Clio -
Thank you for all your help with our vacation planning. We had a fabulous time - even with my Dad's little side tour to the hospital.
We would like to send a letter of praise about our tour guide, Simon, to his boss. Can you tell me who to send it to?
Please tell Simon that we said hello and that he should hurry and get his own email account so we can keep in touch :)
Thanks again for all your help!
David, Maria, Casey, Lisa, and Michael Schwegel
and Jil Crosier
Tibet covers 1.2 million sq. kms constituting one eighth of China"s land mass, nearly as large as the total territories of Germany and France. With an average elevation of 4,000 meters above sea level, and over 50 peaks above 7,000 meters, Tibet has become a real paradise for mountaineers and explorers.
Tibet is surely a destination apart from most in the world, the rolling hills of the high plateau and the stunning Himalayas are none to any. Today in the age of information with jet aircraft, highways and the net work of computers, mysterious places are rare to be found. But, Tibet is an exception. Refereed as Shangri La, The Forbidden Land, The Roof of the World and by many more, the mysterious Buddhist Kingdom remained long closed to foreigners, exerting a strong hold on the imagination of the world. For centuries, it has fascinated mankind. It was hardly accessible to the outside world and has been always a challenge to human beings. Tibet, a "forbidden land" not only by man but also by nature, attracted many explorers, scholars, and pilgrims and adventure lovers, all in pursuit of "Real Shangri-la". It is not only the geographical and natural enchants but also a long historical culture and religion that appeal the foreigners to visit Tibet at least once in a lifetime.
Lhasa
Lhasa, is capital of China"s Tibet Autonomous Region. It has a history of more than 1,300 years a political, economic, cultural and transport center of the region. Lhasa has an area of 30,000 square km with a population of 400,000. Lhasa is home to the Tibetan, Han as well as other ethnic groups, but the Tibetan ethnic group makes up about 80 percent of the total population.
Potala Palace
The Potala Palace is 117 meters high atop the Red Hill in Lhasa. It was built over 1,300 years ago in the 7th century. The 13-story palace, the world"s highest, is more than 3,700 meters above sea level and is a rare showcase of traditional Tibetan architecture.
Jokhang Temple
The Jokhang Temple is one of Lhasa"s holiest shrines, first built in 647 A.D. in celebration of the marriage of the Tang Princess Wencheng and the Tubo King Songtsen Gampo. Located in the center of old Lhasa, the temple was set up by craftsmen from Tibet, China, and Nepal and hence the different architectural styles. Bakhor Street
Bakhor, also named as Baghor, is the oldest street in Lhasa,encircling the circular street of the Jokhang Temple, a distance of 500 m. In the past, it was only a circumambulation circuit, “a holy road” in the eyes of Tibetan. Now it"s also a shopping center with nation characteristics. It"s an old district with colorful Tibetan features.
Drepung Monastery
The Drepung Monastery is situated in the hillside of Gambo Utse Mountain 5 kilometers northwest to Lhasa City. The monastery was first built in 1416 by a disciple of Tsong Khapa under the patronage of a noble family and later widened by the Fifth Dalai Lama. The second, third and forth Dalai Lama once lived here.
Sera Monastery
It was built in 1419 by a pupil of Tsongkhapa. It is located on the southern slope of the Serawoze Mountain in the northern suburbs of Lhasa. It is one of the three big monasteries in Lhasa. Each year it will hold the grand Sera Bungchen, which attracts Buddhists from all over the world.
Norbulingka Monastery
It is a park first used as a bathing place by the 7th Dalai Lama in mid-18th century. It later turned into to be the summer palace for the Dalai Lama in the beginning and mid-20th century. The summer palace of the 14th Dalai Lama attracts most visitors by its well-designed structure and surroundings.
Tibet Museum
Tibet Museum is located at the southeast corner of the Norbulingka Road in Lhasa. It is the first large-sized comprehensive modern museum in the Tibet Autonomous Region; it is a brilliant literary and arts palace of the Tibetan people, a gem of Tibetan civilization and a treasure house of Tibetan cultural relics.
Ganden Monastery
Ganden Monastery was founded near Lhasa in Tibet by Tsongkhapa in 1409 as the first and main Gelug monastery. Ganden Monastery is about 45 kilometers from Lhasa. This monastery mainly has the Coqen Hall, Tri Thok Khang, Serdhung, Zhacangs, Khangtsens and Myicuns.
Mt.Everest:
Mt. Everest is called in Tibetan as "Quomolangma" which literally means "The Third Goddess". High as 8848.13 meters in the middle place of the Himalaya in Tingri County, Shigatse, Quomolangma is covered with snow and glaciers. Everest area has four peaks above 8000 meters and over 30 peaks above 7000 meter, hence the Third Pole on the Earth.
Mt.Kailash:
To west of Tibet stands Mt Kailash which is the most holy mountain in Asia. It is prayed by Buddhists, Hindus. Mt Kailash is an important place for Buddhist and Hindu pilgrims who make a trip of a 53km circuit around the mountain. Buddhists and Hindus circumambulate clockwise. To circumambulate once is said to wipe off the life-time crimes. The mountain itself is 6714m high above sea-level.
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