Last Days in Lhasa

6/7 and 6/8/07

Thursday morning we woke up in Gyantse and spent an hour or so exploring the fort along the outside of the city. The fort is most famous for it use against a British invasion, which unfortunately did not end well for the Tibetans. The fort was built along a high vantage point, which allows you to see the valley in all directions. It was fun to explore the different rooms including the dungeon and chapel. The most exciting part of the tour was making our way down a very steep stairway that was built into the hillside.

After exploring the fort we headed back to Lhasa. We soon discovered that the best road back to Lhasa would take us back through Shigatse. Some of my fellow travelers were disappointed to learn that we could have had another night's stay in the "Tibet Westin." We did have the fortune of meeting Tongue's family during our lunch stop in Shigatse. He is married and has a 14-year old son. The remaining 5 hour drive to Lhasa was not too eventful. We spent the last hour quizzing each other about our trip. We realized that we had many good memories and stories to shared.

We returned to the hotel in the Chinese district for one last night. We also discovered the closest thing to a restaurant that we've encountered in Tibet, the Dunya. We had a meal of penne pasta, veggie lasagna, and yak burger with fries (guess who ordered the yak burger). It was nice to have a bit of western food and service.

Vivek's Sound of the Night: Fireworks and repetitive banging on a chain link fence.

Today we got up early and moved our luggage over to the House of Shambhala for our last night in Lhasa. We spent the morning getting some laundry done, exchanging money, and sorting out the details of our tour of the Portala. Vivek and I had a self guided tour of the Portala Palace. It is the landmark of Lhasa and imposing structure that is truly inspiring. Inside we saw the favorite rooms of many Dalai Lamas, many tombs of Dalai Lamas, lots of shrines, and many Chinese tourists.

Vivek and I spent the afternoon shopping in the local market. We both had fun bargaining for the lowest possible price. I am certain we over paid for everything, but still managed to get a good deal. I also opted for a 60 minute massage at the blind massage center. My feet are very happy now. Tomorrow is our last day and I am sad to be leaving. It has been quite an adventure.