Blue Bears

Many have heard of black bears, brown bears, cinnamon bears, and white bears, but there are also blue bears. The Tibetan bear or Tibetan blue bear is a subspecies of the brown bear found in the eastern Tibetan plateau, western China, Nepal.

It is also known as the Himalayan blue bear and Himalayan snow bear and is one of the rarest subspecies of bear in the world and rarely sighted in the wild. The blue bear is known in the west only through a small number of fur and bone samples. It was first classified in 1854.

Tibetan blue bears are black with a tinge of blue gray. They often have a beige or white collar and chest. It is common for their face to be a reddish yellow.

Dalai Lama, Winter Home

In case you were wondering where the Buddhist holy Dalai Lama, whose name is Tenzin Gyatso, spent his winters until he went into exile in 1959, this is it. Since then, he has been living in India and has referred to himself as a Marxist. He has received a Nobel Peace Prize.

The Potala Palace in Tibet was built in the 7th century. 

Tibetans address the Dalai Lama as Gyalwa Rinpoche ("Precious Victor"), Kundun ("Presence"), Yishin Norbu ("Wish fulfilling Gem") among others, and His Holiness by Westerners. The 14th Dalai Lama (since 1950) retired March 14, 2011.

All Dalai Lamas are a reincarnation of the previous one. High Lamas have a vision by a dream or if the Dalai Lama was cremated, they will often monitor the direction of the smoke as an indication of the direction of the rebirth. Once the High Lamas have found the home and the boy they believe to be the reincarnation, the boy undergoes a series of tests to affirm the rebirth. They present a number of artifacts, only some of which belonged to the previous Dalai Lama, and if the boy chooses the items which belonged to the previous Dalai Lama. This is seen as a sign, in conjunction with all of the other indications, that the boy is the reincarnation.

Tenzin Gyatso, who was born born Lhamo Dondrub on July 6, 1935 has stated that he will not be reborn in the People's Republic of China and has also suggested he may not be reborn at all, suggesting the function of the Dalai Lama may be outdated. He said, "Naturally my next life is entirely up to me. No one else, and also this is not a political matter."

Lhasa Apso

The Lhasa Apso was originally bred as a watchdog for Tibetan palaces and monasteries. It was difficult for an intruder to sneak in past the watchful, yipping pooches. The “Lhasa” in the name comes from the city of Lhasa, Tibet’s longtime capital. Apso is a Tibetan word meaning “bearded,” so the breed’s name signifies that it’s a longhaired dog that originated in Tibet.