Geshayuntian Hotel Lhasa

... Chinese meal of rice, veges and the guide and driver ordered pork and chicken dishes. Wayne had to leave the lunch uneaten and lie in the car due to his headache. Our lunch over at 4pm we took the slow drive back to Lhasa. On the way to the lake the driver had had his licence held and cautioned because he was too quick in arriving at a checkpoint so he had to be very cautious on the way back.As with every day on the road to Lhas there are Buddhist ruraL people travelling along the ...

... was there, I didn't witness any friction between the Chinese and Tibetan people, but undoubtedly it exists, simmering somewhere below the surface. But as with all these conflicts, the common people seem to be doing their best to overcome the political problems and get on with that necessary thing called life. Our guide made an interesting point, when he admitted that he was personally better off as a result of the Chinese occupation, but that he would happily give it all up to keep Tibet's culture intact.

... Palace had a time limit of 1 hour to view inside with your guide(!). We therefore asked whether we could also go to another nearby monastery, which she graciously agreed to take us to, but it was made clear that this was an unusual and demanding request.


Lhasa is an interesting city. To the west of the Potala Palace and the stupas that once marked the entry to the city, is the new town. Primarily Chinese shops and restaurants line ...

... and pictures. Another guide told a girl from San Diego that only locals were allowed up there. Obviously we are not locals! We also saw some sheep and a lamb hanging out sleeping and eating.

We went back down the rocks and climbed the stairs to The Garden Palace. It was built in 1530 and was the residence of the 2nd Dalai Lama. There was a statue of Yamantaka (aka Yidam) behind the Dalai Lama. There were small statues of the Yellow Hats, Avalokiteshvara, Tsong ...

... People touch the doorways because it is said to help them to find lost things. The Chapel of Tri-Tri Jampa is the Maitreya Buddha. There is a mound that reminds me of an ant hill or a well. It has a small opening at the top. People listen to it like they would a sea shell. The medicine Buddha is painted on the wall. It is just a golden face with blue hair. There is no body, arms or legs. It is surrounded by a frame like a shadow box and has candles ...

... you should visit Deqin, where you might come across a kind of rare animals called Golden Snub-nosed Monkey. Living in the mysterious taigas among original mountains which have altitudes of more than 4000 meters, Golden Snub-nosed Monkey is also known as the animal that resembles human most. Spend a week waiting in there, you might be able to take some incredible pictures of them. If you are a fan of snow mountains, donˇ¦t you miss Meili snow mountain in Deqin and Nanjiabarwa ...

... in the process! We went up to a hill for a last view of Everest at sunset and settled back in the warm for dinner. Losang showed us a trick he had been telling us about where he rubs ashes into his arm to reveal the name of your future husband. Amazingly (hee hee) Zsuzsanna's showed us as Joel's name but mine was too hard to make out. It  seemed to contain a 'z' but we couldn't work the rest out. Losang said it was because he'd eaten a bit of meat that day, so ...

... World Heritage sites to internet cafes. The action involves a loud guttural wrench that promises to produce a volcano like eruption, only to be followed by a baby like dribble that narrowly misses the chin before hitting the floor. Nice. I know you may be surprised but the fame thing was new to us. During the course of most days the bravest would ask for photographs ...

... system of rule by monks, under the Dalai Lama. The ministry ruling is the latest tough measure in China as part of a security clampdown ahead of the Olympics, which begin Aug. 8. When it won the bid to host the Games in July 2001, China pledged media freedom, better human rights and unprecedented openness for the Games, and it has relaxed some restrictions, but many believe it has not delivered on these promises. There are security checkpoints all over ...

... the hills. the monks there debate each other in the afternoon, but happened to be having the day off when we got there. the monastry was pretty much deserted, there weren't even many tibetans around, just the occasional monk wandering about. we met one monk who invited us into his little house/room. he spoke a little bit of english, and wanted to practise it. the room had so many pictures of the dalai lama ...