LHASA!!!! cont'd

Where was I? Somewhere inside the Jokhang Temple, right? I think so.
 
So we wandered around the temple. There were monks and pilgrims everywhere. Everyone was murmuring their prayers and touching all the sacred relics. In addition to the monetary and yak butter offerings (which they pour into lamps) there were also offerings of barley, food, and chang, which is a fermented barley beer which is very popular in Tibet. There was a group of female pilgrims standing outside one of the rooms chanting, singing, and drinking the barley beer and one of the women gave me her cup to try. Fermented sweetness with a taste of citrus. Not bad.
 
After Jokhang, we wandered around the market and got some lunch (yak meat is delicious but chewy). When we met up again with Luta, it was time to go to the Sera Monastery. More pilgrims, more statues, more praying (not that it wasn't fascinating, just tryin to save time). Some fascinating parts were the monk printing the prayer books by hand with ink, a roller, and wooden letter blocks, as well as the monks debating. Apparently, the monks debate daily. They quiz each other on aspects of the religion or discuss the meaning of the scriptures they read earlier in the day. Picture over a hundred monks in a courtyard all in red robes. They split up into pairs and while one monk stands and poses questions, the partner monk sits and tries to answer as best he can. When wrong answers are given, the standing monk responds by winding up his right arm like a softball pitcher and bringing his hand down to smack against the left in a loud burst. The courtyard was echoing with claps and excited dialogue as we watched. It was great fun to look on.
 
Notes to make:
1. Since I can only send emails to post on the blog, I can't edit typos or retract anything.
2. Everyone should download Skype. It's free and incredibly useful. (Read: I'm lonely)