Tibetan Good Karma = Good Politics
The old guy had his prayer wheel going, and the grannie had the beads counting and boy, if you had seen the roads you would have been happy for all the prayers flying around.
This picture really got Tibetan China for me, in a number of ways. The way these three were instantly yakking, even though they didn't know each other, they just casually and joyously pass the time - and the cookies - to each other and even the strange camera wielding tourists behind them.
I was also struck how these are seriously handsome people. Maybe ti's the buddhism love light, I don't know, but I have yet to see a Tibetan that ain't good-lookin'
The little boy is wearing a pair of the famous kids pants: these are split all the way open on the bum (!) and on younger kids up the front too, allowing the kids a total fresh air experience. He belonged to someone on the bus. Not sure who. He was very friendly - although eyeing the open bum flap, I declined to give him a seat on my lap.
The elderly two managed to cram onto our already full bus by simply perching on the floor and motor. Country passengers just flag buses as they go by, and I was bemused more than once by how people flagged buses going in any direction whatsoever. As iif they were just so desperate to get out, they'd take any ride!!
Unlike elsewhere in China, the outward symbols of (tibetan) Buddhism are worn and displayed prominently in this area of China. The beads, the bracelets and whenever they can get them, pictures of the Dalai Lama are displayed proudly. Even newspaper cutouts of the Dalai Lama are put into lockets, and I was kicking myself for not bringing some out as gifts...
For myself, I was reminded of Poland in the late 80s. Back then, as a sign of protest and yes, solidarity, people would display and carry any symbol of Catholicism that they could find. For many, I am sure, this was beyond religious commitment and was a strong political statement.
Just the other day, I wandered into a big excited crowd in a wee tiny village about the Chinese equivalent of Wishart - really small. There were all these happy people clustered and flustered in front of a posh (well, for that village) hotel. Turns out there was a real live Lama staying there, and the word was out. It was as if Elvis was in town.
And sure enough, later on squad cars with flashing lights and a cop videotaping the crowd, followed by riot coppers on big ass bikes went up and down this tiny one street town until people got the message and stopped waiting for the Lama.
