Lhasa

Lhasa (Tibetan: ལྷ་ས་, Chinese: 拉萨) is the capital of the Tibet autonomous region in China. It is above sea level on the northern slopes of the Himalayas.

Understand
Lhasa, which means "Land of the Gods" and is over 1,300 years old, sits in a valley next to the Lhasa River. In the eastern part of the city, near the Jokhang Temple and Barkhor neighborhood, Tibetan influence is still strong and evident and it is common to see traditionally dressed Tibetans engaged on a kora (a clockwise circumambulation or walk around the Jokhang Temple), often spinning prayer wheels. Long dilapidated, the area has been given a thorough renovation and is now quite pleasant to wander around, and is also by far the most atmospheric area to stay.

The western part of Lhasa is more ethnically Han Chinese in character. It is busy and modern and looks similar to many other Chinese cities, although many of the modern concrete blocks have token Tibetan touches. Much of the infrastructure, such as banks, government offices and shopping malls are to be found there.

Get in
''Non-Chinese nationals are required to obtain a special permit and must have a tour guide to visit Tibet. For information on visa requirements and immigration procedure, see Tibet''

By plane
The airport is 40-60 minutes away from Lhasa on a spiffy 4-lane highway that burrows directly through nearby hills. Non-Chinese nationals are required to be met at the airport by their tour guide. For others, taxis are available outside the airport and there is also an official shuttle bus (¥25).

By bus
Non-Chinese nationals are not allowed to ride the intercity buses in Tibet. For Chinese nationals, there is frequent and cheap bus service between Lhasa and nearly all parts of Tibet.

By train
The Qinghai-Tibet (Qingzang) railway connects Lhasa and Golmud, with services continuing onto Xining, Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chongqing. There are also some trains to Shigatse.


 * T27/28 from/to Beijing West (daily, 44 hr)
 * T22/23/24/21 from/to Chengdu (every other day, 44 hr) -
 * T222/223/224/221 from/to Chongqing (every other day, 45 hr)
 * T164/165/166/163 from/to Shanghai (daily, 48 hr)
 * T264/265/266/263 from/to Guangzhou (every other day, 55 hr) — longest domestic train ride in China by distance (4,980 km)
 * K917/K918 from/to Lanzhou (daily, 27 hr)
 * K9801/K9802 from/to Xining West (daily, 24 hr)

On arrival, you will be led to a checkpoint outside the station where your passport and permit will be checked. Once through this, your tour guide should meet you right outside the station. In the unlikely event that they don't, a taxi ride between the urban area and the train station should cost a flat ¥30 and no drivers use the meter. Be sure to fix the price in advance as many drivers will try to charge ¥100.

Get around
The central area with the main tourist attractions (Potala, Jokhang, Barkhor, Ramoche) is easily navigable on foot.


 * Cycle rickshaws are everywhere, though be prepared to bargain.
 * Taxis cost ¥10 for anywhere in Lhasa city. Hail them from the side of the street. Be prepared for taxi-sharing - the driver will often pull over if he suspects he can find other passengers heading in the same direction. Each will pay ¥10 and this is a way for the driver to make a better income despite the standard fare.
 * Public buses are numerous and cost ¥1. Non-Chinese nationals are permitted to travel on the buses within the city, although you make yourself an attraction by doing so, since this rarely occurs. The number of the bus is recognizable but the destination is in Chinese, so you need to know which bus line you need.
 * Minibuses operate to areas such as Norbulingka, Sera Monastery, Drepung Monastery, and other nearby sites. Most of these are also on public bus lines.
 * "Pilgrim buses" are available in front of Jokhang Temple or at the parking lot near the temple, departing at 06:00-07:00 for destinations outside Lhasa, such as Tsurphu Gompa, Ganden Gompa, Nyemo (Dazi), Phenpo Lhundrub (Linzhou), Meldro Gungkar (Mozhugongka), Chushul (Qushui), Taktse (Dazi), Gongkar (Gongga), and other nearby areas. Tickets are available at the ticket office at the parking lot or when you board the bus. Whether or not non-Chinese nationals can travel on these is a bit of a grey area. Since you have to have a travel guide with you anyway as a non-Chinese tourist, you can ask them to enquire about this, since it is a more interesting way to travel than always in a private Land Cruiser. However, the rules for organising tourist tours require advance planning, so you probably won't have this chance.
 * Bicycle hire is available from some hotels or cycle shops and it's a good way to explore if you have half a day free on your tour schedule. Pollution is not as bad as in many Chinese cities but driving habits are. The best tactic is to stick close to a local cyclist or cycle rickshaw when negotiating busy junctions.

Buy
Many ATMs do not accept foreign cards; however, foreign cards are generally accepted at Bank of China ATMs. Bank of China also offers currency conversion.

The stalls on Barkhor Street offer fascinating browsing. However, most of the items are junk from Nepal and other parts of China. Examples include bronzes and paintings that are all fake and laughing Buddhas with no connection with Tibetan tantric belief. Despite this, there are still many authentic items. Look for household items and carved wood pieces, such as bowls, pilgrims' stamps, silver items such as gau (amulet cases), silver and brass personal seals, old Tibetan banknotes, knitted satchels, and woven bags. Though it is quite fascinating, buying Tibetan antiques destroys the culture.

If you want a local Buddhist Thangka painting, find a workshop on the back streets where you can watch them being painted. Searching in the back streets around the Barkhor is very rewarding in this respect, and you can find artisans making paintings, furniture, clay sculpture, masks and ceremonial banners and applique. Not all artwork is easily transported home, but it is fascinating to watch.

Tibet was the home of traditional carpet making, though many "Tibetan" carpets displayed in stores in the Barkhor and in front of the Potala are now made in Nepal in factories run by Tibetan exiles and many of the designs on display are Turkomen and Afghan and have no connection with Tibetan tradition. In some workshops you will find a few carpets on looms for display purposes, but the carpets in the showroom will mostly have been shipped in from elsewhere. To find authentic Tibetan carpets, visit the factories and their showrooms. Look closely at what is being woven, and make sure the piece you are buying matches what you are shown on the looms. Check the smell of the carpet: authentic Tibetan wool has a high lanolin content and a distinctive odor. Cheaper wools from Qinghai and Mongolia are dry by comparison. A few older carpets can still occasionally be found on the Barkhor and the shops around, though good, old carpets are much sought after by collectors, so prices tend to be surprisingly high, even in Lhasa.

Tianhai Night Market, in the western suburbs, is known for its great variety of goods and for being cheaper than the market on Barkhor Street.


 * Gedun Choephel This gallery, on the corner of the Barkhor, roughly at the furthest point from the Jokhang temple, is the meeting place of Lhasa's most avant-garde group of artists, several of whom have exhibited in Beijing and London. The gallery runs rotating exhibitions and is well worth a look.
 * Gedun Choephel This gallery, on the corner of the Barkhor, roughly at the furthest point from the Jokhang temple, is the meeting place of Lhasa's most avant-garde group of artists, several of whom have exhibited in Beijing and London. The gallery runs rotating exhibitions and is well worth a look.
 * Gedun Choephel This gallery, on the corner of the Barkhor, roughly at the furthest point from the Jokhang temple, is the meeting place of Lhasa's most avant-garde group of artists, several of whom have exhibited in Beijing and London. The gallery runs rotating exhibitions and is well worth a look.

Eat
See Tibet for descriptions of typical Tibetan food.

A lot of nice and comfortable restaurants are located near the Jokhang Temple along Beijing Zhong Lu (or called Beijing Road Middle) and its tributary road Zang Yiyuan Lu (or called Tibetan Hospital Road). Some of them serve Western food, Nepali and Indian food. Meals can be as cheap as ¥20 per person, including drinks. The smaller Tibetan restaurants, especially the teahouses, may not be decorated as nicely, but are much cheaper than the tourist restaurants and serve more tasty food. Most of the Chinese restaurants serve Sichuan's spicy cuisine. Although Tibetan restaurants are more traditional and full of history, to the western traveler the Chinese food might seem more diverse and more appealing than the greasy boiled yak meat typically served in the Tibetan ones. Westerners also might want to avoid the traditional Tibetan tea which is in fact black tea with yak butter in it and is typically being kept warm in heat insulating containers for quite some time.

Apart from eating at restaurants, you can buy food or snacks in the main supermarkets, all around Beijing Zhong Lu.

Be prepared with at least a few basic food describing words as in many of the restaurants they only speak Chinese!

Be prepared to learn to use chop sticks as some restaurants do not have forks, spoons or knives.


 * Mayke Ame, (Maji A'mi) on the corner of the Barkhor Street, is a popular enchanting bar/restaurant popular with backpackers. It also features a convenient internet bar. The name means 'beautiful woman'. Sitting at this second-floor restaurant gives you an amazing view, especially at sunset, of the part of the Barkhor Street which is full of pilgrams moving in clockwise direction. The location of Makye Ame is unbeatable, but the food is nothing to write home about.
 * Lhasa Kitchen is popular among tourists due to its extensive menu and central location
 * Naga French Restaurant
 * Tashi Restaurant
 * Snowland Restaurant Tenjieling Road #4, near Jokhang Square, phone +86 891-6337323 Large menu features a mix of Western, Napali, Indian and Tibetan food. Good service, good food, very popular.
 * New Mandala Restaurant with roof top Garden, located in front of Jokhang Temple, phone +86 891-6342235. Indian, Nepali, Tibetan and some Western dishes. Roof top has good views of the city. Try the yak sizzler.
 * Tengyelink Cafe has great yak steak, the best food in Lhasa, and a great atmosphere. Cheap breakfast options are available.
 * Oxygen in the Four Points Sheraton on Lin Kuo East is a good choice for those homesick after weeks of Chinese food. Good steak.

Drink
See Tibet for descriptions of typical Tibetan drinks.


 * Low House Music Bar - features music of India, Nepal and Tibetan traditional music. Located in the house of the family of the 11th Dalai Lama
 * Dunya Restaurant, Bar and Balcony  - owned by 2 foreign women, pleasant atmosphere
 * Gang La Mei Duo - Canvas and watercolor paintings in Tibetan theme hanging all around the wall for sale.
 * Guge Tavern and Bar - Stone stools and simple tables
 * Gu Xiu Na Book Bar - read books on religion
 * 7 Square-meter Bar- 83 Beijing Road West
 * Shambhala  7 Jiri 2 Lane - styled like a Tibetan home
 * 7 Square-meter Bar- 83 Beijing Road West
 * Shambhala  7 Jiri 2 Lane - styled like a Tibetan home

Sleep
Some hotels have branches of KTV (Chinese Karaoke). You should ensure that your room is not above one of these establishments or it may be difficult to sleep!

Splurge


Intercontinental opened a luxury hotel in Lhasa, but this has been hugely controversial and has resulted in the boycott of the company by many pro-Tibet groups, such as 'Free Tibet'.

Altitude sickness
Read the article on altitude sickness and study its symptoms, precautions, and treatments before traveling to Lhasa. Altitude sickness can easily ruin a holiday and can even be fatal. Lhasa is 3,650 m above sea level, so there is considerable risk of altitude sickness, especially if you fly in from a much lower altitude and your body does not have time to acclimatize: apparently as many as 2% of visitors arriving by plane are hospitalized. If you must fly to Lhasa, it would be wise to fly via an intermediate destination such as Zhongdian (3,200 m), Xining (2,300 m) or Kunming (1,950 m) and spend several days there to acclimatize before flying to Lhasa.

Religious laws
Do not under any circumstances give or show to monks or locals pictures of Dalai Lama as this can get you in trouble and cause severe trouble for the recipient. Keep in mind some monks may report to the authorities, or may not be monks at all.

Petty theft
Take common sense precautions when shopping at the many small kiosks around the Barkhor and along the Jokhang Temple circumambulation route. While problems are few, leaving large backpacks at your hotel and keeping your wallet well guarded are both good ideas.

Beggars
Do not give to children begging and be cautious before giving to any beggars in this area at all; giving to one may attract a crowd.

Respect
Do not wear a hat inside the Jokhang, Potala or other sacred sites. No short trousers/pants or tank tops. When visiting shrines it is customary to leave a small money offering, especially where you do not have to buy a ticket.

Circumambulate stupas and other sacred objects in a clock-wise direction. Do not climb onto statues, mani stones or other sacred objects.

Photography is not allowed inside the Potala Palace. You can take photos in the Jokhang temple. Some monasteries will allow photography upon payment of a small donation or fee. Monks begging will often allow a photograph after you make a small contribution. When in doubt, ask before snapping.

Go next
If you are travelling within Tibet without an organized tour, make sure you have the proper permits/visas to travel to these destinations.


 * Buses wait for passengers early in the morning on the street east of the Yak Hotel, for destinations such as Shigatse, Tsethang, Samye, Nakchu and Danzhung. From the long distance bus station, buses are available to Golmud, Chengdu (via Xining and Lanzhou), Nakchu, Chamdo, Bayi, Tsethang, Shigatse and Dram.
 * 7-day guided overland trips to Kathmandu via a 4-wheel drive jeep, a driver and a guide can be booked at most regional tourist agencies.
 * There are many daily flights from Lhasa to major Chinese cities as well as Kathmandu, Nepal
 * Samye Monastery is near Dranang, 150 km south-east of Lhasa and is reachable by bus. It was constructed in 779AD under the patronage of King Trisong Detsen and overseen by Santarakshita and Padmasambhava, two prominent Buddhist teachers from India. It was the first Buddhist Monastery established in Tibet and as such remains one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the region. If you can spend more time, go to nearby hermitages at Chimpu, and feel more spiritual vibes than in Samye proper.
 * Ganden Monastery is on the south side of Kyi-chu River, 45 km east of Lhasa. It is the head monastery of the Gelukpa (Yellow Hat) order of Tibetan Buddhism. It was built in 1409 by Tsongkhapa, the founder of Gelukpa. It was destroyed by the People's Liberation Army during the 1959 Tibetan uprising. Reconstruction has been underway since 1980. The monastery offers outstanding views from its mountainside location.

A popular trekking route is available between Ganden and Samye Monasteries. The average is 4–5 days with fast walkers taking 3 days.