beautifully. 

 On our way to Lhasa

I was feeling really sad on that day because we would be leaving Lhasa the next day, heading for home. But well, the Yarlung river reminds me that time always moves on and nothing is permanent in this life. I am just holding on to the faith that I will one day return to Tibet. There is a time for everything and everything will be beautiful in its time. So well, I'm really hoping that I'll come back again :)

I was listening to a lot of Buddhist chants on our way back to Lhasa and as I looked out of the window, and reflect on the past 9 days, I couldn't help but weep a little. Because Tibet has been such an amazing amazing place, and the Tibetans are some of the most wonderful people I've met on earth. I really felt like I didn't want to leave this place. And I just want to give nothing else but all my blessings to this wonderful land and her people. I've definitely left a piece of my heart in Tibet.

Alright, that's all for this special post about the mountain passes, and that is all for the trip! I'm going to talk about the thoughts I have about this whole incredible journey in the next post, and conclude this Tibet series. It's been an awesome time reminiscing about my days there.

PS: Happy 1200th post my dear cloudsofsunday!

Tibet Trip Part 5 - Everest Region

 On top of the world. Sort of.

This is the last segment of my trip, and definitely its climax too. We left Shigatse for the Everest Region at 8 AM on the 24th of April. Our destination is Basum village which is located just about 40 KM from the Everest Base Camp. We had a long day ahead of us on this day, but it was definitely an enjoyable drive because we went to see so many beautiful places! We passed by three mountain passes (Tropu La, Gyatso La and Pang La), which I will talk about on a separate post.

 Basum! 

To zoom ahead, we reached Basum (elevation 4270m) at about 6.30 PM. Basum is a quaint little village and oh my goodness I wish I can stay for a month here! Anyway we stayed in a guesthouse owned by a local there. We went to our rooms first, the guys all shared one big room while the ladies shared small rooms together. We then hang out on the first floor. A super cosy living quarter with heating element in the middle. We were all given yak butter tea/black tea and it's such a comfort for the body.

 Prayer wheels near our guesthouse

I decided to walk around the village for a while. It was around 7 PM but the sky was still blue (the sun sets at around 8.40 PM) and it was such a pleasant evening. In front of the guesthouse there were a few local kids who were just so energetic! And they were asking us to play with them. Ruth was already playing with them, and she was asking me to join in cause she was running out of breath haha. Well it's not an easy feat to play with Tibetan kids at an elevation of 4270m. Karli and Angely were playing with them too. I decided to go in again cause I was feeling so cold.

 Ruth, the kids and I

I wish you all nothing else but great health and happiness!

The kids didn't give up and knocked on the house window to ask me to come out haha. So I had an idea. I brought my Ricola sweets with me and gave them. I felt so bad cause... They didn't like it! Haha. It was too spicy for them I think. After all they're like 4 - 6 years old. Some of them spit it out and they were saying "Ka-Tse! Ka-Tse!" and Jamin was telling me that it means spicy. So... I understood. Sorry kiddos! One day I'll come back and bring chocolate and sweets okay haha. Non spicy ones.

 Me hanging out with a friend I made in Basum.

Meet Tso-mo (which means lake)

They were so energetic! I didn't know what to play with them so I ended up just telling them stories outside of the guesthouse. Anyway something "awkward" happened hahaha. So while talking to them one of the girls told me in Chinese "Your teeth looks weird". Well yes I do have one tooth protruding out on my upper jaw. So well I just told them yes so you better brush your teeth daily okay! If not your teeth will look like mine haha. It's so funny but then they were nodding their heads and went like "brush teeth brush teeth!" I hope I taught them the importance of brushing your teeth teehee.

 This is the living room/dinner place. So cosy eh.

Dinner was served after that. A pretty wonderful noodle soup with egg for me! The weather was getting cold and so that bowl of noodle soup is super comforting for me. After dinner we hang around the living room again and suddenly the son of the owner of the house came and gave Angely, Karli and me shot glasses. I was like oh dear. But thankfully he only gave us beer hah. Well we're supposed to avoid alcohol in the high altitude but when the owner of the house gave you beer, you can't say no eh.

 They use yak dunk as fuel. No smell at all!

After that Richard, Scott, Will and I decided to do a night walk. The night sky was rather clear and it was scattered with stars. The stars looked bigger than what I usually see at home! And I was telling Will about this and he was like "Well you're 4000 metres higher than where you usually see them" haha. That's so true. I went back to the guesthouse shortly after that to go to sleep. So thankful for the thick blanket. I was happily snuggling inside. And in the blink of an eye dawn arrived and we woke up to leave for EBC! It was such an exciting dawn, couldn't believe that I get to see Everest.

I really love Basum and I wish I could stay longer! It's a beautiful village and locals are so friendly. Very thankful and grateful of the hospitality that the guesthouse owner has given us. Our one night stay in Basum will remain with me forever. Basum is really a place where life seems to forget itself, and reality seems to slowly drift away in the thin mountain air. What's left is just bliss.

 Mt Chomolangma and Rongbuk monastery.

Shot with my film camera.

We left for EBC at 6.30 AM and our first stop was the Rongbuk monastery, which is the highest monastery in the world. This was the first time that we get to see a clear, unobstructed view of Mt Everest, or also known as Chomolangma - Mother Goddess of The Universe. I could still remember going up that small hill and just literally dropping my jaws. I was so speechless. Never in my life have I expected myself to see Mt Everest with my own very eyes. And I am very very thankful for this day.

 Lost for words, really.

Seeing Chomolangma being bathed in the golden sunlight as the sun rises is one of the most beautiful scenes that I have witnessed in life. I was lost for words and I will definitely remember this as I lie on my deathbed. I always smile to myself whenever I look at the photos I took :')

We went to explore parts of the monastery after that. My guide was telling me that Guru Rinpoche used to meditate in this area! The monastery has a chapel dedicated to him and I prayed inside. Isn't it amazing how he once used to walk in the area, meditated and so on? I recreated this scene in my mind and whew, I wish I could see how this place was thousands of years ago. And even meet him!

 Inside of the tent. It's super warm and cosy.

This is the stove at the centre of the tent. I don't wanna leave haha.

After that we left for this area called the tents' hotel. Apparently you can spend a night here but due to the high altitude it's not really recommended. We went inside a tent where it is so so warm and comfortable. We were served with tea again and I just didn't want to leave it haha. I found out here that the weather outside was -6 degrees! This is the coldest I've been on earth. No wonder I didn't want to leave the tent. I was just sitting beside the stove. It's so cosy and nice heh heh.

 Still lost for words

The yellow tents are for the climbers!

To go to EBC, we had to take specialised shuttle buses that bring us from the tents' hotel area to the base camp. Well it's not exactly the "base camp" cause it's off-limit to people who don't have climbing permits but you can see it from the distance! This is the closest that we can get to Everest. And she gets more and more majestic and beautiful as we go nearer. It was very windy and I had to stop for like every 10 steps cause I was out of breath. But whetever it is, it's worth everything. I still couldn't believe what my eyes saw! The majestic Chomolangma in the short distance.

 The river near the base camp. It's so quiet here.

There were lots of yaks who were transferring supplies to the base camp. Despite the place being kinda crowded, it is surprisingly quiet. There was this blissful sense of emptiness and silence. Perhaps it's the altitude that we are in, and perhaps it's because we're at the roofs of the world. I was standing beside this small river that originated from the glacier of the mountain and I was staring in the distance. It felt blissfully serendipitous. Like the whole universe came to a standstill.

We then returned to our tent to have a quick lunch before we made our way to a town called Shegar, where we spent a night in Shegar before driving back to Shigatse. That was all for our adventure in the Everest region. Definitely a journey I'll never forget forever.

Heaven's calling in the distance. So I packed my things and ran.

I've always been so fascinated with the world, this planet we call our home. This place we live in before we leave our bodies behind forever. To be given the chance to see the highest peak of the planet is something I am feeling really grateful and thankful for. I left the Everest region with a good takeaway that the mountain has given me - a lesson in humility. I love being in the mountains, because they taught me how small we are in this world, but at the same time they taught me that we can also do great things in life. Don't give up, stay humble. And you're good to go!

I hope to see the South side of Mt Everest one day. So see ya in Nepal again, Mt Everest! :)

Tibet Trip Part 4 - Shigatse

Shigatse from the top

Shigatse is Tibet's 2nd largest city, and it is just about 2 hours' drive from Gyantse. We headed for Shigatse on the 22nd of April in the afternoon and reached the city in the evening, just in time for dinner. You can see the huge difference in the two cities, from the size and how bustling it is. We stayed at the Gesar hotel and it is such a wonderful hotel with great Tibetan designs in its interior. Kinda regretted not taking photos of the room's and hallways' design. It's pretty cool.

 Tashilhunpo monastery from the front entrance. 

Nope this is not everything!

The next morning we went to the Tashilhunpo monastery, which is the biggest monastery (by size) in Tibet. It is a beautiful monastery on a foot of a hill. And you can see how huge it is from the entrance of the monastery. We'll probably need around 2 days to explore the whole of the monastery ground haha. The monastery is built in 1447 and it is an important monastery for the Panchen Lama lineage. Tombs of the previous Panchen Lamas can also be found here. I didn't take photos of the interior though.

 A Tibetan lady doing prostration in front of the stupa

We first went to the three stupas near the entrance of the monastery. Locals can be seen doing a Kora around the three stupas, and some of them were doing prostrations too. I walked around the stupas three times as told by my guide, chanting some mantras as I walked around them. After doing so, while waiting for the others to finish taking photos, I sat on this chair together with the locals. They are so so friendly. So I had a funny conversation with this old man (with a translation help from our guide).

 The three stupas I walked around

So I was checking the photos I took on my camera when this man beside me looked on my screen. I showed some of the photos I took and he gave me his thumbs. We then had this conversation:

Old man: Where is he from? (In Tibetan)

My guide: In-do-ni-si-ya (This is how I know he's asking where I'm from)

Old man: Oh so we're neighbours! (Thinking I'm from India)

The two of us broke into laughter and we told him where Indonesia actually is. 

And he's like "Ohh so far!"

I asked if I can take a photo of him and he gladly said okay. I showed him his photo and he was just smiling. It was a funny conversation and I just love how friendly the locals are. I truly wish I can speak Tibetan and chat together with the locals. That will be so cool.

Tashilhunpo monastery is also home to the biggest Maitreya Buddha statue in Tibet. It is (if I don't remember wrongly) 26m tall and it is sooooo tall. The Buddha was posed in the sitting position and it is really huge and beautiful. The golden face of Maitreya was lit by the sun rays penetrating through the top of the hall. I couldn't stop staring at the statue when I was there. It's so majestic.

 One of the tombs of the Panchen Lama (centre)

And that's the courtyard

We then visited to the different tombs of the previous Panchen Lamas. Like the tombs of the Dalai Lamas in the Potala, the tombs of the Panchen Lama are also beautifully decorated with gold and jewels. There are different halls that houses the tombs of the different Panchen Lamas. Many locals prayed in front of the tombs to pay respect to the different Panchen Lamas. I prayed and paid my respect to them too, after all they are an important lineage in Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama.

 A section of the wall of the courtyard, with many paintings of the Buddha

After that we went to explore other parts of the monastery. There was a courtyard with a lot of paintings of the Buddha surrounding its walls. The Buddhas are painted in their different positions - teaching, meditating and resting. Many locals hang out at the courtyard. Most of them are probably resting after their prayers. We also managed to talk with a few young monks of the monastery! Some of them as young as me, and some even younger. Managed to take a few photos of the monks :)

 3 handsome monks from Tashilhunpo

It was indeed a beautiful morning at Tashilhunpo. The sky was blue and the weather was very pleasant. We then headed off for lunch nearby the monastery and after lunch, we were given a choice of either going shopping or going for a climb on the hill behind the monastery. This hill is part of a Kora route that the locals would take, going around the monastery. Well my luggage was already so full so I decided to go for the hike with Karli, Will and Richard! Although I ended up buying some stuff haha.

 The trail we walked on the Kora route

The route of the Kora is really beautiful. It is lined with prayer wheels on the right where locals would spin as they go along. On the left is the hill, which is decorated with prayer flags and also paintings of different Buddhas, Bodhisatvas and Deities on the rock. Also not forgetting, the number of mantras carved on rocks! It was a pretty sunny afternoon. Halfway along our hike I went to take off my jacket. It was probably the first time that I was sweating in Tibet haha. But it was a pretty lovely hike!

 Taking a break with this view. Priceless

At the top of our journey we were gifted with a beautiful view of Shigatse from the top. Seeing the houses so small from the top is a pretty amazing experience. We took a break at this spot that displays a wonderful  view of the city. Was feeling so thankful that I decided to join the hike.

 Tibetan men playing a Tibetan traditional game of sho

We then made our way down but instead of going the original Kora route, we took another route that passes the old town of Shigatse. And then we ended the trip on the old market where lots of locals were selling gifts and other Tibetan goodies. That's when I went shopping haha. Bought more gifts to bring back home and I also got myself a prayer flag with Richard. Yay for the offer the seller gave us.

It was close to 5 PM-ish when we finished our day. So we headed back to our hotel, took a break and we went for dinner. That was all for our adventure in Shigatse! I had a really lovely dinner with the group. And that evening made me realise how much I'm going to miss this bunch of people.

This was my 6th day in Tibet and I just fell in love more and more with her. The friendliness of the people, their devotion and compassion really humbled my heart. Discovering and exploring more and more beautiful places as the day went by felt pretty overwhelming (in a good way) for me. It is always in the middle of the journey that you realised how fast time is flying. I couldn't believe myself either, that we were halfway through the trip. But well, time always moves on.

Shigatse is a lovely city. On my 2nd last day in Tibet, when we were back in Shigatse for one night, I went to walk around the hotel area just to soak in the sights of the city. I wanted to walk from the hotel to Tashilhunpo again but I thought it was a bit too far and I was afraid I didn't have enough time.

Thanks for everything Shigatse! See you again, hopefully, one fine day.

Tibet Trip Part 3 - Gyantse

 An old lady spinning prayer wheels at Pelkor Chode Monastery

We left Lhasa for Gyantse on the 21st of April. We left early in the morning at 8 AM as we had quite a long drive to cover. Made a few stops before reaching Gyantse: two mountain passes (Kamba La and Karo La) and Yamdrok Lake. We also stopped by one a small town for lunch. I've decided to blog about all the mountain passes on a separate post because their beautiful views deserve a special post heh.

 Yarlung River

The first stop we made was a spot beside the Yarlung river. The river originates from Western part of Tibet, from a glacier near Mt Kailash, and flows all the way to India, where it is known as the Brahmaputra. It is such a beautiful spot that shows the river flowing, with some hills in the distance at the background. It was also a toilet spot and boy I was so happy that we stopped, cause I've been holding my pee for 1.5 hours since we left Lhasa haha. I was also enjoying the serenity in that place.

 Yamdrok Lake. Such blue water!

After passing through Kamba La pass we reached our next stop which was Yamdrok Lake. It is one of the four holy lakes in Tibet and we went to two different stops. The first was from the top, where we can see the beautiful blue colour of the lake from a hill. I have never seen a lake with such blue water before. The view on top was breathtaking. Thankfully I pushed myself to hike a bit on top of a hill because the view was amazing. Although I was having difficulty breathing and my heart was pounding.

 This is me experiencing my first snowfall. Click on the photo to see the snow haha

Why am I thankful? Because not only I got to see a beautiful view of the lake, but I also had the chance to experience my first snowfall! It was so funny cause we were making our way down when it was "drizzling". But then I saw white stuff landing on my jacket and I was like "Are these my dandruff? Shit...". And then I saw these white stuff disappear as it lands on my jacket. That's when I knew it was snow. Everyone was telling me it's snow - cause I've never seen one haha. Thanks for sharing my excitement and happiness guys! Although it was just a little, I'm still so happy that I experienced it!

 Nearer to the lake

We then made our way down and see the lake at a closer distance. The water is actually very clear when you see it at a close distance. I didn't want to touch the water cause well it is one of Tibet's holy lakes so yeah. But the sky was blue, the water was crashing gently, it was truly a beautiful sight. 

Lunch at a nearby small town was followed. I was feeling quite unwell then. Not sure why but I was feeling feverish and my heartbeat was still rather quick. But I felt so much better after lunch. Must be my hungry stomach I suppose. We then made our way to Karo La pass, and then to Gyantse. We reached Gyantse at 5.30 PM plus if I'm not wrong, and went for dinner soon after that.

My first impression of Gyantse is that it reminds me a lot of Duolun in Inner Mongolia. A small town, not too many cars, and strolling on the street to go to our dinner place makes me feel like I'm back in 2011, in Duolun. And I quickly fell in love with Gyantse heh.

 Main prayer hall of Pelkor Chode

In the next morning, we explored Pelkor Chode monastery. It was built in 1418, which means it is over 600 years old! It is a beautiful monastery and thankfully we were allowed to photograph the inside of the monastery after donating a fee to the monastery. Inside the monastery there are three beautiful statues of the three Buddhas. Dipankara - the past Buddha, Shakyamuni - the present Buddha and Maitreya - the future Buddha. They are some of the most beautiful statues of the Buddha that I've ever seen. Surrounding the main prayer hall are different statues of Avalokitesvara.

 Shakyamuni Buddha

Our Tibetan guide told us that we can get three Katas (Tibetan white scarf) by making a donation to the temple, and we can throw them towards to statues of the different Buddhas after praying and making a wish. So I did that but sadly my Katas didn't land on the statues (unlike our guide ones) hahaha. Anyway I'm very thankful of her who told one of the monks that I was a Buddhist. The monk gave me pieces of colourful cloths which were once the cloths of the Buddha statue's robe. My guide was telling me that people usually use it to treat themselves when they have sore eyes or headaches, by rubbing the cloths to the part you feel discomfort at. I gave some of the cloths to my parents and sister.

 The Kumbum Stupa

The monastery is also home to the Kumbum Stupa, which is the biggest stupa in Tibet! We can walk inside the stupa but sadly it was under renovation so we couldn't go in. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful stupa to behold! I managed to go inside one of the chapels in the stupa and it was painted with different paintings of the Buddha. It's a beautiful painting. Also on top of the stupa are some Tibetans working on the renovation. They were singing and stomping together while working. It was a wonderful scene :)

 This is what happened when a Tibetan boy grabbed your camera haha

Something funny happened at the monastery. There was this old Tibetan lady with her grandson sitting on the monastery ground. Angely and Karli were playing with him and I approached them. I asked him to have his photograph taken but he approached me instead and took my camera away, wanting to take some photos with it. So I hang the camera strap around his head and he was just firing my camera away hahaha. He even asked us (and a random Taiwanese tourist) to pose for a photograph.

But hey I think he has the potential to be a photographer. Hope to see your photos one day, boy!

 Gyantse old town

We walked to our lunch stop after exploring the monastery. We walked through the old town of Gyantse to go to our lunch place and oh my goodness, it's such a charming part of the city and I want to stay in one of the houses over there for a few days! It was a very quiet part of the day and it truly adds to the charm of this part of Gyantse. There was no one on the street, except for a few sleeping dogs and cows chilling out on that sunny day. Walking to our lunch place really really made me fall in love with Gyantse. It's a small town with a magical charm to it. I hope I can go back here one day! :)

 

Tsampa mill

After lunch we started making our way to Shigatse, which is a not so far drive away. On our way there we visited a tsampa mill to see how tsampa is made. The mill was powered by running water from a stream nearby and it's pretty cool to see that. Although again, it's funny how I left the mill with so many tsampa on my face, hair and jacket haha. Lesson learned: Don't lean on anything in a tsampa mill!

 Two Tibetan farmers

We also stopped by a farming village to see some farmers in action. First of all, I was really shocked to see the condition of the soil because it has a very sandy texture. The farmers were preparing the land to grow barley. This is how I learned about the resilience of the Tibetans. In such high altitudes, nothing much grow. But yet they are so hardworking and resilient to grow these crops. Also they don't use any machinery but cows to plough the land. Their hard work is really endearing.

 Look at that view!

But actually a few moment after that, the wind carried some sand here.

I would gladly be reincarnated into a Tibetan farmer in my next life. Because I get to work on a land with such beautiful views! Just look at that man. I'll be so happy to go to work everyday haha.

Alright I guess that's all for Gyantse. It is one of my favourite cities in Tibet. I'm truly charmed by its tranquility and by Pelkor Chode too. Seeing the beautiful statues of the three Buddhas feels like a blessing too. You see, walking inside places that have been here, on this planet, for hundreds of years, is always a spiritual affair for me. Because time is probably one of the greatest mysteries we have.

Well, so long Gyantse. It was a beautiful day exploring a part of you. I hope we can meet again.