May 11 - Day 7: Sightseeing in Lhasa

proposed route:





Ssecond sight seeing day in Lhasa

Today was another full day in Lhasa.  We left the hotel at 0830 and went to see the Sera Monastery.  Today there was a blessing for the children and the entire monastery was full of mothers and children. The children received a blessing and a black mark on their noses.  I was reminded me of all the wonderful mothers that I know....starting with my own mother, my two sisters Lorraine and Simonne, all my wonderful sisters-in-law and all the other mothers and soon to be mothers :)… all excellent mothers and I wanted to wish you all an early HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!

The Potala Palace was certainly the highlight of all the places we toured.  It is the largest and most impressive place.  Prior to the 5th Dalai Lama the Potala Palace was fairly small, the he added more buildings and unified the country of Tibet, using it to also house the government.  The current Dalai Lama - the 14th, spent a large amount of his life here until he was exiled in India.

All the places we visited had large statues and deities that are filled with relics and then painted.  The position of their hands give us the meaning.  So very complicated.

My favourite of all was the Sera Monastery because we were the only foreigners this morning....because we arrived so early it was filled with locals.  It gave us a real glimpse into their lives.

My bike arrived and I took it out for a little spin.  Everything seems to be working well.  We will depart at 0830 tomorrow morning to try to be ahead of the traffic.  I don't think that it will be possible to post between towns, even with a SIM card so I will try to update when I can.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Here are a few photos of my room.  Such a great place for us to be staying.  The strings around my bed have bells attached so a soft ringing sound every time they are moved.

statues at the Sera Monastery

chanting hall

scriptures.  The originals were hand written in either gold or silver and so they are very heavy.

Our guide in front of the Potala Palace.  He has been our guide for the past few days.  He will be cycling with us until the border.  He is a kind and gentle man and strong all at the same time.

Accommodation: Hotel

Sleeping altitude: 3,514m