The Traveling Duo

Weekend at Tongren

To feed our need to get out of the city and see the country, we decided to have a little weekend getaway in a town called Tongren. It would be a 4 hour bus ride and would take us near two Tibetan Monasteries, which are renown for making a traditional Tibetan Buddhist art called Thangkas. Our expectations were blown away both with the countryside and the people; we also got our first dose of bus troubles, an experience which I’m sure will become all too familiar.

On our trip out to Tongren, we were accompanied by a Tibetan Nun. She was very kind and pointed out the names of rivers that we were passing and the area where the Dali Lama was born. She also taught us some of our first Tibetan words, which would come in handy in the next couple of days. We drove through the mountainous road and saw how the river had slowly cut away the land to create an enormous gorge, all the while listening as our new friend chanted prayers. The landscape was amazing, and in the distance we could see mosques, monastaries, chortens, and prayer flags, making us wonder what else was out there.

The next day, Daniel and I ventured to the first monastery, where we were lucky enough to come across the main Thangka teacher, who had been painting for the last 22 years. We had seen Thangkas for sale at local markets and were never really all that interested, but his paintings were amazing. Each work took at least a month and was painted with rich colors and actual gold flakes. He helped us pick out the right Thangka for us - one that will protect our travels, our health, and our relationship. The great thing about Thangkas is that they were designed for nomads; you roll them up on a wooden pole and they have multiple protective fabrics to keep the paint from being damaged. After our purchase, we joined the artist for a late breakfast and tea ceremony. His room consisted of everything that you could need - a coal burning stove to keep warm and cook food, a bed, decorative pieces to bring color, and his alter to pray. Before eating, the Lama prayed - chanting scripture that he has memorized (and we’re talking books and books of scripture), bowing, ringing bells, counting beads, and placing rice onto a tiered golden piece that he slowly rebuilt. Daniel and I tried to give him space, but it was too beautiful not to soak up.

We were taught how to make sampas, a traditional Tibetan breakfast dish. Its prepared by melting a chunk of Yak butter and raw sugar in a bowl of boiling water. Once the butter and sugar has completely melted, a barley-based flour is used to thicken the mixture into a doughy consistency. According to our host, the best sampas is mixed by using the fingers to mash the dough up against the wall of the bowl, and then pressing the dough into bite-sized rolls. The final product is hot, sweet and very filling. We think this may become a new staple for us in the coming month.

After we parted ways with the Lama, we decided to take a circuitous route and walk back to town. It gave us a glimpse of rural life on the Tibetan plateau and a sense for how vast space is out here. Everywhere you look are long stretches of steppes - crawling up steep mountain sides and down into river-carved ravines. The fact that the land has been cultivated for so long, even out in this remote region, makes you appreciate how ancient this civilization truly is.

Our trip ended with some nice late night TV featuring the Beijing Olympic Unveiling of the Staff Uniform ceremony - uniforms that the tech, security, and escorts will wear. It was pretty awesome watching choreographed dance routines consisting of tourists being shown to their seat. In our world where every day is different, it pretty nice that you can count on Olympic propaganda on TV even if you can’t understand what they are saying.