Fascinating Scenery on the Road in Tibet

It is pointed out that some people, believing beautiful scenery only exists at a remote destination, travel in a hurry to reach the destination and therefore ignore scenery on the road. My travel from Lhasa to Xigaze in Tibet testifies to the wisdom in this observation.

We set off in the early morning leaving Lhasa for Xigaze. I become wide awake when the tour guide asks us to look to the left to Yarlung Zangbo River. The river zigzags from distant mountains; small villages perch on the riverbank against a background of mountains; verdant fields and groves of trees remind me somewhat of the south of the Yangtze River Delta. But the colorful prayer banners along the highway are unmistakable signs of the plateau. We cross the river by a bridge. Shortly after the bridge, we see a platform which stands about 5 meters above the river. Numerous prayer banners stand on the platform, offering silent prayers upward to the sky.

Water Burial

This is a water burial platform. I knew celestial burials are popular in Tibet, but I knew nothing about water burials. The guide briefs us on Tibetan water burials. Water burial is used in two fashions in Tibet. In economically prosperous areas, the people from the bottom stratum of the Tibetan society such as beggars, orphans, and homeless people are given water burials. These people are thought not good enough to be offered to the heavenly gods. In remote areas, especially in mountains of southern Tibet where eagles are not so frequently seen, water burial is regular for everyone. Tibetans still believe fish is sacred.

On the cliffs across the road and the water burial platform are celestial ladders painted in white lime. The Tibetan folk legends say that Tibetan gods come from heaven and they ascend to heaven by climbing celestial ladders after their deaths. The first Tibetan king stayed on earth after severing his celestial ladder by accident in a battle. The celestial ladder is a Tibetan symbol which indicates the Tibetan passion for heaven. Tibetans believe that souls of the dead reach the heaven by these ladders.

Yamdrok Lake

Our bus follows the zigzagging highway through mountains. After a mountain pass, the sky is suddenly open and we see a blue lake stretching away toward the horizon. This is Yamdrok Lake, one of the three sacred lakes in Tibet. The beauty of the lake takes my breath away. The lake is huge: it covers 700 km2 and averages 30 meters in depth, deepest spot being 60 meters. An avalanche lake formed about 400 million years ago, it is the largest inland lake on the northern side of the Himalaya Mountains.

The lake features an irregular shape. It looks more like a river than a lake. It stretches and merges with pastures, mountains and valleys. The lake shore measures more than 130 kilometers in length and it takes a few hours to complete a bus ride around the lake. Against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains, the lake unfolds as our bus trundles forward. The blues of the lake respond to sunlight, clouds, and reflections of peaks. Now and then a flock of sheep came into sight.

Karuola Glacier

After Yamdrok Lake, snow-capped mountains begin to multiple themselves. Pretty soon, we see Karuola Glacier towering and radiating an irresistible power. The huge glacier cascades down and stops a few hundred meters away from the highway. Due to smoke pollution from motor vehicles, the majestic glacier is now divided into black and white layers, which gives a distinctive beauty to this masterpiece of nature. At the tip end of glacier hang many tiny crystal icicles in fascinating blues and tiny rivulets stream down the black rocks. Underneath the glacier are a white Buddhist pagoda and prayer banners in five colors punctuated by Mani cairns, all combining to radiate the faith in eternity.

All these moments on the road from Lhasa to Xigaze are unforgettable, making the tiring bus ride and altitude stress bearable.