Day 6 - Lhasa

It was hot, I was tired and I wanted a nice cold beverage. Luckily, I found a fantastic cafe with a rooftop veranda overlooking the path the pilgrims were following. The cafe sat on a corner so the top picture is my view straight ahead while the bottom picture is looking to my right. Great view! Cold beverage! Great company (my guide was becoming a bit more talkative)! Everything was perfect except for...the bloody nose. While I had been getting more aclimated to the altitude (headaches lessening), the thin and extremely dry air was wreaking havoc with my sinuses. Occasionally when I went to blow my nose, it would start to bleed. So, while sharing a table with the nice couple across from me and their friend to my right, I go to blow my nose and it starts gushing. The worst part was that I couldn't get a new tissue out while trying to stop the bleeding. As soon as they saw what was happening, they came to my rescue and handed me a tissue. "Ick" was the look on the woman's face. Ick is right.

Day 6 - Lhasa

Shopping in Lhasa was available in abundance. Not only do you have foreign visitors but also pilgrims coming from all over Tibet looking for a keepsake from their trip to the big city. Over time and my many travels, I have found it more and more difficult to get excited about bargaining for one more trinket that will end up on a shelf collecting dust. However, inevitably, I do usually buy something, because, ya know, you're there and there's stuff to buy and, well, I can't go home completely empty-handed, right? Pictured is my guide Tashi bargaining for a bronze yak. I did end up with a yak but not this one. Although, this one may have been the better deal....

Day 6 - Lhasa

Similar to the Catholic tradition of lighting a candle to honor a saint, the Tibetan buddhists lit yak butter candles to honor a Buddha. Candles were usually set on the alter in front of a particular Buddha. However, in a room below ground level directly in front of the Jokhang Temple was the granddaddy of all candle alters. The top picture was taken by peering through the window of the low-walled building in the bottom picture. Oddly, it looks a little industrial but what you're seeing is row-upon-row of yak butter candles. I believe, the way it worked, is that you paid some amount of money to place a candle in one of the rows. Placing a candle in front of the Jokhang Temple perhaps secured a blessing from all the Buddhas inside?

Day 6 - Lhasa

Unfortunately, I didn't learn a lot about the significance of the prayer poles. What I do know is:

• There are four of them each situated at an external corner of the Jokhang Temple complex,
• All are completed wrapped in Tibetan prayer flags and
• It seems necessary for the pilgrims to pass on the outside of them as the circle the temple.

Occasionally, a pilgrim would stop at an individual pole and circle the pole clockwise while praying.

Day 6 - Lhasa

From the roof of the Jokhang Temple, you could look onto the main square of the old city and there was a lot to take in. In the far background in front of the mountains, sits the Potala Place - forever awesome! At the far edge of the square under the red tents was a unit of the Chinese military police. Their presence was everywhere in the old city apparently fearful that the peaceful, Tibetan pilgrims would somehow stage an uprising. They looked kinda badass but really, they were so little, they looked more like toy soldiers than the real thing. Sorry Chinese military. On either side of the square were booth after booth of vendors hawking their wares. Twas a souvenir seeker's paradise. In the foreground on the right sits a prayer pole wrapped in Tibetan prayer flags. To the left of the prayer pole is a line of pilgrims filing past. They turned to the right past another prayer pole and then continued on a clockwise path around the temple. The scene was endlessly fascinating!

Day 6 - Lhasa

The Jokhang Temple is one of the holiest sites in Tibetan Buddhism and, on the day I was there, was a complete madhouse inside. It seems that many of the tour groups are on a similiar schedule so everyone shows up at the same time. The nice thing is that you tend to see the same people over and over again so you begin to feel like you know them. What is it about familiarity? Makes us feel safe, I suppose. In any case, lots of Buddhas in the temple - actually one of the most important ones. Sadly, the wonder of them was a little lost on me. I had Buddha fatigue. This photo is from the roof of the temple which is one of the few spots where picture-taking is allowed.

Day 6 - Lhasa

Upon entering one of the main courtyards of the Jokhang Temple, we were treated to a "song and dance" by a group of workers on the roof. Of course, I had NO idea what they were chanting and my guide was of little to no help. Seriously, I wish I knew what they were saying 'cause it was a bit odd. Regardless, as you can see from all the cameras pointed heavenward, we tourists were eating it up.

Day 6 - Lhasa

Two sites in Lhasa were the focus of the pilgrimage. The first, the Potala Palace, I visited in the morning. The second, the Jokhang Temple, I visited in the afternoon. Both had a steady stream of pilgrims circling them (always in a clockwise direction) as they prayed. At the front entrance of the temple, pilgrims would stop and prostrate themselves while praying something I saw over and over again during the next several days. This physical act of prayer I am still marveling over.

Day 6 - Lhasa

By night, the street in front of my hotel was dark, seemingly abandoned and a little scary. By day, it was transformed into a bustling street market selling everything from tourist trinkets to yak butter. The top photo is looking toward my hotel (the tall building in the background). The bottom photo is looking away from my hotel toward to the main square of the old city. A whirlwind of activity and a feast for the eyes!

Day 6 - Lhasa

This is the design painted on the border of my very colorfully decorated room. This style of decoration and painting was very common in most Tibetan-style homes and buildings. Unfortunately, I can't tell you more than that which is a shame. For example, I'm wondering, "Who is this dude with the drapes of cloth clutched in this teeth? Is he a pig? A monk or buddha with pointy ears? Some sort of mythical creature?" Sorry, I just don't know.

Day 6 - Lhasa

Seeing monks never gets old for me. There's a dignity, a timelessness and even a little mystery to them that always captures my attention. This group had just finished their tour of the Potala Place was resting in the shade out of the mid-day sun. They were surprisingly game in allowing several of us tourists to snap their photo. One rule is that you should never touch a monk. However, taking pictures must be OK.

Day 6 - Lhasa

The view while exiting the Potala Palace was equally as beautiful as the one going in. Although I was only given an hour to view the palace, I was in no hurry to leave. I fould myself lingering as long as I could taking in the view and absorbing the entire atmosphere. There was a charge of excitement in the air surrounding the place and it was addictive.

Day 6 - Lhasa

This is the highest point in my climb up the Potala Palace where photos were allowed. You can see the crowd lining up to enter the main quarters of the palace. If the Dalai Lama were not in exile, this is where he would reside. The interior of the palace was as impressive as anything I've seen in Europe even more so since it is not a historic building. It is as alive and vibrant today as the day it was built. While fairly apolitical when it comes to internal Chinese polictics, I kept thinking, "The Dalai Lama needs to be here."

Day 6 - Lhasa

After a long climb, lots of panting and gorgeous views, I finally made it to the entrance of the palace (insert sigh of relief). Things of note: 1) The architecture and decoration - the ornate painting of the columns, ceiling, shutters and around the windows. Also, the thin skirt of white fabric hanging around the edges of the roof which blew peacefully in the wind. This was all very typical everywhere I went. 2) The pilgrim in front of me - wearing a long dress, a straw hat, a face mask (difficult to see) and clutching prayer beads. 3) Finally, my guide Tashi in the upper right-hand corner, patiently waiting for me. He didn't seem winded at all.

Day 6 - Lhasa

The huffing, puffing and pounding of the heart that I endured while while climbing the steps of the Potala were well worth it because the views were stunning. It was kind of OK that I had to stop frequently to catch my breath 'cause it forced for to stop and take a look around. Lhasa and it's high altitude was demanding my attention and it deserved it. Beautiful!