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.
Showing posts with label Lhasa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lhasa. Show all posts
Friday, June 8, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Lhasa Vanishing
5/29 and 5/30
It has been quite an adventure. I am thankful that I feel well enough to write a few words. The trip from Beijing was about four and a half hours with a stop in Chengdu. We were thankful that China Air provide much more leg room than United.
The landing in Lhasa was a bit jarring, I believe due to the short landing strip. The plane swayed back and forth as we made our decent. The airport was surprisingly modern. This should have been our indication of things to come. Lhasa is about an hours drive from the airport, but the roads are very good and in 2005 the Chinese built a tunnel through a mountain pass that makes the trip faster.
We were surrounded by stark, brown mountains and the occasional pale blue rivers which are very low at this time of the year. On our way into town, we stopped to see the largest rock painting in Tibet. Rainbow and I also met a group of local bikers who asked us to join them for some local beer. It think Vivek and Lhasing (our guide) were surprised to see us chatting away with the pilgrims.
As we approached the city of Lhasa, the car became quiet as we were shocked and saddened by the amount of development. There were sections of the city that looked just like Beijing. We did not feel as if we were entering Shangri-La. Some of this disappointment was tempered when we finally caught a glimpse of the Portola Palace. It is simply an amazing structure and I am thankful that it has survived many years of political turmoil.
We were taken to the Shanbhala Hotel, which thankfully was not the House of Shambhala where we had booked our stay. The House of Shambhala is a wonderful, Tibetan style inn. Our rooms are brightly painted with sashes framing the bed. There is an ornate courtyard at the heart of the hotel and it offers yoga and tantric massage. I am not sure the I will get to try the yoga (more on that later), but hope to experience the massage.
Of the three of us, the fearless leader had little worries about altitude sickness, but unfortunately it hit me hard. I was sick all last night, and was extremely thankful to have a kind and caring husband to watch over me. Last night was incredibly miserable, but by around 10:00 am I was able to stomach some toast. Vivek and I missed a tour of the Portola Palace, but we are hoping to see it when we return to Lhasa in a few days. Rainbow is taking Diamox and seems to be doing well with the altitude. The temperatures seem to be in the high 80s and the strong rays of the sun contribute to the discomfort.
Vivek and I ventured out to the market to find lunch. We found ourselves in a little place filled with Tibetans, but with no hope of reading the menu. We pointed to what a little boy was having and said, "we'll have that." They brought us a steaming bowl of momos (dumplings in broth-perfect for an upset stomach). It cost us 6 yuan (less than a dollar). We probably gave out more money in donations to pilgrims during our lunch then we paid for the food.
Later today our guide met us and took us to the Jokhang Temple. It was filled with monks chanting and eating. The temple was filled with many Buddhist statues and candles burning in vegetable oil. We had a nice view of the Portola Palace from the roof and even encountered a Tibetan kitten. We plan to spend the remainder of the day resting before we head out of Lhasa to Namatso Lake.
Sound of the night: Dogs barking and barking and barking
It has been quite an adventure. I am thankful that I feel well enough to write a few words. The trip from Beijing was about four and a half hours with a stop in Chengdu. We were thankful that China Air provide much more leg room than United.
The landing in Lhasa was a bit jarring, I believe due to the short landing strip. The plane swayed back and forth as we made our decent. The airport was surprisingly modern. This should have been our indication of things to come. Lhasa is about an hours drive from the airport, but the roads are very good and in 2005 the Chinese built a tunnel through a mountain pass that makes the trip faster.
We were surrounded by stark, brown mountains and the occasional pale blue rivers which are very low at this time of the year. On our way into town, we stopped to see the largest rock painting in Tibet. Rainbow and I also met a group of local bikers who asked us to join them for some local beer. It think Vivek and Lhasing (our guide) were surprised to see us chatting away with the pilgrims.
As we approached the city of Lhasa, the car became quiet as we were shocked and saddened by the amount of development. There were sections of the city that looked just like Beijing. We did not feel as if we were entering Shangri-La. Some of this disappointment was tempered when we finally caught a glimpse of the Portola Palace. It is simply an amazing structure and I am thankful that it has survived many years of political turmoil.
We were taken to the Shanbhala Hotel, which thankfully was not the House of Shambhala where we had booked our stay. The House of Shambhala is a wonderful, Tibetan style inn. Our rooms are brightly painted with sashes framing the bed. There is an ornate courtyard at the heart of the hotel and it offers yoga and tantric massage. I am not sure the I will get to try the yoga (more on that later), but hope to experience the massage.
Of the three of us, the fearless leader had little worries about altitude sickness, but unfortunately it hit me hard. I was sick all last night, and was extremely thankful to have a kind and caring husband to watch over me. Last night was incredibly miserable, but by around 10:00 am I was able to stomach some toast. Vivek and I missed a tour of the Portola Palace, but we are hoping to see it when we return to Lhasa in a few days. Rainbow is taking Diamox and seems to be doing well with the altitude. The temperatures seem to be in the high 80s and the strong rays of the sun contribute to the discomfort.
Vivek and I ventured out to the market to find lunch. We found ourselves in a little place filled with Tibetans, but with no hope of reading the menu. We pointed to what a little boy was having and said, "we'll have that." They brought us a steaming bowl of momos (dumplings in broth-perfect for an upset stomach). It cost us 6 yuan (less than a dollar). We probably gave out more money in donations to pilgrims during our lunch then we paid for the food.
Later today our guide met us and took us to the Jokhang Temple. It was filled with monks chanting and eating. The temple was filled with many Buddhist statues and candles burning in vegetable oil. We had a nice view of the Portola Palace from the roof and even encountered a Tibetan kitten. We plan to spend the remainder of the day resting before we head out of Lhasa to Namatso Lake.
Sound of the night: Dogs barking and barking and barking
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
