Potala Truck Breakdown

When your trucks breaks down in front of the Potala Palace you are a sitting duck, for both the police and the hawkers.

Potala Truck Breakdown 10 megs 2:47min quicktime

Up the Potala

Tibetans think that Westerners are plain weak people and it is easy to see why as Kathy walks up the serpentine stairs of the Potala Palace the day after we arrived in Tibet. Adjusting to the high altitude of Lhasa which is 3700meters (12,139 feet) above sea level takes time no matter how 'strong' you are. Having to walk up another 117 meters (384 feet) worth of steps to get to the top of the Potala Palace is harder than it seems the day after you arrive in the country. The view though is certainly worth it once you get to the top.

Our guide's brother is actually one of the senior monks at the Palace so we were given an extra special tour and he gave us each traditional Katas (white silk scarf) that lends a positive note to the start of any enterprise which we thought was rather nice way to start our trip in Tibet.

As I look at this video now, I wonder why I didn't hold longer on that amazing view at the top Up the Potala 7.5 megs 1:58min quicktime

Market Shopping

Can't visit a country without a trip to the Market. These 'Tibetan' markets are usally run by Chinese rather than the Tibetan's themselves so it is often dificult to pick who you are going to buy from. Some Chinese even dress up like Tibetans to look the part.

So the big question on your mind might be how much is 50 Yuan, well it is about $7. So did I get ripped off? I dunno but I thought it was a pretty nice piece of folk art, was easy to carry around for the rest of the trip and was certainly not thhe kind of thing you can find in any Tibetian store in any major city in North America.

Market Shopping 13 megs 2:12min quicktime

Desert Walk

When you pass by what looks like a great desert sometimes you just have to stop, get out of your truck and take a quick walk. Trouble is, when you are still adjusting to the high altitude of Tibet, you can tire yourself out pretty quickly as Kathy learns. Next post, we will see a more overt version of the dificulty of that even climbing stairs at high altitudes can provide.

Stay tuned for that.

Desert Walk 9 megs 1:40min quicktime

Village Stop

Not much happens in this little stop beyond a boy walking with some cows and granfather with his grandchild, but many of our other unplanned stops lead to some really cool experiences that you will see later on.

You will be introduced to Kathy though, one of my two travel companions for the trip. We will be seeing more of her in future posts.

Village Stop 8 megs 1:21min quicktime