Lhasa Rainbow Inn

... it was not yet sunrise amazingly. The altitude affected our sleep but for Wayne the aches and headache had kicked in with force so we both took a dose of diamox we are carrying for altitude sickness. We will take this for 3 days twice a day to help us. I used it in Peru when doing the Machu Pichu trek in march and it helped me then. So with Wayne unable to face breakfast I went upstairs to the restaurant for mine which was the usual omelette and toast with jam as well as a pot of ...

... mysterious, yet welcoming. It is a place where ancient religious beliefs mix seamlessly with modern life. People live as they have for thousands of years, and it seemed to me that they do this by choice, not by necessity. Every place we went was packed with people, but it did make for some really cool photographs. The diversity of people there was really kinda cool. It was a wonderful experience, and I really hope I can return one day.

... got a little blurry until we got on the roof. There everything seemed to make sense. The view from the roof is quite spectacular and we were given the opportunity to get up close to snow lions and dragons guarding the rooftops from evil spirits. There was also an amazing view of the square and the old town.

Exhausted from the huge day and the subsequent emotions we retreated to the hotel to recharge ready for the next day of just wandering around Old Lhasa, and maybe a massage!

... br>
Dinner was at Snowland Hotel and Restaurant. We had Momos. Someone had Yak steak. You must try Yak whatever when you are in Tibet...Yak butter tea (this was disgusting), Yak milk, Yak sizzling steak, Yak hair scarf, Yak jerky... check out how Yak dung is used. Get a Yak bone necklace or a Yak hair headpiece. Obviously, this is the beast of burden and at the same time honored, as this is the animal that can live on this altitude.

Lhasa, Tibet, China oliviaintibet

... into 500 and did not have enough food to eat. Avalokitesvara helped out again and provided five grains that produced much bounty. They were able to feed themselves and as a result they lost their tails and hair and eventually formed a civilization.

There are also a statue of the future Buddha. Along another wall with a mural of the story of the building of Potala Palace, an important meeting of the 14th Dalai Lama and Tunzin Palace with the moat. There is a thankgas ...

... about 12000 ft I think) so it takes a bit of getting used to. Had a giddy feeling on arrival especially when walking around or going up stairs. Could not quite believe I had made it here. The sense of elation at having made it here was only boosted by the thin air high delivered by the elevation. I am here in a 'group' with a copule of dutch travellers, brother and sister, who are very friendly and easy to get along with. As fortune would ...

... the athmospheric main assembly hall. Today was a special day and the monks would be holding ceremony more or less all day, interspersed by tea breaks and lunch to commemorate the anniversary of the Buddha's descent to earth the following day. We were especially fortunate to be the only western observers of an outdoor ceremony of well over a hundred festively robed yellow hat monks in the courtyard in expectance of this anniversary. What a captivating spectacle ...

... Our hotel is quite good, beds harder than the floor, clean and a modern bathroom. We are left by our driver and guide until tomorrow. We go out for a walk and explore the streets on our own, looking in shops and alley ways. We watch people buying french fries, from street vendors, they look good and we are hungry, a lady gave us a sample and they were good, a bit spicy, but we decided to get some without the ...

... like geography of Shambhala, and you somehow doubt the Taklimakan is the great spiritual desert that pilgrims must cross, still you must acknowledge the river. In all ancient accounts, the river that protects Shambhala flows east; the Tarim is the only major river in central Asia that flows east. The kingdom lay north of this river. We now left behind all maps. I've said before that I'm not going to tell you where it is. That's easy enough. Even when you have been there, you can't say ...

... Lhasa (11,975ft, 3,650m) for Gyantse (13,000ft, 3,950m), stopping off to view Yamdrok-tso lake (14,800ft, 4,488m) from the Kamba-la pass (15,800ft, 4,794m). Overnight in Gyantse. · Day 2 - Saturday March 1st Leave Gyantse for Shigatse (12,900ft, 3,900m). Overnight in Shigatse. · Day 3 - Sunday March 2nd Leave Shigatse for Everest Base Camp (EBC) area passing the Gyatso-la pass (17,200ft, 5,220m), the highest pass of the trip. Overnight at a ...