Lhasa

“Go to Tibet and see many places, as much as you can; then tell the world”

~His Holiness the Dalai Lama
... and this is what we are trying to do. With our travel. Our photos. And our blog entries.

We found Lhasa a fascinating place from the moment we arrived. The city sits on the highest plateau in the world with even higher peaks surrounding it and the majestic view of the Potala Palace dominating the landscape.

From ASIA - TIBET - Lhasa

(Speaking of arrival, it turned out pretty quickly, we weren't exactly designed for life above 3500m. Even though we didn't find ourselves incapacitated by altitude sickness, we certainly had to slow down and take every step very easy. The altitude in Tibet is a force to be reckoned with and we have now a whole new respect for those who do crazy things like climbing the Everest, hiking in the Himalayas or cycling from Lhasa to Nepal...)

On our first day, we visited Norbulingka, the Summer Residence of the Dalai Lamas up until the 14th Dalai Lama's exile to India in 1959. It's a pleasant park - with small palaces and man-made lakes - and a perfect starting point for our sightseeing in Lhasa.

From ASIA - TIBET - Lhasa

Across the road from Norbulingka - the Tibet Museum, 'advertising' the "peaceful liberation of Tibet" by the Chinese and "the tender care" shown to the Tibetan culture. Chinese military in general have a shockingly strong presence everywhere in Tibet. The Chinese flag is around all major sites and the Chinese soldiers patrol Lhasa in numbers we haven't seen anywhere else in China.

From ASIA - TIBET - Lhasa

The reality is that there are two Lhasas. One has all the marking of a modern Chinese city: wide, clean streets, large public squares dominated by massive TV screens, Adidas and Playboy stores and most importantly, Communist monuments. The other, the traditional Tibetan quarter, with its narrow streets, temples, prayer wheels and tiny shops.
One of the most visible borders between the Tibetan and Chinese Lhasa is the Barkhor square:

From ASIA - TIBET - Lhasa

On its western side - a huge square, chaotic traffic and a large shopping street leading almost up to the Potala Palace; to the East - one of the most captivating sites in Lhasa: the old Barkhor with the Jokhang Temple in the center,

From ASIA - TIBET - Lhasa

one of the holiest sites in Tibetan Buddhism, where from sunrise to sunset Tibetan pilgrims in traditional dress coming from as far as the Eastern Tibet (many of them prostrating themselves all the way to Lhasa!) make the clockwise circuit, while spinning prayer wheels, burbling mantras and making yak butter offerings.

From ASIA - TIBET - Lhasa

A visit to the Sera Monastery gave us some insight into the everyday life of about 600 monks still living here (before the Chinese invasion, it used to be the second largest Monastery in Tibet, housing over five thousand monks). The place was really like a campus with many buildings and dormitories for the monks, and a few larger Assembly Halls, where we had the chance to watch and listen to the monks chanting their prayers.

From ASIA - TIBET - Lhasa

The next day we visited the breathtaking landmark of Lhasa and one of the great architectural wonders of the world. The years and the conflicts have fortunately managed to elude the Potala Palace, which still imposingly dominates the skyline and the first views of the century’s old palace are unforgettable.

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We were only allowed to enter the Palace in given time slot and had exactly one hour to explore the circuit they allow tourists to see. Once through security, we walked up hundreds of stairs leading up to the entrance which was also quite challenging given the altitude as you can easily get tired after 20-30 steps already.
The white and red outside is as beautiful from close as it is from afar and the inside does not disappoint either. It is as if you stepped into another world... small, dark rooms with typical Buddhist decoration, with an unmistakable smell of yak butter lights filling the air.  The rooms of the Potala include bedrooms, assembly halls and tombs of former Dalai Lamas, of course with the exception of the current Dalai Lama living in exile in India. As we stepped out the Palace and slowly walked down amongst the pilgrims,

From ASIA - TIBET - Lhasa

we had a strange feeling of connection with the Potala and the Tibetan people and their heritage even in such a short time. It is a very strong and impressive feeling to be in the presence of the Dalai Lamas, which is hard to explain... and which accompanied us throughout our amazing journey from Lhasa to Kathmandu... (see our next blog entries).

All our pictures on Lhasa.