Lhasa

Two days and it's already a love-hate relationship.

I love it for the Tibetan pilgrims walking koras. I love it for the fact you can get Nepalese thali for $4. I love it for the 1 yuan fried spicy potatoes. I love it for the hot shower and clean sheets at the youth hostel. I love it for the asian tourists at the youth hostel. I love it for the fact that at 3700m I'm getting so much oxygen that I feel like I'm on amphetamine.

I hate it for the fact that it is a thoroughly Chinese city, with a few islands of "Tibetan-ness" left for the sake of a tourist industry that almost exlusively benefits the Chiense goverment. I hate it for the fact that everything has a ridiculous entrance fee (Potala - $15USD). I hate it for the fact that within 30 minutes of sitting at even the dirtiest hole-in-the-wall restaurant you will be approached by 5 beggars who won't take "no" for an answer.

Went to Sera monastery, which was closed for some reason. So we did a kora of the place with the Tibetan pilgrims. Highlight: dirty 3 y.o. Tibetan girls trying to 'fly' by hanging onto our backpacks.

This morning we had breakfast at the dirtiest tea-house and met a lovely Tibetan man working for a U.S. NGO. Told us about the TB, Hep A & B problems in rural Tibet. Must be a nightmare trying to get permits for doctors to visit villages and for the transport of essential medicines. Still, it is good that something is being done.