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Permalink For show & tell this week, the topic was your favorite holiday/vacation. I asked Elle, “based on all the places we have traveled, the beaches in the Philippines, Thailand, Bali, Yunnan and the Olympics, what has been your favorite?” I was trying to name the places we had been in the past year that she would remember. Elle’s replay, “The Jelly Belly Factory”!!! The place located 1.5 hours from our California home!! So I sent her to school with a couple of photos and some Jelly Belly Flops. She was the most popular kid in class that day!!
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Permalink We had a family discussion to see how the girls felt about spending Christmas in Asia. It is a big decision to not be with the family. Emmy said she would miss the Nutcracker and Gingerbread houses. Elle wanted to know how Santa and the Easter Bunny could get in our home. Why would the guards let a bunny enter the complex…off the subject, but so Elle.
In the end, Emmy said she wanted to go to Cambodia and she could miss ONE Christmas. Elle said she wanted to do Gingerbread houses with Aunt Nancy. One vote in and one vote out. Well, since Elle’s vote doesn’t carry as much weight (especially when the Easter Bunny enters her concerns), we are not going home. We are booked to fly to Chiang Mai, Thailand for 3 days, drive to Chiang Kong (the river boarder town) to get on a 2-day boat down the Mekong to Luang Prabang, Laos. We will spend Christmas in Laos. We have decided we will visit the local orphanage on this day. We plan to take a bag full of clothes and toys for the children. Ok, now Elle is into this. She wants to clean out all her unwanted toys to give to the children AND she wants to do it NOW!! From Laos, we will fly to Siem Riep for 4 nights. Our plan is to visit the Ankor Wat temples in the morning and hang at the pool in the afternoons. From other friends, this seems to be a good mix for the children. We will celebrate Christmas when we return. It should be a good adventure. However, we have not been on the road for a full two weeks as a family. Add to that, it is a bit of a “backpacking” trip.
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Permalink There must be something about water tables and raincoats!!
 Eleri on the deck in Shanghai, September 2009, age 5
 Emersyn in Hong Kong, November 2003, age 3
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Permalink The girls are always busy with activities because they enjoy them and because they are CHEAP. It makes a difference in saying yes. This semester’s schedule is as followed:
Monday: Elle tennis at 4pm & Emmy tennis at 5pm – 150rmb per girl ($22)
Tuesday: Elle swim at 4pm & Emmy swim at 5pm – 55rmb per girl ($8)
Wednesday: Girl Scouts every other week – 700rmb for the year ($102) per girl
Thursday: Emmy after school activity. She picked choir – free
Friday: Open
Saturday: Both girls Chinese 45/60 minutes – 150rmb for both ($22)
Both girls piano 30/45 minutes – 150rmb for both ($22)
The teachers, Elf and Amigo, come to our house. We even save on the drive time.
Sunday: Both girls soccer 1 hour – 600rmb for 10 weeks ($88) per player
Eleri is taking tennis lessons for the first time. She is learning to hit the ball. Our new coach, Mr. Wang, is a good teacher for her. Emersyn loves tennis. She has an hour lesson that seems to go too fast for her as she is never ready to end the lesson.
Eleri is doing piano for the first time, also. Her fingers are still small, but she enjoys it. Emersyn does amazingly well on the piano for not practicing. Swimming is a different story for the Lyon girls. Let’s put it this way, my girls will NEVER make the swim team!!
Mary Humes and I are Girl Scout leaders again this year. We lead Emmy & Kelly’s troop last year. I have a lot of fun with Mary. She is great at leading the girls in games and teaching them about life. I am the organizer of the troop. We have 12 girls in our troop. Nine of them were with us last year. Girl scouts is very busy in the beginning. We have to plan the entire year as we get one shipment of books and badges. It is hard work, but the reward is that the year is done. Since this is our second year, it was easier to plan.
Emmy decided she wanted to try soccer again this year. She tried it the first year we were in Shanghai. However, after having amazing coaches in Hong Kong with the DB Dragons, she was not impressed with the program. At the beginning of the school year, her friends, Kelly & Avery, decided to join softball. Emmy said no, she would rather do soccer. I was very impressed she chose what she wanted and not what her friends were doing. We tried a different organization this time. It is much better…not the quality of DB Dragons, but I don’t think you can find such a well-run professional run kids soccer program as in Discover Bay.
Elle has a big smile on her face the whole time she is playing. She skips off the soccer field, of course, as she is our little skipper. They are so fun to watch as this age as kicking the ball takes more coordination than some of the younger ones have. I need to get Elle a new pair of sheen guards for protection!!
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Permalink Eleri’s first day of school. She is now a Year 1/Kindergarten student with a big girl uniform. It is similar to Emmy’s uniform. She is so proud of her new “costume”, as she calls it. She doesn’t even complain that the shirt is a little tough to go over her big head. I guess the shirt opening was designed for Chinese heads?!?!
 Eleri ready for Kindergarten
Elle’s skort hangs down to her ankles so she is very cute in it. It reminds me of Emersyn going to Kindergarten in Hong Kong. Her skort hung to her knees and she had that ugly uniform top. My friend, Leah, called it the “toothpaste†shirt.
 Emersyn ready for Kindergarten
Eleri’s teacher is Ms Horsey, therefore they are in class 1H. They no longer have birds as their class names as she did in preschool. Amazing this is Elle’s third year at the Ducks campus. Eleri also has a new backpack now that she is a big kid on the DUCKS campus. It is about as big as she is.
 Eleri is under that backpack
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Permalink Emersyn’s first day of school. She in now a 4th grader, the big kids of the Elementary building. Where has the time gone? She has the same teacher, Mr. Gerlach, the same classroom and most of the same kids…easy year. I asked her if she wanted me to take her to school or did she want to go on the bus. She replied, “Mama, you must always take me to school on the first dayâ€. I replied with, “alwaysâ€. She came back with, “well, maybe not alwaysâ€!!
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Permalink We arrived back to Shanghai on August 19. We live two lives. We drop back into our house in Los Gatos for the summer. The girls play with the neighbor kids and it all seems familiar. The only except is our house is beginning to feel temporary as we haven’t lived there is seven years. Our home in Shanghai feels lived in.
We left California with uncertainty. Jim got a call from Owens Corning about a job in Anderson, SC. He had to do a google search to find where Anderson was located. We didn’t know he needed a new job within the Company. Apparently, the Company would like to send all expats home. It makes sense, as we are not cheap to live abroad. Between schools fees, housing, drivers, etc, they could get a Chinese person for half the cost. Therefore, we returned to Shanghai with the possibility of leaving at Christmas. I didn’t bring half of my usually food supplies.
Beautifying of Shanghai
We arrived back to the pile of bricks and the torn up streets and sidewalks of Shanghai. The sidewalks are all torn up to “beautify” the bricks. The old ones were fine, but not pretty enough. The City will be beautified by May 2010 for the Expo!!
Walking in Shanghai
Upon returning from America all summer, one has to readjust the process of crossing the street. It is a 2-block walk to the gym crossing two streets with lights. When I first return, I find myself forgetting to be aware. The little man blinking to walk is merely a suggestion. You WILL get ran over because cars turning have the right away. Walking down the middle of the sidewalk, one can expect a honk from a motorbike to clear the way. The street was full, but the sidewalk was open!! My thought is they installed the light system to follow the Western world. However, no one translated the rules of the light system for them. I have such joy walking across a street in America knowing the cars WILL stop. Hey, I love the zebra cross walks with no light, but cars are still required to stop…what a concept!!
Driving in Shanghai
Driving in Shanghai is always interest to watch from the passenger seat. Again, the yellow line down the middle is merely a suggestion. If it is open, by all means drive down it. If the road says no left turn, then drive through the intersection and do a u-turn in the middle of the road. You need a parking spot, the sidewalk is open. Driving in Shanghai is looking forward only. The car behind you is responsible to be aware of you. If you want to u-turn in the middle of the busy road, the car behind you needs to yield. Ok, there are times in the States, I would love to U-turn in the middle of a busy road!! My thought on the crazy driving in China is explained by the fact that this country grew so fast economically. The people went from riding bikes to driving cars. They still drive cars like they are riding a bike. This all explains why the Chinese drivers in the Bay Area are such bad drivers. They really aren’t bad drivers; they are just driving the Chinese way. I will say the Chinese have the best depth perception. There are times when cars are so close to us and it all seems normal to Mr. Nie.
Mr. Nie, my driver
I truly have the best driver in Shanghai. When he started with us three years ago, he had very little English. Today, his English is better than my Chinese. He does try to help me with my Chinese. However, Mr. Nie does have a Shanghainese accent so I never know if I am learning the word correctly.
He is one of the few drivers who does the extra “bits†for me. He will always help me carry my “load†of backpacks, grocery bags, rip sticks, etc up to the apartment. He runs errands for me, as Shanghai is big and sprawling. I will send him on my meat run to the butcher in the Sheraton Hotel. I really like the butcher where the only person touching my meat is the man behind the counter with gloves on. You can only really appreciate it when you watch people sort through a pile of chickens sitting on a table at the Carrefour.
Elle was 2 when we moved here. Mr. Nie has watched her grow from a toddler to a little girl. He adores Elle. Not that he doesn’t adore Emmy, but he has spent more time with Elle, as she was not in school when we arrived. He has a 14-year old son.
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Permalink When we arrived in Shanghai, Emersyn become friends with Mimi & Kate. We called them the 3-musketeers and the terrific trio. The girls were together all through first and second grade…until Kate moved back to America.
Kate and her Mom, Mary Major came to visit for a week. They arrived the same day Jim arrived for his 10-day summer holiday. We began our adventure with a trip to Lake Tahoe. Terri and Andy joined us for the adventure. Kate & Emmy loved this as they rode with Terri & Andy. Elle got to ride with Jim, Mary and I. Good thing she doesn’t really care.
The first stop was the Jelly Belly Factory (FOR THE FIRST TIME). The Jelly Belly Factory is about an hour & half from our home. We have NEVER been there. A few years ago, friends from Hong Kong visited San Francisco and told me how fun it was…still didn’t make it to the factory. We arrived at the Factory when it opened so we didn’t have to wait. It was interesting seeing all the candy being made and the smell of sugar. We learned that popcorn is the most popular flavor, the one I like least. Then, we hit the candy shop at the end of the tour. We purchased 5 bags of the Belly Flops…ONLY available at the factory. What a way to sell the non-perfect belly!!
 Jim, Eleri, Emersyn & Kate
We took Kate & Mary to “IN and Out Burger” for lunch, just because it is a California icon. It is a fast food burger joint that began in LA about 20 years ago. In/Out has always used fresh potatoes and natural oils in the fries long before it was an issue. Most people just love their food. I really love the fries the best. The In/Outs are always packed. Since it was a beautiful day, we sat outside to enjoy our burgers, fries and strawberry milkshakes.
Mary has a very fun personality. By the time we arrived at Tahoe, she had realized that Terri and Andy are one of those fun Aunts/Uncles. She called them the fun-doughs…. just like play-dough, always fun and available to play. Andy is the biggest kid of them all…sometimes Andy gets in trouble along with the girls when he gets them all wound-up (all in a good fun).
Day one of the Tahoe adventure was our bike ride to The River Ranch. Before kids, we would ride from the house, as it is a great work out. With kids, we drive to the park and ride the path starting from town. The bike path of Tahoe goes along the lake and it is very beautiful. It also crosses the main highway many times based on what part of the road had space. The first stop was to rent bikes. Mary, Kate and Emmy needed bikes.
 Emmy & Kate
We asked Elle if she wanted us to rent her a tag-along bike. The ones attached to the adult bike so they can pedal, but really are not helping. Oh, no the little princess just wanted to sit in the bike trailer and be pulled. Next was loading the bikes on the car to drive to the park. Ok, good thing we had Jim along. He managed to get 5 bikes on a 4-bike rack. The guy at the bike rental place even commented he has never seen such an art of stacking bikes. I guess all the practice of packing boxes to Shanghai has perfected the skill.
 Elle, the Princess
 Jim, the one pulling the Princess
We had a beautiful ride to The River Ranch. The River Ranch has a great deck over looking the water for lunch. We scored a table near the river!! We sat and enjoy the view, the weather and fun of great friends. We did have to pedal back at some point!!
 Kate, Eleri & Emersyn at The River Ranch
Day two at Tahoe was the river adventure on the Truckee River. Emmy & Kate yelled, “we get to ride with Terri and Andyâ€. Elle yelled, “ I get to ride with Daddyâ€. Whew, no issues there. Emmy and Kate get to enjoy time without sissy. We only raft when Jim and Andy are with us. You can rent rafts down by the river at $55 PER PERSON. Some other family members were smart and purchased 2 rafts that wait in the garage to be used. The trick is that Jim uses the vacuum cleaner to blow up the rafts. He then ties them to the trucks. See, it is all out of my league when you talking about using the vacuum to blow out and not suck up!! We packed a picnic lunch to enjoy along the river. We take both cars to the river. Once car drives down to The River Ranch, the pull out point. This year the boys took the car down river, as they didn’t trust Terri. Last time, Terri and I drove the cars. We left Terri’s car at the RR and drove back. The only problem was Terri left her keys in my car at the top of the river. Jim had to hitch hiked back up the river at the end of the day.
 Waiting for the boys to return after the truck drops
Rafting down the Truckee is sometimes going through rapids and sometimes floating along. Whenever we were floating, it was water fights between boats. Elle being Elle had to bring a child’s swim float that was a shark. She attached it to the front of our boat. We became Team Sharkie and the other boat was Team Fun-dough. Another great day spent with friends.
 Team Fun-dough
 Mary with Team Sharkie
 Elle on the river
Day three was a beach day. We loaded the car with chairs, towels, umbrellas, packed lunch, drinks, etc. Wow, what happened to the day when you went to the beach with a book and a towel…oh, pre-kid days. Lake Tahoe is one of the greatest places to enjoy the beauty of nature. The lake is big, clear and cold. The mountain rises up from the lake. The kids don’t seem to notice how cold the water temperature is as they are in it in no time. I do manage to get my ankles in the water.
 Making soup
 Elle with Sharkie
There are two floating rafts out on the lake. Emmy loves to swim out there. Kate and Emmy decided to take the plunge by swimming out. It really isn’t the swim part, it is the cold part. Mary is thinking about it, but decided to watch. And, well, I can’t possible put my body in the freezing water, as I have to watch Elle. The girls go out with inner tubes; it helps to keep the body out of the water. Ok, watching our girls attempting to climb onto the raft was a video moment…where was the camera. In the past, there has always been a ladder. This year, no ladder. They had to use their arms to pull themselves up. They looked like beach whales trying to flop onto the landing. At one point, this boy gets up to pull them up. Mary and I are sitting on the beach laughing! They jump off to swim to the other raft. When they throw their tubes on the raft, Emmy’s raft goes flying off the other side. The rafts are roped off to keep boats away. This is America and there are actually safety guards. Mary decided this was her time to brave the cold to rescue the tube. She needed a good excuse to go in. And she was glad she did.
 Ready, set, jump
 Daddy with his girls
Back to the Bay Area for one more day of fun before the Major’s leave for home. One cannot come to the San Francisco area and not go to San Francisco. We may live close to the City, but we haven’t done any of the touristy City stops in a long time. Our first stop was the cable cars, as the lines get very long. Probably the reason Emmy doesn’t ever remember riding them and Elle has never been on them. We started at Fisherman’s Wharf, as this is where we wanted to spend the day. We paid the extra $2 for round trip muni-fares. When we arrived in Union Square, the end of the line, the line to get on the trolley was already long. The line to buy tickets was just as long…ok, good thing we have the round trip. The extra $2 for the muni-pass also meant we could get back to Fisher’s Wharf using other transportation such as buses and the train, Bart. We got out a map and figured the best route to get back with Bart, but it was going to take about 45 minutes. We were already hungry. We decided it was a good time for an early lunch. Kate picked the Cheesecake Factory. Since it was early, we got right in.
Again, it is Elle’s birthday when life is busy. Last year, it was Elle’s birthday at the Olympics. We did manage to sing happy birthday to her at lunch to make her feel special. We all got a bite of Elle’s piece of cheesecake.
After lunch, we were walking to Bart when I noticed a trolley that wasn’t very full. We quickly jumped on and saved ourselves the long line and the around about way back to the Wharf on Bart. We went back to the Wharf to see the sea lions and do a little shopping.
 The view coming down to the Bay
At the Wharf, one must always stop at Ghirardelli chocolates. We first stopped at the ice cream shop for big ice cream Sundays. No one split and it was very fun. A quick stop in the candy shop as the day was getting away from us.
Next stop was the Golden Gate Bridge. We drove to the bridge parking area on the SF side. We enjoyed a walk on the bridge. We walked 1/3 way across the bridge to enjoy the view of the Bay and Alcatraz (somewhere I have not been).
 Elle stand by the cable
Final stop of the night was an Asian Fusion restaurant for dinner along the Bay. A very tasty meal was enjoyed by all. Another birthday cake and song for Eleri.
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Permalink We spend time in Nebraska with Grandma & Grandpa each summer. In Nebraska, the girls play with my cousins’ children. We do a weekly play date at the Scottsbluff pool. It has a big slide and it is really fun for the taller kids. Emmy had to wait until she was 8, last summer, to go on the slide. I don’t even want to think how old Elle is going to be before she can go on that slide!!
 The slide of Envy
In Nebraska, fireworks are sold on every corner or parking lot. Fireworks are illegal in California due to the dry, brown grass in the summer time. The grass is green in the winter during the rain season. The girls love to have Grandpa buy them fireworks. Grandma ALWAYs needs to stop at the Super Walmart. The girls go with Grandpa to the firework tent while we buy groceries at Walmart.
 Grandpa even allows them to play with fire
When we visit Nebraska, Grandma & Grandpa get two little girls 24/7. There is no rest from the “fun of little girls”. For some reason, the girls LOVE to style Grandpa’s hair. It might be becuase their Dad has none! This is a “kind” photo of Grandpa as I wouldn’t want to embrass him with his fancy hairdos.
 Elle styling the do
The Scottsbluff Zoo added a new water park. We went with Emmy’s new friend, Katheryn, to check it out one afternoon. It was a fun day at the zoo. The park had many improvements as I don’t remember it being this much fun the last time I took Emmy when she was little.
 Emmy & Katheryn
 Emmy has the wing span of a Turkey Vulture
 Elle is our little Red Tail Hawk
When in Nebrasaka, we always take Grandpa’s truck out for a spin. We take photos for the yearly calendar I put together of the girls.
 Six more years, Emmy will be ready to go!!
We drove to Ft. Robinson, which is about a 2-hour drive. Ft. Robinson is an old fort with all the old buildings. We always start with lunch at the café for buffalo burgers and the best cinnamon rolls. Then, we go to a musical at the Post Playhouse. This year we saw “Annie get your Gunâ€. The girls enjoyed the songs. They were having fun singing “I’m better than you†song.
Elle is just Elle and she loves to “find” things. She found this yellow boots towards the end of our stay. After she found them, she wore them every day. They go with anything!!
 Grandpa pushing Elle
It is fun to enjoy the summer in a small town.
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Permalink Let me start by setting the stage. John Humes and I set off together on a “boys adventure†for 9 days across the Tibetan Plateau. Lhasa has the second highest airport in the world at a mere 4, 300m (14, 315ft). The trip starts in Lhasa, traverses more than 1, 000km (660 miles) of the toughest terrain on the planet, gains over 1, 000m (3, 200ft) to the base camp of Mount Everest and drops around 3, 000m (10, 000ft) to Kathmandu, Nepal.
There are some hot links sprinkled throughout to wikipedia for more detailed information on particular locations. Get a cocktail as this post is quite long. Enjoy the adventure – Cheers!
 Our Route(Click the map for a larger version)
Day 1 – June 26 – Travel day to Lhasa (or so we thought)
Today was to be the travel day for John and I. We got to the Pudong airport and the fact that we say we are going to Lhasa sends the airline personnel into a frenzy. “Do you have a permit?†“Yesâ€. Off they run to the back room with the permit and passports, finally we get checked in. At security the same drill, a little extra check through the scanners…finally ready to board. The schedule was a quick flight to Xian and then transfer to Lhasa for a relaxing afternoon of acclimation.
Well, that did not happen. The day started ominously with a flight delay of more than an hour. Knowing that we had a continuing flight though Xian, we expected no problem. We arrived in Xian and transferred to our next plane with little to do. Off to Lhasa…all until we were about to land. We had to turn around to go back to Xian due to high winds at the Lhasa airport.
We arrive back in Xian, no one with China Eastern knows what is going on as they herd us to a bus that takes us to the Aviation Hotel (in other words, the crew hotel –a total dive – adjacent to the airport). They set us up with rooms, dinner and no information. Finally at about 10pm, we are informed we are leaving at 8am the following day.
Day 2 – June 27 – Lhasa, Tibet
 Lhasa Airport
The morning rolls around with a bus pick-up at 7am. We were told to be ready to go, we got to the airport again with no communication from the ground staff. John and I pull the “walk to the front of the line†stunt (a very Chinese thing, you should know) to get our boarding passes, through the extra security drill again and finally on the plane. We land at 10:45am and the plane door opens to the thinnest air I have breathed ever. It will be an interesting day with no acclimation – sure glad I am taking the high altitude pills!
 River valley on the way to Lhasa
 Travel Buddha – a must stop for all Tibetan travelers entering or leaving Lhasa
After John and I meet our guide, we head off to Lhasa where we check in our hotel in town around 1pm and finally lunch at 2pm.
 Our Hotel
 Our Hotel Lobby – everything Tibetan!
Then, it is off to the Summer Palace (Norbulingka) of the Dali Lama. At Norbulingka, there are a number of portans (living areas with temples). The different portans where built by the succession of Dali’s over the years each adding to the summer palace size.
 Circa 1755 Portan by the 7th Dali Lama
 Circa 1953-5 Portan by the 14th Dali Lama
It is prohibited to take pictures inside. Many of the interiors are rather similar – spartan living areas and very opulent religious areas with many Buddha statues, gold leaf appliqué and the burning of yak fat candles blacking everything.
 Just a really cool door along the outside of the Chuten Portan by the 13th Dali Lama
Next, we moved across town to the holiest temple of all – Jokhang Temple. It was built during the reign of king Songsten Gampo (605?-650 CE) to celebrate his marriage with Chinese Tang Dynasty princess Wencheng, who was a Buddhist. This temple is where the pilgrims postulate themselves on the ground in front of the temple and also walk clockwise around the outer walls of the Barkor with prayer wheels spinning.
 Jokhang Temple
 Jokhang Temple – from the roof
 Looking back at Potala Palace from the roof of Jokhang Temple
 The Faithful
[quicktime]http://lyonfamily.tv/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Pilgrims_2.mov[/quicktime] Video -The postulating faithful
 Prayer wheels a spinnin’
[quicktime]http://lyonfamily.tv/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Pilgrims_1.mov[/quicktime] Video – People and prayer wheels going clockwise at the Barkor
 Local Guy
After our close up experience with the pilgrims, we dined at the New Mandala Café overlooking Jokhang Temple. Dinner consisted of lamb ribs and beer. It finally got dark around 10pm – we survived the day with no acclimation!
 Jokhang Temple – from the Mandala Cafe
 Strong police presence
 A fine Lhasa Beer to end the day!
Day 3 – June 28 – Lhasa, Tibet
The world is familiar with the uprising in Tibet in 2008. Well, today we went to the heart of it – Ramoche temple. This is where the monks started their protests that quickly escalated. Today all is quiet – though significant military presence. Tradition says that the temple was built originally to house the much revered Jowo Rinpoche statue. The statue was carried to Lhasa via Lhagang in a wooden cart and brought to Tibet when Princess Wen Cheng came to Lhasa. We started out on foot through the streets from our hotel. The daily markets, shops and stalls where open for business selling fresh yak meat, yak butter and, of course, lamb and yak skins.
 The Butcher
 The Baker
 The Yak Butter Maker!
Ramoche temple allows photos inside, so we were able to give a sense of the inside of most of the monasteries throughout Tibet.
 Morning offerings outside Ramoche
 Enter Ramoche Temple
 Ramoche Prayer Wheels
 Monks receiving daily alms (cash)!
After our visit to Ramoche, we wound our way back through the narrow streets to the Barkor where we bought prayer wheels as souvenirs. There was a wide variety to choose from, so we went for something antique. It seems that many families will sell their older prayer wheels to make a little cash.
 John dealing for a prayer wheel
One of the missions I was given by Brenda was to find and buy Tibetan carpets. The Tibetan carpets are all lambs wool with a high pile and unique designs. Prior to the journey, I had found a few carpet places along our route – one right here in Lhasa.
 Hand-woven carpets
After our carpet stop, it was to the Potala Palace – the centerpiece of Lhasa as well as the iconic image of Tibet. The palace rises 13 stories above the flat land – stairs are the only way to the top. The Potala Palace was the chief residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled.
 Potala Palace
 13 flights up!
 Yak blankets keep out the cold at the entrance
 Ceremonial drum
In front of Potala, there is a constant stream of pilgrims as well as the plain-clothes policemen carefully eyeing them. Upon climbing to the top, the moment we entered the palace, no more photos (though you can buy a postcard deck with the interiors).
 Stream of pilgrims
 This dude is an “undercover” cop!
The interior is similar to Ramoche, but only more of it – winding corridors, multiple temples packed with Buddha statues and Spartan living quarters. Frankly, the outside is more impressive than the inside!
 Talk about spartan – the toilet hole drops 4 stories to the open ground !
 Prayer flags and carved prayers at the base of Potala Palace
After lunch we were off to Sera Monastery…and we were getting monastery-itis. It is like going to Europe and visiting cathedral after cathedral – they all start to blur together. Over the last two days, we have heard about so many different Buddhas that I can not keep them straight. And I thought Catholicism was complicated!
This evening, we enjoyed dinner at Shangri-La restaurant (No, not the 5-star hotel restaurant). We were entertained with a show highlighting the different traditional cultures of Tibet. After, we went to a well deserved foot massage. It was a great Tibetan style foot massage, though I almost lost all the skin on my feet from the near scalding water!
 The Entertainment!
As I mentioned, the exterior of Potala Palace is quite impressive, so we wanted to get pictures at night, all lit up. We arrived in the square across from the Palace at about 10pm. After a quick walk to a perfect spot in the plaza, I set my camera backpack down and was setting up my tripod and changing lens when this military kid rapidly approaches me to tell me I need to pick up my pack. I explain to him (in Chinese), that I cannot pick it up and take photos at the same time. This conversation goes on for about 2 minutes while I am setting up, all the while I continue to ask him to take two steps to the right so I can take my photo and move on. Finally, another guy come over to the first guy and they step away, so I get my first chance to look through the view finder and get set…lights out! I get no photo!
You may get the gist by some of my earlier comments that there is high military presence in Tibet – in fact it is an occupied land. In Lhasa, there are a minimum of two soldiers at each corner – eight per intersection. That does not include the uniformed soldiers marching through the street and the numerous not-so-inconspicuous plain-clothed officers around the religious spots.
…CONTINUED..Lhasa to Katmandu – OVERLAND Part 2
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