Day 3 - Lhasa

I'm slowly getting my brain back. That was quite an experience. I am traveling with two friends, one from Shanghai and the other from California. We were lethargic and short of breath the first day to the point that we couldn't begin to add 54 and 104.

Yesterday, we began to get our breath back and our wits. We have visited several Buddhist temples, the names of which I'll have to provide later. In the afternoon, we walked around our hotel (ShangBaLa - a "4 Star" hotel, not to be confused with the Shanghri La - a hotel you might actually want to stay in). I think options are very limited here.



Having said that, the people are very kind and very attractive. It is difficult to find an unattractive Tibetan woman. They lose a bit once they hit 55 to 60 because of a lack of teeth, but prior to that, they are stunning. By and large, the gents are fairly handsome as well.

Lhasa resembles nothing more than a large shopping centre with eclectic clothing. The economy is based on tourism, and from the look of it, tourists shop excessively.

We are in town for the Yogurt Festival which gets its name from the fasting ritual followed by all monks today. Yogurt is the only thing on their menu. This morning we set out at 6:00 for the mountain to watch the unveiling of the Thangku at sunrise. We were accompanied by about 20,000 to 40,000 of our closest Tibetan friends dressed in traditional attire. Older women in heels and long dresses flew past us up the mountain. A lesson in humility.

Tomorrow we head for the hinterlands on route to Kathmandu. We stop at two towns to spend the night on the way, and I'm told they have nothing in common with Lhasa other than they are populated by Tibetans also.

I have lots of pics that I will upload on my return. I don't have the capacity here and the town is not flush with electronics/camera stores.

UPDATE: Here are some pics of the famous temple we hiked up to visit (not the same location as the Thangka painting)