Back online

After three weeks of censorship in Tibet, I am finally free from the chinese government control paranoia and can write you a few words before publishing some pictures.

Blogspot is not the only site I found out to be censored (Facebook is another) and I can only say that the chinese government seems completely paranoiac: The streets and the roofs of Lhasa are still full of soldiers and the temples and monasteries full of cameras. Freedom of speech is inexistent (I was told that the walls have eyes and ears), just as the photos of the present Dalai Lama.

What is more ironic in the whole thing is that you can easily see that the chinese presence in Tibet and more particularly in Lhasa is irreversible, and the only thing that the people from Tibet really want is the return of the Dalai Lama and the preservation of their culture.

Instead, the chinese government demonises the Dalai Lama and promotes a criminal Han immigration policy that is transforming Lhasa (already transformed) in a chinese city.

On the good side of the chinese action the latest years is the rebuilding of all the temples and monasteries that themselves had destroyed during the cultural revolution.

I had promised I would only publish pictures but I could not resist to write this, even if politics are clearly not in the scope of this blog.

Anyway, Tibet was a great experience and it was great to go during the low season (winter) when all the pilgrims fill the streets of Lhasa and tourists are almost inexistent. The weather during this period is also the best. Clear blue sky everyday. The drawback is the cold, but living in Switzerland we should be used by now... or not?

I leave you with the pictures (if I am able to upload them because my internet connection is so bloody slow...) .