Lhasa
ALTITUDE – 3650m/12000ft
Overview
The People
The Potala Palace
The Barkhor
Other Sites
Weather
Access
Associated Locations
Overview
The city of Lhasa is such an enigmatic place that it remains one of the locations at the top of the majority of travellers must visit list. There is no doubt it has changed considerably since the days of Heinrich Harrer, when the whole town was a living museum to Tibetan culture, but with planning, it is possible to experience the essence of the city in a few days.
Lhasa is being transformed into a vibrant modern city, with a throbbing night industry of bars and clubs. The heart of the city however is the Potala Palace, perched on a small hill in the centre of town. It is easy to forget about it as you walk past coffee shops and new malls, but as you turn a corner and are faced again by the massive monument to Buddhism, it never fails to level your thoughts and remind you where you are.
For visitors arriving in Lhasa from lower altitudes, there is a forced 2-3 day acclimatisation period, which is perfect for gentle sight-seeing. The increase in altitude should not be taken lightly – large amounts of fluids (non-alcoholic) and taking it easy are the best deterrents against adverse symptoms associated with AMS – acute mountain sickness.
The People
Tibetans, trading Nepali and Han Chinese form the majority of the people, but millions of tourists visit every year, making Lhasa a truly cosmopolitan city. Off course, the Potala and Jokhang Temples are important sites of pilgrimage for Tibetans from all over the area, and many walk for weeks, months or even years to prostrate themselves on the ground outside these buildings.
Watching a person walk three paces, fall to the floor in worship and then walk three more paces to repeat is so humbling. I simply cannot imagine that level of faith or devotion.
The Potala Palace
Nothing I write here can prepare you for the first site of the Potala, it simply dominates Lhasa, and can be seen from many mailes away as you approach the city. Even as the modern city spreads around it, the palace remains.
Construction began in 1645 under the guidance of the 5th Dalai Lama. The palace is simply huge, and perches on top of the Red Hill – Marpo Ri, giving the top of the thirteen floors a commanding view from over 300m above the valley below.
With over 1000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and around 200,000 statues, a day trip tour is an awe-inspiring event.
The Barkhor
This area envelopes the Jokhang Temple, and is a popular pilgrimage site, with the 1km peregrination usually crowded with Tibetan pilgrims. They walk quickly rotating their prayer wheels before them – a wonderful experience. The area is lined with market stalls selling everything one could imagine, prayer flags, holy relics, silk scarves used in worship, yak butter; pretty much anything associated with Tibet.
It is also a handy spot for all the coffee shops and restaurants, and is an ideal stroll circuit for those freshly arrived in town looking for some light exercise.
Other Sites
Depending on the itinerary, there is usually time to fit in some more extended sight-seeing from Lhasa (see Associated Locations) – but actually in the city itself the most noted site is the Sera Monastery, another massive complex of buildings located about 2km north of Lhasa on the lower slopes of a range of mountains.
Half a day can be easily spent here, exploring the labyrinth of temples and shrines. A key feature of this Monastery are the daily debates between the monks who gather under the shade of trees and energetically argue finer points of Tibetan texts. There is much stamping and hand slapping, and the spectacle is simply excellent to watch. Of course, not understanding a word of it.
Up a hidden valley to the northeast, there is another monastery set high in a cliff. It appears entirely inaccessible, but it is the site of the Tibetan Sky Burials.
We lived near there in 2007 and on some days I knew there was a burial going on as hundreds of Himalayan Griffon Vultures would be soaring overhead in anticipation of the event. Suddenly, they would streak down to the ground and feed for some time until the body was consumed and then spiral up into the air to disperse to their individual homes once more.
Weather
Lhasa experiences a cool semi arid climate, moderated by the protection of the surrounding mountains. The winters are cold with an average temperature of -1.6C (29F) although at this time it is still very sunny, and can feel quite warm in the sun. The rain falls mainly from July-September, and at this time the climate is quite lovely, as the rain falls mainly at night, leaving the days clear.
With over 3000hours of sunshine a year, the weather is extremely pleasant.
The big issue here is the altitude and very dry air, especially outside the monsoon months. Taking time to suitably acclimate is essential to your health while in Tibet. I recommend drinking copious amounts of hot water or tea, in excess of 5 liters a day minimum. Dehydration is the surest way to experience headaches and nausea.
Access
There are three ways into Lhasa that we cater for – Flying in via Chengdu or Zhongdian, the train from Beijing which takes 48 hours over the plateau or overland from Yunnan or Kathmandu.
Flying in is the easiest, but causes the greatest shock to the system, and a period of acclimatisation on arrival is essential before journeying onward and higher.
The train acclimates you a little, but the pump oxygen into the carriages. The trip across the plateau is amazing though and well worth a leisurely approach or exit.
The overland routes are also an excellent way to see Tibet, and acclimatisation can be managed more gradually. But of course these journeys are adventures in their own right and arriving in Lhasa would usually be followed by some site-seeing and departure.
