Day 10 – Around Lhasa – Norbulingka Palace & Sera Monastery

I woke up at 7am and yes, cold as usual.

Dawa did not turn up at our appointed time and when we called him, he told us he’s still stucked in a queue for some permits.  He advised us to visit Norbulingka Palace on our own and he would meet us after lunch to visit Sera Monastery.

So we flagged a taxi to Norbulingka at 10 RMB.

Norbulingka means Treasure Park and was the summer residence of the Dalai Lamas.  It was from the Norbulingka that the 14th Dalai Lama escaped to India on 17 March 1959.  From Wikipedia:

On this day, the Dalai Lama dressed like an ordinary Tibetan carrying a rifle across his shoulder left the Norbulinga palace and Tibet to seek asylum in India. As there was a dust storm blowing at that time he was not recognized. According to Reuters, “The Dalai Lama and his officials, who had also escaped from the palace, rode out of the city on horses to join his family for the trek to India”. The Chinese discovered this “great escape” only two days later. The party journeyed through the Himalayas for two weeks and finally crossed the Indian border where they received political asylum.

The small movie theatre which Heinrich Harrer built for the 14th Dalai Lama was also in Norbulingka.

These days, the Norbulingka is a tourist attraction and has undergone numerous renovation works by the Chinese government.

Continue reading →

Day 09 – Around Lhasa – Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street

I woke up in the middle of night shivering.  The portable heater had stopped running.  It was another power cut.  I disturbed the reception but unfortunately, the guy did not know where the master switch was and advised me to try to get some sleep and wait until the morning.  J and I tried the row of swiches along the stairs just below our floor but none worked.  So we resigned ourselves to our fate and put on extra layers of clothings.  But it’s still too cold for a good sleep.

The girls gave us a wake up call at 7am (one of them lost a game yesterday night).  I asked if they had any electricity trouble.  They gave the affirmative but added that they still managed to sleep through without any troubles.  How?  With the extra blankets found in the wardrobe, it’s almost too warm.  So they didn’t even bother to leave the room for the master switches found along the stairs just above our floor.

Gals 1, Guys 0.

We booked Kyichu Hotel because it’s a safe choice.  But what I really wanted to try were the charming and atmospheric boutique hotels which were converted from traditional and historical Tibetan courtyard homes.  The power problem gave us a good excuse.

So we went hotel hunting at 8am.  There was only one moon in the sky.

Continue reading →