Uptown Lhasa
We arrived in Lhasa on Saturday afternoon after an uneventful flight. The airport at Lhasa only opened this year, so it was all spick and span. Going through customs was a bit of a nightmare where your bags were x-rayed several times before finally going outside – smacks a bit of paranoia to me.
The drive from the airport to the city is about one and a half hours through wide sweeping roads. The Chinese really don’t know how to drive, though not quite as bad as the Nepalese! If there’s three meters or more available to overtake, then they’ll do it.
The hotel here in Lhasa is the Banakshol Hotel on Beijing Middle Road. Apparently it was THE place to stay about 20 years ago, but it’s sadly seen better days. Much, much better days. The room smelt to high heaven when we arrived and is only marginally better and to top it off I’m sharing a room with the other Andrew and Jan – three of us in one room! – not happy about that, but there’s not much I can do. Once we leave Lhasa on Thursday one of us will be in a room on their own so we’re going to take it in turns to have the single, which is only fair. Rajhash is the lucky one – she’s the only single female, so has a room to herself all the time.
Saturday afternoon we went to The Jokhang. The Jokhang is the most revered religious structure in Tibet. There’s very little left of the original 7th century building, but the pilgrims flock to the area and circumambulate the stupa.
Sunday we went along to the Sera Monastery. Sera was one of the two great Gelugpa monasteries in Lhasa. At one stage there were over 5000 monks house in Sera, but now there are only a few hundred. It’s amazing that so much as actually survived, despite being shelled by the Peoples Army in 1959.
Yesterday was the much anticipated trip to the Potala Palace, the home of the Dalai Lama. The Potala was once the tallest building in the world at 130m before the skyscrapers of the 20th century started to appear. The Potala started being built in 1645 by the fifth Dalai Lama and was finished in 1648. It was shelled by the Peoples Army in 1959 though only lightly and the Chinese government has spent US$4-million on renovations.
The only mention of the current Dalai Lama is his rooms, where he received visitors, consulted his government ministers and his private chamber. Other than that, he doesn’t exist, though all the other Dalai Lamas’ get mention throughout the Potala. Funny how scared of one man some people are.
Lhasa to me is a very sad place, though looking at the faces of the Tibetan people, you wouldn’t think so. They’re always smiling. The place is over-run with Chinese shops, police, soldiers and people. You really can’t avoid them. And you get the feeling that they know that they aren’t really welcome here.
Today was a little shopping and getting ready for the trip to Ganden Monastery tomorrow. Thursday we set off to Kathmandu by 4WD down through Tibet. Apparently the accommodation is basic – really basic. Probably no hot water for a couple of days, so no washing. No email. No internet. Only fantastic views.
And calling the Mothership™ and Scott from Everest Base Camp!
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