Monday, April 30, 2007

Lhasa... what a traffic median!


This brilliantly white stupa sits where it was originally erected... and the road has evolved around it. It now sits in the middle of a 4(+) lane road. The main route through the city of Lhasa! This is just outside of the Exit Gate below the Potala, between the two sacred hills.

Lhasa... BLUE BUDDHA...


More of that Buddhist graffitti...

Lhasa... Temple in a cave...



In the hill directly across from the Potala. Now within the walls of a small monastery, originally this was the meditation cave of Princess Wencheng, during the time the Potala was under construction.

Lhasa... Shhhhhh!!! Don't tell the nuns!




We found a secret hiding spot on the rooftop of this small nunnery with a great view of the Potala. Seems like there was alot of construction going on, both at this nunnery, and in the little neighborhood it was located in, and we took advantage of the tarp for some refreshing shade! There was a small shrine up there... Buddha obviously enjoys the view from this spot too! ( Don't worry... we didn't get in TOO much trouble...though a few nuns had seen us climb the ladder to the roof, they couldn't find us under the tarp, and they let it slide... then watched for us to come back DOWN the ladder so they could shake their fingers and smile at us. "You rascals!" they seemed to be saying.)

Lhasa... pilgrims... all sorts


Lhasa... teahouse inside a cave underneath the Potala


I wish we had had time to enjoy some sweet milk tea in here... a bit dank and musty, as you'd expect.... but definately an auspicious location!

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Lhasa.. Red Square.. Gettin Gussied Up!



I couldn't help myself!
This is a great shot because you can really tell how enormous the Potala actually is. It is a wonder of the world for sure!!

Lhasa... in Red Square across from the Potala


We called it Red Square... not sure of the official name for this new park. One of the weeks we spent in Lhasa happened to be like Chinese Spring Break. I think it was called National Week. A great number of people take this week to go on vacation, and many Chinese are starting to come to Tibet as tourists. Lhasa was much, much more crowded during National Week then at any other time during our two months there.This park is directly across from the front of the Potala, and consists mainly of a HUGE empty paved area, backed by this imposing monument to Chinese communism. Unthinkable to have put such a symbol across from the Potala, the true home of the Dalai Lama since the 1500s. During National Week the park was draped in red banners and a giant Chinese national flag hung immediately front and center to the Potala. Thus, it was dubbed Red Square.....

There were a dozen or so tourist photographers combing the Square for victims...we were happy to dress up in their "traditional Tibetan" costumes and pose for some classic Red Week shots. I believe we were charged 2 yuan for the use of the costumes... about twenty five cent.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Lhasa... Potala seen from Red Square


The upper shot is a close up of the upper right portion of the Potala. These were the formal greeting room and private quarters of the present Dalai Lama before his escape. Yes, you can walk through them and view his bed room, meditation room... and previously his bathroom, but this was closed during our visit! We did get to check out his private bathroom at his summer palace, the Norbulingka... see those entries for forbidden proof!

Lhasa streets... our potato lady


This block was on the way back to our guesthouse, and was lined with anywhere from 2 to 6 ladies frying and serving up fresh made potato slices. Imagine potatos peeled and sliced into very thick chips, then deep fried until the outside is golden brown. Drain, sprinkle with cayenne pepper and salt and sell for about a quarter a bag. Such a delicious and satisfying snack that we sometimes had to hit up these stalls several times a day!

Lhasa... Sunset in front of the Jokhang Temple


Saturday, April 21, 2007

A Look Back... JazzFest 2006... Katrina Damage...





The spray paint on the outer walls of homes was still ubiquitous throughout New Orleans in April 2006. In the months that immediately follwed Katrina every home had to be gone through to search for bodies, both human and animal. Often pets were found still alive and were taken to a holding place. They started spray painting large Xs on the front of each home that had been searched, and leaving a message behind as to any bodies found, alive or dead. This is a message concerning pets found in this residence.


When the levees broke, the water did not stop rising until the city was at the same water level as Lake Pontchartrain. As you can see in this photo, whole houses floated off their foundations to be found a few feet OR a few blocks from where they had started. When the waters receded a week later, this home came to rest on a neighbors car in the middle of the street.


Piles of trash this size and MUCH larger were still to be seen throughout the devastated areas of the city. We saw the remnants of a debris pile that was literally 5 city blocks long and 2 stories tall! The amount of trash still sitting in the streets of New Orleans a full 9 months after Katrina hit was astounding!


The bottom photo dramatically illustrates what has come to be known as the thin brown line. It is the ring left from the flood water as it sat for over a week before beginning it's slow drain. You can follow this line throughout the entire city, and depending on how high up a building (or parked vehicle) the line goes, you can tell the general elevation above sea level for the particular area you are in. The lowest parts of the city, the parts that are actually BELOW sea level are the parts where you will see the line at it's highest. Such as here, where the upper line is at least 10 feet up the side of this home. This was a neighborhood of multi-million dollar homes, and when we were there, 9 months after the hurricane, it was still almost completely deserted. Some of these large homes were sitting untouched since the hurricane, their doors and windows blown out and their contents laying piled about the vacant rooms, resting exactly where the receding flood waters had dropped them so many months ago. The sight of these vacant rooms and their tousled contents was one of the most surreal and disturbing sights I have been witness to. However, as the overpowering stench of the black mold growing rampant inside the ruined homes was enough to gag a person from 20 feet away, we were spared the heartache of looking TOO closely at peoples private loss.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

A Look Back... JazzFest 2006


Bobby and Geech. Geech has been the bass drummer for the Wild Magnolias since the 1970's!

A Look Back... JazzFest 2006... my debut performance




Kim and Elizabeth's JazzFest debut!!! Not bad to start off playing the Main Stage! And with the legendary Wild Magnolia Mardi Gras Indians no less! That is June Yamagishi in the tie die T shirt... one of the most rippin New Orleans funk guitar players of our time. He's known as the Ragin Asian Cajun! He has been an idol of mine for all these years of going to Jazz Fest, and I couldn't believe I was rocking out next to him onstage at the Fest!! What a thrill! Props to Elizabeth and Bobby for helping to make a dream come true!

A Look Back... JazzFest 2006





Our friends introduced us to Honey... he and his Mom are two of the most energetic Wild Magnolias! They like to pose for photos and ham it up a bit, both on and off stage! Honey and his Mom both had beautiful suits with several intricate panels depicting scenes of "Indian" life...

Saturday, April 14, 2007

A Look Back... JazzFest 2006




Backstage with the Wild Magnolia Mardi Gras Indians
This amazing pink suit was worn by Gerard, the Son of Big Chief Bo Dollis, the legendary singer for the Wild Magnolia Mardi Gras Indians! That's Gerard in the red shirt STANDING on his suit!! The beadwork on these suits is mind numbing! And everyone makes a new suit EVERY year... usually debuted on Mardi Gras.

A Look Back... JazzFest 2006



African dancers and a scene form the Fais Do Do Stage featuring local Louisiana Zydeco and cajun musicians... this happens to be Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas. Notice the little boy on the left of the stage playing the washboard, Nathan Jr... he was amazing on that thing!

A Look Back... JazzFest 2006



Gospel Tent revival... Get your hankies ready to do some waving!!

A Look Back... JazzFest 2006



Indian awesomeness...

Sunday, April 08, 2007

the butter lamp room at the Jokhang Temple...


on Barkhor Square. Every temple or monastery that we visited had a room literally filled with yak butter lamps. As many as could fit in the given space. The lamp area here at the Jokhang used to be outside, but though the Tibetans had never had a fire there in 1500 years, the Chinese forced them to build this building to house the burning butter lamps. Now the only way to view these lamps is thorugh the grate on the front. We found an open side door one day and took a peek inside. We were invited in... AND put to task!

Butter Lamps of the Barkhor



A lot of maintenance goes into this enormous butter lamp room! As many lamps as possible must remain lit at all times, so there is a constant dance of filling the empty lamps with fresh butter, re-wicking the lamps, and re-lighting any unlit lamp. The job of butter-lamp maintainer is an honor for anyone. I only saw women doing this work at the many temples we visited. It is a beautifully surreal environment inside a butter lamp room, especially one of this size. The air is THICK with, not just the heavy, greasy smoke from all the burning butter, but THICK with heat as well! The smell and feel of the air within is a sensation I will not forget!

Doing the good work...




When asked to help out, how could I resist? Especially since doing this work is paying off in spriitual merit! With each lamp I am one step closer to enlightenment. The women were singing mantras as they worked. As I did not know the words, I had to hum along.

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Sunset on the Barkhor...


Enjoying a beautiful warm and sunny afternoon on the Barkhor with the other pilgrims....

View from a Lhasa rooftop



The golden spires of the Jokhang from a rooftop level.

Lhasa Rooftops...



Almost every rooftop in Tibet has a solar water bolier like this awesome contraption. A very common sight! As are the poles draped with prayer flags. You see these on the corners of every individual rooftop throughout the country.

Lhasa Rooftops...