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Published: July 11th 2010
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Glass Bathroom
At the Lotus Flower Hotel. Weird. Very weird. Glad I had the room to myself. I got up early this morning and did not expect Lobsang to be waiting for me at 7:00 even though he said he would be there to check me out of my room. Sure enough, he wasn't there, so I left the key on the desk and got a taxi to the Shangri La airport where I had a run in with three gals from the UK. Man, they were nasty. One gal's bag was 2kg over the weight limit, so while she complained about having to take some of her things out of her bag, her friend promptly called the woman behind the counter a bitch for making them take the crap out of the bag. And, it was crap by the way. Everything she took out could have been purchased in the UK, and probably for less than she paid for it in China! So I told them that this is a Communist country and that this woman has no power and if she allowed the bag through she could probably lose her job. They rolled their eyes. Oh my God, I cannot stand it when people do that! So I ripped them all a new one and told
Potala Palace View
from my hotel room them, "The woman behind the counter is not the bitch in this room!" When I checked in, I realized the woman spoke English and probably understood what those girls were saying about her.
So, that put me in a bad mood. I hoped all the way to Lhasa that those gals were not on my tour. Thankfully, they weren't. When I arrived in Lhasa I was met by my guide, Pussang, and my driver whose name I didn't catch. The drive to the hotel was over an hour long, and Pussang fell asleep for part of the drive. I laughed when he explained he had been up late watching the World Cup. I was also tired and I was so glad he didn't feel the need to talk to me constantly, or talk at me like Chinese guides do.
When we arrived at the Lotus Flower Hotel (too Chinese for me, glass bathroom and all) I asked how many people were on my tour. 'Just you,' he said. Woo-hoo! Fantastic! By this time it was only about 1:00 and I had the afternoon free. I walked around the Potala Palace and took loads of photos. It is an
impressive structure. Wow. I know it was built a lot later than the Pyramids of Giza or Petra, but it is nearly as impressive. I have to have a guide to visit the inside, so we will do that tomorrow. When I say we, I mean me and Pussang. No one else. Yeh! I walked over to the Barkhor area, which is Tibetian and I walked the pilgrim circuit around the Jokhang Temple, which I will also visit tomorrow. I was disappointed to see that the entire pilgrim circuit was covered by hawkers selling jewelry, statues, and whatever else, all made in China or Nepal! It wasn't even made in Tibet! And the pilgrims could hardly get by. They walk with the temple always to their right and carry prayer wheels and chant prayers while circling the temple for hours. Some also prostrate themselves, literally for hours, while walking around the temple.
After I walked around a while, I found The Summit Cafe on Danjielin, just off the street. Internet is not free, but it is cheap and the coffee and desserts are fantastic! Not cheap, but fantastic. Don't come here expecting lunch though. They also have a book
Jokhang Temple
This is really the center of all the action in Lhasa, not Potala Palace. exchange and ice cream, and they speak English, but please be patient. I saw some tourists come in and get really bitchy when their accent wasn't understood immediately and their order wasn't filled immediately, even though the place was really busy. They were European by the way. I'd had enough bitchiness for one day, but I didn't say anything to her. Ugh. People were really irritating me today, so I just went back to my hotel for the evening.
Pussang is meeting me tomorrow at 9:00 to start my tour. I am excited to see Jokhang Temple and Potala Palace. Finally. I've waited a long time to see Lhasa.
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