Monday was a very interesting day. We learned about Buddhist history, Chinese bureacracy, and Tibetan dance all in one day. We began the day with a trip to Norbulingka which was the summer palace for the Tibetan government. The palace was founded by the 7th Dalai Lama in 1755 and from then on it was used as the summer administrative headquareters for the Tibetan government and home to the Dalai Lama. It is from here that the current (14th) Dalai Lama escape...

Sunday was very interesting. We started the morning with beautiful views from the roof of our hotel. Then we went to Jokhang monastary that was built in the 7th century by the king who brought Buddhism to Tibet. We joined in the kora (clockwise circumambulation of the temple or monastary) and thoroughly enjoyed being swept along with the crowds. THere were young and old, walking and prostrating their way around the temple. There were vendors along the route selli...

On Saturday the 16th we flew from Kathmandu to Lhasa, Tibet, China. We had a very easy hour flight on Air China and arrived in a very modern airport about an hour outside Lhasa. The drive from the airport to Lhasa was beautiful and I have some great photos to post soon. Tibet is a beautiful city. The food is great, the people are nice, the scenery is stunning, and the city itself is beautiful, colorful, and full of character. Tourism is a mainstay of the ec...