Lhasa, even though it is now mostly Han Chinese, still remains a magical place. My wife and I and our friends Bruce and Carolyn flew in from Chengdu about 5 years ago, to start a 18 day adventure, including a 14 day trek to the Kangshung (East Face) base camp of Mt Everest.

Lhasa is at 13,500 feet, and it is interesting to watch your altimeter watch spool up as your plane descends to land.


We all have been witness to the recent tragedies in Lhasa surrounding the Olympics; less know how much Lhasa has been decimated by the Chinese since they invaded Tibet in the 1950's; the destruction and desecration of most of the Bhuddist temples, the murder of thousands of monks, and the brazen attempt to destroy a quiet, wonderful way of life.


When we arrived in Lhasa, the Chinese had already annointed it the "red light capital" of China, with hundreds of brothels filled with local women. Every day we witnessed the destruction of old Tibetan buildings, making way for new, garish department stores and hotels with oxygen in every room.


Still, the Potala Palace, and the surrounding monasteries, remain musts to visit.

But for how long?

I urge you to go as soon as you can (once the Chinese re-open the country). See Lhasa. Talk with the locals and find out what is happening. And then, spend a week or two in the interior, visiting places which still retain their charm.


On our trek, we started in Kharta, and followed Mallory's and Sir Howard Burry's 1921 exploratory trek to Everest, the subject of the book "Mount Everest -- The Reconnaissance 1921" It's a very remote trek, with passes (La's) of 16,000, 17,000 and 18,000 feet (Langma La). The pictures in the 1922 book were mostly identical to the pictures I took on our trek.

And waking up in the morning at Petang Ringmo, over 17,000', to a cobalt blue sky, with Everest, Laotse, Makalu, Cholmahari and other 8,000 + meter mountains surrounding us was an experience which cannot be duplicated anyplace else in the world.


Go there now.

It would be a nicer city if it wasn't occupied by the Reds...

My husband and I took a motorcycle tour from Kathmandu to Lhasa. The journey was really rough (everyone, except I, got sick either from the altitude or from the food/water), but well worth it; it was truly a test of character. Lhasa was definite the nicest city in Tibet. There was a lot to do (shop, sightsee) and the food was really good compared to evertwhere else we had been (with the exception of Kathmandu). I would strongly recommend visiting this part of the world to anyone who is up for the challenge. This was an adventure, not a "vacation".