Urban sketching in Tibet.
Lhasa from the roof of the hotel, looking west along Beijing Road. In the distance, the Potala Palace dominates the city.
Tibet: Day 10 - Lake Namtso
07 October 2007
Camping at Damshung
Yak carrying hay over the river; mess tents; where we’re sleeping tonight (my tent is fourth from the left); and the latrine tents
Namtso (Heavenly Lake)
Highest saltwater lake in the world (15,479 feet). Sacred to Tibetan Buddhists, its shores are covered in prayer flags and chorten.
Prayer flags at Namtso
Blue symbolises space; white is water; red is the colour of fire. Green represents air and wind, and yellow is earth.
Tibet: Day 8 - Tsurphu
Tsurphu monastery, hidden in a long valley, like Shangri-La in “Lost Horizon”
Prayer flags near Tsurphu
Tibet: Day 6 - Lhasa
05 October 2007
Urban sketching in Tibet.
Norbulingka, Lhasa
Barkhor Square, Lhasa
Tibet: Day 5 - Lhasa
04 October 2007
Urban sketching in Tibet.
Jokhang temple
The rooftop of the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, the holiest site in Tibetan Buddhism. I’m sitting in the shade of a wall, trying to keep out of everyone’s way, but the Chinese tourists are fascinated by what I’m doing. In minutes, I’m surrounded by them, watching every brushstroke. I’ve had my photo taken hundreds of times.
Potala Palace
When I show this drawing to one of our Tibetan drivers, he puts his thumb over the Chinese flag.
Tibet: Day 4 - Samye monastery
03 October 2007
Urban sketching in Tibet.
Samye Monastery is built in the shape of a giant mandala, that is a map of the Buddhist universe. The main temple represents Mount Meru in the centre. This black chorten represents one of the four continents.
Tibet: Day 3 - Kathmandu to Yumbulagang
02 October 2007
Urban sketching in Nepal and Tibet.
Kathmandu airport, waiting for the flight across the Himalayas. A monk buys Tolberone and Pringles.
In Tibet: Yumbulagang monastery. Prayer flags cover the hills around.
Day 2: Kathmandu
01 October 2007
Urban sketching in Nepal. Second stage of the journey gets us a far as Kathmandu. Lunch at a restaurant overlooking the dome of the Boudhanath Stupa (behind the sunshades).
Looking from my hotel window, I realise that we’re in one of the highest buildings in the city. Unlike every other capital, Kathmandu has no skyscrapers cluttering up the view. But it has enough traffic to match any other city: cars, painted lorries, overcrowded minibuses, bicycles, motorbikes, rickshaws, nervous pedestrians and sleeping dogs fight for road-space. It’s also the rule that when you’re driving, and you see another car (or van or lorry or minibus or bicycle or motorbike or rickshaw or pedestrian), you must sound your horn.
Our guide tells us, "The only way you'll ever cross the road is to just step out into the traffic. They'll go round you."
Tibet: Day 2 - Doha, Qatar
30 September 2007
First stage of the journey takes us to Doha, with its L-shaped city views. Old, low-rise buildings stretch along the coast toward a very modern development of skyscrapers and cranes. A day here, before we fly to Kathmandu this afternoon.
The entire city is a building site. Outside it’s 40°C plus; the air hits you like a brick wall.
Doha
Doha
It's too hot to walk anywhere, so I took the lift to the top, twenty-sixth, floor of the hotel, and drew the view back along the peninsula.
Tibet: Day 1 - Heathrow
29 September 2007
Journey to Tibet: Urban sketching on the roof of the world.
We fly out late on Saturday evening to Qatar.
Heathrow airport
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