Day 6: Potala Palace & Sera Monastery

We are literally dropping like flies......

A lot of people are struggling with altitude sickness so it’s going to be interesting as we need to climb 365 steps to the Potala Palace today.

I managed a slice of dry toast and some butter tea for breakfast; butter tea is made with yaks milk and is super sweet. You would think it would turn my stomach but after having a version of it in Mongolia previously, it is delicious!

The group met at 8.40am; I know what your thinking, lazy! It was a welcome lie but Iain didn’t sleep too well (I slept like a log!) so he was still shattered. There are many side effects of altitude sickness but this seems to be the worst we have encountered, plus a bit of forgetfulness! Some of the others in the group have not been so lucky as we left 3 people sleeping in the hotel; apparently they have hangover-like symptoms. 

Before we left for the Palace, we were given tickets which matched our passports numbers as there are certain security checks which mean you show both your ticket and passport; I think we went through 4 checkpoints to get to the very top! I also forgot to mention that we all had to wear long trousers and tops that covered the tops of our shoulders; this was for both the men and women. It was a 15 minute drive to the palace and then a climb of around 250 steps to get to the third gate; this is where you decide if you are going up to the top or if you want to go back down and to the museum. We lost a few at this stage; only 14 of us made it t the top! All I can say is, I will never complain about walking to work ever again! I was so short of breath and slightly dizzy but I made it; we all high-fived at the top!

The Palace was the former winter residence of the Dalai Lama and is a symbol of Tibetan Buddhism as well as the struggles between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government. It was built by the 5th Dalai Lama and completed only 12 years after his death; the Tibetan government did not tell the people of his death until it was complete as construction would have been halted. The Dalai Lama (Buddhist Spiritual Leader) abandoned the palace in 1950 and now resides in India, but the Palace now acts as a museum of old treasures and shrines. There are only 80 monks now resident in the palace taking care of it and preserving it as a world heritage site for future generations. We visited the red palace as the white palace was under refurbishment; It was fantastic to see but unfortunately we were not allowed to take any pictures inside, only outside.

We may have sneaked one inside.....

After the palace visit, we were all shattered! Thankfully, it was time for a seat and lunch. We went to a place called the Barkhor, an area where you can see traditionally dressed locals, stalls and prostrating pilgrims. Lunch was on the usual lazy susan but consisted of yak curry and other dishes of yak with different sauces; it was delicious so I was happy to a least manage some food. After lunch, we had 20 minutes to wander around the little market and buy trinkets, scarves or jewellery.

As we went to lunch, the rain started to come down so we weren’t sure if we would be able to go to the Sera Monastery; luckily for us it stopped raining and the sun came out. It was only a 10 minute drive which gave out guides the opportunity to teach us some Tibetan:

Tashi Delek - hello

Thu-je-che - Thank you (remember Toe, Cheek, Cheek)

Yaba Yaba Doo (yes really!) - very very good

The Sera Monastery is considered to be a renowned seat of Buddhist learning. It is one of the “great three” monasteries in Tibet with around 500-600 monks who live there from a young age and until they die. The highlight of the tour is to witness the debates on religious theory; we also visited the assembly hall where the monks meet 5 times a month and 3 mandalas (diagram which represents a microcosm of the universe) made with sand. The debate started at 3pm and takes place in a courtyard, hence the weather worry, but thankfully it was beautiful. We only stayed for 15 minutes as its all in Tibetan but its a real treat to see the teachings and their life as a monk.

As you can see from one of the above pictures, there are dogs everywhere, even at the monks debate; they sleep everywhere and don’t seem particularly clean. We have only seen one Lhasa Apso though but plenty of others. It really is a dogs life.....

After the Monastery, we drove back to the hotel as everyone was shattered. We ventured out for a walk but the sun was so strong (we are closer to it due to the altitude), that we lasted about 15 minutes before stopping at a shop, buying beer and some coke, and returning to the hotel. We both had a snooze before going for dinner at 7pm. We went to the restaurant that we had lunch in on the day of arrival, it’s called the Mandala Restaurant; the food is fantastic and I managed to eat something this time. I had tomato soup with naan bread, some BBQ yak meat and a bit of an apple fritter.

After dinner we headed back to the hotel; I think we all want/need an early night....its 9pm!