Lhasa travel guide

Just off Barkhor Square in the center of old Lhasa town, you will find a very long market street - more than a kilometer. The small stalls along the first stretch sells a variety of rather tacky stuff like Tibetan, Buddhist and Chairman Mao souvenirs. At the other end you find fresh and dried yak meat, vegetables, dried mushrooms, spices, candied apples, etc. All along the market street, there are small street kitchens, where you can enjoy noodle soups, deep fried potato crisps, barbecued sweet potatoes and other specialties. So unless you're still fascinated by Chinese junk, skip the tourist stalls and head for the food section.

Barkhor Square is the main square in the old town of Lhasa and (apart from the Potala Palace) one of the holiest Buddhist landmarks, the Jokhang Temple, is situated here. In order to get into the square, you have to pass through a security checkpoint guarded by Chinese military. There are many pilgrims and monks here – and in order to avoid riots from the oppressed Tibetan population - there are also guards and secret police on the roof tops around the square. However, as a tourist you can feel safe walking around here or enjoy the view of the square from restaurant roof terraces.

Jokhang Temple is situated right in the middle of old Lhasa town on Barkhor Square. Apart from Dalai Lama’s Potala Palace, this is one of the most sacred places in Tibet and Buddhist pilgrims flock to the temple from near and far to pray. Inside the temple you can see the holy throne of the Dalai Lama and different religious figures – all lit up by yak butter candles. In the courtyard there is a wishing well – which is curiously enough filled with sunken banknotes instead of coins. A visit to Jokhang Temple and its shrines is definitely interesting. However, the most impressive thing about the temple is not so much the inside of the place, but more the view of all the persevering praying pilgrims outside its walls. Furthermore, from the large roof top of the temple you have the best view of Barkhor Square, Potala Palace and the mountains.

The Potala Palace is Lhasa's special landmark towering high on a hill overlooking the entire city and with mountains in the background. Lhasa, and in particular the palace, is for Buddhists what Mecca is for Muslims. 14 Dalai Lamas have inhabited and ruled the palace, and besides a lot of religious figures, you can see several Lamas' coffins plated with gold- and precious stones on site. The palace is now a museum, and although the current Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959, when China invaded Tibet, there is still a sacred presence of history when visiting the site. You have to climb quite a few stairs (and 180 meters) to reach the hallowed halls, and time is limited once inside the chambers of the Lamas.

Something you will notice right away, when you arrive in old Lhasa town, is the spiritual atmosphere. There are monks and Buddhist pilgrims all over the city, especially around the Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple, where pilgrims are praying from dawn to dusk. The worshipers find a good spot, where they put down their blanket and their pot of yak butter tea. They take off their shoes, and bind their legs together, which makes it easier to lie down and get up constantly in prayer - some even wear knee- and hand protection.
Their stamina is very impressive and there's a special atmosphere surrounding this ritual.

Yak butter tea is available all over Tibet. If you visit a local Tibetan family, you can be sure that they will offer you this drink. The tea is very very rich, since based on butter, and is definitely not to everyone’s taste. Tibetans drink yak butter tea regularly and because it’s very rich in calories, it’s a good drink for high altitudes. Since based on butter, the tea is obviously also very greasy, which actually makes it a good cure for chapped lips, which is why Tibetans never need to use lip balm.