HERIBERTO SEDENO VISITS LHASA CAPITAL OF TIBET

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HERIBERTO SEDENO VISITS LHASA CAPITAL OF TIBET
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From Chengdu, China, Heriberto Sedeno flew to
Lhasa the capital of Tibet located on the
Himalayan plateau at an elevation of 12,000 feet.
This area is commonly referred to as the Roof
of the World. From the airport to the hotel,
Mr. Sedeno felt the effects of high altitude,
such as labored breathing so he decided to spend
the remainder of the day acclimating to the high
altitude. Tibet is a profoundly spiritual place
where Buddhism has infused all aspects of life
for 13 centuries. Mr. Sedeno first visited a
Tibetan family on the country side, admiring
their deeply religious way of life and their
simple style of conducting their daily chores.
The family offered a traditional reception of tea
with yak butter (called butter tea).
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The next stop took Mr. Sedeno to Jokhang
Monastery, Tibets holiest temple dating to
mid-7th century, as well as to the summer palace
Norbulingka previous residence of the currently
exiled (since 1960) Dalai Lama. The last stop
the 17th century Potala Palace which contains
200,000 Buddha images and 1,000 rooms with
intricate Buddhist wood carvings and embroidered
curtains. Where the Dalai Lama conducted state
and religious affairs and his winter residence.
Close to the Potala Palace lies the Sera
Monastery founded in 1419, last complex devoted
to Buddhist scholarship and teaching.
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During the 1959 revolt in Lhasa, which led to the
Dalai Lamas exile, Sera monastery suffered
severe damage, with its colleges destroyed and
hundreds of monks killed. Over the years Sera
monastery has returned to its former state as a
prime Buddhist teaching center with over 3,000
monks. One interesting teaching method amongst
the old and young monks is the Monk Debates
method where monks gather daily to debate each
other on fundamentals tenets of Buddhist. From
Lhasa Mr. Sedeno flew to Chongquin a bustling
port city on the Yangtze River. Upon arrival he
visited the Stilwell Museum, which narrates the
history of World War II in this region and the
influence of US General Joseph Stilwell and the
Dazu Rock Buddhist Carvings dating to the 13th
century.
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At Chongquin, Mr. Sedeno boarded the Queen
Victoria a charming river cruise boat on the
Yangtze River to visit sites along the river.
The Ghost City of Fengdu which is a place to
learn about Chinese ghost culture, the afterlife,
and to see what the Chinese would call a model
of hell. Fengdu became known as Ghost City in
the Tang Dynasty (618-907). After passing thru
the Qutang Gorge, Mr. Sedeno boarded a small
sampan for a brief cruise through the stunning
Small Three Gorges. Back on the Queen Victoria
the cruise took Mr. Sedeno on his last leg of the
tour the immense Three Gorges Dam one of the
largest feats of modern engineering in the world,
disembarking in the city of Yichang where he
boarded an Air China flight to Shanghai.
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At Shanghai, located on the Yangtze River delta,
Mr. Sedeno visited many historic and modern sites
such as, the Bund, Shanghai Museum, Yu Gardens
and Bazaar, the French Concession, the Oriental
Pearl TV Tower with a magnificent 360 degree view
of the city.
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