Lhasa Hotels
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Summary of Lhasa, Tibet
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I'm writing this entry after we left Lhasa. It summaries what we seen, people we met, and our impressions of Lhasa, Tibet. I'll post more pictures with updated descriptions when we get home. Some of the pictures should contain additional information so be sure to check any stories which may be attached to the pictures.
There are many Chinese in Lhasa. The guidebook said the government has encouraged them to immigrate to Tibet. This is to dilute the Tibetan population to help suppress the independence movement.
The guidebook describes Lhasa as having basically two sections. The east is the older, more interesting, Tibetan section with cheap backpackers hotels. The west is the newer, less interesting, Chinese Lhasa, with new, more comfortable hotels used by tour groups.
We stayed in east Lhasa but in a new, very comfortable hotel with a very convenient location.
Our Hotel
Our hotel was on Lingkhor Chang-Lam (Linkua Beilu) which is one street north of Beijing Road and an easy walk to the Barkhor area. I forgot the name of the hotel but could look it up if anyone is interested. Beijing Road is the main road running east and west. Many streets and places in Tibet have 3 names. A Tibetan name, a Chinese name, and an English name. The English name may be a phonic pronunciation of the Tibetan or Chinese name or it could be a translation of the Tibetan or Chinese name, very confusing.
Anyway, our room was very large, had AC/Heat, TV, high speed Internet, and a modern bathroom with plenty of hot water. We had double windows so the room was quiet from street noise. The staff was also very helpful, unlike other hotels. The posted price for the room was 580 rmb but the first night was 240, the second night was 220 when they found out we didn't have a guide. They also reduce the first night to 220. The third and forth nights were 200 rmb, about 25.00 USD.
They said the hotel was a year old which could be true. A Chinese restaurant across the street just opened and there is new construction on the street. I believe Lhasa is now expanding north.
Weather
Lhasa is at 3595 meters, about 10,800 feet. The weather was sunny with cool nights and warm days. The sun was very strong. This was a welcome change from the overcast or raining days we had the last few days in eastern Tibet.
The Potala Palace, The Square and The 'Liberation' Monument
The Potala Palace is on a hill over looking Lhasa on the north side of Beijing road. The Potala is the landmark image of Lhasa and where the Dali Lamas lived. It is now a museum with a 100 rmb charge. Most of the Palace is closed and not worth the 100 rmb to many people.
The area across the street is a wide-open square, like a little Tiananmen Square. A monk told us this area used to be a park with trees and a lake. Mimi rented a Tibetan dress for pictures in the square.
At the opposite end of the square is a concrete monument facing the palace. The monument looks like an outdated rocket ship. The Chinese characters say: Peaceful Liberation of Tibet Monument. At the base of the monument are statues of the military and statues of common people. Supposedly uniting to 'liberate' Tibet.
Summer Palace and the 14th Dali Lama
The Summer Palace was first disappointing with many places closed until we found the 14th Dali Lama summer home. The 14th Dali Lama is the one in exile. No photographing is allowed and they had security cameras inside and out. Many places had security cameras but the summer home seem to have more.
A guard followed us, at first I believed so we wouldn't take pictures but he was very helpful. He told us a lot of things about the home and furnishings. It was interesting to see everything including the old style radio and even an old stereo record player. The guard pointed out a wall mural with the 14th Dali Lama when he was 22, he looks so different now. Our driver had a picture of the Dali Lama when we attempted our overland trip. The monks did not know who he was when our driver showed them the picture.
The guard said Tibetan people love the 14th Dali Lama very much. Mimi asked if he hopes the Dali Lama will return. The guard said it was too dangerous for him to come back.
I recommend seeing the 14th Dali Lama's summer home.
Barkhor Area
The Barkhor area is the heart of the old Tibetan part of town. In the center of the area is the Jokhang, the most revered religious structure in Tibet. People would prostrate then self in front of the Jokhang. Prostration is placing your hands in a prayer-like position, touch your forehead, throat and heart, get down into a half-prostration and then lie full on the ground. They would do this over and over again as they did in other places in Tibet. Many people would also walk clockwise around the Jokhang as they did at other places in Tibet.
We went to the Jokhang on a special day when a large number of Tibetans also went. It was very interesting. The Jokhang contains one of only two specials Buddhas. People were packed trying to get to and touch the Buddha. The other Buddha was damaged during China's Cultural Revolution. Many areas we visited in China had monasteries that were damage or destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Many of the monasteries are being rebuilt.
The Bakhor area also contains markets, a Muslim section, shops, and restaurants catering to foreigners. We eat in one of the restaurants. Our waitress was from Nepal and spoke English but could not speak Chinese.
Monasteries outside of Lhasa
We went to the Drepung, the Nechung, and the Sera Monasteries outside of Lhasa. They were all interesting and the monks were friendly. We took pictures of prayer writings that a monk was holding on a bench for us. When we showed him the picture, he turned the camera upside down, we all smiled and laugh a little at that.
One Monastery had a very small building, only about 8 feet in diameter with a Buddha inside. People with payer wheels were circling the building clockwise. The building was so small that it looked funny. It would only take about 15 seconds to circle the building.
We also saw a Tibetan sand painting. The painting had a lot of detail.
Yak Attack
The Latin people I talked about earlier recommended the dinner/dance show at the Kiry Hotel in the Barkhor area. The dinner was a buffet and a combination of Tibetan, Chinese, and Western food. You could try different foods and not go hungry if you didn't like it. The music/dances were short but fun and contain a Yak Attack. I posted an earlier picture of the Yak Attack.
Everything was a family affair. The cashier, servers, performers, even the people who ran the Kiry Hotel's travel service were all the same people. Maybe they also ran the hotel?
Nam-Tso
We planed to go to Nam-Tso before we left for Tibet. It is a high plateau with lakes and beautiful scenery about 240 km north west of Lhasa. Mimi booked a day tour to Nam-Tso at our hotel for the next day. It cost 800 rmb/person, about 100 USD each. The tour only had 1 hour at Nam-Tso but included 4 shopping stops where the guide would make almost 50% of what you buy!
We could decide if we wanted to spend the night in a tent once we got there, overnight food and the tent would be extra. However our cell phone was out of money so we might not be able to fine the bus among the many tour busses the next day. We got a cell number that worked throughout China but inadvertently got a new number where status checks and adding money was not yet supported outside of Shanghai. We planed to call Mimi's dad to add money to the phone.
The tour company called us and said foreigners are not allowed on this tour and refunded our money. Maybe because foreigners complain they are spending too much time shopping and not at the place they paid to see.
The Kiry hotel had a two-day trip to Nam-Tso for only 150 rmb/person (less then 20 USD) including a stop at hot springs and no shopping. The Land curser would spend the night at Nam-Tso. The tent and food are extra but still cheap. The Kiry hotel even rents sleeping bags for the trip. We just had a hard, rough time on our overland trip, the pictures of Nam-Tso did not look any better then the scenery we've seen on our overland trip, and I was not looking forward to spending the night in a tent at 4718 meters, over 14150 feet, so we did not go. This gave us more time to see other things.
Everest Base Camp (EBC)
Many tourists go to EBC-1. It is at 5200 meters (17160 feet), conditions are primitive, and is at least a 4-day return trip from Lhasa. Some people are going to EBC-2 which is even higher because EBC-1 is getting too crowded with tourist. I talked to people at the Kiry hotel that just came from EBC. They said it was cloudy and they did not get a good view of Mt Everest. They said the best thing about the trip is they can tell everyone they went to Mt Everest. We decided not to go because of that and the time involved.
People We Met
I already told you about the Latin people. We also met native English speaking people. Usually, native English speaking people I meet in Asia are from Australia or Britain, almost never from the US. Most of the English-speaking people we met on this trip were from the US, independent travelers (not in a tour group), and were 50+.
The most interesting was Ann, about 34, from California, and traveling alone. She would take overseas jobs then travel when the job was over. She had been all over the world and had some very unusual experiences. She was once arrested as a terrorist in Russia. Ann, please drop us a note if you are reading this.
We also met a 50+ couple from NY and a 50+ couple from California. The California couple was a doctor and wife traveling with a Chinese friend. The doctor comes to China every 3 to 6 months for work. They were in the same hotel as us. About once a day the Internet would go down. The hotel had to reset the routers that are in their room. I think they were glad we left because sometime we would come back late and report to the hotel that the Internet was down.
Additional words on Tibet
Lhasa and the Lhasa area are very much different then eastern Tibet. Both are worth seeing. We wish we made it all the way overland to Lhasa and did not have to turn back. We wished we had more time in Tibet to see more things but there may always be a next time.
Train service to Lhasa starts July 1. They are advertising train tours which will bring more Chinese tourist. I hope Lhasa does not turn into a 9-village valley packed with numerous tourists.
Latest Comments (2)
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Re: Not a writer (reply)
Feb 5, 2008 14:12 EST by mikeysoft
Thanks, I'm glad you like my travel story. :)
Our next trip is to Israel and Egypt. I don't think I'm bringing my computer for that trip because you have to register it when traveling in Egypt.
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In reply to:
You could have fooled me. I'm impressed by your dialogue.
How did you get 5000 hits, thats what I wan... show all
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Not a writer (reply)
Dec 29, 2007 13:56 EST by mr_rain
You could have fooled me. I'm impressed by your dialogue.
How did you get 5000 hits, thats what I want to know, what is your secret!
You get a top rating, generally your comments are excellent and true. You are good at telling others how it is,
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| 15. | Summary of Lhasa, Tibet - Lhasa, China Jun 05, 2006 (  2 ) |
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