Lhasa in the Warmth: Dekang Hotel, Miserable Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

As was pointed out to me, this is not the first time I've used a Wizard of Oz reference as my title but I thought it would be fitting.

Lhasa in January is ridiculously cold and miserable. Lhasa in August and September is perfect. Never too hot, never too cold. Temperature in the sunshine feels about 10 degrees warmer than the shade but even in the blazing sun, you won't sweat. You might get burned, but you won't sweat. Plus, due to altitude, you probably won't be going anywhere fast enough to get heated. Evenings are a bit chillier (in the 60s), especially headed into mid-to-late September.

Sunset from the rooftop cafe of my hotel

Barring the temperature difference, the other most startling change is the surprising number of foreigners and the relatively low number of nomads/local practitioners. In January, the area in front of the Jokhang and the Barkour (the market place around the Jokhang temple) is packed with Tibetans praying. Now it's packed with tourists and their enormous cameras.

The MUCH more barren area around the Jokhang Temple

Compare this to:

This

Lhasa loves its fireworks in the summer/fall. Since I've been here (about a month and some), there have been at least five fire works displays. I'm staying in Dekang Hotel which is located on Sheng Tai Lu (road) (生态路). This is a smaller road off of the main Jiangsu Road and it is across from the maze that leads to the Barkhour. From the fourth floor rooftop cafe, you can see the Potala Palace. It is really beautiful especially when illuminated with fireworks. Plus, you're far enough away that they're not deafening.

Sorry it's blurry, my tripod and I were having some issues...

I know this is random, but it's a warning against ever drinking it! One of the worst types of Bai Jiu ever. And that's saying something.

It is definitely worth visiting Lhasa during different times of the year. In spite of January's chill, the people watching is phenomenal. Although I'm very much enjoying walking down the road without huddling and hunching into a jacket, I do look forward to the winter and the return of the nomads.

Since it is warm, I've explored more than I did last time. I finally went to Norbulingka! Tickets are 60 yuan per person but they not only allow you enter the grounds, they also allow you access to the inner palace of summer residence of the DLs. Full of gardens, blooming flowers, ponds, and bamboo, it is well worth seeing. Everywhere you go, you will see Tibetan families picnicking and lazing on the grass. I'd recommend bringing some food and a blanket and just spending the day lounging and touring. 

I got a spectacular flying picture here

As beautiful as the rest of Norbulingka is, that is how hideous the zoo is (yes, they have a zoo). If you have the misfortune to go to the zoo here, be prepared to feel really, really sad. It's ten yuan to see suffering. The movement against animal cruelty hasn't made it this far and people will openly and enthusiastically taunt the animals verbally and physically. Parents even encourage their kids, gotta start them young! They rattle cages and throw stones, and the stones aren't even small, they actually lob huge rocks. I got the very distinct feeling that the cages and the bars are to protect the animals more than the humans. Out of all the animals, I feel the worst for the lion. He is in the most exposed cage and is therefore harassed the most. He looks so beat down and filled with an impotent rage. Since pictures are worth a thousand words, here are some:

Do you like the lush forest that is its cage?

I've been there three times and I've never seen the bears allowed out of the caged area

Healthy sugar crackers! Perfect diet for a wolf

Yes, he has a stick.

The exposed cage of the lion. Note all the bottles and trash.

They had a creepy playground area. Some of it looked fun but the run down Snow White and Seven Dwarfs freaked me out

Owls don't need space, right?

Same goes for a hawk.

Yes, they had dogs in the zoo. Apparently mastiffs warrant this treatment

I saw this egg the first time I went. I haven't seen it since and there is no baby ostrich wandering around.

Chickens and peacocks making friends.

Let's not forget the turkeys!

I really want to take him home with me.

If you decide to go to the zoo, develop a thick skin. 

Onto happier pictures. Here's a really cool dog that I found outside Norbulingka! It has two different colored eyes. I've seen this in a few animals here and I think it's a fascinating mutation. Also, here are a couple of pictures of a wooden sculpture donated by CCTV and through the hole in the middle you can see Jakpo Mountain.

It is possible to walk from Norbulingka to the Potala (just keep going forward towards the mountain). Across the street from the Potala, you can pay two yuan to climb some stairs to an outlook which allow some spectacular photos of the palace and the famous three stupas which lead to the traditional entrance to old Lhasa.

From the top! There's also a second level where there is an unobstructed view of you and the Potala Palace.

G Adventures Lib Dub Video!

*Competition is over! They found a winner and this guy really did his homework.*

Hellooo! It's been awhile but I have been legitimately busy. I will be putting up a post on Lhasa in August and September but before I do that, I might as well try to spread the word for this:

Freedom

This is a promotional video by G Adventures! If you can guess all of the 18 places shown with the numbers AND write the three countries where the founder, Bruce Poon Tip, appears, the prize is a free trip to anywhere that G Adventures operates.

Because they are giving away an awesome vacation, they did not make it easy. I'm missing eight and I have only found Bruce in one! But, since G Adventures is clearly aware of how ridiculously difficult this video is, they are having another giveaway. If you "like" them on Facebook, you are automatically entered to win another trip (more limited in choices) whenever this video hits 1,000 views, 3,000 views, 5,000 views, and 10,000 views.

1, 3, and 5 have already been given away BUT 10,000 still hasn't! Since I've "liked" them on Facebook, I'm putting this out there in the hopes of speeding the process along.

Happy guessing!

The Last of the Golden Triangle: Agra and Jaipur

It's been ages since I've written and that's because I've gone from India to Hong Kong and now to Lhasa. Life has been hectic to say the least...

I'm going to finish off the golden triangle that I started a couple of months ago!

After the unpleasant experience in Delhi, I headed to Agra with a driver called Sandy who proceeded to get more and more deranged as the two days went by.

The drive was pleasant until we got to the outskirts and, since it's during the summer, traffic was ridiculous as soon as we got to the point where you can actually see the Taj Mahal in the distance (WAY in the distance). After waiting for about an hour, we finally got close enough to walk to the Taj. Our tour guide paid I think it was 1,200 rupees to get us tickets, little booties so we didn't have to take off our shoes (and worry about people snagging them unless you bribe some kids to keep watch), and little bottles of water. The main gate had the most ridiculous line so we ended up going the East gate since the guide said it would be more tame.

Quick tip, when they mean you can't bring anything except water and a camera and maybe a phone, they mean it. I accidentally (stupidly) put my nintendo DS in my camera bag and completely forgot about it.

We got to the shortened (but still substantial line) where guys and girls were separated and after waiting a bit, the tour guide finally managed to somehow get us ahead (i felt guilty) and right when they got to the baggage checkpoint, they found the DS. My boy and I were able to get in but the guide (who earned his tip) had to take the DS to a security deposit before waiting in line again. I felt so awful.

Anyway, here are some pretty pictures of the Taj:

Akbar's tomb on the way to Agra

Race!

That white speck way in the distance is the Taj. This is where the traffic started

Ridiculous line at the front

Less ridiculous line at the other gate. I'm in the girls line looking at the boy's line

Straight line to the Taj

First glimpse (well, second for me since I was here when I was about 6)

Water wasn't turned on yet, this is as close as I got to the reflecting picture

Stylish booties

Where the black Taj Mahal was supposed to be if it had been built

There are a number of different ways to photograph the Taj and this is one

After we left, we went to the requisite jewelry/souvenir shops (I got a nice black stone with a four pointed star) and ate lunch, we were on the way to Jaipur! Thus far our driver had been holding it together except for occasional lapses where he insisted on me telling him where to go and testing my knowledge and memory of India since I stupidly told him that I had lived in Calcutta, New Delhi and Chennai when I was little.

Our hotel in Jaipur was AWESOME! It what our crappy excuse for lodging in Delhi wished it could be. Nice bed, clean, sink attached to drain in the floor, working toilet, and nice shower.

The next day was spent around Jaipur, looking at the pink city, going to the amber fort and then going to the observatory called Jantar Mantar. To get to the Amber Fort you can either drive up or take an elephant. In spite of being very touristy (and pricey: 900 rupees, and make sure you give exact change because you won't be getting any back. Even if you consider this a tip, the guy will still ask for another at the top even though signs say they won't).

Jantar Mantar is AMAZING! Basically you can see all sorts of things about time, longitude, latitude, hemispheres, zodiac, etc. It was a ton of fun.

Here are some photos!

Obstacle on the way

Our beautiful room

and bathroom

Amber Fort

Try to guess what each of these shapes are!

Elephant trunk

A fish

Lion's tail

Cobra heads

Scorpion

Crab

Flower!

Pink City

Jantar Mantar: playground for all ages. This is the giant sun dial

Funny enough, although everything else went well, our poor driver was dealt the final straw which unhinged him: his phone was stolen.

Our way back to Delhi got weirder and weirder until finally he ended up speeding up and then suddenly slowing at random. He even stopped to help another car which we thought was nice until he started tailing them to make sure they were okay. We stopped four or five times. Finally, we got to Delhi and right on the outskirts we went around the car and saw in the rear view that it had stopped again. Instead of conceding that they could call the police to help or even that he couldn't go backwards, he started to drive slow while other cars raced around him. He did this for ten minutes, constantly searching for the car, before we finally said that we were ready to head to the hotel. Again, while he was being really nice, he was doing it in such a way that made it dangerous...

Plus we had been in the car for a total of twelve hours in a 24 hour period and we were pretty tired.

Anyway, hope this was entertaining!