19/3/07 Lhasa - my first day

We arrived in Lhasa last night at 10:30pm only to be squashed into a public bus Indian style i.e people hanging off the roof and out the windows.... well it wasn't that bad but I seriously had to fight and jostle my way on with one hand constantly checking my wallet, phone and moneybelt were still on me. The crowdedness of the bus was alleviated by my first glimpses of the Potala in the distance bathed in the soft orange glow of the streetlamps in front of me as the bus trundled its way from Lhasa station to the city.

We were tired and hungry so we checked into the cheapest place listed in the 'Lonely Liar' or 'Paranoid Planet' depending on which way you read the information - the Banak Shol hotel on the edge of the Barkhor which is the centre of the Tibetan quarter on the eastern side of Lhasa. This morning I woke up at 8am with a mission to purchase my plane ticket as I've learnt my lesson of always arranging travel out of your destination as soon as you arrive. However nothing opened until 10am so my first urge was to take a stroll around the Barkhor just to see Tibetan life in all its glory.

The view as I stepped outside the Banak Shol - Lhasa's main drag with the Potala palace in the distance...

This stroll was a total assault on my senses - the streets around the Barkhor (Tibetan quarter) are pungent with the smell of Yak butter, there are people burning it as fuel for religious candles, people using it to make Yak butter tea and plenty of shops with huge blocks of the stuff lying out the front for sale. Then there's the smell of juniper and incense as the pilgrims throw it into the large incense burners marking the corners of the Jokhang monastery at the centre of the Barkhor. The next thing I noticed was how colourful the Barkhor is! On the roof of every Tibetan abode and temple hang multicoloured prayer flags, the doors of these buildings are also ornately decorated and painted. Then there's the outdoor stalls with their vast arrays of jewellery and fabrics to add to the mix and Tibetans themselves especially the women also dress colourfully.

Street scene inside the Tibetan quarter...

Another street scene - notice the prayer flags on the roof

An incense burner at the back of the Jokhang

Sure enough, in the morning as I walked around I was drawn in by the throngs of pilgrims making their clockwise circuit around the Jokhang to pay their respects. There must've been thousands upon thousands of Tibetans (including a not insubstantial number of monks) making their way around the Jokhang, some prostrating themselves every few steps, it was just incredible! The Tibetans themselves are extremely friendly - I've copped smiling stares, shouts of 'Tashi Delay' all morning and even the odd old granny sticking her tongue out at me as a gesture of respect.

Monks strolling around the Barkhor

After finding the CAAC office and buying a ticket to leave on the 29th to go to Chongqing - this itself was not an easy task as it was quite a long walk and I'd feel a slight headache or dizziness if I walked too quickly or had to ascend stairs - I joined Phil and Hugo again just to wander the Barkhor and admire the Jokhang. We also made it out to the square in front of the Potala palace today for a few photos but we'll leave the walk of that till tomorrow as we're still acclimatising and letting the fact that we're in Lhasa, Tibet sink in. This place really isn't anything like the rest of China if you hide yourself in the Tibetan quarter! It's not as touristy as I thought it would be (less touts), and there are less Han Chinese immigrants than the naysayers say there are - just my initial observations.

The Jokhang at the centre of the Barkhor behind me - I've had to wear a hat to keep the fierce sun out of my face.