Tibet- Cultural odyssey

  Tibet

• Other Cities in Tibet: 
Lhasa,  Rural Areas

Dates: June 27- August 7

Description: Comprising more than a third of the land mass of all of China, the Tibetan Plateau is an enormous expanse of sparsely populated, wind-swept plains and tremendous mountains. With an average altitude of sixteen thousand feet, the intense summer sun makes for hot days while the thin air sends the night-time temperatures below freezing. Accenting the dramatic landscape, and nestled among towering peaks, are majestic monasteries, Buddhist stupas, and islands of prayer flags.

Crossing the Himalayas to a vast land that still sees so few foreigners, our Tibet students hike under cerulean skies and explore the incredible beauty of the flowering grasslands, aqua-blue lakes, and soaring mountains of "The Land of Snows." Our culturally-oriented Tibet course provides exceptional cultural intimacy, with service work, a home-stay, and independent study projects with lamas, artists, traditional healers and other professionals. Our course begins with a flight to Chengdu, China. After overnighting we fly on to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.

In Lhasa we enjoy a four-day intensive workshop where we are introduced to development issues and local culture by representatives of NGOs and Lhasa-based graduate students. Between meetings with high lamas, aid and development workers and scholars, we explore the fantastic temples, shrines and monuments of the Lhasa area, visiting Sera and Drepung monasteries, the Jokhong Temple, and the Potala Palace. We then head out of Lhasa for two exciting weeks of rugged exploration. Traveling by bus, Landcruiser and foot, we visit remote and hospitable monasteries, nunneries, and nomad camps, and we explore some of the most stunning wilderness on earth. We visit Drigung Monastery and at an incredible sky-burial site we discuss the Tibetan world-view of impermanence. We then hike to Terdrom Nunnery where we soak in medicinal hot springs and where past students have been invited to participate in cave meditation retreats.

Depending on group strength, interests and environmental conditions, we choose from a number of trekking options, including hikes around Namtso Lake, Reting Monastery, or Samye Monastery - the oldest monastery in Tibet, and the jumping off point for exploration of the Qimpu retreat caves where hermits may spend ten to twenty years in deep meditation. Following our exploration of the verdant grasslands and sacred sites of the Tibetan Plateau, we fly back to eastern Sichuan Province or Northern Yunnan Province, which are jumping off points for exploration of traditional Tibetan communities that are politically distinct from those of central Tibet. We then travel by bus into the forested eastern region of historic Tibet, known as Kham.

In Kham there are opportunities for home-stays or a monastery stay in a monastic community, and we also work with aid organizations to provide a few limited service projects. During our time in Kham, students will have opportunities to pursue in greater depth a topic of interest with a local mentor, further exploring traditional healing, meditation practice, traditional art, or another topic of the students' choosing. As we watch Tibetan villagers laboring to rebuild gompas, monasteries and a culture that had been destroyed by the Chinese, we see the love that the Tibetans have for their religion and their traditions, and we develop a life-long attachment to the dreams and aspirations of the people inhabiting the "roof of the world."

Highlights: Rugged Travel: 4 stars
Travel by bus, Landcruiser, truck, yak, and by foot over rough terrain. Approximately 15 days + tent camping

Home Stay: 2 stars
Because of political realties beyond our control, Dragons will endeavor to provide a home-stay on this course, but can make no guarantee as Chinese authorities may, at any point, limit foreigner's access to ethnic minority communities; please check with Dragons on home-stay development.

Trekking/Wilderness: 3-4 stars
Options for 4 to 10 days of trekking, depending on environmental conditions and group interest; several challenging day-hikes

Service: 1-2 star
There are many service options, but like home-stays, political intervention may complicate well-developed work projects

Survey of Development Issues: 3-stars
Land use and ecology; environmental impact of Chinese occupation; health; human rights issues

Internships/ISPs: 3-stars
Internships with Tibetan artists, traditional craftsman, musicians, doctors and organizations dedicated to progressive change among minority communities. ISPs facilitated throughout the program

Language Study: 2 stars
Frequent classes in Tibetan language

Philosophy and Comparative Religion: 5 stars
Comprehensive introduction to Tibetan Buddhism

Focus of Inquiry: 5 stars
Tibetan religion; healing, artistic, literary and musical traditions of Tibetans; resettlement issues and cultural survival

Cost in US$: 6,900

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Tibet in Groups

Typically Participants Work in Groups of max 12

Application Process Involves:

• Phone Interview
• Physical Exam/Health Records
• Written Application

Where There Be Dragons's Mission Statement: Through expertly guided and honest introductions to the cultural and physical landscapes of developing Asia and Latin America, and through Experiential Education that stresses the empowerment of the student, Dragons strives to cultivate cultural awareness and sensitivity, opportunities for personal growth through physical and emotional challenges, and a commitment to the communities through which we travel, providing young adults with a richer understanding of themselves, and of the social and physical worlds around them.

Year Founded: 1992