Himalaya Hotel Lhasa

... people, but because they limit the amount of tickets sold each day, it was not overwhelming. I'm glad I had a guide, because if I was allowed to wander alone, I'm not sure they I would have ever found the way out. It seems to just keep going and going. It is like a huge labyrinth. It is full of unbelievably beautiful treasures. Every square inch seemed to be decorated. Even the ceilings are incredible. Everything seemed to ...

... unique history.

The Chinese to their credit have decided enough is enough and have recognised the value of the old town to both the small international tourist market and the developing inbound domestic tourist potential. More than 1 million Chinese visit each year filling the coffers of the state run bus and travel companies and the government run hotels in Lhasa.

To be honest you just do not see the domestic tourists as your attention is simply focussed on all things ...

....jo, jo, jo, is scho recht....

Schaut so aus - allerdings leg´ich noch was nach. Hab mich nach der Ankunft und den abendlichen Spaziergang recht gut gefühlt. Auf das Einsetzen des Kopfweh, etc... die Anzeichen der Höhenkrankheit gewartet. Tja , und nach dem "Versuch eines Abendessens" wars dann soweit. Hab eh nur 3 Momos, und ein paar L ...

... Lamas. The places are so colourful as they are adorned with all the 5 colours of the prayer flags that indicate red for fire, orange/yellow for earth, green for water, blue for sky and I'm afraid to say I have forgotton what the white represents. There is also the cold to contend with. It wasn't too bad last night but nowhere has any heating and it has been snowing a bit yesterday and today so thermals, coats, hats and the rest is the order of the day.

... strong wind threatened to blow us off the morane from which we had some beautiful views of the sheer glacier-clad north face of Mt Everest (8850m) which the Tibetans call Chomolongma ("Mother Goddess of the Universe" - or "Princess Cow" - dependig on the translation). It's sheer size has a magnetic appeal and it certainly dominated the entire valley as it poked far into the clear blue sky. We returned to Rombuck by foot, stopping frequently for one perfect ...

Day 2 - Lhasa We woke up early for an early flight to Lhasa and were welcome by our tour guide for our Tibet trip. He gave everyone a white robe over our necks for good blessings. One the way to the hotel, our tour guide (xiao gao) briefed us on our trip. There would not be much activities for the first day as we were supposed to relax and get us to the high altitude else ...

... us both with a white silk scarf each and placed them around our necks, which is a traditional Tibetan gesture of welcome. One thing that immediately struck was the high military presence around the train station, and Daniella made the mistake of including them in a picture of the impressive and imposing train station. The soldiers reacted badly, shouting at her in Chinese, so she swiftly put her camera back in its bag before they confiscated it. On arrival at our hotel ...

Hallo. Wir sind nach einem sehr turbulenten Flug in Lhasa angekommen. Die Stadt ist ganz ok, aehnelt eben jeder modernen chinesischen Stadt. Schoen hingegen ist jedoch der Portala Palace, sowie der Barkor Square. Umrunden taeglich tausende Pilger den Jokhang Tempel. Rund herum im Viertel herrscht buntes Treiben mit Staenden und freundlichen Tibetern. Es ist unheimlich interessant die Pilger zu beobachten, wie sie Gebete sprechen, singen, Gebetsmuehlendrehen und ...