Lhasa

Lhasa, the Tibetan capital is of-course well known. It contains the holiest places of Tibetan Buddhism and is, according to the Chinese, a 'top tourist city of China'. And that is definitely where things go wrong. You'll see Chinese tourists playing dress up in front of the Potala Palace. They seem to think everything outside their hometown is Disneyland. The atmosphere is also disturbed by a strong military and police- presence.

However Lhasa remains a 'must see' destination and not all attractions are swarmed by Chinese. The

if you try you can still enjoy the city. The Tibetan quarters around the Jokhang are both the place to stay as the place to stroll around. Visit the Jokhang to see the almost ecstatic Pilgrims and the business like monks push them thru. And the Potala remains an interesting building, especially the multistory pagoda's with the remains of the Dalai Lama's. It is not hard to understand why the present Dalai Lama did not like the Potala much as a child. Narrow corridors and dark rooms filled with pictures of the dead and of demons characterize the building. The Norbulkina or summer palace has a much lighter atmosphere.

Another must see are the debating monks at the Sera monastery. Although one starts to wonder how much of it is show. And the Ganden monastery, another one of the big seven in Tibetan Buddhism. As is the less visited Drepung monastery.

The Qinhai-Tibet Railway

The Qinhai-Tibet Railway, connecting Lhasa with Xining has been on the agenda of the Chinese government since it took control over Tibet the 1950 ies. The difficulty of building a railroad on permafrost prevented the construction until recently. The 1956 km long railway is the highest in the world, passing the Tanggula pass at 5072 m above sea level. It also has the highest station in the world and the highest rail tunnel.

The train-ride provides some very nice views but is not as spectacular as I imagined. No curves aside steep ravines, winding tracks and tunnel after tunnel, but mainly a slow but steady ascent most of the time. Do not wait until the last moments for booking tickets.