Photos from Tibet!

< Newer | Older > Mon, 05/07/2007 - 12:00 — Gavin

Hi Everyone,
I have just recently arrived in Bangkok after leading another Himalayan Studies Semester for Where There Be Dragons (WTBD). A few people I have met recently have been asking me about WTBD... If anyone is curious about this organisation and the student programs they run throughout the developing world, I'd be happy to answer them.

In a few days I am flying to Seattle for my two climbs on Mt Rainier - the first of these, the Kautz Glacier climb, is less than four weeks away! After a few days rest, I will be back on Rainier to climb Liberty Ridge. This is going to be a huge climb, and I am really looking forward to it. But I'll write more about this once I am in Seattle.
 
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these photos from Tibet that I took during my recent stay there.

FOR BEST VIEWING: I've been having some technical issues and haven't been able to get the formatting right. Believe me it's not for a lack of trying! It may be best to view these images by just clicking on them individually, as there seems to be a snag in the "slideshow" function. Hopefully that works.

Cheers,
Gavin

Langtang village and monastery, about 2 hours north of Lhasa. Few westerners ever stop here, let alone spend two nights camping in the yard of a Tibetan family's home! I climbed the little peak in the background with one student.Spectacular scenes soon become the norm in Tibet! This is on top of the peak seen in the background of the above photo of Langtang monastery. Guru Rinpoche, the Indian master who brought Buddhism to Tibet in the 8th Century A.D, is revered across Tibet and his image is seen and worshipped in many of the temples Shannon, one of my amazing co-leaders, looking out towards the mountains from Drak Yerpa meditation caves, which are located about 30 kms east of Lhasa at an altitude of about 4500m.

One of the spectacular eagles nest meditation hermitages we visited in Tibet. Monks spend years in solitude in these hermitages perfecting the practices of Tibetan Buddhism.

                                                                       
                                                                     

                                                                        

 

 


 


 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      

   

                                                                  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Finding time for a brief pause, but certainly long enough to appreciate the incredible view of the north face of Everest from Tingri in Tibet. Note the slit in the childs pants – no nappies in this part of the world! A common site throughout Tibet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


The great Potala Palace, home of the Dalai Lama’s. Even though it has been turned into a museum and does not feel especially sacred inside, it is one of those buildings that once viewed, you remember for the rest of your life. What it symbolises for Tibetans is enormous; it encapsulates the entire struggle of the Tibetan people.

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

Lhasa is a rapidly growing Chinese city. This street is known as Beijing Dzonglu, and is one of the main streets in Lhasa. Still, the Potala rises above it.

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 


What are unthinkable cooking conditions for us, is just the norm in monasterys and households right across Tibet. Still, entering one of these kitchens does feel like you are stepping back into some far gone primitive age.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Talk about unthinkable! These are toilets, Tibetan "long-drop" style.

 

 

 

 

 

Tserphu Monastery, about 70 kms west of Lhasa. For hundreds of years Tserphu was the home of the Karmapa, a very important figure in Tibetan Buddism. Then in 1999, the current Karmapa, a young boy of 17, fled his home and his country in the middle of the night. He arrived in India some 3 weeks later, where he has since been given refugee status. He lives in Dharamsala.

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


The Future Buddha, Maitreya, who Buddhists believe will oneday come to the world with compassion for all beings.

 

 

 

 

I was fortunate to catch this beautiful rainbow, which seemed magical as it brought some rarely seen colours to this typical Tibetan village.

A Tibetan juxtaposition - our new Chinese bus was quite a sight parked up next to the home where we ended up pitching our tents for two nights in Langtang. The young Tibetan kids certainly took plenty of notice!

Tibet is an ideal place for "bus trekking", especially in one that is equipped with a DVD player. Come evening time, after a day on the bus, we'd all get back on and watch a movie, which the students (and the leaders) really enjoyed! Here we have the gang, behaving well, on the drive back to the Nepal border from Lhasa.

My great friends and wonderful co-leaders, Adrian and Shannon, better known as Bodh and Herb.


 

Messages

Fantastic photos, Gavin!!!

Mary Clare Reinhardt — Tue, 05/08/2007 - 07:26

WOW!!! Beautiful pix and great commentaries for the captions! The Langtang village and monastery is amazing; I am surprised that more westerners don't take the time to see this beautiful place. The eagles nest meditation hermitages are fascinating! Gorgeous pic of a full rainbow over the hillside and village. My favorite photo...Shannon looking out towards the mountains from the Drak Yerpa meditation caves. I would love to be there! What an amazing opportunity for the students to experience Tibetan culture at such a young age. Great program.

You will be in my neck of the woods when you get to Seattle. I am from Vanc., WA just a few hours south. I am excited that I will be climbing to Camp Muir on Mt. Rainier this weekend with a small group as a training hike for my Kilimanjaro trip. I also hope to climb Rainier one day. Good luck on your upcoming climbs and enjoy your time on the beaches of CA. (I lived in S.D. and O.C. most of my life.)

Thanks for the update; I am looking forward to trekking the Annapurna Circuit one day soon.
MC  

"Anyone can just stand in the spotlight, success goes to the one who makes the spotlight move." mc

Thanks

Gavin — Sat, 05/12/2007 - 16:32

Hi MC,
I am glad you like the photos. Yes, they are stunning places we visited and the students are really fortunate to have those experiences at such a young age. In reality, sometimes it takes them years to realise how fortunate they are....once they are back home and reflecting on their lives, the magnitude of what they have seen and done and felt really dawns on them for the first time.

I hope your climb up to Camp Muir went well. When are you going up Kili?

I hope you get to Tibet oneday.

Best wishes
Gavin

Thanks, Gavin

Mary Clare Reinhardt — Mon, 05/14/2007 - 19:53

My climb to Camp Muir was amazing. I posted a few pix on the forum of this site. Here is the link. Enjoy your climbs on Rainier. It is a beautiful mountain!

I will start my climb of Kili on June 25th via the Umbwe route (more difficult but less traveled). I hope to summit on June 30th; a full moon and my 50th b-day.

The best,
MC

see you soon

dharak — Wed, 05/09/2007 - 13:31

hey Gav,

What excellent photos! To be honest, I couldn't see 'the split in the pants' of the young Tibetan, till I realised (after I put my glasses on) that it wasn't a split I was looking for, but rather that I had found a bare derriere!! Nice one, with the majestic Everest in the background, life goes on as usual for all who live there.
Also impressed (not) with the loos.

Looking forward to seeing more of your photos and hearing about your journeys when we meet up real soon! Can't wait - just wish there was someone here to pack all my stuff now that all your gear is organised and packed away!

L Dhar

great photos!

book — Sat, 05/12/2007 - 08:57

sounds as though you have had a marvellous trip. good luck on mt. ranier. [ken.nz]

Tibet photos

Gavin — Sat, 05/12/2007 - 16:35

Hi Ken,
Good to hear from you. Where do you live in NZ? I was there in January and was fortunate enough to get up Mt Aspiring, via the SW ridge. It was a fantastic climb on a beautiful mountain.

Glad you liked the photos...it is easy to be a good photographer in a place like Tibet!

Cheers
Gavin

aspiring

book — Sun, 05/20/2007 - 03:02

i'm from auckland but love the south island.the southern alps have some great peaks and excellent climbs! 'regards [ken]

hey mate!

benmitzner — Sun, 06/03/2007 - 17:08

awesome pics from Tibet. looks like you guys had a great time! it must have been a sweet end to the trip to hit Tibet last, eh? so, i think you are maybe already in California?? i dont know exactly when youre starting your ranier climbs, but if i dont hear from you before those, have some good climbin', and have FUN!

peace
Ben

Hey ben!

Gavin — Fri, 06/08/2007 - 05:57

Ben,
great to hear from you. i often think of you (and the crew) and imagine what you are doing. Listening to David Gray still takes me back to the drive to Darjeeling that night...

I am in Seattle and have just finished my first climb on Mt Rainier, via the Kautz route. I made it to the top in pretty bad weather just a couple of days ago. It was a big climb in the end, some steep ice and snow, strong winds, and the freezing level was just 5000feet, which made it mighty cold on the summit.

A bit of a rest now before getting back there again soon for another route on the north side of the mountain.

Thinking of you,
Cheers
Gav

Blown Away

Visitor — Thu, 06/07/2007 - 18:15

Hello,
We are two students who feel your accomplishments are extremely inspirational and we think that you are also a very good photographer:) The pictures are amazing!! What a job/privledge/inspiration!
Thank you
Kt&El

Thanks!

Gavin — Fri, 06/08/2007 - 05:36

Hi Kt and El,
I am really happy that you have heard about this website and you have enjoyed looking at my photos. They are great places to experience - and taking good photos there is easy.

How did you hear about MyEverest? A recent trek through the Himalayas...?

I have just finished my first climb on Mt Rainier in Washington and made it to the top in bad weather via the Kautz route. It was a great climb. I'll be posting some photos in the next few days.

Thanks for writing,
Gavin