June 11, 2022, today is the second day after cycling in Lhasa.
Yesterday I wandered around Lhasa for a day, taking photos, having meals, and sleeping. Today, I bought tickets in advance to visit Drepung Monastery.
In 2018, I took the train to Lhasa for the first time, and back then, I only visited Yangzhu Lake and Sera Monastery. The rest of the time was spent at the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street, and wandering around the vicinity of the hostel. This visit makes up for some of the places I missed last time.
The two of us took the bus here, and then after getting off the bus, we still had to walk a bit to the entrance of Drepung Monastery.
Since the pandemic hadn’t completely passed yet, there weren’t too many people around, making it very quiet.
This is the main gate of Drepung Monastery.
Enter through the security check at the small door on the right side.
This is the entrance ticket, which costs 60 yuan.
After entering, there is actually a bit of a walk to the ticket checkpoint. I felt it was quite a distance because I was so tired that I almost had altitude sickness.
It took quite a while, but finally, we’ve arrived at the ticket checkpoint, which is this small room ahead.
After having the tickets checked, the temple is right ahead.
There was a little incident here.
Because I wasn’t very familiar with the local customs, upon entering through the main gate, I saw many people with a small teapot. I thought they had brought a pot of sweet tea to drink during breaks.
Later, I realized that the pot was filled with lamp oil, haha, to add a spoonful of oil when praying to Buddha.
Awkward moment.
Some articles say that all temples in Xizang are visited clockwise
It’s quite spacious; after entering, we’ve been walking around and exploring.
Just like playing hide and seek when I was a child, I walked away when I saw the road and forgot to check the strategy in advance
I also saw a debate venue similar to Sera Monastery here, but it doesn’t seem to be open today
After wandering for about half an hour, we’re a bit tired and the sun is strong, so we decided to go inside and take a look.
It’s through the door up the stairs on the right side of the road ahead.
In this area, it is customary to only take pictures of the courtyard; the Buddha statues inside the rooms should not be photographed.
Rooftop pictures.
As for inside the rooms, after entering, I’ve been inside rooms at Sera Monastery a few years ago, and the style here is quite similar. Buddha has myriad manifestations, with some statues appearing kind and others a bit intimidating. Coupled with the smell of years of incense burning, one should be mentally prepared before entering and then immerse themselves in the experience.
This is the main hall of Drepung Monastery. The entrance is at the back, and initially, I thought it wasn’t accessible, but later, when I wandered to the back, I found out it was open.
Then, we went to the left and climbed a small hill. The hill was painted with images of demons and Buddhas. The main reason for climbing the hill was that it was slightly higher than the temple, offering more views.
On the hilltop, there is also dried leftover rice, which seems to be for the birds to eat. When I came to Lhasa in 2018, I stayed in a village. I often saw stray dogs and cats when I was out for a walk. I also searched and found that animals do live quite well in this area of Lhasa .
It’s not recommended to climb this hill; it’s quite exhausting, especially considering the high altitude. After climbing up, I was panting heavily. Always bring warm clothes, or check the Namtso weather forecast in advance to see the temperature.
From a higher vantage point, one can see further.
We stayed for a while and then descended the hill to take the bus back to our hostel.
After all, Lhasa is at a high altitude, and the weather is hot, which makes activities more tiring. So, we have been out for half a day each day and then return to rest, balancing work and leisure.