A few days in Lhasa
For me, Tibet was one of the remote and magical places that I never thought I'd see. Arriving at Yak Hotel, a feeling of euphoria came over me, although that could have been the lack of oxygen getting to my brain. Ironically, even though Tibet is more remote and difficult to access, it was so much more tourist friendly than all of China (including Beijing!). There were American, Japanese, Indian, Mexican, and of course Tibetan restaurants. I don't really know how to describe the atmosphere...but I'll try.
A bit euphoric. Every western tourist I met seemed to exude the same pride in being there that I felt. It's so hard to get into Tibet, so you're a genuine adventurer if you make it. At least that's how you feel. It's how I would imagine it felt to arrive in California during the gold rush. There's golden opportunity waiting for you if you are willing the make the perilous journey to get there, and we did.
The Chinese influence on most of the city is intense, but there is still a part of town that retains its Tibetan feel and architecture, perhaps mainly for the benefit of tourism. In the center of this is the Jokhang temple, the most of beautiful Buddhist temple I've ever seen. It is surrounded by pilgrims all day prostrating themselves on the ground and circling the temple clockwise. These are the most devout people I've ever seen. I guess except for becoming a monk, which women can't do, this is the most religiously devout path you can take; a striking contrast to the Calvanist Christian work ethic that shaped the American psyche.
If you do become a Tibetan monk, make sure you are very comfortable holding hands with complete strangers and smiling a lot. Also, sit with your fellow monks on street corners, indian-style and say nothing. These are both very effective and subtle begging styles; much less offensive than yelling "GIVE ME MONEY" and shoving patrons into submission, the traditional Chinese child begging style. In Tibet we gave more alms to the poor than ever before. They were just so gosh-darn polite about wanting my money that I felt so much more inclined to give it to them.
There is so much to see in Lhasa that you could spend weeks there. Unfortunately, our visa did not allow this. However, I think that in only a few days, we got a good feel for the atmosphere and saw the major sights. The people are wonderfully docile and friendly. Most of them speak some English, French, and Spanish. I would recommend Lhasa to more experienced travel enthusiasts. Because of the hassles of entering and exiting the country, this trip requires either a lot of time or money...actually...both.
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