On track for Kham, the other Tibet

We are on the ”road of tea and horses” between Yunnan and Tibet. A historic route that allowed Chinese and Tibetans to trade Tibetan horses with sturdy toughness against the Chinese tea popular with Tibetans. We go to the city of Yaan, well known for its tea plantations that we see and Chinese paper.

On the way we stop at Luding to see the famous chain bridge built by the Tibetan master Thantong Gyalpo. These steel chain bridges were built in eastern Tibet and Bhutan in the 15th century. Thantong Gyalpo is one of the big instigators. He was a Yogi, metallurgist, architect and doctor. At Dergué we will see the Gochen monastery he founded. Its representation is common in the monasteries of the region. Arrival in Kangding (Dartsedo of Tibetan name). It is the door of Tibet. Alexandra David-Neel stayed there as well as the Dalai Lama. Alexandra David-Neel went on a trip with her adopted son Yongden in 1937 at the age of 69 by the Trans-Siberian to study Taoism. She retired for 5 years in this monastery. This is the place where she learned of the death of her husband.

We visit in the morning the main monasteries of Kangding. The Buddhist and Taoist monastery where Alexandra David-Neel stayed. The Ngachu Gelupa Monastery in downtown. The Gelupa monastery (formerly Kagyupa) of Lhamotse. The Ningmapa Monastery of Dorje Drak, the ”indestructible rock” in Tibetan was founded in the 17th century and destroyed during the Chinese invasion and cultural revolution.

Transfer / Transport: in a private vehicle (4 hours, 414 km)
Meals: breakfast at the hotel – lunch in a local restaurant – dinner at the hotel or in a local restaurant
Accommodation: night at the hotel in Kangding
Altitude at the end daytime: 2,616 m

We take the road to Tagong (Lhagang in Chinese). After passing Gyela (4,300 m) we arrive on the Tibetan plateau of Minyak. Zhara Lhatse (5,800 m) dominates the valley.

We see many beautiful and imposing houses (rongpa) then a few drokpa (shepherds or nomads). Chortens, prayer flags and prayer wheels begin to appear.

The legend says that the Chinese princess Wengchen then on her way to Lhasa where she was to marry the Tibetan king Songsten Gampo (7th century), was carrying a statue of Jowo Sakyamuni which was later stored in the first Buddhist temple in Tibet ”the Jokhang ”. On the way to the current site of Tagong Monastery, the statue fell from the chariot expressing the desire to stay in this place. The princess built a replica that was stored in the Tagong Monastery built on this occasion. Sakyapa Monastery has a beautiful row of chortens and prayer flags. Installation in hostel or local hotel.

Transfer / Transport: by private car (2 hours, 110 km)
Meals: breakfast at the hotel – lunch in a local restaurant – dinner at the hotel or in a local restaurant
Accommodation: night at the hotel in Tagong
Altitude in end of the day: 3,730 m

We take advantage of this morning to visit the nunnery of Manijiago which is very active. Juga Rinpoche the great master of the region takes care of this place, he has just built a monastery on the plateaus opposite Zhara Lhatse.

We have the opportunity to do one of the walking tours. Number of hours walking: between 3 and 6 hours
Transfer / Transportation: private vehicle (110 km, 2 hours drive)
Meals: breakfast at the hotel – lunch in a local restaurant – dinner at the hotel or in Local restaurant
Accommodation: Overnight at hotel or hostel
Altitude at the end of the day: 3,100 m

The beautiful road to Manigango.

We pass by the hermitage of the ”pierced rock” that we visit. Manigango is the nerve center of the many nomads of the region, there is an impression of Far West. Like cowboys, nomads come regularly on motorbikes or on horseback to get supplies and attend ceremonies. Every summer, horse races are organized as well as monastic dances. Settling in an inn or homestay for 2 nights.

Transfer / Transport: private vehicle (270 km, 5 hours drive)
Meals: breakfast at the hotel – lunch in a local restaurant – dinner in a local restaurant
Accommodation: night in hostel or homestay in Manigango
Altitude at the end daytime: 3,880 m

We visit the Sakyapa Monastery of Manigango, on the hills the monks are accustomed to go in search of medicinal plants. The nunnery is adjacent to the monastery. We then walk along the sacred lake of Yilhun Latso with its prayer flags, painted rocks and hermitage. A fairyland emerges from this place, far in the heights a blue bear (the grizzly Himalayas) sometimes confused with the Yeti was observed.

Transfer / Transport: by private car (6 km, 10 hours drive)
Number of hours of walking: between 3 and 6 hours
Meals: breakfast at the hotel – lunch in local restaurant – dinner in local restaurant
Accommodation: night in hostel or homestay in Manigango
Altitude at the end of the day: 3,880 m

We take the road to Dergué, in the heart of Kham. Dergué ”land of compassion” in Tibetan was the seat of the Kingdom of Dergué. It was also in this city that King Gesar of Ling was born. Dergué is famous for its printing press, one of the three largest Tibetan printing houses, where Kanjur, a collection of texts directly attributed to the Buddha, and Tanjur, a collection of commentaries on Buddha’s words, have been printed on wooden blocks since the beginning of the 18th century.

We visit the famous printing press of Dergué and the monastery of Ganchen. The printing press of the Buddhist monastery of Dergué has been printing, for almost three hundred years, the Buddha’s words as well as the 41,000 pages of commentary that interpret them. Called the ”heart of Tibetan culture”, this printing press is the largest of its kind in Tibet. Neither mechanization nor chemical substances have changed the paper making process and its printing have remained the same since 1729. Home to more than 200,000 hand-engraved wooden boards over the years. The printing press and its library alone contain 70% of the Tibetan literary cultural heritage; an inheritance fortunately spared because rescued justly during the Chinese cultural revolution which should have seen its total destruction. Today, about one hundred lay employees work there. As in the early eighteenth century, the design of books begins with the manufacture of paper from roots of local plants soaked, pressed and dried. Then comes the xylogravure of the text boards, who will pass later under the impartial eye of the correctors. After the development of inks, made from natural pigments, we can proceed to the printing itself. Ganchen Monastery was founded by Tibetan yogi of the 15th century Tangthong Gyalpo, founder of the Tibetan Opera ”Ache Lhamo”, initiator of the iron bridges, it was also a ”therton”, a treasure finder who were, in reality, teachings ”hidden” by some great masters so that other yogi find them at the right time. The monastery was completely destroyed in 1950 and then rebuilt in 1980. The 3 main temples are dedicated to Guru Rinpoche (the founder of Tibetan Buddhism) Sakyamuni (the historical Buddha) and Maitreya (the Buddha of the future). Perhaps we will have the chance to attend a philosophical debate that takes place.

Transfer / Transport: by private car (5 hours, 150 km)
Meals: breakfast-lunch-dinner
Accommodation: night in hotel
Altitude at the end of the day: 3 800 m

We take the road to Dzongsar, in the heart of Kham. On the way we visit the Palpung Monastery which means ”the glorious union of studies and practice”. The monastery, built on a hill in the 18th century is of Kagyupa obedience. The 16th Karmapa was enthroned there before joining the mother monastery of the lineage (Tsurphu) in central Tibet.

The monastery today has 800 monks and is the main Karma-Kagyu monastery of Kham, which has 180 branches in Tibet and abroad. In the past, the monastery library housed up to 324,000 texts and more than 10,000 thangkas. It was destroyed in 1950 and rebuilt. Today very alive, it is located in a beautiful setting, in front of a forest and many paintings on rocks adorn the surroundings delicately.

Transfer / Transport: by private car (5 hours, 150 km)
Meals: breakfast-lunch-dinner
Accommodation: night in local inn
Altitude at the end of the day: 3 800 m

Dzongsar is known for his school of philosophy and monastery which houses one of the rare blue bears (grizzly Himalayas) stuffed at the entrance of one of the temples. The monastery is today and since the 13th century of sakyapa obedience. It was founded in 746 and destroyed in 1958 and rebuilt in 1983. Originally it was a place linked to the pre-Buddhist religion ”Bön”, then to the school of the ancient nyingmapa.

The monastery is known for its membership in the Rimé movement, which is a unifying movement of all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Of Bhutanese origin, Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche reincarnated Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (one of the founders of the Rime Movement and the greatest Tibetan masters of the 19th century) is the spiritual leader of Dzongsar.

He was later Bertolucci’s advisor for the production of the film ”little buddha” before making his own fiction films ”la coupe” and ”voyageurs et magiciens”. The monastery today houses 200 monks and 60 monks. It is today one of the main schools of Buddhist philosophy of the region. We may have the opportunity to attend a philosophical debate. We will also have the opportunity to visit the painting school of tangkha and sculpture.

Meals: breakfast-lunch-dinner
Accommodation: night in local inn
Altitude at the end of the day: 4 000 m

We leave Dzongsar for Kathok Monastery. The Nyingmapa Monastery of Kathok was built in the 12th century and thus marked the revival of the Nyimgma School after the persecution of Buddhism by the last king of Tibet Langdarma. It is one of the six monasteries of the Nyingmapa lineage, there were up to 800 monks before the invasion of Tibet.

We take the road to Pelyul (Baiyu) which is also one of the six mother monasteries of the Nyingmapa line. The monastery, built in the 17th century, dominates the city in an impressive circular arc!

Transfer / Transport: private vehicle (100 km, 4 hours drive)
Meals: breakfast – lunch in local restaurant – dinner in local restaurant or at the hostel
Accommodation: overnight in hostel or local
Altitude hotel at the end of the day: 3 800 m

A long day of transportation takes us to the Yarchen nunnery. This road was recently opened and allows us to visit the narration of Yarchen (it also recently opened to foreigners) then continue to Gandze without retracing our steps.

Transfer / Transport: private vehicle
Meals: breakfast at the hostel – lunch in a local restaurant – dinner in a local restaurant or at the hostel
Accommodation: night in a local inn
Altitude at the end of the day: 4 000 m

A whole day to visit the Nyingmapa nunnery of Yarchen gar. At an altitude of 4,000 meters, this absolutely amazing place is home to more than 10,000 nuns and monks. It is one of the largest monastic centers in the world and the majority of the inhabitants are Tibetan nuns, but also Chinese, from Taiwan and elsewhere. The monastery was built in 1985 only and most of the monks and nuns came in 2001 when the center of Larung gar was partly destroyed (a new phase of destruction begins in Larung gar in 2016). The monks and especially the nuns live in more than basic conditions, especially in winter. Many cells of meditation that just allow a person to hold in lotus position grow like mushrooms in the valley that dominates the place. A simple hostel allows us to spend the 2 nights.

Meals: breakfast at the hostel – lunch in a local restaurant – dinner in a local restaurant or at the hostel
Accommodation: night in a local inn
Altitude at the end of the day: 4 000 m

Another day’s drive to Gandze. The road has been allowed to foreigners for only a few years and we are privileged to be among the few to visit.

Transfer / Transportation: by private car: 235 km (around 6 hours)
Meals: breakfast at the hostel – lunch in a local restaurant – dinner in a local restaurant or at the hostel
Accommodation: night in a hotel
Altitude at the end of the day: 3,400 m

Return to Chengu via the Jiarong Valley. We admire the snow-capped mountains of the Yala range. We take a different way back from the one going through the province of Damba and allow us to visit Zhonglu, a traditional Tibetan village of Jiarong culture which is characterized by the specific architecture of the region which consists of many millennial towers and stone houses.

Night in a traditional guesthouse.
Transfer / Transport: by private car (340 km, 7 hours’ drive)
Meals: breakfast in local inn – lunch in local restaurant – dinner in local restaurant
Accommodation: night in guesthouse Altitude at the end of the day: 2,200 m

Back to Chengdu. Along the way we can admire the architectural differences of the region.

Return
flight Transfer / Transport: private vehicle (340 km, 7 hours drive)
Meals: breakfast-lunch in local restaurant – dinner in local restaurant
Accommodation: night in hotel Altitude at the end of the day: 500 m