Lhasa is full of colors, chongcao and soldiers. It has the feel of a frontier town, with locals trying to preserve a disappearing way of life mixed in with outsiders hoping to strike gold (or, more precisely, iron and other minerals needed to feed factories on the mainland). My favorite description is Tony’s, who likens Lhasa to Arizona: “dry, sunny, animal skulls as ornamentation, and armed police checking your papers if you happen to look different.”
The last few weeks of travelling have left me behind on blog updates; more thoughts on Tibet to follow soon.
Yak butter
On the roof of the Jokhang Temple
Painted box
Door in Lhasa
Spices
Selling chongcao