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October 2003 - August 2004

Tibet, part I

Brett Voegele
2005-11-19 13:44:20

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On October 15, after years of being near the top of my 'must-see' list, I was finally on my way to Tibet. The overland trip cost more than a flight, so I found myself airborne for 1 1/2 hours over some beautiful mountains and turquoise lakes. My goofy grin had been used before - flying into Kathmandu the first time, and also landing in Cuba, but this was pretty special. Unfortunately, the airport is a 1 1/2 hour bus ride from Lhasa, but that simply gave me time to prepare my next grin, which was unleashed as we drove by the Potala Palace. Spectacular.

I suppose before diving into first impressions and experiences I should provide some general information on the region. It isn't known as the 'Roof of the World' for nothing. The average elevation in Tibet is over 4000 m, or 13,100', with Mt. Everest (Qomolangma to the locals) topping the world at around 8848 m/29,028'. Lhasa itself sits at 3600 m/11,800'. If Denver, Colorado is the 'mile-high city', I guess Lhasa is the 'two-and-a-quarter-mile-high city'! The Tibetan Autonomous Region (T.A.R.) has about 2.7 million people, but with the historical Tibetan region, which today is incorporated into the Chinese provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, and Yunnan, there are estimated to be about 6 million Tibetans. 'Official' numbers on ethnicity put Tibet at 92.2% Tibetan, and Lhasa at 87%. My eyes must be getting bad, as I'd drop both numbers considerably. One last comment before I get started. One really gets tired of reading things which begin with the phrase, "After the peaceful liberation of 1951....."

Barkhor Circuit

Where did I head first in Lhasa? The Barkhor, which is the kora (pilgrimage circuit) around the Jokhang Temple (itself the spiritual heart of Lhasa). I know we Americans catch a lot of grief around the world for being over-the-top in our choice of descriptive words ...