Tibet the Snowy Kingdom

I personally was born and raised in the South and snow is a thing which I consider rare. However I don't quite believe in 'love at first sight with the snow' because people can still see all sort of snow scenes they want, thanks to the advanced technology and flowing information nowadays. Snow is nothing more than novelty. I do feel impressed by the endless snow mountains all the way through my flight to Tibet. It was just so amazing to look down from the plane down to the mountains and I think that should be exactly how the Gods would feel when they're walking in the air. But it's just that.

Blind men can judge no colours. I was just feeling the same when I met snow again when I traveled in depth in Tibet. I was fortunate to have snowy weather even though I went in spring. And that was when I finally discovered the true beauty of snow is not about the falling bits; the beauty of snow lies in the incredible white - up in the sky, down on the earth, at the peak of the mountain and on the surface of the lake. Nothing but white. I could find no other vocabulary but HEAVEN to describe such undepictable white when I was standing in front of it.

This is truly so-called 'icy sky and freezing land' in Chinese. The snow is not seem to be falling but dyeing. The sky is colored white. Romantic? Yes absolutely, but it's not in Korean style but in Li Bai's style.​

Doggies love Tibet

In Tibet I can always see dogs sleeping in the street and I was just impressed by the scene without a good reason. Tibetans don't eat dog meat. They love, honour or even worship canines. They even regard the Tibetan Mastiff as the mount of the Tulku. For the reasons laid in the history, legends and culture, perhaps that's why the dogs here can sleep everywhere with no worries, in a peaceful atmosphere.

Wheeling from mounts to rivers and to the pagodas

Every in-depth traveler in Tibet is longing to experience the customs of ritual walking '轉山 Zhuna Shan' (usually refers to the walk on Mount Kailash). Now I am not going to this holy mountain and I am not going to make the ritual walk, yet I have walked with the Tibetans and completed a round just outside the Potala Palace, thanks to a happy mistake that I have lost my way.

You might have experienced the culture of '轉 Zhuan' (means walking rounds/ turning in Chinese) here in Lhasa. In the legends, ritual walking diminishes the sins, exempts people from the suffering in the realms wheel and in the Hell, and even lets one become a Buddha in the Heaven. Turning the prayer wheels is another way to 'read' a prayer and cultivate merits. It's something about communication with the Buddha through the prayer written on the wheels, just like burning joss sticks or conducting Salah. A round and a round with the Tibetans, I am not sure whether my soul has been purified, but I do feel how devotional the people there are.

That life I turned around; mountains, rivers and pagodas

Not for my afterlife but for encountering you during the journey

This is my first day with Tibet.​