Tawang Monastery, India

The Tawang Monastery was founded near the small town of the same name in the northwestern part of Arunachal Pradesh, India by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso in 1680-1681in accordance with the wishes of the 5th Dalai Lama. The monastery belongs to the Gelugpa school and has a religious association with Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, which continued during the period of British rule. It is very close to the Tibetan border, located in the valley of the Tawang-chu which flows down from Tibet.

Located at an elevation of about 3,300 metres (10,000 feet) in the district capital, Tawang town. It has a capacity of about 700 monks and presently is home to more than 450 Lamas. It is said to be one of the biggest Buddhist monasteries in the world outside of Lhasa, Tibet.

It also houses the three-storied Parkhang library: a collection of 400-year-old Kangyur scriptures in addition to many other invaluable manuscripts. Other large collections include the Sutras, Tangym, Sungbhum, old books and other manuscripts, both handwritten and printed, many of them in gold. Dances and ceremonial celebrations are held in the courtyard, the most important of which is held on the night of Buddha Poornima.

 It was renovated in 1997 by the 14th Dalai Lama - with renovation meaning that the traditionally built structure was torn down and then rebuilt with concrete. The name Tawang means 'Chosen Horse'.  As the legend goes, the site of the monastery was chosen by the horse of Merag Lama who had been unable to decide on a site to establish the monastery. One day he was praying in cave, seeking divine guidance. When he came out after the prayers, he found his horse missing. On searching, the horse was located standing quietly on a hilltop. Considering this as a sign of divine blessing, he decided to construct the monastery at the very spot. The monastery was built with the help of volunteers from the neighboring villages. It is also known by another Tibetan name, Galden Namgey Lhatse, which means 'celestial paradise in a clear night'.

Since the illegal force of the Chinese to destroy the country and culture of Tibet, Tawang stands as a strong force. Chinese troops briefly occupied it during the 1962 Sino-Indian War, destroying portions of the monastery.

Tawang Monastery is the second oldest in the world (after that in Lhasa, Tibet). It houses a 29 feet tall Buddha made of gold. The rich collection of ancient Buddhist art & sculpture here is priceless. Tawang also boasts of 100 lakes around the monstery.

Other places to see

1. Urgelling Monastery, 5 km from the town of Tawang where the 6th Dalai Lama was born.

2. A modern day shrine dedicated to the brave Indian soldiers, defending against the violent and invasive army of China, has been erected 21 kilometers ahead of the Tawang Town. Named after rifleman Jaswant Singh, who along with two other soldiers held their post for 72 hours and successfully stalled the Chinese progress, the Jaswantgarh Army Memorial is a symbol of bravery and sacrifice.

3. The Gumpas of  Bomdila and Dirang can be viewed on the way.

4. Nameri National Park and Kaziranga National park.

5.  Tipi Orchidarium, home to the larget variety of orchids.




Directions, Accomodation and Duration

The most convenient but pricey option is the Pawan Hans helicopter service from Tezpur, Assam. The 80 minute ride will cost Rs. 3000 ($80 approx) single way. However, most people opt for the 13 hour bus journey beginning from Bomdila which will take you through scenic mountainous roads and the awe-inspiring Sela pass situated at a height of 14000 feet. One can also consider the shared taxis from Tezpur at Rs. 350 ($9) per head.  Tezpur is the closest place, which offers an airport

One can find a lot of options for lodging in the budget category such as the Tourist Lodge and Htel Gourichan. For a more confortable stay, one can choose the pricey Tawang Inn. Most hotels in the area are good value for money and are conveniently located.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tawang_Monastery

http://tawangmonastery.org/

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Ivanhoe Lake- Silver Lake Reservoir

US is best know to use plastic for various uses. In December 2007, the DWP announced that the Silver Lake and Elysian reservoirs had both become contaminated with unusually high levels of the cancer-causing chemical bromate, and were immediately isolated.The reservoirs were both drained over several weeks in March 2008, and refilled in May 2008. Two months later, 400,000 black hollow plastic "shade balls" were dumped in the body of water, in the hopes to reduce the likelihood of the sunlight-fueled bromate. Los Angeles water officials discovered that several open reservoirs had elevated levels of bromate. Bromate, a carcinogen, forms when sunlight combines with bromide and chlorine. Ah ha, an innovative solution! This June, the Ivanhoe Reservoir was covered with millions of 4 inch, black, high-density polyethylene vapor control balls.

Amused citizens were staring at the lake as the black balls rolled rapidly down the hill and quickly transformed the blue lake into a completely black canvas.  In order to protect this important potable water supply the water needed to be shaded absolutely “because when sunlight mixes with the bromide and chlorine in Ivanhoe’s water, the carcinogen bromate forms, said Pankaj Parekh, DWP’s director for water quality compliance” 

It took around half an hour to unload the black balls “from 190 giant bags into the 10-acre, 58-million gallon water resevoir that serves 600, 000 people in downtown and South L.A.”

The only alternative in order to clean out the lake would be to drain the entire wet land in order to fully clean the bottom of the lake to remove all traces and bromate particles. Until this longer and more complicated alternative is put into action, the black balls are a temporary solution for the next couple of years.  The black balls are non-toxic and UVA resistant insofar they won’t melt, degrade or release chemical substances when exposed to sunlight.  Each little black ball is shipped directly from Allentown, Pennsylvania. “The amount of balls needed is so large that ‘Orange Products’, has dedicated itself to solely producing the required balls for Invanhoe Reservoir”. Each unit costs 34 cents for a total bill of around $ 2 million.

The reservoirs are owned and maintained by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP), and currently they provide water to 600,000 homes in downtown and South Los Angeles. At capacity, it holds 795 million gallons of water. The Silver Lake Reservoir's water resources will be replaced by an underground reservoir in Griffith Park, slated for completion in January 2015.
The reservoir is surrounded by several recreational areas, including a dog park. nursery school and basketball court on the south side of the lake. There is also a jogging track, which stretches 2.2 miles around the reservoir.

Places to see

Silver Lake Reservoir - A hearty food place by the lake.

House Tours- Silver Lake has some of the most intricately designed hourses and a tour is carried out every few months. The LA conservancy will help with reservations.

The famous flight of stairs in Laurel and Hardy's film 'The Music Box' are located between lower Descanso Drive and Vendome Street, as it winds up and around the hill.

One can also visit Hollywood which lies to the East of Silver Lake.


Duration/ Accomodation/ Directions



The total time required to visit Silver Lake area is about 3-4 hours. Accomodation is best found in LA city area where hotels and motels are abundant. Regular Buses are available to the Silver Lake area.
 
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Lake_Reservoir
*

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Gläserne Manufaktur - Transperant factory,Germany

Transparent Factory is the English name of an automobile production plant owned by German carmaker Volkswagen, designed by architect Gunter Henn, and opened in 2002. The original German name is Gläserne Manufaktur (factory made of glass, literally vitreous manufactory).

 Both the German and English names are a word play on the double meaning of transparent and glassy, referring to both optical transperancy and transperancy of production process.

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