Day 32: Work & Play in Lhasa - 108 Days Across Eurasia by Martins Ate


Waked up at 8:20, needed to go to the work... :) it sounds funny for me... yesterdays vodka didn't affected my morning at all. :) so quickly washed myself up - went to the Summers room where she was sleeping in some beautiful dream and gave back a charger from iPhone as I forgot mine in the office. Walking to the work I need to pass Putala palace - I never thought that I will work somewhere in Lhasa and the building which just some time ago was like a Seventh Wonder to me now will be just some house on a road... :)


Day started on a chill again - came my Boss - we went to the restaurant to celebrate his companies appearance in the Lonely Planet. Afterwards I got back to the work to continue creating the website. The assistant of my boss is now my assistant aswell. He brings me tea every time he enters my office and see empty cup. Also he brings me the food!:) So at the end of the day I finished the website - www.tibettravelpermit.com - so earned the possibility to continue my trip. 


All the necessary permits should be ready in the few days. I cannot go to Kailash anymore as my Chinese visa expires in about 10 days and I cannot make it in such a short period of time. So I will continue to Nepal, Kathmandu which is a few days trip after will finish the second website and will have all the permits. No I'm gonna meet Summer and we will go somewhere to relax.


She came down right on time and she seemed to me pretty when walked down the hostel stairs. Once again I found out how beautiful she is inside. She is naturally kind and generally a good girl. 


We walked around Lhasas monasteries and took a pictures everywhere. Just the thing that I really emptied myself out today while creating website as I was making it in a very quick way but it's like creative process and it takes a lot of energy so I felt really tired when we where walking and after two hours wanted to go back home. 


In one of the Temples people where bowing down - all of them - starting from small children and ending with old woman. 


I did it for a few times as well and actually felt amazing joy doing it and would continued if would be alone. Probably I will go there one day by myself and do it for some longer time. 


Afterwards we went to some woman monastery where we where sitting in library where woman-monks where chanting sacred texts. One of the monks gave us a tea made only for monks and offered to the Buddha. 


Then we went to some other monastery where we will go tomorrow morning as I have a finally day-off. We plan to spend like whole day together tomorrow - visiting some more monasteries outside of Lhasa. 

About Summer: we agreed that from today I quite smoking and she stops eating meet. I have some naughty thoughts coming in my mind when she touches my hands sometimes and comes closer to me. I'm trying to stay-cool.:) Need to spend more time in monasteries... :) 


Lhasa is a very small city - maybe in 40 minutes it's possible to walk through all of it. The food is cheap. in the places for a locals today both of us with summer had some Chinese food and a lot of chai (Tibetan tea) and we paid only something about one euro. But in a places for tourists one person can eat for about 2 euros.


I like the architecture of the city - houses are small and beautifully decorated. Locals are going around the city and chanting mantras and here are hidden a lot of small monasteries.


On almost every third corner there is some military blocks with soldiers and guns. it's like forbidden to take photos of them as they can just brake a camera. They are well armed and have a guns. Also police is after each 2-3 minutes: very often!


Putala palace is beautiful. To get into it need to buy a ticket one day before as there are limited number per day who can enter it. Museums and tourist attractions are expensive here - the same as in Europe. Entrance in Putala palace costs 10 euros. Daily 2000 people are visiting it so daily Putala palace earns 20,000 euros!!!:) guaranteed...:)


Here is no Dalai Lama anymore - as he ran away to India some time ago because of misunderstanding with a local Chinese government.


The taxi is cheap. Almost anywhere in the boundaries of the city it costs only one euro. The food is cheap here as well. It's just a problem to get something pure vegetarian as everything is so meaty here that even if I take something vegetarian - it has definitely baked or cooked in some animals fats. So I'm staying mostly on noodles and humus.:)


Maybe I like the city because I got lucky with a guide in it. Summer takes really nice care for me!:) 

I'm going sleep earlier today and tomorrow will try to wake up at six to do some morning prayers together with monks at one of the local monasteries.