Shigatse – Tashilhunpo Monastery
August 22, 2005
There are some buses daily from Lhasa to Shigatse, I took the earliest bus (8 pm, 50 Y) from the bus station not far from Banakshol Hotel (where I stay in Lhasa). Travelling while having diarrhea is really painful and difficult. I dont want to explain how this 5.5 hour trip be one of my most painful trips.
The city of Shigatse itself is uninspiring, just look like a normal Chinese town. But the monastery is quite nice, despite of unbargainable entrance ticket of 55 yuan (I have negotiated for more than 1 hour, but of no use…, the monks are very persistant of charging everybody the full fare). I am not a fans of monasteries actually. This monastery is one of 3 important temples for the Yellow Sect. It’s really grand. For me the main reason to enter the monastery is that they have prayers at 6 pm (no photos allowed, but the religious atmosphere will knock each room of your heart).
The highlight of today is, to be in the monks’ dormitory. It was really fascinating to talk with the monks in their most private room. The monks here earn 1200-1400 yuan/mo per person (from the Chinese government? ) and everyone has a mobile phone. Contrasted to novices and monks in Laos who dont possess any cent, the monks here know exactly what money is (in Indonesian: biksu-biksu matre 
). Some of them, with good English ability, even offer escorting service with payment 50 yuan for each time. Dunno exactly whether the money goes to the monastery or their own pockets.
And the sweet tea they made was really delicious… If you are invited dont hesitate to ask for more
The monastery itself closes at 7, but I left at 9 after a very long chat with the young monks (and of course lots of photos taken as they love photograph very much).
One more thing, be careful when walking in the pedestrian road near the monastery. Apparently that there is no toilet nearby. I saw a young boy “pissing” on the wall of the monastery and a Tibetan woman of middle age answering her natural call just next to the main road. Main your steps!
Internet is quite difficult here. I had to walk around 45 minutes just to find an Internet cafe.
Unfortunately,the Monastic tradition of Tibet in recent times has become more of a Museum showpiece for visitors. Much of Tibet’s Monastic tradition is now just a Museum piece with it’s spirit torn out by the Maoist ideology for more than half a century. A Grand and Opulent Foye, but behind it, often Pseduo and heavily regulated. Many rituals are now allowed to take place, but under strict rules imposed by the Chinese. Everything is money, money, when it comes to foreign visitors. In the case of Shigatse, the tickets issued to foreign visitors are of Chinese manifacture i believe. Hence, no bargaining. Shigatse is one of the worst Monasterys for this pseudo showpiece lark, due to it’s importance in the political scheme of Old Tibet. Gyantse seemed a bit more laid back when i was there. But they still try to charge you for photos of certain rooms. About Y10 i believe. Nevertheless, it’s still a smaller monastery and less under the watchfull eye of the Big Brother than Shigatse is. Charging for Photos is standard practice in many of Tibet’s surviving monasterys. The only place in Tibet i actually refused to pay “entrance” to a Monastery, was the Ganden monastery outside Lhasa which was “totally” destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Nowadays the Chinese have rebuilt it. Not for repentance, but to try and rewrite history, and to make money out of visitors. It was my only protest in Tibet of that kind. I visited with some other travellers but chose to walk up to the surrounding hills and enjoyed that much more.