VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP TO TIBET
 
I experienced a field trip through Tibet by members of
the NAU Geology Department.
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~wittke/Tibet/Tibet.html
 
The trip concentrated on the Geology of the Tibetan
Plateau and includes information on the Himalyans. The
most interesting portions of the trip displayed pictures
of the people the group encountered; fantastic
photographs of Mt. Everest as well as some of the very
famous Buddhist Temples. When I first clicked on this
site, I just intended to scan it but 50 or more pages
later, I completed the trip! In 1996, between the
months of June and July, members of the National
Association of Geoscience Teachers travelled from
Chengdu located in China, in the Sichuan Province, south
to Katmandu. Tt is judging by the map included, about a
3500 kilometer trip leading into stark valleys and over
steep, snow-covered mountain passes. All along the route
there are Buddhist temples and prayer flags, reminding
the visitors that Buddhism as well as Communism have
been a source of antagonism and oppression for many
years.
 
What impressed me most about this trip is not only the
geology of the area that was fully described along the
route traversed, but also the architecture and a brief
history of each area. Citations and Readings follow each
site so the indiviudals can learn more. In addition, the
narrative flows and paints a picture the virtual
traveler can relate to and at times, yearn for more. For
example, Wittke (the NAU geologist who narrates the
journey,)describes the group's first view of
Chomolungma, Tibetan for "Mother Goddess of the World"
or Mt. Everest as "We are bathed in twilight, the
pyramid, still shining in the setting sun." I highly
recommend this Virtual Trip to anyone interested in a
first class Virtual Field Trip!
 
Beyond the geological and historical information
provided on this trip, to the left of the heading is a
little empty frame with the questions circling it...
"what does an Empty Frame signify? If you travel to
http://www.churchward.com/mt/why.html you will find
that this frame is a symbol "to maintain solidarity with
the the millions of Tibetans who are now under
government edict banning all pictures of His Holiness
the Dalai Lama inside his own country." Feel free to
display this symbol as a means to continue the peaceful
protest to FREE TIBET!