Lhasa Favorites

Favorite thing: snowlands hotel along mentsikhang lam is just around the corner from the barkhor. just inside its gate (on the left side after the reception area) is an internet cafe with good rates (Y5/hr) and a friendly and accommodating proprietor named nga. he'll gladly make sure you get everything you'll need to go online. they are open until very late at night.

Fondest memory: it was always great to see different kinds of people from all over the world hunched over the computers inside this internet cafe. when passing by (i wasn't peeking!), you'll just be able to notice that practically everone is logged onto yahoo - thing is, each computer has the yahoo homepage in a different language! amazing!

i just found this so cool. here we are at the top of the world and everybody is reporting back to their corner of the globe in their respective languages - and i'm sure we're all saying the same thing, tibet is awesome!

Favorite thing: I had not expected, to see the sad state of public toilets at the tourist spots (monasteries), in particular at the Potala Palace. However they are more or less the same everywhere, basically a hole in the ground or possibly a trough. I would advise that you bring your own toilet paper and prepare to hold your breath!

One pleasant surprise, at the viewing spot at Yamdrok Lake, they are in the process of installing new (modern sit-down) toilets (actually I don't believe there are any toileting facilities, there, at present).

Favorite thing: if you're looking for things to do and/or people to do them with while in lhasa, check out the bulletinboards/corkboards at the lobby of hotels and guesthouses - these will almost always contain posted notes from other travelers looking for companions to complete a tour group (which will inevitably make the tour cheaper for them and you if you join).

they will also contain tour offers from local tour companies and guides - the informal kind anyway.

they may even contain notices of items for sale such as used backpacks, hiking boots, etc.

whatever the case, these boards are worth checking out. it's a good way of getting info that might turn out to be valuable.

the board in the photo is from the lobby of snowlands hotel, just a few establishments down from the barkhor along mentsikhang lam road.

Fondest memory: it may also contain a lot of funny stuff! i remember one note looking for a left hiking sandal, size 9 - just the left! hope for the guy's sake that he found it!

Favorite thing: I used the ATM at the bank of china. It is just a little west of the potala palace. The ATM is inside the bank so the bank needs to be open. I don't know if they have one outside.

They say a Bank of China ATM is on the east side of the potala square on khamadong lam (kangang donglu) but I never found it.

If you use a US debit card, you should call your bank before you leave to let them know you will be using it overseas. Otherwise, they may not allow you to use it in China. The same for credit cards.

Please rate this and my other tips when you find them useful.

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Favorite thing: Go ahead, try it! Ask permission to photograph a Tibetan and you'll get one of three responses: "Yes", "No", and "Money". What you won't get is their natural expression, so my advice is to just take photos and not worry about any formalities.

I took pictures of topless Tibetan women bathing in the Lhasa River and monks in the midst of prayer, however I was careful to take only tasteful portraits that I would not hesitate to show my mum. Only once did I succumb to the begging hand of a Tibetan who sought payment for her picture. I got so many good portrait shots at Barkhor Bazaar that I resisted the urge to photograph Tibetans who sat near me on a public bus or who I encountered during other non-tourist activities. (See my Barkhor Bazaar travelogue for more photo tips)

Fondest memory: One of my favorite photos is of this old Tibetan woman at Sera Monastery. You will see elderly people in Tibet who look like they are 100 years old. I like how she has her hair in long braids and the look of devotion on her face during prayer. There was no way I was going to ask permission to take this photo, but I think Tibetans in Lhasa are used to tourists taking their photos. She ignored my presence, and I got this great photo as a result.

Of course not all Tibetans will ignore you. The ones who walk by you in front of the Potala might ask for money, but I also saw Tibetans who cheerfully posed with tourists there without any request to be paid. Use your best judgement and try to avoid the money trap. I think there are enough Tibetans who don't mind being photographed and when you combine this lot with those who aren't even aware that you zoomed in for their portrait then you'll have plenty of pictures for your collection.

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Favorite thing: In Tibet, you're going to see yaks everywhere. Yak butter, yak cheese, yak horn ornaments ("hornaments?"), yak sacks (wool bags) and even yak T-shirts all remind you of that animal which you actually got excited about when seeing it for the first time from the train window.

In Lhasa restaurants, the word beef (niu rou) means "yak meat" whether you're in a Tibetan, Sichuan, or Shanghai style restaurant. It's nearly impossible to get ordinary cow meat, what people outside of Tibet normally consider as "beef" in Lhasa.

If you get tired of yak meat, there are plenty of non-Tibetan restaurants in Lhasa but unfortunately the overwhelming majority of these are Sichuan style. So if you don't like spicy food then there are only a few choices left. I ended up going to the same "Hangzhou Xiao Long Bao" cafe every night over on Beijing Zhong Lu because I could not find any other decent alternatives for dinner.

Fondest memory: One of my fondest memories of Lhasa was enjoying the traditional "yak dance", a performance by two Tibetan boys inside of a yak costume which is often done when greeting guests. (see additional photo)

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Favorite thing: One way to amuse yourself during a bus tour of Lhasa is by counting the number of Budweiser signs. The American beer company sponsors signs for restaurants and bars in Lhasa, so you'll see Budweiser's logo everywhere in town including a big billboard behind the huge bronze yak statue on Beijing Boulevard.
I also saw an outdoor "Hall of Budweiser" at the Dalai Lama's summer palace (Norbulinka), perhaps used for wedding parties and other cheerful gatherings.

Fondest memory: ********************************
In Lhasa the lamas say "Cheers"
when they drink their Budweiser beers
One might mistake monks
for mischievous punks
when burps are all a tourist hears!
********************************

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Favorite thing: Many Chinese pilgrims, like the Tibetans from remote villages, had never seen westerners before, and would nudge each other, point and giggle. The braver souls would actually ask to take your photograph. We spent a long time with this Chinese family, chatting (in two different languages – anything is possible with sign language) and taking group photos. A lot of fun was had by all.