Another great day! This morning we went to Norbulingka - the summer palace of the Dalai Lamas which is another world heritage site. It is a beautiful park with trees surrounding small palaces, some of which were surrounded by water. Here the Dalai Lama studied and learned to meditate.
We then had a fascinating lecture from a traditional Tibetan medical doctor who explained their medical system to us. It has been around since the 7th century and we were impressed with it's sophistication.
From there we walked through some small back streets of Lhasa to a nunnery. We ate lunch in their tea house to the fascination of the locals who don't see many white folks. My white hair gets lots of interest everywhere here, especially from the women as they don't seem to go grey.
Our last stop was the Jokhang temple - the cultural centre of Tibet where pilgrims come from surrounding areas often prostrating themselves for miles along the way. The temple was begun in 647 AD. It was jammed with people and the floors were slippery with the yak butter used in the lamps which lit the interior. The roof of the building had a wonderful view of the city and the Potala.
Our overall impression of Lhasa is of an amazing old city with charm, character, and culture filled with Tibetans from many regions with many different facial features, wearing a colourful variety of traditional dress styles. They devoutly circulate the streets with their prayerwheels, quietly murmuring prayers while multitudes of Chinese soldiers and police watch from every corner. Unfortunately, the old part is being surrounded and squeezed by souless, modern buildings and we fear that the old ways may soon disappear.
On the positive side, the amount of money and effort being poured into infrastructure in the area in roads, railways, communication etc. Is amazing. We are also impressed with reforestation and land reclamation we have seen.