Lhasa- Tibet, China

We finally made it! At 12,000 feet in elevation, Lhasa is the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region. It has a population of 200,000 & is now heavily reliant upon tourism.



The official Tibetan Tourism Bureau (TTB) permit that was needed to enter the Tibetan Autonomous Region.


We flew lengthwise with the Himalayas until landing in Lhasa. They were beautiful! The Himalayas contain nine of the world's ten highest peaks! Of course, the best of the aerial photos has a wing in it. Oh well, it still shows how lucky we were to get this weather!


Our hotel was in the Tibetan district/area of Lhasa, or old town. This is where I should mention that the majority of Lhasa is inhabited by the Chinese. It is becoming increasingly difficult for Tibetans to get good paying jobs in Lhasa. Unless, they know both the Tibetan & Chinese languages. Since Tibet opened for tourism, the place has flooded with Chinese looking to buy cheap land & open businesses. For the most part, the Chinese haven't attempted to adopt the architecture nor culture of the Tibetan way of life. Additionally, a new railroad was just finished this month & may already be open for business. The train starts in Beijing & will allow Tibet to be accessed with greater ease. There are many different arguments supporting both sides of the Chinese & the Tibetans, so I'll now let you do your own research.

Potala Palace could be seen from our hotel room!


A side street of the old town area.


A Tibetan area main street named Beijing Donglu.



A newer section of the Chinese delevoped area.


This photo & the following two are taken from our hotel rooftop patio.


Viewing South


The first night, I spent a couple hours on the rooftop. I just sat there & took in the whole experience. It was even snowing in the mountains, but beyond the camera's reach. A much different experience than Thailand!


POTALA PALACE


Making our way to the entrance of Potala Palace.


It's hard to understand the immensity of this! Especially considering that it was completed in 1694.


Potala Palace with the city below.


As you may have guessed, photos are not allowed inside.


Many of these ladies were singing & laughing all the way down. Our tour guide, Kelsang, said they must have been there on their pilgrimage. For more information on Potala Palace, please click here.



Jokhang Temple was only a minute from our hotel, but we soon had the chance to visit. The inner temple houses Tibet’s most sacred Buddha image, the Jowo Shakyamuni.

Jokhang Temple is 1300 years old & is the holiest shrine in Tibet.

Two deer protecting a Dharma wheel with roof cyliners in the background.


The top of Jokhang Temple provided a great view of Barkhor Square & beyond.


These Tibetans may have been on a pilgrimage. I snapped this photo, because I thought it was nice to see a westerner pull up a seat with them.


Men continued to work as the sun went down.


Their king of beers!