Lhasa Continued

Day Three Lhasa
J. tells me that people pay a fortune to come here. He says this while suffering a headache from the beer (alcohol and high altitude don’t mix well) he had with dinner -a dinner with government officials which I didn’t attend. He had to go in his sneakers and safari shirt having left all his business clothes and shoes in Beijing. Meanwhile back at the Tibet Hotel, I was able to get some sleep and feel better than I did yesterday but still miss the oxygen. I’ve noticed a lot of people here have bloodshot eyes; I am sure it’s due to the elevation.

Our first stop today was the Jokhang Temple where Pilgrims come from all over the Buddhist world to see one of the most revered Buddhas. We got a VIP tour (that means jumping the line) and were the only non-Pilgrims allowed to see that most revered Buddha up close and personal. He’s surrounded by candles burning yak butter which give off what seems to me a nauseating smell. The smell permeates the whole building and in fact, the surrounding area. If you don’t have a headache when you start the tour you do by the end. The line of Pilgrims to get in is very long and once inside the temple the people are smushed together like cattle. Outside the temple are Pilgrims praying -an aerobic exercise which involves standing up, moving the hands up and down and then kneeling into a prostrate position. Their hands (protected by pieces of plastic) make a swooshing sound as they then scrape the ground and stretch out. They do this over and over -exhausting I am sure especially given the atmosphere.