Exploring Lhasa

Potala Palace

I skipped the hotel breakfast because I felt unwell. I had some muesli and fruit jelly for sustenance instead.

We were picked up from the hotel at 0915 and drove to the nearby rear vehicular gate of the Potala Palace.  This museum was the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas from 1649 to 1959.

We were just in time for the opening and mad rush. The Landcruiser dropped us near the base of the building and we the difficult task of climbing up the stairs and ramp to enter. I definitely still had some adjustment to make with regard to the altitude.

Inside, we wandered through dark hallways and finally entered into a dark high-ceiling room stacked with scriptures. There were many golden Buddha statues, stupas of resembling tombs of various lamas. A lot of gold had been spent on these and they were also decorated with turquoise, coral and amber.

We continued to the rooftop for an impressive view of the city. We descended down the ramp on the front of the palace to meet up with the Landcruiser and headed to our lunch stop.

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Jokhang Temple

After lunch we continued to Bakhor Square and entered the Jokhang Temple. Only tourists are permitted in the afternoon, not pilgrims. That seems quite contrary to the purpose of the site but money talks in China.  It is normally considered the most sacred and important temple in Tibet.

In there were many Buddha statues again. The main cathedral where monks would sit and recite their scriptures was stunning.

From the rooftop we had a good view of Bakhor Square. We left the temple to explore the Bakhor Circuit which was full of bazaars and stalls. The route took us back to the square where we had started.

Along the circuit were many pilgrims praying and prostrating on foam pads for their knees and cardboard or wood for their palms. Apparently some have come from their remote villages prostrating themselves for much of the way.

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Rest and dinner

We were dropped off at our hotel for a rest around 1500. The room felt cold and dark. Fortunately we were able to go onto the hotel’s scorching balcony. It had direct sun and the curved mirrored façade of the hotel further concentrated the heat.

We were picked 1830 for dinner at Holy City Chinese restaurant. A rat ran across the floor. There was too much food, just like the other meals we’ve had so far. The fish in Sichuan sauce was beautiful but the rest of the dishes were fairly run-of-the mill.

We retired about 2030 feeling like we had done a lot. Despite how shit I had felt this morning, I managed to pull through the activities of the day. If you had told me that I’d be able to do all that today, I wouldn’t have believed it.

Due to the altitude sickness, I had another restless night of interrupted sleep. I seemed to wake every 2-3h.