OK, I'm moving to Tibet. Or maybe I should just not come home. My hotel doesn't have enough guests for the restaurant to say open beyond the breakfast buffet, so the front desk sent me to a nearby restaurant for some Yak. I left three hours later with many, many new friends.
Visiting China and Tibet is like visiting England and Ireland. To get to know England or China you must see the sights. To get to know Ireland or Tibet you must meet the people. Many know how to say "hello" in English. And I know thank you in Tibetan. Beyond that, it's smiles, handshakes and simple bows.
The two pictures, if they attach properly, are of Potala Palace - the Dalai Lama's Winter Palace - and monks at the Sera Monastery. The palace sits on a hill about 300' elevation above the rest of Lhasa where I'm staying. Tourists, pilgrims and other visitors huff and puff up the stairs. At 12,500' base elevation it's no small feat. My guide said locals referred to me as happy and strong because I laughed and joked as we hiked up. I told her I was very glad to be there. The palace has over a thousand rooms.
In the monk picture, the monks are "debating." And the debates were very lively. The standing monks ask the sitting monks questions. If the question is answered correctly, the standing monk slaps his hands together. If the question is answered wrong, the standing monk slaps the back of his hand into the other.
I have many, many favorites and most unusuals and biggest disappointments to share, but will save them for my return. I don't want to bore you all with my tales of travels. At this point, I'm just assuming you find this all as interesting as I do. Tomorrow, I'm off to Shanghai then onto Kyoto, Japan for a few days before coming home.
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