Lhasa Travel Blogs, Travelogues and Travel Journals

It was a beautiful morning, being in the same timezone as Beijing meant the sun didn't get up til almost 8am, and that's really a plus for sunrise photo shots! The sun was not yet up, and not too many clouds were in the sky, so I went to the Potala square again with camera and tripod hoping for a nice shot of the Potala at sunrise. There were pilgrims prostrating in front of the Potala already, and many camera toting photographers with tripods on the square! It was nice to look at the mountai…

the children there especailly in small country side are very nice, they wanted to communicat with you, but they cant, they try to use their body language to show something to you.  we brought some pen for them, many children around you, watching you by their puerility eyes. you will feel that the most beautiful thing in the world.

         At 9:30 this morning we met Ross outside of our hotel, eager to see more of Tibet. We began walking in the direction of the Barkhor, which is known as Lhasa's liveliest neighborhood, since it is often packed with pilgrims and locals planning to visit the nearby Jokhang Temple. On our way to the bustling center, Ross gave us an enchanting glimpse of ordinary Tibetan life as he took us through the neighborhoods that most tourists are not privy to…

Dos: 1) Smile- traveller, u know what I mean 2) Ask permission to do any, eg: taking photos- Photo taking and video are prohibited in some temple, (u might end up paying money if u don’t obey) 1) Have another partner to travel with u (u might be sick due to the high attitude, u really need someone to take care of u, I encounter that, lucky I have my husband with me, that feeling was bad) 2) Rest for 1 to 2 day before u start traveling- u need to adapt to the high attitude environment, …

6/16/07New Video - scroll down to the photo section to see a video of the monks feverishly debating at the Sera Monastery while the foreigners gawk and take their pictures...This morning after breakfast we hopped in the Toyota and started the three hour drive to Lhasa. The road is better than anything else we have been on in Asia and the scenery is desolate, arid and spectacular. Often, if you close your eyes for a second and forget where you are, you can open them and imagine that you are dr…

Photos from five weeks in China and Tibet last summer. This was my second venture with Eastern Michigan University's CHT programs. We began in Shanghai then travelled on to Nanjing, Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu then flew to Lhasa, Tibet. Night trains, Sultana taxis, and one illegal/broken down bus later, I am please to share with you China and Tibet.

The flight from Chengdu was awesome...because the views flying in were the best I've ever seen on a flight! We were so low down crossing over moutains it was worth every penny. We arrived at the airport prepared for the lack of oxygen (mentally) but was surprised to find it was absolutley fine. We rocked up in Lhasa wandering the streets looking for a cheap hotels and bumped into Jen! Yay!! She lead the way to a place that was in the mix of it all and a good price so thanks Jen! We dumped our…

Hi everyone A short note to say we arrived in Lhasa this morning. Ecstatic that our hotel room looks straight up at the Potala Palace. We're suffering from mild altitude sickness with heart palpitations, loss of breath and headaches ... the first two symptoms hit us as soon as the aircraft doors opened. After all, we're at over 12,000 feet. All our travel arrangements went well. From Auckland, we had a night-stop in Hong Kong before flying to Chengdu via Bangkok. During our short half-day …

A trip to Lhasa is never complete without a visit to the magnificent Potala Palace - famous for its grand buildings, complicated constructions, devotional atmosphere and splendid artworks. It comprises the White Palace (administerial building) and the Red Palace (religious building). The White Palace was used as the winter palace for Dalai Lamas and the walls were painted white to convey peace and quiet. The Red Palace located in the middle of the Palace is renowed for its religious status, g…

The trip started in Shanghai with some great bargains. Then we took the plane to Tibet to dive into another world. While our cap driver left us at Ganden monastery we were lucky enough to be able to join a pilgrim group back to Lhasa. Taking the new train from Lhasa to Beijing for 48 hours the last part of the trip began. Living in a real hutong I could get around the city and just with a piece of paper (and a bit of luck) to the great wall.

Lhasa...is just magical. And nothing like anything we expected. Actually, we didn't really know what to expect but it is really something out of the ordinary. This little city located in the middle of the Himalayas at 3800 meters above sea level is just the greatest place ever and we're sad we only had time to spend two days here. The main street, Beijing Road, is full to the rim with fancy shops of every kind and you'll find basically anything you need here..except deodorant, rumour has it…

Round trip in China, including a week in Tibet. City's visited: Beijing, Xian, Lhasa, Shigatse, Gyantse, Chengdu, Lijiang, Dali, Kunming, Yangshuo, Hong Kong.

Just a few pictures...

We spent our first night at Dongcuo hostel but very quickly decided to move to the Yak hotel as the facilities at the hostel were not great.  We stayed in dorm rooms in the hotel and the facilities were clean and comfortable and the roof terrace has great views of Potala Palace. For the first couple of days we didn't do a great deal as we were getting used to the altitude. On Tuesday we walked the circuit around Jokhang Temple with the pilgrims before visiting the temple itself.  …

Before I take the bus to the Sera Monestary I drop off my dirty laundry at the Snowlands Laundry Service and am told that I could pick it up the next morning. The Sera monestary is most well known for its slapping sessions a.k.a. discussion sessions; basicly one monk is sitting while the other is standing opposite him and slapping his hands when he has finished his argument. After all the slapping I went to the Barkhor square to take some photo's of all the pilgrims with their different hats.…