Thursday, July 28, 2005
Lhasa: Day 2
First of all, a correction. It was Jokhang Temple, not the Potala Palace that I visited yesterday. There is a difference between temples and monasteries in Tibet; the former are places of worship for the public while the latter are places where monks can meditate and study in peace.
Jokhang temple is located in the middle of what is commonly termed as 'old Lhasa', the really charming part of town in a city where everything looks suspiciously like a copycat of Taiwan or China. The temple lies at the end of Jokhang square. Old buildings constructed in the Tibetan style surrounds the square, painted in bright colors that give the area life. Pilgrims from all over the city come to the temple every morning to prostrate themselves in front of the many images of the Buddha and holy monks from Tibet's history. Old men and women thronged the streets, hand in hand with little kids with bright rosy cheeks from the cold air. The sounds of the shops around the square ring with the voices of shopkeepers shouting out their wares, and the subsequent bargaining of prices with tourists.
Its a markedly different place from Kathmandu. For one thing, the place is much cleaner, and the layout of the city much neater, definitely a heritage from the Chinese rule in the country. The people here are much friendlier, with a greeting or two as they meet you in the streets. There's a perpetual smile on people's faces that's absent from the Nepalese. Not sure why that should be so but for now, I'm just enjoying walking the streets. Kids keep shouting out hellos, though some follow up any response with a quick flash of the hand, either to show something for sale or to beg for money.
Kathmandu has one huge advantage over Lhasa though; Thamel. This district in the city is full of shops selling second hand books, jackets, bags and other travel equipment. As most people who knows me will know, those are the only things that can start off a shopping spree in me. Not to mentions the various tours agencies peppering the streets, touting tours ranging from white water rafting to trekking to what not, plus the various pubs where you can meet fellow travelers, Thamel is certainly the place to be for the backpacker in Nepal.
The biking tour starts tomorrow morning. We did a cycle around the city today. Just when you thought you gotten used to the altitude, physical exertion sneaks up on you and whacks you on the back of the head with a colossal headache and sits on top of your chest, preventing you from breathing normally. Really, a leisurely cruise wasn't bad; if anything it was better that walking along the streets. But anything above 30 klicks and you start straining for breathable air. But the die has been cast. It is just up to us to see how we handle the physical demands that will be placed on our body in the coming weeks. ¶ 8:33:00 am
Jokhang temple is located in the middle of what is commonly termed as 'old Lhasa', the really charming part of town in a city where everything looks suspiciously like a copycat of Taiwan or China. The temple lies at the end of Jokhang square. Old buildings constructed in the Tibetan style surrounds the square, painted in bright colors that give the area life. Pilgrims from all over the city come to the temple every morning to prostrate themselves in front of the many images of the Buddha and holy monks from Tibet's history. Old men and women thronged the streets, hand in hand with little kids with bright rosy cheeks from the cold air. The sounds of the shops around the square ring with the voices of shopkeepers shouting out their wares, and the subsequent bargaining of prices with tourists.
Its a markedly different place from Kathmandu. For one thing, the place is much cleaner, and the layout of the city much neater, definitely a heritage from the Chinese rule in the country. The people here are much friendlier, with a greeting or two as they meet you in the streets. There's a perpetual smile on people's faces that's absent from the Nepalese. Not sure why that should be so but for now, I'm just enjoying walking the streets. Kids keep shouting out hellos, though some follow up any response with a quick flash of the hand, either to show something for sale or to beg for money.
Kathmandu has one huge advantage over Lhasa though; Thamel. This district in the city is full of shops selling second hand books, jackets, bags and other travel equipment. As most people who knows me will know, those are the only things that can start off a shopping spree in me. Not to mentions the various tours agencies peppering the streets, touting tours ranging from white water rafting to trekking to what not, plus the various pubs where you can meet fellow travelers, Thamel is certainly the place to be for the backpacker in Nepal.
The biking tour starts tomorrow morning. We did a cycle around the city today. Just when you thought you gotten used to the altitude, physical exertion sneaks up on you and whacks you on the back of the head with a colossal headache and sits on top of your chest, preventing you from breathing normally. Really, a leisurely cruise wasn't bad; if anything it was better that walking along the streets. But anything above 30 klicks and you start straining for breathable air. But the die has been cast. It is just up to us to see how we handle the physical demands that will be placed on our body in the coming weeks. ¶ 8:33:00 am
