Kathmandu to Lhasa

Asia » China » Tibet » Lhasa
September 13th 2006

Published: September 26th 2006

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130906A

Countryside en route to Lhasa, Tibet

Our car was one of only two to pay the extra money & detour to the Yamdrok Tso lookout, which was well worth the additional payment. The deviation took us up a winding road to a pass & back down again & only added a couple hours onto our journey as it was about 50km each way. I sat in the very back of the Landcruiser again & read a book Betsy had leant me called Some Like It Haute. Fortunately, there were no problems with altitude sickness for me today & we arrived at Lhasa for late afternoon. We were all stunned at the sheer size of the city & how "Chinafied" it is. The streets are very wide & the layout reminds me of Adelaide because they run parallel, making it easy to find your way around.

Our hotel is in the old section of Lhasa & only ten minutes or so from Jokhang Temple & the surrounding Barkhor, which we explored after settling in. We walked with the pilgrims through the streets lined with market stalls selling the usual wares, jewellry & other trinkets. After watching the pilgrims praying outside Jokhang Temple, I wandered off with Monika,

130906B

Countryside en route to Lhasa, Tibet

David & two of his buddies from France. We walked to Potala Palace & as the weather was good, took some photos as the sun was setting. Dinner was in a restaurant overlooking Jokhang Temple & I decided it was time to experiment so ordered buffalo chow mien, which was really tasty.

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