Lhasa
Tibet has been wonderful. It's so refreshing after Yunnan, it's just totally different. It was raining with big ominous clouds when we came in, but it's been sunny ever since. The sun is so bright and intense here. Seeing all the locals wearing odd and assorted sun hats makes me feel a lot better about actually using mine. The air is thin and dry, noticeable each time you inhale.
We're staying in the Tibetan part of town, which though it's undergoing construction, is still being built with the whitewashed stones found in the rest of the old town. The buildings are a mixture of importers unloading trucks of goods fresh from Nepal and restaurants aimed at tourists and hotels/guesthouses. The guesthouses are all chock full right now and you hear travelers talking about the advantages of each one and their plans to try and switch to a different guesthouse.
In the center of the Tibetan area is the Johkang, one of the oldest and holiest buildings in Tibet. Each night, after dinner, we walk the Kora around the Jokang (circle the building clockwise with all the rest of the pilgrims). Dinner is usually a Nepali curry, which is quite welcome after 7 months of Chinese food. Most other travelers I've met have spent their first few days in Lhasa like this: eat, walk, eat, walk, eat, walk, sleep. We have done the same and now hope to arrange transport and visit some of the areas outside Lhasa, especially now that we've gotten used to the altitude.
Here are a few pictures from our time in Lhasa. These pictures are big.
Jokhang kora 634K
Jokhang roof and Potala 613K
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