Tibet > May we enter the Potala Palace

At eight o’clock, the alarm goes off. I realize that I haven’t suffered from altitude sickness during the night. Of course, I should knock on wood immediately, but I’m quite pleased. After breakfast, we gather in the hotel lobby. Today it’s exciting to see whether we’ll be able to visit the Potala Palace. Recently, the number of visitors has been limited, and tickets are hard to get. I’m not very hopeful, but Thasi brings good news — this afternoon, we can visit the palace between one and two o’clock.

Tibet - Pilgrims posted at the entrance of Jokhang Temple

Unfortunately, we’re only allowed to stay for one hour, while you could easily spend half a day there. Our driver takes us to the Bank of China to exchange money. Once again, we fill out forms, join a queue, and fend off Chinese people trying to cut in line from the sides. Even though there are only four people ahead of us — and we successfully defend our place — it still takes nearly an hour before we get our cash. By then, the queues have grown much longer. It’s a good thing we came right after opening time. From the hotel, we walk into the Tibetan quarter toward Barkhor Square — a large square in front of Tibet’s most sacred temple, the Jokhang. The streets here are narrower and much more atmospheric. This must be what old Lhasa looked like. When I reach Barkhor Square, I see the Jokhang Temple across the plaza, partially hidden behind the smoke rising from the offering burners. In front of the temple, many pilgrims are walking clockwise around it. This circular walk is called a kora, and the one around the Jokhang Temple is two kilometers long. As they walk, pilgrims spin their prayer wheels — also clockwise, of course. In front of the temple, it’s bustling with activity. Dozens of Tibetans are praying at the entrance while being watched by crowds of tourists. What’s striking is that most of the tourists are Chinese. Ironically, it’s China that’s trying to suppress Tibetan culture, while at the same time, Chinese tourists eagerly photograph it with long telephoto lenses.

Tibet - The stairs of Potala Palace in Lhasa

The praying Tibetans endure the scene quietly. We walk part of the kora clockwise and turn into one of the narrow side streets. On both sides, stalls display all kinds of goods. Around the Jokhang, it’s mostly souvenirs, but here, everyday items are sold. Zigzagging through the streets, we make our way back to the hotel to head to the Potala Palace. The Potala Palace towers high above the city. Since I’m still not fully adjusted to the altitude, I climb the nearly 300 steps leading up to the massive structure at an easy pace. Along the way, I admire the building. The palace has 13 floors and more than 1,100 rooms. It was once the residence of the Dalai Lama, who fled from here in 1959 during the Chinese occupation. Thasi explains the history of the palace. We visit the former living quarters of the Dalai Lama. Because we must leave within an hour — and the guide is held accountable for this — Thasi leads us quickly through the rooms. In his enthusiasm to share as much as possible, he speaks faster and faster, sometimes talking right over Chinese guides to make himself heard. After the white section with the living quarters, we move on to the Red Palace at the top of the complex. Here are the tombs of the former Dalai Lamas, the throne, and magnificent images of Buddha. It’s a pity we can’t stay longer, but on the other hand, we’re lucky to be allowed inside at all.

Tibet - A pilgrim walks the kora around the Potala Palace in Lhasa

At the exit, it turns out our tour lasted fifteen minutes too long, but to Thasi’s relief, this doesn’t cause any issues. We decide to walk back from the Potala Palace on our own. Across the wide street, we climb up to a viewpoint that offers a perfect “Kodak moment” of the palace. As we rest on a rock, a monk and his Tibetan family approach us. They want to take a group photo together, so we all take pictures — they of us, and we of them. Afterwards, we walk the kora around the palace. It’s quite warm, and at this hour there are few pilgrims. Hundreds of prayer wheels line the path in an impressive row. We walk the circuit at a slow, relaxed pace. On our way back to the hotel, we stop for lunch and order soup. It’s served in an enormous bowl — we estimate that each of us has at least two liters of soup in front of us. In the afternoon, we return to the Tibetan quarter and pass by the Jokhang Temple again. From Barkhor Square, we walk the kora around the temple. About two-thirds of the way around, we stop at a rooftop terrace of a restaurant. From the terrace, we watch the pilgrims walking their kora below as dusk gently settles over Lhasa.