The Rest of Everest: Episode 79

Wednesday means a new episode of The Rest of Everest, and just in time it seems. As communications from the mountain are shut down, and Tibet remains locked off to the rest of the world, we get to continue our virtual tour of the country with our guides Jon Miller and Scott Jacobs.

The episode begins with an update on the fund raising efforts that started last week for Jon and Scott's Tibetan guide Lobsang. As you may recall, last week Jon asked for donations of $1 to $2 from his listeners to help out Lobsang who has lost the ability to make a living while the Chinese keep the country off limits from foreigners. Well, it seems there have been a lot of generous donations, ranging from $1 to $100, and to date Jon has raised $392 for Lobsang, who is actually on the phone to give a message of thanks as the episode begins. If you still haven't donated, but would like to head over to this page and click the "Donate" button. This is the chance to have a direct impact on someone in Tibet's life, and even small donations go a long way in Tibet.

This week's episode follows the guys as they head out to Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet. The now familiar looking architecture and streets continue to amaze when Jon and Scott visit the Tashilunpo Monastery, one of the largest such structures in the country.

One of the highlights of this episode are some images of a huge statue dedicated to the future Dalai Lama. The huge statue is roughly ten stories tall when sitting down, giving you an idea of how massive it is. It's also completely enclosed inside one of the buildings, and it quite amazing to see. Jon wasn't able to film it or take pictures, but Matt over at www.picotrip.com had some great shots that he shared, allowing us to get a look at the statue in context. Thanks Matt! :)

Another cool moment is watching, and listening, to the monks being called in for prayer. It's an amazing scene watching them enter the monastery and go about their tasks. Along the way, some of the young men took time to mug for the camera, and swipe Scott's digi cam to snap their own pictures. The scene reminds us that young men are playful and friendly in any culture.

Next week we get a closer look at the monks and what it is they have to do at the monastery. Namely, they serve tea. A lot of tea.