Tibetan New Year / Losar

Tibetan New year, also known as Losar, is the most important festival in the Tibetan calendar. Tibetan New Year is said to last 15 days, but the first 3 days are most important. It is mainly celebrated over a period of 3 days in late January or February, according to the Tibetan calendar 

The Tibetan Calendar

The Tibetan calendar consists of 12 (or 13) lunar months, and Losar begins on the first day of the tibet tour. The Tibetan calendar is lunisolar and almost identical to the Chinese calendar.

Tibetan New Year is the same as Chinese New Year, a day earlier, or a day later. The adding of a 30-day month is occasionally done differently (e.g. in 1966), making Tibetan New Year a month later than Chinese New Year.

Festival Activities

Losar is celebrated by Tibetan people. It is marked with ancient ceremoniesthat represents the struggle between good and evil. There is chanting andpassing of fire torches through the crowds.

A certain amount of levity is provided by events such as the dance of the deer and the amusing battles between the King and his various ministers. Losar Festival is characterized especially by dancing, music, and a general spirit ofmerrymaking.

Losar Day 1

During the last two days of the old year, which is called Gutor, people in Tibet begin to prepare for the New Year.

The first day of Gutor is spent doing the house cleaning. The kitchen especially must be cleaned because it is where the family's food is prepared, and hence is the most important part of the house. The chimney is also swept free of dirt. Special dishes are cooked. One such dish is a soup served with small dumplings. The soup is made from meat, wheat, rice, sweet potatoes, cheese, peas, green peppers, vermicelli and radishes. The fillings for dumplings include scraps of wood, paper, or pebbles.

The celebration of Losar begins on the 29th day of the 12th month of the Tibetan calendar, the day before Tibetan New Year's Eve. On that day monasteries hold a special kind of ritual in preparation for the Losar celebrations. In addition a kind of special noodle called guthuk, which is made of nine different ingredients including dried cheese and various grains, is made.

Dough balls: Also, people place various ingredients, such as chilies, salt, wool, rice, and coal, in dough balls, which are then handed out. The ingredients that one finds hidden in one's dough ball are supposed to be a lighthearted comment on one'scharacter. For example, if a person finds chilie in his dough, that means he is talkative. If white-colored ingredients such as salt or rice are hided in the dough, it is believed as a good sign. If someone finds coal in his dough, it has the same meaning as finding coal in a Christmas stocking; it means that one has a "black heart".

Losar Day 2

On the second day of Gutor, religious ceremonies are held. People go to visit the local monastery to worship and give gifts to the monks. Tibetans also set off firecrackers to get rid of evil spirits, which are believed to be lurking around.

The last day of the year is a time to clean and prepare for the approaching New Year. Houses are thoroughly cleared, after which people get dressed, and proceed to have a  reunion feast, which is similar in spirit to the Han Chinese New Year feast. Read more on Chinese New Year food.

Losar Day 3

On Tibetan New Year's Day, Tibetans get up early, and put on new clothesafter having taken a bath. They then worship the gods by placing offerings in the front of their household shrines. The offerings usually consist of animals and demons made from a kind of dough called torma. In addition this day is for family members to exchange gifts. Families also have a reunion dinner, which usually consists of a kind of cake called kapse and an alcoholic drink called chang, which is drunk to keep warm.

Traditionally, on the first day of the New Year, the housewife will get up very early. After cooking a pot of barley wine for the family, she will sit beside the window awaiting the sunrise. As the first ray of sunshine of the New Year touches the nearby earth, the housewife takes a bucket and heads for a nearby river, or well, to fetch the year's first bucket of water, which is seen as the most sacred, clearest water of the coming year. The family that fetches the first bucket of water from the river/well is believed to be blessed with good luck for the coming year.

Monastery Activities

At Ta'er Monastery, on the first day, Lamas will hold religious celebrations, which include worshiping Buddhist deities, chanting Buddhist scriptures, and having a new year banquet.

On the second day, people visit friends and relatives. At night Tibetans whirlburning torches in the homes to drive away evil spirits.

On the third day, Tibetans in lhasa tibet especially visit the local monasteries, where they make offerings.

PLANNING

adventure cycling you don't have to do much planning. In most cases, it boils down to drawing a line on a map and either getting on a plane or just setting off.

How many of you?

Going solo

If there is only one of you, don't let it stop you going. Some of the advantages of being on your own are:

· You get to go at your own pace - no struggling to keep up or chafing at the bit.

· It's easier to interact with locals on your own. You'll get invited in for more meals and overnight stays.

· It's easier to change your plans as and when you want

However, I suspect all solo cyclist go through periods were they tire of their own company. If you are on one of the more popular routes, e.g. Caraterra Austral, it's relatively easy to hook up with other solo cyclists for a while.

Two's company

"I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them." Mark Twain

I think two is probably the ideal number for a cycling adventure. It gives you someone to share the experience with, there's mutual support when the going gets tough and if one of you gets sick or has an accident the other can get help. On a more practical level, it allows you to split the load of the camping gear between you. 
But be warned: one of you will be faster than the other, one of you will want to get up early while the other will won't understand what the rush is. One of you will be a camel, never needing to stop to eat or drink, while the other will be a humming bird, needing to stop frequently... You will need to sort out how you handle these differences so the trip is OK for both of you.

Three or more

It's quite nice to travel in a small group for awhile. For longer periods group travel involves a bit more effort logistically and the dynamics of the group and individual personalities may become an issue. Also you may be a little less likely to interact with the locals when you are travelling in a group. 

How far, how fast

In planning your route you need a rough idea of how far and how fast you can travel. If you are not too fit and are cycling on reasonable, not too hilly roads and taking rest days every 5-6 days you can expect to manage 1,300km to 1,600km per month. If you are fit and can regularly do 100km a day, your monthly average will be 2,000km to 2,500km

Research

Key things you need to travel tips before you go : 

Security

road trips need you are responsible for your own security. If you are going to a country where security may be an issue, e.g. Afghanistan, Columbia, Zimbabwe, it's down to you to do your homework and assess the risks. Check the latest Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice for the country. Travelling to a country when the FCO has posted a notice advising against all travel there may well invalidate your travel insurance. 
FCO warnings tend to err on the side of caution, for understandable reasons. So it's worth trying to get information from other sources, in particular travellers who have recent experiences of the country. Travel forums, such as Lonely Planet's Thorn Trees, are a good place to start.

Road conditions

So that you fit the right tyres and have a reasonable idea of your daily distance, you need to know whether you will be cycling mostly on paved roads or gravel tracks.

Weather

You need a rough idea of what the weather is going to like so you know what clothes and camping equipment to take, e.g. how cold/hot will it be and how much rain you can expect.

Wind direction

If you are doing a long A to B trip, as opposed to a circular one, it's worth checking what the prevailing wind direction is. If you are going into the mountains, don't bother - the wind can blow from every direction in a single day.

Cost of living

You need to have a rough idea of what your daily budget is going to be. Fnding out the cost of a night in a cheap hotel, a meal and a beer, will give you a good indication. Daily budgets can vary from 80+ Euros, staying in B&Bs in Europe, to less than $10 per day wild camping in Central Asia.

Sources of information

Internet

The internet has transformed planning a long trip. It is now incredibly easy to access a huge amount of information on any part of the world and any aspect of cycling. Wherever you are planning to go the chances are you can find an account of someone who as been there and send them an email. Forums such as Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree give you access to a huge community of travellers and cyclists. The most useful sites are listed in the Links section.

Guide Books

Guide books are quite expensive, so they are only worth investing in if you are going to be spending a few weeks in a country and/or it's off the beaten track. Lonely Planet, Trailblazer and Bradt are all good guides. It's actually quite liberating travelling without a guidebook.

Maps

In developing countries it can be difficult to get a hold of decent maps, so it's best to buy at least some of your maps before you go. In the UK, we have one of the world's best map shops- Stanfords

Visas & Permits

Visas are an expensive, time consuming hassle that you just have to put up with. Check the visa and permit requirements for your trip well ahead of your departure date. Most visas cost between $30 and $80, and only take a couple of days to obtain. Depending on your nationality and the political situation, there are still a few difficult ones such as Iran, North Korea, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, that can take weeks. The paper work you may be required to obtain for certain countries includes:

· A Letter of Invitation. This where a travel agent in the country submits your application to the appropriate ministry and gets it pre-approved. You then get an official letter from the agency which you submit with your Visa application. This service normally costs aroun $50.

· A Letter of Support. This an official letter from your embassy to the one of the country you want to travel to, saying, in very flowery diplomatic language "Please issue Joe Bloggs with a visa". There is normally a charge for this service.

For some countries, such as China, it's best not to mention you are travelling by bike.

For long trips, because most Visas are only valid for 3 months, you may have to get some or all of your visas en-route. For example, most people on the Europe to SE Asia route cycle to Ankara, then spend a week or two getting their visas for Iran and Central Asia. Thereafter, they try to work one or two countries ahead. Most tourist visas are for 30 days, starting when you enter the country. For a few, you have to fix the start and end dates in advance, which can make planning a long trip difficult. 

On long trips, it is a good idea to carry several photocopies of your passport data page (the one with the photo) and the visa pages. It's also good to have a CD with scanned images of these pages. 

Money

Credit/Debit Cards

Using Credit/Debit cards is rapidly becoming the method of choice obtaining for money abroad and the availability of ATMs in out of the way places is improving all the time. It is important to check the charges your bank or credit card will make for cash advances overseas - some are really uncompetitive. If you are going for a long time it may be worth opening a new account to get low charges. In the UK, the Nationwide Flex account has a good reputation.

It's best to have at least two cards, in case a machine eats one of them.

Travellers Cheques

It is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to cash Travellers Cheques. Banks don't like them because of the high fraud risk and high processing cost. So, you may find some banks won't touch them with a barge-pole, while others will only let you cash a limited amount and will charge you a hefty fee for the priviledge. However, they still offer an attractive level of security, i.e. you can get them replaced if they get nicked. American Express Dollar cheques are probably the best choice. Make sure you take your purchase receipts with you, as many banks ask to see them as an anti-fraud step.

Cash

Despite the availability of ATMs it is still a good idea to carry a reasonable amount of cash for emergencies. Recent issue, high-value dollar bills, in good condition will get you out of a hole in almost every developing country. Euros are rapidly becoming as widely accepted as Dollars. Carry the bulk of your cash in a money belt, but hide a couple of hundred dollars in your luggage or somewhere else, in case the money belt gets pinched.

Long trips

On long trips it's best to take a mix of credit/debit cards, travellers cheques and cash, in the hope that wherever you are, at least one method will work.
In terms of managing your money on long trip (6+ months) there are a couple of other things that will help. The first is having an internet bank account. This means you can access your account, transfer money and pay bills from internet cafes. The second, is arranging for some one you trust absolutely to have have formal Power of Attorney (a formal document drawn up by a Solcitor) over your accounts. This means he/she can pay bills and deal with your affairs while you are out of contact.

Sponsorship

So, you have decided to do an epic cycle ride from Little Wittering on the Wold to Mongolia. You've jacked in your job, your about to let your house and you've started buying your kit. Now's the time you start thinking "Surely some one would want to sponsor me for such an epic ride". Well, sorry to be a kill joy, but sponsorship for long bike rides is notoriously difficult to come by. In terms of time invested versus cash obtained, it is usually better to go and work at MacDonalds. However, it's not completely impossible. In rough order of increasing difficulty the possibilities are:

· Obtaining cut price gear from manufactures and local shops - feasible with hard work.

· Obtaining cash donations to the charity you are raising money for - difficult. (NB People have had more success asking for donations of prizes for raffles before they go.)

· Straight cash donations to support your expedition - next to impossible

If you are approaching companies for sponsorship, you have to be able to offer them a benefit. The question is not what they can do for you, but what you can do for them. And the answer is publicity. You must be able to demonstrate how you are going to get their name seen and heard. Things that will help your case are:

· Something novel, unusual or very challenging about what you are doing, e.g. if you are very young, very old or have a disability, or are doing it on a unicycle.

· Having a good website and being able to show it is getting some traffic.

· Being able to show some media interest, e.g. getting the local paper to agree to cover your departure, or carry regular articles or letters from you the road. NB. One person I met managed to do a phone interview on her local radio while she was on the road

· Having a good tie in with a charity and the trip being in someway relevant to what the charity does, e.g. going to visit one of their programmes in Mongolia.

Interestingly some people who have sought sponsorship have commented that it is sometimes easier once you are on the road, e.g. replacements for stuff that gets stolen.

Anyway, if you go down this road, good luck!

Insurance

Health/Travel Insurance

The vast majority of adventure cyclists consider health insurance as an essential. However. there are a small number of cyclist who don't bother with it, on the basis that treatment in the 3rd world countries is cheap. Personally, I want the peace of mind of a policy that covers the cost of medical treatment in country and will get me back to the UK in an emergency. There are loads of travel insurance providers out there. Things to look for when you are comparing policies are:

· Check the policy specifically covers cycle touring. Some policies consider this as an adventurous activity and either won't cover it or require an additional premium.

· Any wierd conditions or limitations, e.g. I have heard of policies that will cover cycling, but not above 2,000m.

· Duration for longer tours. There aren't that many policies that will cover you for 12 months on tour, e.g. there are annual policies, but they have limits on the time you can spend abroad. Also check if the policy can be renewed while you are away.

Bike Insurance

Just about all travel insurance policies have a single item limit of around 300, so they won't cover your bike (or much of it). Insurance that will cover your bicycle against theft while you are overseas is difficult to find and very expensive when you do find it (it's a small market and the risks are high). Also the policies have time limits of around 3-months, so they won't cover you for a world tour. Your home contents policy may cover your bike for the first couple of weeks. All things considered, most people on a long tours don't bother insuring their bike.

Health

Jabs

If you are going somewhere exotic, you'll need to get the relevent vaccinations. Some jabs have to be given a few weeks in advance, so a couple of months ahead of your departure date, consult your GP/MD to find out what you need. It's best to bring anti-malaria pills from home.
Rabies
If you are going to a remote area where rabies is a risk, you will need to decide whether it is worth having the expensive rabies jab. Do some research and take the advice of your GP/MD before you make the decision. This is my understanding of the situation: The jabs (you need a course of three) do not offer complete immunity. If you are bitten, you still need a course vaccinations to prevent the disease developing. However, if you have had the jab, you will have a little more time in which to get to a clinic and start the treatment (48 hours as as opposed to 24) and you will require a course of fewer, less painful vaccinations than if you hadn't had the jab (I have read of someone who hadn't had a jab and needed a course 14 daily shots to the stomach after being bitten by a dog in Sudan).

First Aid

You should take a basic first aid kit with you - plasters, a couple of bandages, asprin, antispetic cream... that sort of thing.
For long trips, we have found it very useful to carry a couple of courses of antibiotics with us. This means we can treat bad cases of diarrhoea ourselves. Get these under prescription from your GP.

World Wonder and Pilgrimage Site

The Potala Palace has stood for centuries as a testament to the Tibetan people and their beliefs. Thousands of pilgrims from around the world come every year to pay homage to this grand estate and the symbol it stands for.

Considered to be one of the wonders of the world for its physical structure and its importance in Tibetan history, the Potala Palace is admired by all who visit.

Highlights

The general structure of the Potala Palace is in two parts: the Red Palace and the White Palace. The beautiful murals inside the palace are not only attractive, but also tell the story of Tibet. The golden roof group on the top of the Red Palace is worth seeing.

The Red Palace

The Red Palace is the higher of the two palaces, and is made up of several chapels. Used as a house of prayer by the Dalai Lama, this part of the Potala Palace was dedicated to the study of Buddhism and the advancement of the religion.

Housed within the Red Palace are several mausoleums of previous Dalai Lamas. Each mausoleum is built with stateliness and honor in mind. The mausoleum of the fifth Dalai Lama (the Potala's patron), located in the west of the palace stands five stories high, is overlaid with gold, diamonds, pearls, and many other precious gems, and expresses the high honor the people had for this Buddhist saint.

The White Palace

The White Palace was home to ten successive Dalai Lamas and their courts. Also located there are the offices of the Tibetan government, governmental assembly halls, and other official offices.

The original White Palace was built as a present from King Songtsan Gampo to his bride-to-be in 637, but destroyed during the ninth century. The fifth Dalai Lama built the current one on its site, and therefore, this structure pays homage to him in greater measure than previous Dalai Lamas or those that would follow.

After Norbulingka was built in 1755, it became the summer residence of the Dalai Lama, and the White Palace became known as the winter estate of this saint of Buddhism.

Inside the Potala Palace

Housed within this amazing stone and wood structure are articles and artifactsfrom Tibetan history, religion, and culture. Statues of Buddha, murals, and antiques that are centuries old, and incredible works of art grace every area of this mountaintop palace.
The elaborate works of art and murals tell many stories of the Dalai Lamas and the history of the Tibetan people, and depict different customs and traditions held dear in this beautiful part of the world.

One area of particular importance is the wall frescoes that depict the life and works of the fifth Dalai Lama. Other precious works of art include ornate statues, sculptures, and Tibetan paintings.

Of all the ornate decorations located within these sacred walls, visitors should take time to visit the topmost hall. CalledSasong Langjie, this hall was built in 1679 and contains a portrait of the Qing Emperor Qianlong. An inscription on this portrait “A long, long life to the present emperor” is written in the languages of Han, Manchu, Mongol, and Tibetan. It is here that Dalai Lamas have come to pay homage every Tibetan New Year's Day for centuries as they pray for guidance and direction for the Tibetan people.

The Golden Roof Group

The golden roof group is a unique view of the Potala Palace. It's on the top of the Red Palace, composed of seven roofs made of gilded bronze. They are the tops of the holy stupas of the Dalai Lamas. Every golden roof is decorated with one to five flower-and-bell-shaped spires, which serve as lightning conductors. If you step out on the palace roof, you can see the blue sky and white cloud above your head and overlook the city.

Best Photo Sites

To see the Potala Palace from afar is the best way to appreciate the panorama of this spectacular building. The roof of Jokhang Temple (east of the palace) and Chakpori (southwest of the palace) are the best sites. Our guides know the best places to take beautiful photos. Visiting Tips

To make your trip to the Potala Palace a fabulous one, please consider the following:

Entry tickets are hard to get. The Potala Palace is a protected site. For this reason, the government has limited the number of visitors allowed up the mountain each day. Tickets sell quickly, so it is best to book in advance.

Only 1-hour visits are permitted in high season. Once inside, visitors are allowed approximately 1 hour to visit the site before being asked to leave, so that many more people can enjoy the beauty of this wondrous site.

Research well beforehand. Before you enter the Potala Palace, get some knowledge about it or you won't understand what the guide is talking about.

Climbing steps at high altitude requires good physical condition. There is no lift up to the palace or inside, so visitors reach the top by climbing steps up 100 meters (300 feet). Go slowly and enjoy the view to avoid altitude sickness or other discomfort.

Dress respectfully and for the coolness. Modest clothing is encouraged, as this is a sacred site. Hats are not allowed. Bring a coat, because it's quite cool inside the Potala Palace.

No photos! Photography, video equipment, and other recording devices are not allowed, due to the sacred nature of the site and the relics held within the sacred walls.

Security check: To ensure a safe and secure environment security checkpoints are set up to remove prohibited items from visitors. Please refrain from bringing weapons, flammable liquids, cameras, and other prohibited items to the site. Don't bring any liquid, including water, inside the palace as well as the museum. And don't take anything from the palace.