Image by mckaysavage via Flickr

From NYTimes:

Japanese Climbers Die on Tibet Mountain

By EDWARD WONG
Published: October 3, 2008

BEIJING — Three Japanese climbers were killed while on an expedition to reach the summit of a sacred mountain in Tibet, a mountaineering official said on Friday. The climbers died on Wednesday in an avalanche while scaling Mount Kulagangri, an official of the Tibet Mountaineering Association, Dou Changshen, told The Associated Press.

The bodies of the climbers were found by team members about 980 feet away from a camp that was at an altitude of 19,300 feet. The three people who died were among a team of seven Japanese climbers who left Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, on Sept. 20.

And here's a clip of the mountain:

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• Japanese Climbers Die on Tibet Mountain

Mi capita, ogni tanto, di ripescare foto di viaggi, recenti e non.
Ce n'è una in particolare che mi piace rivedere.
E' questa

Eravamo a Lhasa, la capitale del Tibet, che in tibetano vuol dire "il trono di Dio". Io, la gatta e una coppia di amici.

La nostra guida e l'autista, al termine di una faticosa giornata spesa a raggiungere un monastero piuttosto lontano (avevamo ancora le narici piene dell'intenso odore di burro di yak), ci propone una sosta a casa di quest'ultima, nella periferia di Lhasa.

Una periferia povera (non che il centro sia molto meglio, intendiamoci), costellata di casette e baracche apparentemente prive anche dei servizi essenziali. L'apparenza non ingannava. Siamo stati ospitati proprio in una di queste piccole abitazioni con bagno a cielo aperto, per consentire all'autista di salutare la propria famiglia, e in particolare il bambino avuto di recente dalla giovane moglie.

Grandiosa ospitalità, acqua fresca, frutta, the al burro di yak. Il solito cerimoniale tibetano che tanto ci ha fatto amare questa gente.

Ho scattato la foto in un momento in cui tutti si muovevano. La stanzetta era un continuo andirivieni di gente, ma quel bambino mi fissava come solo i bambini sanno fare.

Da allora mi è rimasto impresso ed è difficile dimenticarlo.

Si, questa foto mi piace proprio.

Antonio

Pressemitteilung, 25. September 2008

Immer mehr Fälle von „Verschwindenlassen“ werden bestätigt

Nachdem es seit dem 10. März 2008 zu massiven Demonstrationen auf dem tibetischen Hochland gekommen war, werden allmählich immer mehr Fälle bekannt, wo es darum geht, daß Personen unfreiwillig und spurlos verschwunden sind. Man weiß von mindestens 1000 Tibetern, über deren Verbleib und Befinden ihre Angehörigen oder die Klöster, denen sie angehören, keinerlei Kenntnis haben.

Das Schicksal von 80 Mönchen des Klosters Drepung am Rand der Stadt Lhasa ist selbst Monate nach der grausamen Niederschlagung der März-Proteste noch unbekannt. Drepung, das in der Vergangenheit eines der Hauptzentren des politischen Dissenses war, spielte auch bei den Protesten in Lhasa eine führende Rolle.

Wie inzwischen bekannt wurde, beherbergten die drei Großklöster eine beachtliche Zahl an Mönchen aus Amdo und Kham (von außerhalb der TAR also), die sich dort vorübergehend zu Studienzwecken aufhielten, aber keine offiziellen Registrierungsausweise besaßen. Die chinesischen Behörden in Tibet haben es besonders auf diese Mönche von außerhalb der TAR abgesehen und weisen sie aus. Auch Lobsang, ein Mönch des Klosters Drepung, der ursprünglich aus dem Kreis Lhatse, Präfektur Shigatse, stammt, verschwand nach den Protesten vom März, und seither fehlt von ihm jede Spur.

Ebenso ist ein ehemaliger Schüler des Tibetischen SOS-Kinderdorfs [Dharamsala], Migmar Dhondup, seit den März-Protesten in Lhasa verschwunden. Migmar Dhondup, der aus dem Kreis Dingri (chin. Tingri Xian), Präfektur Shigatse, TAR, stammt, schloß 1995 seine Ausbildung als Kaufmann ab. Einer zuverlässigen Quelle zufolge arbeitete er, so wie etliche andere Exilrückkehrer, in Lhasa als Touristenführer, bis er im März verschwand. Es ist nicht klar, ob er an den Demonstrationen beteiligt war oder nicht, aber seine Angehörigen und Freunde haben seitdem nichts mehr von ihm gehört.

Auch Thabkhey und Tsundue vom Kloster Labrang, die am 7. April vor ausländischen Medienvertretern, die sich auf einer staatlich organisierten Reise im Bezirk Sangchu (chin. Xiahe Yian), Provinz Gansu, befanden, beherzt ihre Meinung kundtaten, verschwanden kurz nach ihrem mutigen Auftritt und wurden seither nicht mehr gesehen. Dortige Anwohner befürchten nun, daß das Sicherheitspersonal sie insgeheim gepackt und entführt habe. Obwohl die Familien der Mönche immer wieder bei dem örtlichen Public Security Bureau (PSB) nachfragten, wo sie verblieben seien, tun die Behörden so, als wüßten sie nichts von den beiden. Bis zum heutigen Tag wurde weder ihren Angehörigen noch ihrem Kloster mitgeteilt, wohin sie gebracht wurden oder in welcher Haftanstalt sie sich befinden.

Von den zahlreichen Fällen des unfreiwilligen Verschwindens von Tibetern seit den Demonstrationen vom März sind ein paar ans Licht gekommen, jedoch erst Monate nach ihrer willkürlichen Festnahme. So stellte sich heraus, daß eine Verschwundene verstorben war, aber erst nachdem zwei ihrer Kolleginnen gerichtlich verurteilt wurden. Guru, eine 25jährige Nonne des Klosters Samtenling oder Watak im Bezirk Drango, TAP Kardze, Provinz Sichuan, die bei den Juni-Protesten in Drango mitgemacht hatte, war seitdem verschwunden; erst als zwei ihrer Gefährtinnen, Tsering Tso, 27, und Ugyen Lhamo, 32, von dem Mittleren Volksgericht zu zwei Jahren Haft verurteilt wurden, erfuhr man, daß sie nicht mehr am Leben ist. Das Schicksal von Guru zeigt, daß ein erzwungenes Verschwinden oft mit dem Tod der betreffenden Person gleichzusetzen ist.

Das TCHRD bringt seine große Sorge über diejenigen Tibeter zum Ausdruck, die willkürlich festgenommen wurden und seit den März-Protesten verschwunden sind. Es appelliert an die internationale Gemeinschaft, mehr Druck auf die Regierung der VRC auszuüben, Auskunft über ihren Verbleib und ihren Zustand zu geben. Das Zentrum bittet auch die UN-Arbeitsgruppe für das Verschwindenlassen von Personen (UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearance/UNWGEID), sich dieser dringenden Angelegenheit anzunehmen und um der verschwundenen Tibeter willen zu intervenieren. Es fordert ebenso ein Ende des Leidens, das durch diese grausame Praxis, mittels derer die politisch Andersdenkenden und ihre Familien in Tibet zum Schweigen gebracht werden, herbeigeführt wird.

Das Zentrum erinnert an das Recht eines jeden Menschen auf Leben, Freiheit und Würde und folglich auf das Recht, vor Entführung geschützt zu sein. Der wesentliche Wert der menschlichen Existenz besteht darin, ein Leben in Freiheit zu führen, ohne Beeinträchtigung der eigenen Rechte oder Ansprüche, ohne diskriminiert zu werden oder Schaden zu erleiden, so wie es in der Allgemeinen Erklärung der Menschenrechte [Art. 7] steht. Verschwindenlassen bedeutet nicht nur eine Verletzung dieses grundlegenden Menschenrechts, indem es einen Menschen der Schutzsphäre des Gesetzes physisch entzieht, sondern es nimmt den Angehörigen der entführten Person auch das Recht, die Wahrheit zu erfahren und Gerechtigkeit zu suchen.

Die Regierung der VRC hat das Internationale Übereinkommen zum Schutz aller Personen vor dem Verschwindenlassen, das am 20. Dezember 2006 von der Vollversammlung der UNO verabschiedet wurde, immer noch nicht unterzeichnet, geschweige denn ratifiziert. Das TCHRD ruft die VRC auf, dieses wichtige internationale Abkommen zu unterzeichnen und zu ratifizieren, und gleichzeitig im eigenen Lande ein Gesetz zu erlassen, das Verschwindenlassen unter Strafe stellt.

Übersetzung: Adelheid Dönges, Revision: Angelika Mensching

*************************************************************
* Internationale Gesellschaft für Menschenrechte (IGFM)
* Arbeitsgruppe München
* Adelheid Dönges, Packenreiterstr. 18, 81247 München
* Tel (+49 89) 811 35 74 oder (+49 40) 480 80 77 (Angelika Mensching)
* tibet at igfm-muenchen.de, www.igfm-muenchen.de/tibet/tibetstart.html
* Spendenmöglichkeit: IGFM München,
* Kto 158393803, Postbank München, BLZ 700 100 80
* IBAN DE71700100800158393803 - BIC PBNKDEFF
* Bei den Übersetzungen handelt es sich um nicht-authorisierte.
***********************************************************

see also: More cases of Enforced and Involuntary Disappearance surfaces from Tibet

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We can only wonder why these two were sacked. Hopefully, it is a sign that the Communist Party finally realizes they can't tolerate bullies if they want to become full participants with the rest of the world. We can only wait and see how their successors behave.

Commonly referred to as the ‘Roof of the World’, Tibet is located on the world’s highest plateau, rising 3,600 meters above sea level on the Himalayas which has cold climate and low air pressure and oxygen concentration. Adjacent to the other Himalayan countries, Nepal and Bhutan, in the south, the country borders Yunnan of China, Kachin of Myanmar, and Assam of India in the north, China in the east and India and Pakistan in the west.

Since the reign of King Nyatri Tsangpo, the founder of Yarlung dynasty, Tibetan’s religious practice has been focused on Vajrayana Buddhism which was introduced to the country by King Lha Thothori Nyantsen and King Srongtsen Gampo. Supported by King Trisong Detsen in constructing religious places and laying the foundation, Buddhism could have been standing firmly in Tibet until present.

In the regime of Kublai Khan of Mongol, Tibet came under the influence of the Mongol empire for almost 100 years. Only after Gushi Khan had conquered Tibet, he gave authority to the 4th Dalai Lama to administrate both religious and administrative authorities. Since then, Dalai Lamas have been the spiritual leader and highest leader of Tibetan people. Half of Tibetan men have become a monk. As both monks and common people strictly practice themselves following the principles of Buddhism, Tibet is dubbed as the ‘Land of Dharma’.

The relationship between China and Tibet had been initiated long time ago; since the Tibetans was only an ethnic group residing in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. At that time, the Tibetans always contacted with Hans in the mainland. In the earlier seventh century, the Tibetans had officially established the dynasty, headed by the king and locating the capital at Lasha, before having friendly relationship with the Tang Dynasty of China.

In the middle of 13th century, Tibet fell under the domination of China. Until the era of the Qing Dynasty, Tibet was strictly controlled; chief officials were sent to control the kingdom’s local administration. In 1958, the Chinese marched into Tibet and established a special administrative region called Tibet Autonomous Region, resulting in the political asylum of the current Dalai Lama to the north of India in 1960. An until now, he has never come back to the motherland.

Tibet’s interesting attractions include Potala Palace, the winter palace located in Lhasa. Both fortress and sacred place, the palace was built in 17th century on the same area of King Songtsen Gampo’s palace following the command of the fifth Dalai Lama during 1617 – 1682. Potala Palace is a palace complex, consisting of the several buildings: the external building, completed in 1648, in white color called ‘White Palace’and the internal building in red color called ‘Red Palace’. The Potala Palace, decorated with fine murals along balconies, has both wooden and stone staircases. It also houses beautifully-decorated chapels and up to 200,000 sacred statues. Today the Potala Palace is both a museum and a worship place. Inside the White Palace locate an office and a religious school while the Red Palace is still used for religious practices and the center of Potala.

The Potala Palace was inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994 and other related architectures were added to the list as extensions to the sites in 2000 and 2001. According to the consideration, the palace has been accepted as it could represent a masterpiece of human creative genius; it is an outstanding example of a type of architectural ensemble which illustrates a significant development in terms of culture, society, art, science, technology and industry in human history and it bears a belief directly related to an outstanding incident in history.

Norbulingka is the summer palace far from the Potala Palace only 2 kilometers. ‘Norbulingka’, meaning ‘Treasure Park’ in Tibetan, was built under the Seventh Dalai Lama. Serving as a place for both administration and religious practices, the palace is divided into three parts: the internal palace, the external palace and the park. The palace later has been renovated, added up the area called the ‘golden park’, which owns stunning architectural structure renowned until present.

Drepung Monastery is another not-to-be-missed attraction. Built in 1959, it is a monastery in Gelukpa, which is also known as the Yellow Hat sect, far from the western suburb of Lhasa about 8 kilometers. Besides being the sect’s main monastery, it used to be the world’s largest monastery, housing as many as 10,000 lamas. Today, however, there are only 500 – 600 lamas left. The monastery is a venue to hold the Thanka flag hanging festival, one of Tibet’s important and biggest traditional festivals where Tibetan people would hang large Thanka flags around the monastery.

Sera Monastery, another important monastery located on a foothill outside Sala Village, is a dharma school for lamas. At the monastery, monks would practice dharma questioning and answering skill where pairs of monks would alternate to ask a question and give an answer. Questioners would stand up and clap their hands or showing some harsh manner to push their partners for an answer. Although visitors may not understand Tibetan, pleasure and enjoyment come from such actions.

Jokhang Monastery is located in the middle of Lhasa. Its name means the 'House of the Scripture’. The monastery’s buildings are the architectural mixture between arts of China’s Tang Dynasty and Tibet. When King Songtsen Gampo married Princess Wen Cheng of China and Princess Princess Tritsun of Napal, both wives were pleased to built the Jokhang Monastery to house the Jowo Shakyamuni Buddha statue, which had been brought from China by Princess Wen Cheng. Thus, the monastery has been a sacred place of Tibetan people since then.

On the Barkhor Street, an octangular street around the monastery, the Tibetans has performed a traditional practice to worship the Buddha. They would pay homage to the Shakyamuni by lying down on the street from the morning to late at night. Some people may walk around the temple as well as evolve the dharma wheel and pray. For those who want to see the Buddhist way of the Tibetans, just take a seat with a cup of coffee, just that, you can absolutely touch the Buddhist faith of Tibetan people. Besides, this area is colorful and lively as there are several souvenir shops, bookshops, coffee shops as well as restaurants and guesthouses lining along.

Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, the second-largest city after Lhasa, is a residence of Panchen Lamas, the second highest ranking religious leader of Tibet. Built in 1447, the monastery is an origin of a number of scholars and experts specializing in dharma principles of Mahayan Buddhism. Calm and serene, the monastery features many small alleys and a vihara housing a the world’s most gigantic statue of the Maitreya Buddha made of copper and covered with up to 300 kilograms of gold. In the eastern side of the monastery is located Gelsang Monastery.

Yamdrok Lake is a natural wonder, lying along the route from Lhasa to Gyantse. Far from the southwestern of Lhasa approximately 100 kilometers, the lake rises 5,000 meters above sea level. With stunning turquoise water, crystal clear like a mirror, which sinuously lies along the area of 670 square kilometers, it is one of the four largest sacred lakes in Tibet and believed to be a residence of gods. Also, it is a production source of water-powered electricity used in Lhasa since 1987.

Although, in present, Tibet is governed by China, the Tibetans still hold fast to their traditions strictly. As to the development of literature, which is growing side by side with arts of singing and drama, a famous poetry of the 16th century has praised Tibet as:
“The center of heaven,
The core of the earth,
The heart of the world,
Fenced round with snow.”
Today, Tibet, the heaven on the roof of the world, has stopped revolving and is waiting for your visit.

How to get there

By Air: There are two routes available: Kathmandu of Nepal to Lhasa and Chengdu of Sichuan Province, China to Lhasa.

By land: Train service is available. You can fly to Chengdu and fly over to Jining and catch a train along the route of 2,000 kilometers on the height of 4,000 meters above sea level.

Visitors traveling to Tibet have to be in good health condition. Thin air is bad for heart disease and high blood pressure. For traveling in China or its administrative regions, using travel agencies is recommended.

Source: kinnaree magazine

Thanks: Travel Gateway to Thailand. Hotels Flights Vacations Booking.

Reconozco que no conocía hasta ayer esta canción.

¿Y qué importa si es una preciosidad?

Tuve que perderme pa´llegar hasta tu lado

yayyyyyyyy!!!!! ..Ive just received confirmation about the Little Lhasa Project!!! ive been selected to go to dharamsala!!! yaaay!!!!! by far the best b'day gift  so far:) I'm ecstatic!!... thngs look up ;) i just hope everything works out just fine!!!

I actually  got selected!! and below is the piece i wrote to them...  :)

I remember a few days before the Olympic torch came to Delhi, I happened to be in connaught place..and at a red light i saw a march in procession. I  was soon given a leaflet which gave a background about Tibet's silent, but powerful resistance to its  Chinese occupation and domination. as much as I would have liked to join them, for they were keen to have students involved in the peaceful march, I was not able to join them.. today, while going through the common mail id of my batch I happened come across this program. Since I am studying to be a Journalist...and keen on conflict reporting, I  feel it would be a highly enriching experience...meeting people who have first hand experiences of Chinese atrocities on the people of Tibet. I would like to help in my own little way by being a part of this program.
If I could make Little Lhasa ..a happy Lhasa :).

A new study released today by the Institute for Geographical Accuracy found that 90 percent of people who own Free Tibet bumper stickers cannot actually locate Tibet on a map.

"We were appalled," said John Ridenour, spokesman for the institute's "Locate Tibet" campaign. "It seems like the stickers, which are actually calling for the liberation of one of the world's most oppressed people, are just about being cool."

Tibet has been ocuppied by the Chinese since troops marched into Lhasa in 1951. After an uprising by the Tibetan people in 1959, the Dali Lama, spiritual leader of Tibet, fled to India.

"Most people we surveyed just had no clue," Ridenour said. "They just like the sticker."

That's true of Boulder resident Leaf Roberts.

"I drive a Subaru, and I'm into being peaceful," he said. "I think people should just leave Tibet alone. They're very peaceful. You should see all their prayer flags."

When pressed for an exact location for Tibet, Roberts finally guessed that Tibet bordered Thailand and Vietnam.

In fact, Tibet is sandwiched between Nepal and China with bits touching India as well.

"That's cool," said Roberts. "I still think Tibet should be free."

It wasn't any of those noises that awoke Wanami. It was the little involuntary jerk in her arm. Either it was because she had slept on it or because it was trying to remind her of the note she held. Last night had tired her out. Guiding a drunk individual a foot taller than you through the dark damp side streets was a workout. Her arms were sore by the time they got back. Fairfax had slumped on the bed, while Wanami looked around. She expected Quinn's things to be gone. However, a little apology note had been left on the bed. On it was more than just an apology to the two for misleading them. Quinn had stated he's going on to finish his task and hopes they'll forgive him if they ever meet again. This wasn't what Wanami found important. What Quinn had left was Kate's number who he believed could help them get out of Lhasa. For Wanami though, she knew this could be the only way they could find Quinn. The morning had brought a sense of urgency.

"Wake up," Wanami pulled the covers off of Fairfax.

The motion brought Fairfax out of slumber and into shock. Awakening under his deep sleep her arose confused and dazed. His head throbbed. Hangovers were never anything Fairfax had grown to expect. They were rare, even during his college years.

"Oh this is not good," Fairfax gripped his forehead and slid his hand over his eyes.

"That's what you get for leaving me to drink with them."

"I'm sorry, you didn't come drink with us?"

"No. They apparently only wanted you."

"I feel horrible."

"Some water an ibuprofen should do the trick."

Wanami reached into her bag. She came on the trip well prepared with her bag of medical supplies. Everything from pain relievers, altitude medication, cleaning alcohol, to bandages were stuffed into her little plastic bag.

Fairfax accepted the pills and water but had to correct her, "No, I meant it's horrible that we lost focus."

Thinking about the experiences of last night, Wanami fought the urge to tell him about the odd events. What she wanted to do now was to get Fairfax in shape to find Quinn.

"Yes, we did." Packing her things, she pressed on, "Let's get ready to move out of here."

"Where are we going to go?"

"To find Kate."

The two eventually found a pay phone around the corner at a convenience store. Fairfax bought a large bottle of water to help out his headache, while they made the call. As expected, Kate was able to point them to where Quinn had hired a driver. Even more importantly, they found out the name of the village he was going to. Within minutes of getting a quick bite to eat at a food stall, they found themselves along a street full of private drivers.

Parked at a forty five degree angle along side the side walk, the cars made a showcase usually found on a car dealer lot. Every car was a either an SUV or a van, varying only in color and model. They weren't the most luxurious. The latest model was about ten years old and each one of them showed signs of wear and tear from the harsh environment. Rust and peeling paint were least of the damage as some showed signs major accidents. Body panels were banged back into place or removed all together. Visual aesthetics were obviously not a concern. It was in whether the vehicles could get to their destinations and back. Their drivers stood under a canopy watching for customers in the summer rains. Once one of the drivers had a good look at Fairfax as he walked over to them, the drivers all called out to him, "Hello, how are you?"

As soon as Wanami mentioned her destination, they were shuffled over to another driver who apparently had another passenger going to the same destination.

The knock on the back seat window startled Quinn as he awoke. He thought the driver was ready to leave as morning had already come. Opening the door he was saw something he believed he'd never see again. The two people he betrayed, smiling at him.

"Why look who we found..." beamed Wanami as she reached in and gave Quinn a hug. "Don't you dare do that again."

Quinn sat speechless, wondering if he was still dreaming. Fairfax leaned over the open door and put his head inside. His smile bore the untarnished comfort Quinn was used to. His hand wrapped around the back of Quinn's neck. As he pulled Quinn's head to his, he uttered "We're meant to do this together, remember."

"How?" Quinn finally was able to get out.

"Kate." Wanami assured, looking around the land cruiser. "Leather seats... navigation... riding in style as usual."

"Yes... I guess", Quinn was obviously still wondering why they were there.

"Did you sleep here?" Wanami gasped as she saw his opened bags in the back.

Quinn's eyes seemed to have found something interesting on the floor as he responded, "Yeah."

"What?" Wanami slapped him on the arm. "What's wrong with you? You should have stayed with us."

"Well..." Quinn peered out the front of the car window. "I wanted to go yesterday, but the driver had said the streets leading out were flooded. He was kind enough to let me say in his car overnight."

"He speaks english?"

"Yeah, enough."

Wanami felt the dismal mood of Quinn was unnecessary and decided it was time to clear the picture up. Sitting next to him, she took his hand.

"Look, I'm not... I mean, we're not mad at you. It would have been nice if we knew, but I figure..." her eyes drifted to Fairfax and then back to Quinn. "We may all be on this trip together, but we all have our personal journey inside. If you need help to get there, we're more than happy to help."

It may have been a small, but there was definitely a hint of a grin under Quinn's stoic face as he continued staring at the ground.

"Do you want us to help?" Wanami asked.

Taking a deep breath, Quinn thought about it long and hard. He peered up out the front windshield once again. The rain eagerly tapping on the hood. Finally, he turned to Wanami and surrendered his smile. "I definitely need help getting some decent food." He put his hand on his stomach, "everything I've pointed to has been nothing but yak meat."

With those words, the usual laughter erupted. Fairfax slung himself into the car and opened his bag. Inside they all had breakfast. Freshly baked baba steamed the car windows. The chili sauce that came with it made everyone scramble for their water bottles. But the commotion that ensued in the car was from the bottle of yak-gurt, yogurt made from yak milk, that Fairfax forced upon Quinn. Shouting and laughter came from the fogged up land cruiser.

The driver stared at his undulating land cruiser outside and sighed, "Well, the Americans are back."

Now that at last some Kanpuriya computer and latest laptop dealers have got their hands on the copy of the latest Ubuntu Linux Hardy Heron 8.04.1 - they are beginning to realize the beauty of using non pirated and legal software which works better than other COSTLY and outdated softwares and operating systems.

One of the key requirements for local computer assemblers in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Kashmir - is to show to their customers the speed and performance of modern Assembled Computers AS COMPARED to BRANDED computers from Indian and foreign computer manufacturers which use outdated hardware and motherboards 6 to 18 months older than those available in the assembled market.

To show off to their customers, the sheer fast performance of latest Taiwan motherboards, memory, hard disks and graphics cards, some of the smarter computer dealers have started loading LEGAL and FREE pre installed Ubuntu with OpenOffice suite of applications for Word Processing, Emails, Spreadsheets, Presentations and Graphics. For Rs 100/- they also hand over the 700 MB Live CD of latest version of Ubuntu.

Everyone is happy, the customers as well as compter dealers in Kanpur, Lucknow, Patna, Varanasi, Allahabad, Gorakhpur, Kathmandu, Guwahati, Jaipur, Bhopal, Bikaner, Surat, Raipur, Kolkata, Shillong, are busy giving the most modern assembled computers and Ubuntu operating system with latest version of Free Firefox browser.

So the Pirates of India and China can now laugh all the way to the bank without doing any software chori - from Kashmir to Kanya Kumari, and from Nagaland to Gujarat.

Time to visit the chardham of legal software - just learn and teach and distribute FREE, LEGAL, OPEN SOURCE software to EVERYONE who needs the LATEST softwares in the world. And yes do not forget to connect the DataOne high speed and fast BSNL Broadband Internet connection for just Rs 250 to your latest and fundoo Ubuntu desktop or laptop computer.

No need to live in dinosaur age of costly desktop, laptop, server and office software or faltoo pirated copies of softwares from last century. Wake up - this is YEAR 2008 and Ubuntu Linux software has arrived in all the villages and cities of India. Time to wake up and get educated in the latest technologies and Free, legal, original, certified AND Open Source softwares.

Take home your own PERSONAL copy of latest and modern softwares in the world - on a 700 MB Ubunt CD.

First some background info.

Yesterday PM Gordon Brown and his cabinet held the first cabinet meeting outside of London since 1921.  It was held at Birmingham's International Convention Centre, a somewhat interesting building in the centre of Birmingham.  

Over the past few weeks I have been renewing my interest in photography (Look Skywards is where most of my current photos go) and yesterday I had planned to head to Brindley Place to photograph some stuff there.  On the way, I saw the heavy police presence and my normal route to Brindley Place, via the ICC, cut off by a police cordon.  

So what happened?

Well, I got there about 11:30 - 11:45am and hung around hoping to get a few snaps of the PM.  I took a few photos of the front of the building (the only decent one saved on my camera is timed at 12:09.  I chatted with a couple of people who assumed that I was an official press photographer because I possessed an DSLR camera.  I chatted with them and in particular one old chap who claimed to be a security guard before traversing round the back of the Rep Theatre and up towards the rear of the ICC.

My next photos were taken at 12:27 and were a close-up of two windows in the vicinity of the guard's box at the back of the ICC.  There were a number of police officers standing here and it was very obvious that I was photographing the window, positioned near the roof of the ICC.  I took two photos of this window before moving on to photograph the rear/side of the Rep.  I took seven photos of the Rep and was just about to take another, from a seated position when I was approached by two police officers at around 12:33 (based on the timing of the last photo I took).

They said I'd been observed taking photos and asked me who I was working for (I told them that I didn't work for anyone).  I was asked why I was taking photos (I said for my blog) and voluntarily offered up my camera to one of the officers (I believe his name was something like 'Danity' -- I didn't write it down) to have a flick through what I'd taken (the photos included stuff I'd taken on September 2nd).  At this point I was asked by the other officer for some ID. I asked why they wanted to see my ID and whether I was obliged to give it.  The second officer responded with something along the lines of 'we have the power search you' just as another, more senior officer (who was called 'Sutton', I think), came over to talk with me. 

I demanded to know why they needed to see my ID when a) I hadn't actually done anything wrong and b) I was already very cooperative by voluntarily showing them my photos.  I can't recall the details of the conversation but it went something along the lines of Sutton telling me, again, that I had been observed taking photos of the ICC during this high profile event which made me look suspicious.  He then went on to say that I didn't have to give my ID or name but that it would be fair because he had to have his name on show.  Really, he said that.  I don't know where they find these dumb cunts but seriously, this guy was deemed smart enough by West Midlands Police to be promoted to a rank above ordinary police constable.  I responded by telling him that having his name on display was not different to me wearing a badge with my name on it while I'm at work which shut him up.  I told these two that I was not prepared to give them my name and shook their hands at which point Sutton laughed and said something like, 'that's great but I don't know who you are so how can I shake your hand?'  Really, I'm not kidding.  

By this time Danity had handed me back my camera and I was quite jovial if somewhat bemused.  As I had nothing to hide and to show some cooperation & patience that my fellow British-Pakistani 'bros' often lack in this kind of situation I asked them if they wanted to search my bag.  Pretty much all I had in it was some books on Buddhism, my self-teach Mandarin book and a Mandarin dictionary.  At this point it was game over for the coppers and they knew it.  They had a look through, made some small talk about Chinese and fucked off as I snapped another photo or two.  Sutton asked me what my intentions were and I told him I might hang about, I might not and he also promptly fucked off.

At 12:45 I took a few more photos in the same spot.  I then sat down and read a bit of one of my books and the took a few more photos of the Rep and a lamp-post in front of the ICC.  I took my last snap at 13:22 before moving on.  I hung around Centenary Square for a while longer before heading home.

Conclusions?

What can I conclude from this?  My friends tell me they stopped me cos I'm brown.  I'm more inclined to think it's because I hung around for far longer than absolutely necessary.  But then I ask myself if I did anything that was actually wrong? And even if I did behave 'suspiciously', what exactly would/could I have done with the photos bearing in mind that the cabinet has not previously held a meeting outside London for 87 years and was highly unlikely to have another one at the ICC in the foreseeable future.  

In recalling this incident I'm reminded of stuff I've read about the police in China forcing tourists and press, on occasion, to delete photos of sensitive incidents (no, I wasn't forced to delete anything).  It happened during the March riots in Tibet and also when a group of journalists were beaten up in Kashgar.  Is this what the West Midlands Police, and the British government at large, has become?

I'm still pretty bemused by it all and wonder what I should I do, if I can do anything, about it.  Opinions, advice and abuse are welcome on this matter.

"He couldn't have gotten far," Wanami spoke against the storm.

"I can't believe he left to begin with," Fairfax hollered back over the noisy rain.

"You think he went to the village with the tour guides?"

"Not likely. This storm is out of control."

"Maybe he's back at the guest house."

"If I know the guy, he probably did go back, to pick up his things." Fairfax noticed the wonder in Wanami's eyes. "He doesn't handle his mistakes too well. Probably can't face us now that he believes he's done something wrong."

"Well he..."

"Yes, he did but he was doing right by coming forward." Fairfax cut her off form the obvious. "And now he's back to not confronting it by running off."

Lightning lit up the sky and thunder shook the buildings. The storm was getting heavier and the sky was getting darker. Nightfall was aiding the storm in making it one memorable performance.

The two had walked for an hour. Across all the markets, fashion stores, F.I.T. offices, and even restaurants. Potala Palace had become menacing with the lightning filled sky as its backdrop. Wanami was surprised to see it in this light. Once a majestic and beautiful structure had become a scene from a Frankenstein movie. She shook off the odd image and came back to reality.

"We looked all over, where the hell can he be?"

Fairfax was facing west. "Maybe he's over in this area."

"What over there."

"His favorite places, the bars."

The next half hour were spent looking for a place the bartender from the other nigh had mentioned. A club name he relayed to Quinn, Babila. Packed with karaoke rooms upstairs and a large dance floor downstairs, the club is the main late night spot of Lhasa. Most likely established for the new younger generation of Chinese immigrants.

Lights lit up the street around Babila. Neon signs hung over bars. Colored lights weaved through the trees. The constant pulsing of the lights reflected off the wet streets and sidewalks, making the area reminiscent of Times Square. Although, there were no large television screens or tall buildings. Hot dog vendors were replaced with vendors selling Asian street foods. The aroma of charred squid, beef, chicken, and vegetables haunted the air. This area was alive. No storm could keep the young crowds away from having fun. And this was where Fairfax and Wanami's taxi driver dropped them off in order to queue with the other taxis - waiting to drive home the hordes of people after last call.

Inside, the sounds of house and trance music played to a deafening level. The walls were a tacking pasley red. Cheap red leather seats were formed against the wall surrounding a table full of drinks. Table service here apparently was in the form of cans of beer rather than bottles of of liquor. Centering the drinking area was the bar. Staffed by young bartenders, they did the job of persuading the customers to buy that extra drink they know they shouldn't have. On the other hand, the young male bartenders were in charge of attracting all the patrons to the bar with the bottle flare act that always ends in a fire show. A fire show that involved creating a ring of fire around the bar which heated up the temperature of the place.

Fairfax gladly took off his jacket at the apex of the act. However, the bright fire lit up the room as Fairfax and Wanami walked in. An unwanted grand entry for the two. The two made a failed subtle exchange of glances as they walked down into the area. Fairfax could already sense the stares and the whispers happening around them.

"So much for trying to blend in." Wanami said securing a place at the bar. Her eyes kept constantly still on the counter.

"Let's just have a look around."

"After one drink, I need it. Besides, if he's here, he'll be here all night."

Wanami leaned over and ordered two drinks with the waitress who couldn't keep her eyes off of Fairfax. Without the fire show, the place was dark. The only light was the pulsating neon lights and laser show and the large screen behind the two DJ's on stage. A visualization played on the screen similar to what Fairfax had as his screen saver.

"So why do you care so much about Quinn?" asked Wanami as she handed over a beer. "And none of this we're meant to be stuff. Personally, don't you feel he misled us, used us?"

Fairfax thought for a moment. Even he thought he may have looked at the situation too spiritually. What did he actually feel about it. His own set of morals applied to the situation. Wanami wasn't looking for his gut feeling about the situation anymore. Nor reasoning based on any metaphysical philosophies. She just wanted something logical this time. Something concrete in order to find Quinn and continue the journey.

"Well?"

After a few sips of his beer, Fairfax was able to speak. "OK, yes. He's an ass for not telling us. Even more of an ass for running off."

"Yes. He just picked up those two travel guides like he picked us up."

"Quite the opportunist he is."

"You sound like Yoda."

"Oh sorry, that didn't come out as I imagined."

"So... now we're looking for him just because he's 'suppose' to be on this journey? He obviously is going on fine."

"I don't think he's fine. He's not going to make it."

"So what, if he gets caught they'll just send him back with a huge fine. He can afford it."

"No, I mean, he's going to fail."

"Fail?"

"He came out here for salvation."

"For one thing out of many things he's done wrong?"

"Yes, but one thing is better than none." Fairfax put his beer down and stared across the bar. "Everyone deserves an attempt at salvation. It's definitely eating him up inside."

"So why should we be involved?"

"I'd rather be involved in ones salvation than knowing I kept it from happening."

No retort came form Wanami. She knew Fairfax was doing the right thing. Spite and revenge left her mind as she submitted to humility. The droning of the monotonous music played on. It wasn't quite the adequate place for a talk, but she'd imagine this is the place Quinn would go to do his so-called "thinking."

"Hello!" Shouted a drunk man slurring his English as he nudged Fairfax.

"Uh... ni hao ma," replied a startled Fairfax.

"Come, drink with me," the man insisted as he pulled Fairfax over to his table.

Puzzled and perplexed, Wanami couldn't figure out if she should join him or stay seated. She was halfway up form her stool when the man pulled Fairfax away. Not one time did he make eye contact with her or mention anything about her. At the table, his friends were only pouring one drink.

"I guess, I'll sit here," she said to herself.

A few drinks later, Fairfax returned. His face was eminating heat from the amounts of alcohol he was made to consume. He was obviously getting to the point of drunk as he slid on his seat next to Wanami.

"Sorry," holding down a burp, Fairfax thumped his chest. "Those Tibetans wouldn't stop drinking."

Wanami was going to say it wasn't a problem until she heard the last part.

"Tibetan? Them?"

"Yes."

"They're not Tibetan. They're Chinese."

"No, they said they were Tibetan."

"They may have been born here but they're not of Tibetan decent."

Before they could continue, a group of people pulled Fairfax out to the dance floor. This time, Wanami decided to follow rather than endure another lonely moment at the bar. Her drink was empty and the bartender appeared to be avoiding her.

On the dance floor, the odulating crowded parted ways as Fairfax made his way to the center followed by Wanami. The uncomfortable looking people dancing to the fast beats soon came under the control of Fairfax as he changed the chemistry. The tranquil pool of the dance floor became a turbulent ocean of jumping people as Fairfax and Wanami went on stage and cheered on the crowd. Soon, the club became comparable to a western club with DJ's and dancers exchanging respectful hand gestures.

Another group of girls had come up to Fairfax stating that they were Tibetans. At this point, Wanami felt she had to intervene in some way.

"Were your parents Tibetan?"

"No, but we're born here."

"But that doesn't mean you're Tibetan."

"Yes it does or else you're not truly American."

The response caught Wanami off guard. For one thing, this was coming from someone they've met at the club. The other thing was that she was right. With foreign parents as well, she called herself American. A label even overshadowing the native Americans. Was she being hypocritical or was she being insightful about cultural genocide, she wasn't sure. The fact remained though, she looked like quite the hypocrit at that moment.

Before she could come back with any response, one of the waiters puled the girl to the side and had a word with her. Wanami waited patiently, but when the waiter went away she simply went straight to the dance floor. As she made her way over to the girl, an older lady cut her off.

"Please, have a drink with me."

Wanami tried to get around her, "Oh, no thank you. Not tonight."

"Please, I'm Tibetan."

Now this was getting stranger for Wanami who still had a solid head on her shoulders. Fairfax was getting bombarded with drinks as he was the epicenter to the throbbing waves of people on the dance floor. The sudden labeling of one's ethinicity, which was obviously wrong, made Wanami wonder what was going on. There were obviously no Tibetans in the club, yet there were plenty of Han Chinese people labeling themselves as such. Wanami's fight or flee senses kicked in.

"No, we have to go."

"One drink."

"No thanks."

Wanami carved through the crowd over to Fairfax. He was obliterated and wreaked of beer. Eyes glazed over, he barely could stand. It was almost as if the crowd was keeping him up. They threw up their hands when he did, jumped when he jumped, and tried mimicking his dance steps as best they can. Luckily, Wanami was taller than most of the people there and eventually made it next to Fairfax.

Before she could say a word, Fairfax turned to her and absent mindingly said, "Oh this is so much fun. Hey, where's Quinn?"

"He's not here. Let's go."

Holding Fairfax's wrist tightly, Wanami made a straight line to the exit. The lady from before made another useless attempt in drinking as Wanami ignored her. The rain outside became Fairfax's cold awakening shower as they flagged down a taxi and made their wayback to the guest house. Fairfax was in no condition to hear what was happening at the club. The ride home was quiet. Wanami watched Fairfax's held jostle back and forth as it arched back limply on the head rest. His head was wet from the rain and sweat. His breath was heavy, taking in clean air and exhaling the warm smell of barley. He was passed out. Things weren't looking so good. They were totally sidetracked from the original task of finding Quinn. Now she has to drag Fairfax through the dark side streets to the guest house. A daunting feet with the addition of the storm. She turned to stare out of her door window. Somewhere out there was Quinn and for the first time today, she hoped he was doing OK.

Så är det då dags.

Imorgon ger jag mig av till Tibet. En 50-literssäck, ett par byxor, välfyllt reseapotek (tack C.), anteckningsböcker och en massa läsning. Bör väl räcka.

Resan går över Helsingfors, Moskva, Irkutsk, Bajkalsjön (Listvjanka), Ulan Bator, Beijing, Lhasa, Gyantse, Shigatse, Xiegar, Everest Base Camp, Zangmu och sedan över gränsen till Nepal och Kathmandu. Sen hem.

Imorgon första etappen. 541 km till Stockholm och färjan till Helsingfors.

Vi hörs.

För den intresserade: Patrick French, Tibet, Tibet. A personal history of a lost land (2003).

Osentimentalt och mycket läsvärt.