The city of Lhasa was a complete surprise. We expected to find a small, exotic village nestled in between the mountains, but what we found was a combination of Las Vegas and New York with Chinese writing, nestled between the mountains.
A visit to Lhasa means many visits to monasteries. But the highlight of this day was our visit to the Potala Palace, the power center of Tibet and the home of the Dalai Lama until his departure to India in 1959. The complex has two palaces - the White Palace and the main Red Palace. We were only allowed to visit the Red Palace, which houses many chapels and the tombs of many of Dalai Lamas.
There are 1,000 steps leading up to the Red Palace, which is a challenge for even the fittest of us because of the altitude. We are joined by hundreds of pilgrims who come daily to pray and meditate. It was an amazing experience to be in the same rooms where the Dalai Lama lived and learned.
That evening we went to a restaurant where we were treated to a Tibetan Opera and Folk Dance Show.
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