Pendebas’ Local Study Tour to Lhasa and Shannan

On March 18, 2011, led by Mr. Tsering Norbu, 12 of outstanding trainees from the Pendeba Society’s hospitality and eco-tourism English trainings officially set off for a 10-day study tour to Lhasa and Shannan, where they were exposed to various aspects of Tibetan culture and was able to practice their learnt knowledge during the tour. This tour is expected to bring the participants with inspiring perspectives towards their future and their roles in sustainable rural development in their respective communities, which is also what the Pendeba Society has been striving for: cultivating more Pendebas, i.e., volunteer community-service workers, to enhance the community’s capacity to participate in nature reserve management, and promote sustainable development within these communities.

Key activities:

Visit places of interest in Lhasa that are symbols of Tibet such as the Potala Palace, Barkhor Street, and Jokhang Monastery, where participants were extensively exposed to their cultural heritage in a visual and vivid way. And their knowledge of their culture was conspicuously enriched since it was their first time to visit Lhasa for many of our participants.

Visit Lhalu Wetland National Nature Reserve

A manager from Lhalu Wetland National Nature Reserve gave a brief introduction of the Reserve and helped our participants better understand the importance of the wetland given it is known as the lung of the Lhasa city and home to many protected species such as Black-necked Crane and Lammergier. He also introduced their efforts in conserving and maintaining the biodiversity in the protected areas and how to practice environmental protection at an individual level. Our participants agreed and said they would bring this knowledge back to their own communities in QNNP and help their fellow friends and relatives to live up to a environmentally friendly living style and then better protect the surrounding environment in QNNP. 

Visit Tibet Museum 

Participants gained a historical idea of how their culture developed over the course of thousands years. By closely observing sacred utensils and other cultural relics from ancient times, our participants were amazed by the artistic talent of their forefathers and their respect for their own culture has been conspicuously enhanced.

Visit Shannan Prefecture

To better practice their religious pursuit of Tibetan Buddhism, we arranged a 4 day pilgrimage tour to Shannan Prefecture of Tibet, where cradled the origin of Tibetan culture and other magnificent religiously sacred places of Tibetan Buddhism such as Chayang Zong and Samye Monastery. Our participants were able to observe and feel in real what they have believed since childhood and bring back sacred touches of these holy relics to their communities when they returned home. They were also able to practice their learnt knowledge regarding tourism and could practice it during the field trip which involved some hiking activities along the pilgrimage routes. 

Some of our participants expressed their warm appreciation of being able to join this training program. "Without the Pendeba Society, I can hardly image that I might be able to visit Lhasa and other places in Tibet this soon," said one participant. We are also very glad that we can help our Pendebas widen their knowledge, which in return they can bring what they have learnt back to their respective communities and benefit more people in the region.