5/31 Wednesday - Our group leaves out of San Francisco
International Airport (SFO) around 2:00 pm. (we accommodate our travelers from Canada and
abroad, making arrangements to all meet in Beijing on Thursday 6/1 as we pass the International
Date Line)
6/1 Thursday - Arrive in Beijing, China in the early evening and get escorted
to Master Wan Su Jian's Qigong Institute nestled in the mountain foothills at the Western
edge of the city. This is where we'll stay for a few days, in comfortable accommodations
within the Institute. After a sumptuous welcome dinner, we receive a healing Qigong tui'na
treatment and foot bath/massage before retiring for the evening.
6/2 Friday - Early morning group Qigong practice. After
a multi-course, Chinese breakfast - cooked as all the meals are at the Institute by the live-in
Qigong Master Chef… each
meal a conscious, healing experience - Master Wan officially welcomes us at the Opening Ceremony
with Taoist music played by his students, as well as Kung Fu and Qigong demonstrations. After
the ceremony, your personal Qigong treatment and foot massage. Lunch, and then a unique Taoist
Qigong calligraphy healing session (where you will receive as a gift to take home, an artwork
scroll painted for you to promote healing) and a traditional Tibetan Qigong healing treatment.
After a traditional Beijing Duck dinner at a famous Beijing restaurant, there will be a
Taoist Prayer Ceremony in the Lao Zi Hall to bring good luck and happiness to all.
6/3 Saturday - We start the day with our personal Qigong
treatment and foot massage. After breakfast at the Institute, we will go by Master Wan's
private bus to visit the Ling Shan (Small Tibet) Temple and practice Qigong. We'll have lunch
at a local restaurant and head back to the Institute for a Qigong lecture by Master Wan followed
by Zen meditation training at the Institute's Zen Hall, After dinner at Institute, we will
participate in a unique temple training known as the “Taoist
Yin Yang Practice” set up in a circle around courtyard's Tai Ji Tablet.
6/4 Sunday - Now rested after a few days at the Institute, will start
our journey into Tibet.
With a sumptuous breakfast at center, we go to Beijing International Airport and fly
to Lhasa at 9:30 am. We will arrival at the Gong Ga county airport
at 3:00 pm after a 5 1/2 hour flight across mainland China. This airport is 100 km (60
miles) from Lhasa city. On the way to Lhasa, we will enjoy the local Tibetan villages, replete
with with five color hanging prayer flags. We'll stop to see the famous Nie Dang Buddha
statue, the very beautiful “Ya
Long Zang Bu River” and Lhasa river during this beautiful 90 minute bus ride.
We check in the 3-star Xiang Ba La Hotel, situated in the midst of bustling downtown
Lhasa where we will rest and let our bodies and spirit adapt to the
plateau environment here at 11,000 foot elevation. We'll enjoy dinner at the
hotel and then receive our personal Qigong treatments in our rooms before going
to sleep... When does the dreaming stop or start I wonder?
6/5 Monday - We start the day with breakfast at the hotel and then we
travel across town to visit the famous Potala Palace, located
on top of Red Hill in central of Lhasa City. This was the winter palace for many Dalai Lama’s
and is now the biggest museum in all of Tibet. The palace
was established 1300 years ago during the 7th Century and has two section known
as the Red Palace and the White Palace. We head back to the hotel for lunch and after a little
rest there, we will go visit the Jokang Temple and Bakor Street (known as "Eight Corners"
street which is near the temple). After dinner, we receive our Qigong treatments in our rooms.
6/6 Tuesday - Early morning Qigong training and then breakfast at
hotel. Today we visit the “Zhe
Beng Monastery” which is located at west area of Lhasa city. It is
the biggest monastery in the world and was established in 1416. It is the first
and most important temple in the Gelug
Buddhist sect (Yellow Cap sect). At one time, there were more than 10,000 monks
living and training at here. After lunch, we visit “Ser
La Monastery”, which also belongs to the Yellow Cap sect. During our
visit here we will enjoy some unique Tibetan Buddhist activities such as “Buddhist
text debate” by
the monks who live there. Next we will visit Dalai Lama’s
beautiful summer palace called “Luo
Bu Lin Ka Garden”. We return to the hotel for dinner and our personal
Qigong treatment.
6/7 Wednesday - Today after breakfast we leave Lhasa to visit Jiang Zi
town and then we step back in time to the traditional Tibetan city of Shi Ga Ze.
On the way to Jiang Zi we will enjoy “Yamdok
Lake” which
is one of three holy lakes in Tibet (a lake so holy that Tibetans would not
so much as put their toe in its water!) On this journey, we will go through the “Ka
Rou La Glacier and the famous Karoula mountain pass which is more than 4000 meters
high (13,123 foot elevation), and then we will drive through other, even higher mountain
pass at 4800 meters high (15,748 foot elevation) which is named “Gang
Ba La”. After experiencing this amazing and mystical mountain energy,
we will finally reach Jiang Zi town which was the location of the movie
"Red River Valley". Here we will visit the reknown 10,0000 Buddha
pagoda in in the “Bai
Ju Monastery”. Our day's journey comes to a close as we enter the
capital of Tibet, Shi Ga Ze city, check in the Wu Ze Hotel, have dinner,
and then receive our Qigong treatment.
6/8 Thursday - We start the day with early morning Qigong training, have
breakfast at hotel, and then visit “Zha Shi Lun Bu" monastery which is one
of the four famous Gelug Sect’s Buddhist monasteries
in Tibet. After lunch at hotel, we head back to Lhasa. On the way, we immerse
ourselves in the scenery along “Ya
Long Zang Bu River” and the beautiful and fantastic natural vistas of the high
plateau. We will check in our previous hotel, “Xiang Ba La”, and have
dinner there. After a magical day's journey, our Qigong treatment by Master Wan and
his students will be most welcome.
6/9 Friday - After breakfast at the hotel, we visit Gan Dan monastery
which was established by Master Zong Ka Ba who was the founder of Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism.
Here we will practice meditation and contemplation. We have been granted permission to visit
the biggest nunnery in Tibet, known as “A
Ni Cang Kong” in downtown Lhasa after which we will enjoy free time
for exploring and shopping in the unique and amazing shops and vendor stands in Lhasa
city. We'll all meet up for dinner and then enjoy our Qigong treatment back at the
hotel.
6/10 Saturday - Early morning group Qigong training and then back to the
hotel for breakfast. This morning is for free time activities and shopping (I promise you
will be enchanted - be prepared to carry back many gifts). After lunch together, we go to
Gong Ga Airport by
bus and fly back to Beijing at 3:50 pm, reflecting on the
unforgettable journey through time and space to a world known as Tibet. We arrive in Beijing
at 8:30 pm and then return home to the Institute where we'll have dinner and then
enjoy a Qigong treatment.
6/11 Sunday - Early morning Qigong training will be interesting on your
system now that we have returned to a much lower elevation (it's wonderful actually with
so many more red blood cells!) After breakfast, we receive our Qigong treatment and foot
massage, and then there will be Qigong training. After lunch, we take a 20 minute bus ride
to the world famous, 4-star, Fragrant Hill Hotel where we'll stay for the night. This hotel
designed by architect I.M. Pei is a favorite of mine, located on 3,000 secluded acres of
mountainside forest, replete with ancient ruins, temples, a lake and a quaint village. We'll
practice Qigong at “Bi
Yun" Temple (Green Cloud Temple) and have dinner
at a favorite local restaurant in the village. We will experience evening
Qigong training at the powerful Taoist 'earth point' of Fragrant Hill.
6/12 Monday - Early morning group Qigong training near the lake
at Fragrant Hill and then savor the buffet breakfast at the hotel. The rest of the morning
will be for free time, shopping and sightseeing - all within walking distance of the hotel
(more good and inexpensive shopping.) We return to Institute for lunch,
Qigong treatment and foot massage. There will be a Chinese
painting and calligraphy lecture and demonstration in the afternoon, and then we go out on
the town and enjoy the famous Peking noodles for dinner (a local favorite) and catch the
Bejing Acrobatics performance - a combination of martial arts and high-wire mastery.
6/13 Tuesday - We start the day with Qigong treatment and foot massage,
have breakfast at center, and then either visit Tian An Men Square and the Forbidden City
(for those who have not been there) or some other sights in Bejing city, After lunch at the
Emperor's Restaurant for a traditional imperial meal, there will be a last chance to shop
at the Friendship Store and Silk Market. We return to the Institute for the fornal Closing
Ceremony and send-off party banquet dinner, complete with fireworks, dancing, and entertainment
by Master Wan's very talented students.
6/14 Wednesday - Breakfast at the Institute and then the famous and heartfelt
Chinese Taoist send-off as we head to the Beijing International Airport, leaving at noon
and arriving in San Francisco at 8:23 am... completing the wonderful Beijing/Tibet
journey, wondering where dreaming and reality begin and end...
All-inclusive cost: $ 4,795 US
Please note:
As this trip is sponsored by our non-profit Kahuna Valley organization, 40% of your trip
can be written off as a tax-exempt donation since you will be helping to support Kahuna Valley
with your participation.
You are responsible for any personal incidental and gift purchases of course, as well as
laundry services and telephone calls incurred while in China. The trip price is based on
double occupancy, but if you would like to have a private room during this journey, the extra
cost is $595 US. You are required to have a valid Passport and China Travel Visa to join
this trip (we will advise you on how to acquire this - it is relatively easy and will cost
you about $75 US.
A $500 deposit is required to secure your place on this limited participant trip, which
fills on a first-come, first-served basis. Final payment balance is due by April 1, 2006.
Our cancellation policy is based on trip director discretion and we do our best to help on
a case-by-case basis. As the departure date nears, it will of course be more difficult to
provide full refunds due to fees and fares that we pay in advance.
Please bring two passport-sized photos with you for use on the Certificate of Training from Master Wan Su Jian
that you will receive upon completion of your studies on this trip. Trip directors Francesco and Daisy Lee-Garripoli
will provide information through their emailed China Travel Tips to help you prepare for this study trip every
month or so as the departure date nears.
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