Xin Ding Hotel Lhasa

... they were praying assistant monks serve them butter tea and tsampa. Many monks rock forwards or sideways as they chant so it is a very rhythmic thing to see. From Sera monastery looking up the mountain high up is seen a small yellow building which we were told is where lamas went to meditate secluded on the mountain. They would perhaps spend 3 years up there. It is not in use today. Prayer flags flutter around the monastery which I live to see. It was late afternoon and we returned ...

... the 7th century. It had already flourished for some 1100 years by the time it was introduced to Tibet and was initially slow to take hold. <br><br>By 763, Tibetan armies overran Xi'an, the Chinese capital, forcing China to conclude a treaty that recognised new borders that incorporated most of the Tibetan conquests. A further treaty was signed with both countries swearing that there shall be no warfare, no hostile invasions<br>and no seizure of territory&#8230;'.<br><br>The ...

... sights too see within the city. On the sunday I got ill and spent the whole day in bed. On the monday we managed to get our visa application accepted but would have to wait until wednesday until we could put our passports up (thus delaying booking a flight until wednesday). We went back to the hotel and said to each other 'the streets seem really quiet'. This was the theme off the day, and it turned out that the Maoists had ordered everybody to go on strike ...

... day in Tibet and my 1st and only kora. It takes about 1 to 1 1/2 hr but so exilarating and so emotional once again. I start out by hanging a prayer flag for blessings and good luck. I carry a stone and place it in a special place for a wish to come true, I burn incense for more blessings and peace in the world. My day trip ends with a visit to a Tibetan house that I had ...

... is 13 storeys high and contains more than a thousand rooms. It was once the seat of the Tibetan government and the winter residence of the Dalai Lamas. <br>We wandered around the palace with pilgrims murmuring prayers and shuffling through each room making offerings of prayer scarves and liquid yak butter. I quite enjoyed the palace while Leon wipped thought it in 30mins and couldn't wait to get out of the ...

... and had established a regular routine of eating, drinking, bathing and gambling. When we arrived at the packed warm and smoky dining room, groups of jovial ladies were singing, others playing Mah Jong (a game I desperately tried to comprehend the complicated rules of with Lobsang's explanations, but bitterly failed). The happy spirit fizzled a bit as a bunch of officials arrived (for which our most cheerful ladies were shooed out of the room) who started playing ...

... suffer high altitude sickness which can be deadly. On the way to Lhasa, we get to visit the first attraction - Buddha Statue crafted on side of a hill. Our hotel in Lhasa is supposed to be a 4-star hotel. However, there are no heater and the temperature in the night drop to almost 0 deg C. We have to wear our jeans + long john + jacket and cover with layers of blanket.

... in our shower, first the reception downstairs would have to flick a switch to turn it on, and then we had to leave the shower and taps running for 30 minutes and then the water would finally turn hot. What a waste of water resources! The morning we had breakfast at the hotel, which unfortunately was Chinese style, and therefore not to our liking, so we asked the travel agent if we could have breakfast elsewhere in the future. After paying him the balance of monies ...

... verdient?? Das Everest-Base-Camp ist auch geschlossen aus Angst, dass es Proteste geben koennte, da im Mai das olympische Feuer dahin kommt. Und damit man auf Nummer sicher geht, sperrt man lieber jetzt schon mal alles ab. Wie ihr seht geht es hier mit polizeistaatlichen Mitteln zu. Das macht das Reisen nicht gerade einfacher und angenehmer. Morgen fahren wir zum Nam-Tso (See) auf 4718m, der von uebr 7000m hohen Bergen umgeben ist. Melde mich dann die Tage wieder.

... to watch there dedication. I visited a number of temples and monastery's. The Jakhong monastery was really interesting and provided some great views of the city. The architecture was fascinating as well and it had a really relaxed atmosphere about it as well. The monastery's were the highlight for me. The first monastery was Deprung monastery which was absolutely amazing, no tourists and was really peaceful to walk around. The view from the ...