Day 4 n 5 Lhasa

Woke up for breakfast and start of our guided tour in Lhasa. First stop Potala Palace aka Winter Palace built during the 5th Dalai lama regime. Apparently because the palace was still being built, the passing on of the 5th DL was not announced until the palace was completed 12yrs later. Which was why when the 6th DL was discovered, he was already 20yos and used to hanging out in the 'outside world'. It was said that by day he will be in the palace and at night he will be roaming the outside world. He died when he was 23yo.

View from outside


View from inside


Start of the 100+ steps


View during halfway thru the climb. An excuse to catch a breath


Going in and no pictures allowed.


End of the palace tour. Apparently there is something about these red substance as eavesdrop on a China guide.


View on the other side


At the base


And we went for lunch. The aussie+Brazil couple discovered this little tibetan home restaurant when dropping their laundry off the day before and brought us here.

Yummy Momos


While lunching, the blue skies finally start peeking out.


Next stop Jokhang Temple and Barkhor square


View from the top


Street view


Den the guide walk us back to hotel after walking a round Jokhang Temple. I went to my room to put my bag and went out again.

I walked to this restaurant which is said to be the location where the 6th DL used to meet his lover. The food is so so but has a good view overlooking the walking street. There i shared a table with another group of Chinese youngsters who then invite me for a walk to see the folks' dance. But that night there was no one dancing so they showed me the night view of potala palace.



Then they brought me to eat yogurt before walking me home. I was dead tired by then and showered and went to bed.


Day 5 Gangden n Sera Monastery
Woke up for breakfast
大妈煎蛋

Initially I thought that was yak beacon, but no its just pork but super delicious.


One of the photo stops. I feel so insignificant in this big wide world


Road signs at a checkpoint


Up 1000m in 20mins


View from the top


View from the other side


Gangden monestary



Yak butter. Offerings brought by the 信徒。


Colours


On the way down


And back to Lhasa Kitchen for lunch. Apparently their chefs are Indians so their tibetan, nepaliese and Chinese food are not as fantastic. Den we went to Sera Monastery.

Monks debating with a lot of rolling the 佛珠 up the shoulder and slapping of the palms which is a sign to slash off ignorance, something and something.


We went for a farewell dinner as the aussie n Brazil couple and the Czech guy will be heading on to Nepal while the Vietnamese couple and I will be touring around Tibet.


Our original tour was to EBC and back to Lhasa but due to a avalanche a few days earlier which killed some people, the pass has been closed and our plan has been changed to stay another day in Lhasa and go for horse riding the following morning while waiting for our permit to tsedang to be approved.

To consol myself I went to the supermarket and bought this.


Few days later from a news article

posted from Bloggeroid

Day 1-3 SG-Lhasa

After a hetic day at work, finally reach home to pack, book my accommodation for the coming 2 nights and rush off for my 3am flight. Thanks to the new found friend who sent me to airport. Only after checking in did realisation sink in that im going to Tibet! I guess the airtic was booked too way in advanced and the excitement had died down over time.

Finally arrived at Kunming airport as dawn breaks. The airport where I first landed for my first solo trip. But it has been renovated or rebuild. Its so clean and beautiful now. An architectural building instead of the gloomy, fishy smelling where I arrived at 2 yrs ago. Its even prettier than Shanghai, Pudong Airport.




I was hungry and slightly cold in my flip flop so went for my first breakfast in China after checking in.


My ticket to Lhasa!! Only to find out that its the emergency exit row, 3 seats shared between 2 passengers. CE, you never failed to impress me. Please stay this way aways.


Views from the top.



Finally reach Lhasa at 12pm, found my guide and driver and they brought me to my accommodation that I booked last than 12hrs ago. Of course my booking was not in yet. Luckily I took a snapshot of the booking and also has the booking email in my Samsung. Thanks to smart phone! !

My accommodation for my first 2 nights. Tashi Choeta hotel in the old town.

View from the top.


After which I went to sleep. I have been sleep deprived for the past 2 weeks so despite the bed being hard and pillow being too soft. I went to bed after eating one of my cup noodles and some nuts.

First time I travelled with so much food. Faintz. I was afraid I will starved.


Woke up at 7pm as room was too cold. I was already wearing my woollen socks and thick gloves but it was still too cold. I dressed and went down to reception to request for a heater. That was my best friend for the next 2 days. I went to buy some dinner back and went back to bed after that.


End of day 1

Day 2 Free&Easy in Lhasa.
I woke up and decided to go to the summer palace, Nurbulaka. Recept told me to take a taxi which will only cost rmb10 ($2sgd) and I took a tricycle which cost me rmb30 ($6sgd).


Finally reach Nurbulinka and paid rmb60 for the admission ticket.


Was hungry and find a little place for brunch.
My first tibetan noodles, rmb5

My first sweet tea, rmb4 for a flask.


Me with slight autumn foliage.


An engraving on the ground.


The garden was alright with the highlight being the summer palace. I even went to the zoo, where the animals were kept in poor conditions. Visiting zoos and aquariums of other countries always make me appreciate our local zoos. Also it made me proud to advertise them as well. This zoo caged dogs, bears and foxes in small enclosed areas which look and smell dirty. Sometimes I really wonder why...

After the summer palace which later I realised that I wasn't supposed to go without a guide I walked to Lhasa river to see why it is not mentioned at all in travel guide books.


Then I took a cab to the garden behind Potala palace.


Walked around and slowly walked back to my accommodation. On the way back I was starving and decided to have Dico's (something like kfc) for dinner at 4pm. It was amazingly good. Or maybe I just love fried chicken.

Went back after that and packed my stuff to be ready for check out the next day.

Map of old town.


Day 3 Join my tour but still F&E.
It was a rainy morning.

My guide came at 12.30pm to pick me up from my accommodation to check in to Yak Hotel. The day where my tour officially started but first day for Tibet tours actually meant to be a day for tourists to acclimatize to the high altitude here. So its another free and easy day for me. I decided to go and walk around after getting my room.

Walk to Bakhok square and say the Lhasa kitchen where ppl in lonely planet recommend. So I went there. It was crowded with Westerners and myself and another Chinese lady was alone. She joined my table shortly after as the staff kept putting dirty plates on her table. We chated a little until her friend, 慧 joined. We chated some more and they invited me to join them to share a pure yogurt. Made by a tibetan lady not like those sitting in stores.

The smallest one cost 30rmb and they asked to be sprinkle with raw sugar before we eat it. The yogurt taste fresh as in you can taste a little spizz when you eat it. And the raw sugar add a little crunchiness to it.


After which I followed 慧 and her friends to the post office to buy some postcards and then she brought me to a travellers bookstores to buy some more postcards which I did to send back to those who matters most.

At around 5pm, we left the bookstore and she said she is going to a tea house to drink tibetan sweet tea. I asked if she mind if I joined and she said no as she was planning to go alone.

Inside the Tibetan tea house


Our sweet milk tea. 70cents rmb for each refill. All we need to do is to get our own glasses and wait for the lady who is carrying the kettle to come pour the tea. I drink and drink and drink because its so good.


We sat and chatted till they started sweeping the floor and throw us out at 7.30pm. The skies was only starting to turn dark. I feel that I shld get a new pair of walking shoes as my boots are killing my feet so I asked her to go with me as she has a better idea on which brand and which price is more suitable for my price range. I bot a pair of walking shoes for slightly over 300rmb, China brand. Hehe.

We went supermarket shopping then and parted our way at 9pm. It was nice hanging out with a 'stranger' who then become friend. And the best part is we can talk about many things especially on relationships. Guess 剩女s across the world are kinda similar.

posted from Bloggeroid