We got our first look at the mountains surrounding the airport and the capital city of Lhasa (one hour drive away) as well as the amazing blue sky. This was the first time in the two months that we were in China that we didn’t experience the effects of smog: sore lungs and seeing everything through a haze. There is some snow on faraway mountains which lends a beautiful touch to an already scenic area.
Lhasa is the highest city in the world at 3,400 meters above sea level and severe altitude sickness is quite common with visitors. Knowing from experience (Bolivia mainly) how difficult it can be to acclimatize, we asked the tour company we had hired to give us a day completely free of anything. We slept a lot but also walked around our very traditional Tibetan neighborhood. We had to keep returning to our hotel for naps as the air is so thin that your body cannot get an adequate supply of oxygen and tire very easily.
There are many advantages to visiting Tibet in the fall: far fewer tourists, lower prices for everything, and a lot more pilgrims to the holy shrines than you could imagine. Our guide explained that the ratio of pilgrims to tourists is much higher at this time of year as the former have more time (the crops are in) to make the pilgrimage route while the latter find the weather too cold to come to this part of the world.
We saw hundreds of pilgrims everywhere at the palace, the temples and the markets. For many, Lhasa is just one of many destinations they will visit during a two-month tour of the country stopping at monasteries, nunneries, temples and the palace to show their devotion. They do this by prostrating themselves in prayer, making offerings of yak butter, scarves and monetary donations. It reminded me a lot of other religions where such practices are still common or, at least, once were.
Some amusing observations that cannot be caught on camera: an old Buddhist monk sweeping the floor wearing his traditional robe with Winnie the Pooh slippers; the number of people who openly stare at us (likely out-of-town pilgrims who’ve never seen white folk); and the look of fright on young children’s faces because we look so different – which can sometimes be erased by a smiling Tashi Dele (hello).
Jokhang Temple, the Sera Monastery and downtown markets are great choices for the visitors’ first day as these are all at ground level and don’t involve too much stair climbing. What’s interesting about the markets is that their target consumers are tourists but pilgrim tourists (Tibet nationals).
The first temple gave us our first look at Tibetan Buddhism (we had visited some temples in China and, years ago, in Japan). The Sera Monastery provided great entertainment as we were allowed to watch as dozens of monks debated that morning’s lesson. The racket was amazing and the sea of red robes stunning. The most telling sign about the debating experience of the monks was the huge smiles they had as they questioned each other, responded and debated the answers.
The first time that I saw the Potala Palace, I thought I would never be able to climb the stairs up to its 13-storey top. Between the thin air of the high elevation and the hundreds of steps to reach even the first floor of the imposing building, I thought that I was a gonner, for sure! We waited until our third day in Lhasa, at which point we had acclimatized, and managed the climb with many short rests along the way.
The palace was once the seat of the Tibetan government prior to China’s annexation some fifty years ago. It was also the winter palace of the dalai lamas beginning with the fifth Dalai Lama who began its construction in 1645 (it took 50 years to build). Again, there are more Buddhas than you can count with some made of wood, brass, silver and/or gold. Many are bejeweled with turquoise, opal and other semi-precious stones. But the most impressive treasures of the palace are the tombs of previous dalai lamas – these are enormous, made of gold and silver and decorated with thousands of jewels.
The views of the surrounding mountains were stupendous as these were lightly powdered with snow. Also, the modern city of Lhasa – built entirely by and for Han Chinese migrants – provided a sharp contrast to the traditional homes of Tibetans. The Chinese recently completed construction of the “Peace and Cooperation Monument” as an optimistic tribute to how well the two cultures are getting along. Unfortunately, they destroyed a traditional Tibetan neighborhood to build the thing.