Shigatse's "Red Square"

In every Chinese town we visited there was a large open square, usually located in front of a major monastery, dedicated to and praising the virtues of communism. This was Shigatse's "Red Square", as we were calling them. Located, of course, directly in front of Tashilunpo Monastery. This square was unique in the fact that it's central feature was an incredibly huge movie screen. Our imaginations could only guess what kind of propagandized films are shown on this screen.

Shigatse... sunset from the roof of the Tenzin Hotel

Shigatse... Tibetan quarter

This is a typical walking trail through the Tibetan section of town. We were on our way up to get an up close look at the Shigatse dzong...

Shigatse Dzong... excuse our dust

This dzong, or fort, is also known as the Little Potala. A dzong is an old fort, and you can see many ruined dzongs throughout the whole country. This dzong in Shigatse is particularly impressive, both in it's size and location, perched on a narrow ridge over the Tibetan side of town. It is currently being rebuilt by the Chinese government as a tourist attraction. A bit harsh to destroy something only to rebuild it, rename it and charge money for entry from unsuspecting tourists....... Notice the workers accomodations at the bottom of the dzong.

Tashilunpo hike...trail up first ridge

Something to keep in mind while viewing the photos from this hike... this was one of the most challenging hikes I have ever undertaken. There was no clear trail, and we basically chose our route by following many connecting sheep trails. The ground for the majority of the hike consisted of tiny round gravel that acted like ball bearings under our feet. Many times I expected to slip and find myself rolling down the mountain to my doom. Also, the mountain was way more steep than it looked from the bottom, and there were no plants to hold onto or catch you if you did fall. The only plant growing anywhere on this hike, besides some very short grass here and there, was a small shrub that looked soft and feathery, but was actually covered with insanely painful spines. The spines would break off into your skin and itch like fire. I have a bad habit, which I've never been able to break, of touching/grabbing plants while I hike. I have been warned and warned, but still it is a habit. The spines I got in my hands because of this continued to burn and itch for over 2 weeks after this hike. And, yes, I am STILL a plant grabber while I hike...

Tashilunpo hike...first ridge... view of Shigatse

Shigatse is the second largest city in Tibet, after Lhasa. 95% of the city is a perfect example of a modern Chinese town... square buildings, squarely laid out street plan and a very, very drab, almost institutional feel. The tiny segment of town relagated as the Tibetan quarter lies huddled below this mountain, clinging to the edges of Tashilunpo Monastery. In the Tibetan area of town the architecture is typical old Tibetan style, decorated with lots of colors,religious symbology, and of course strung with prayer flags! Here you will find Tibetans going about life dressed in Tibetan clothing.... you may even come across a small herd of yak being quietly herded through the city streets on their way to pasture.

Tashilunpo hike...first ridge... a string of our own

We strung these prayer flags ourselves. Turns out we would need all the good luck we had coming to us on this hike!

Tashilunpo hike...view up first ridge

Tashilunpo hike... halfway up first ridge

View of Shigatse

Tashilunpo hike... Kim climbing to the top of the first ridge

Tashilunpo hike... top of the first ridge

Tashilunpo hike...approaching the saddle

Tashilunpo hike..rock altar in the saddle

Back to our ridge hike over Shigatse and Tashilunpo Monastery...

Welcome to Burning Man 2007!

Going for a ride...

Crude Awakening

Statues in flames during a night time performance. The fire was interactive. Each statue had a way in which you could affect the strength and intensity of the flames.

Camp gaurdians

These 7 foot tall puppets are made by our friend and campmate. On days when the wind was not too strong she would organize a playa puppet parade.

Massive dust storm approaching...

PT, our resident Ranger, came by with a 15 minute warning to "batten down the hatches" for an approaching dust storm with winds of up to 60 mph possible! This was the stongest wind storm I have experienced out here, and it was a total white out. I could not see the car parked 5 feet from where I was sitting. And the wind was literally howling! Right after the wind settled down, and light started returning, I stepped outside to witness a stunning rainbow......

Burning Rainbow!

This brilliant rainbow turned into a complete triple rainbow! One of the largest and most vivid I have seen! I set out on my bike to chase it as it moved across the playa with the passing storm cloud.

Crude Awakening

This was the most ambitious art installation I have ever witnessed. The first part was the statues... each one intricately pieced together and porprtionately beautiful. The second part of this installation was the flame throwing aspect of the statues. The tall standing woman shot flames from her hands... the kneeling woman had flames which would consume her whole body etc... And the third part was the oil derrick itself. Built on site throughout the week it reached 9 stories high, and had an inner staircase spiraling up the inside of the tower. For one 24 hour period people were able to walk the staircase to the top platform, for a more interactive experience. Once a night this piece would give it's performance... the statues would all fire up and you could walk around amongst them as they shot flames and burned. Amazing. The oil derrick was set to burn Friday night, and we were all eagerly anticipating that show!! The name of the whole installation was "Crude Awakening" and the obvious metaphors and symbology need little explanation. As a people we worship oil, and this lust is literally burning us alive. Anyone have any furthur insights to share?

Sunset on Friday

The New Man... erected!

The new Man was erected on Thursday night, and finally illuminated Friday evening. This was our only night to enjoy his tender green glow.

Giant Lotus wedding party

This was a two story metal lotus flower, which you could climb up and sit inside. This also created a beautiful space underneath the blossom... great for shade during the day, and, apparently, weddings at night.

Night riders...

Art cars light up the playa.

Friday night... small pyramid burn

Everyone was a little let down after the oil derrick burn was canceled, so smaller burns that would normally not draw a huge crowd were packed with folks jonesing to watch something burn. This was a 25 foot tall replica of a Mayan pyramid.

Crude Awakening... the final Act

The nine story oil derrick was supposed to burn Friday night, but due to high winds, it was postponed until Saturday night, after the Man burned. We all raced out to the giant derrick to await what we were told was going to be a display of the largest flame thrower ever invented. The ignition of this flame thrower unleashed yet another mushroom cloud on us... this one even bigger and more percussive then the one at the Man! One of the more awe inspiring moments of my life so far, touching me on many different levels. The mushroom cloud went off, and the flame thrower shot up a 1,000 foot wall of flame straight up the middle of the oil derrick, and continued to burn for about 5 minutes. It took the tower about 15 minutes to finally fall... leaving only the statues, now praying to a charred pile of dust....

Lighting up the night...

The Man burns!

After the pretty fireworks show, the Man was set ablaze in a giant mushroom cloud... turns out it was the year of mushroom clouds as high art...