Oh wow.
Nice to see you again.
Small world isn't it.
LEAP TIBET
2012
"Around The World Via Tibet"
This page was last updated: January 4, 2012
* * * * *
LEAP TIBET 2012
* * *
THE PLAN
*
Around the World, North / South / North, via Tibet
***
04past january 2012
dear da dozen
( all/j, bry/a, sto/l, cas/a, dub/y, ilv/d, sab/j, sch/i, sto/m, tru/k, wol/d, ilv/r ) :
happy leap year.
checklist,,, gear down,,, it’s coming up on less than a month.
we are super jazzed that we will have such a great “da dozen” (da means dozen in mandarin, “im told”) of energy for “leap tibet 2012”. hopefully mark huang is taking care of all your details well. if you have any difficulties that we might help with, let us know asap.
ilv/r is getting some fun ideas for meet n greet, ilv/d is working on the tibet train bar car trivia contest, we have the leap party planned, and sch/i has a good place for us to “wine n dine” in ktm. pek layover queen sto/l says she will lead a shopping trip down to all the good markets if she gets in a day early. if you’re a camera freak, be prepared to enter your photo in “a picture is worth a thousand words” tba. bring a valantine/heart (to wear somewhere) for the “guess where his/her valentine is” yuan pool. and if the mood hits ya, each da dozen come up with a train game, show n tell, story, skit, card trick, speech, lesson, travel tip, recipe, team tag, whatever, for bar fun.
we are so glad you are going, it is going to be immense.
ilv/r & ilv/d
itinerary summary
fri feb 10 – meet n greet
beijing; from all over the world, “you” arrive in beijing, run out front of the airport, catch a taxi, and get your butt down to the penta hotel beijing for happy happy hour meet n greet party and your first overnight.
sat feb 11 – tour beijing
beijing breakfast in hotel; take an excursion to the great wall at mutianyu with lunch in xiaolongpu restaurant; return to hotel in the afternoon. <b-l>
sun feb 12 – board the train
train breakfast in hotel; morning at leisure and check out hotel after your own lunch; afternoon tour of tiananmen square and forbidden city followed by an early peking duck dinner at tongfulin; evening transfer to train station and board fast train t27 (2009-1600+2) to lhasa; spend two nights on the beijing-lhasa train (soft sleeper in 4-berths compartment depending on availability; $60 usd credit if taking hard sleeper). <b-d>
mon feb 13 – trivia on the train
on train day time ride from xi’an to xining on fast train to lhasa; meals are to be purchased by yourselves in the dining car of the train.
tue feb 14 – valentine party
lhasa day time ride over the kunlun and tanggula mountain passes (highest elevation 5170 meters above sea level); arrive in lhasa late afternoon and transfer to kyichu hotel; don’t forget to wear a heart “somewhere”, we will enjoy a “valentine day” local cuisine party dinner (bring your heart). <d>
wed feb 15 – tour lhasa
lhasa breakfast in hotel; full day touring in lhasa: visit the monumental potala palace, jokhang monastery and barkhor market; dinner is on own. <b-l>
thr feb 16 – leap dinner
lhasa breakfast in hotel; full day touring in lhasa and visit drepung monastery, sera monastery, and the blue buddha; some free time in the afternoon; enjoy the “leap tibet 2012” tibetan dinner party’ this evening. <b-l-d>
fri feb 17 – head to the himalayas
farewell breakfast in hotel; those leaving us here transfer to airport and fly to their own next destination; service ends for those leaving us here. <b> but, for those hearty souls that will continue an additional 5 days on over the himalayas, on to kathmandu nepal.
farewell breakfast in hotel; shigatse some (with rob and donna) continue the trip; drive to shigatse on 4wd with guide; upon arrival visit tashilumpo monastery and the local market; enjoy dinner and stay overnight in shigatse hotel. <b-l-d>
sat feb 18 – see mt everest
zhangmu breakfast in hotel; drive on 4wd with guide to the border via highway 318, if the weather is good we might get a view of the famous mt. everest, then passing lhatse, shegar, and nyalamtown to reach the border town of zhangmu; have dinner and overnight in zhangmu pema hotel. <b-l-d>
sun feb 19 – into nepal
kathmandu breakfast in hotel; cross border at zhangmu and travel with nepalese guide to kathmandu; stop at vista points along the way; arrive kathmandu in the afternoon and check in hotel marshyangdi kathmandu hotel. <b>
mon feb 20 – farewell party
kathmandu breakfast in hotel; it’s a down day, make your own arrangements, rest, tour, eat, barter, drink, chill, it’s all your day. final late night fairwell party at hotel bar. <b>
tue feb 21 – wow was that great or what
final farewell breakfast in hotel; your own transfer to airport and fly your own booked flight to your next destination; service ends. <b>
your on your own so come on, rob n donna plan to:
wed feb 22 -
wake up possibly in ?
thr feb23 -
wake up possibly in bangkok
fri feb24 -
wake up possibly in ?
sat feb25 -
wake up possibly in ?
sun feb26 -
wake up possibly in sydney
mon feb27 -
wake up possibly in ?
tue feb28 -
wake up possibly in ?
wed feb29 - “leap day”
wake up in buenos aires, have a nice quiet “leaping” lovers (you know what i mean) last tango dinner in buenos aires.
thr mar01 -
sleep in & leave buenos aires non stop up to horseshoe beach florida usa
for those that don’t know about “leap tibet 2012’
read on
around the world, north / south / north, via tibet
*
who:
us, you, our friends and family and their friends and families.
what:
“ leap tibet 2012 ” rob and donna’s anniversary. around the world, north then south then north, via tibet.
when:
begins friday 10 february in the year 2012 under the full moon.
where:
meet n greet party will be in beijing, china, official toast and leap dinner ceremonies will be in lhasa, tibet.
how:
just join and/or meet us anywhere along the way. you are never too early, or never too late, the party is wherever you join up, all schedules, locations, dates, events, contacts, numbers, changes, questions, concerns, and stuff, will officially be updated asap, right here on this site. ( www.robanddonna.com ) then travel n party, then click on the x3 dots under the tibet trip info paragraph, or direct ( http://hstrial-rilves.homestead.com/index.html ). but whatever you do, try to join us for the beijing to tibet “leap tibet 2012” and the leap toast with a “chang” tibetan beer in front of the potala palace in lhasa tibet. heck, if you are there, you might as well run on over the himalayas past mt everest to kathmandu nepal with us.
&
our entire actual world leap tibet 2012 plan is leaving horseshoe beach florida usa north to washington dc, north over canada and the north pole, south to china and tibet, south to nepal, thailand, oceanic pacific and australia, then south over the south pole, north to argentina, north to brazil, and north back up to horseshoe beach usa.
(all subject to mileage destinations, diplomatic approvals, and beer supply)
&
begin in your town, leave for beijing, lhasa, shigatse, zhangmu, and kathmandu
a one week “leap tibet 2012” trip from beijing to lhasa tibet and for those hearty souls that want to continue an additional 5 days, on over the himalayas to kathmandu.
"plan the event, never the outcome"
“leap tibet 2012”
grand expedition by train across china and over the kunlun mountains and by 4-wheel drive on the tibetan plateau passing mt. everest, over the himalayas and down to the green valleys of nepal.
locked away in its mountain fortress of the himalayas, tibet, known as xizang autonomous region in china, has always been exercised a unique hold on the imagination of the outside world. despite its increased exposure to modernity, the magical buddhist kingdom seems to exist in another dimension, and still retains much of the mystery that entranced early travelers to the region. the spiritual life of tibet is still centered on a unique type of buddhism that incorporates elements of the region’s indigenous bon shamanistic religion as well as esoteric practices of tantric buddhism from india. in tibet, all roads lead to the holy city of lhasa, “the abode of the gods”, and in lhasa, all eyes turn toward the potala palace, “the abode on the living buddha”. on a sunny day, the blaze of the golden roof of potala can be seen for miles around.
this journey begins in beijing with a free day of exploration of the beauty of the imperial city on your own. board the famous 45-hour train to lhasa and head towards the high land of tibet along qing-zang railroad. along the way, you will pass cities such as xi’an, lanzhou, and xining and onto the plateau; descend into chaidamu basin with a brief stop in golmut; start to ascend again over the high mountain passes of kunlun and tanggula, and finally arrive in lhasa after two days of traveling.
in lhasa, this tibetan holy city draws many different kinds of visitors, from sightseers to mountaineers, scholars to trekkers, nomads to “leap tibeters”. the potala palace, jokhang temple, drepung monastery, and sera monastery house the sacred treasures, some of which date back to the 15th century. you will spend time exploring each of these sites and wander in the old market place “the barkhor”.
then from lhasa, to your next destination.
or
if you decide to join rob and donna to continue the journey, you will travel by 4-wheel drive vehicle to the heartland of tibet, over high mountain passes and along the riverbanks of yalongzabu. your sightseeing in the historic town of shigatse will allow you to experience authentic tibetan life and culture. continue your journey to the china-nepal border and on the way you may get a glimpse of the world’s highest peak mt. everest (“qomolangma” in tibetan) if the weather is clear. enter nepal overland via zhangmu. by vehicle travel down the mountain to the lush valley of kathmandu and spend a couple of days touring the highlight in the capital of this himalaya country.
then from kathmandu to your next destination.
“leap tibet 2012”
planned trip from beijing china to lhasa tibet to kathmandu nepal and on
fyi
tour land price inclusions & exclusions
main tour costs: $1,180 per person, double occupancy
extension tour costs: $1,340 $1,120 per person, double occupancy
what's included in tour land prices:
• selected or best available hotel accommodations, double occupancy
• soft sleeper berth on fast train to lhasa; ground transportation on 4-wheel drive while on tour
• all tour related chinese domestic taxes
• arrival and departure transfers on tour dates
• transfers and luggage (1 piece of 45 pounds per person) handling
• tibet travel permit and pre-departure information packets
• all sightseeing, activities, and cultural events listed in the itinerary
• all meals specified in the itinerary
• service of a private english-speaking local tour guide in each city/area
• private and clean vehicles with air-conditioning and professional driver
what's not included in tour land prices:
• international and domestic air tickets
• chinese (contact www.mychinavisa.com) and nepalese visa ($30 pp landing visa) processing
• trip cancellation, baggage, accident, and medical insurance
• gratuities to guides and drivers
• items not listed and/or specified as included in the itinerary
all reservations and bookings, will be done directly thru mr. mark huang at access china tours.
contact for trip prices and details:
mark huang | access china tours
vancouver, bc, canada | denver, co, usa
tel: 604-522-2550 | 800-788-1399 | fax: 604-522-2551
mark@accesschinatours.com | www.accesschinatours.com
we have spent a great deal of time working with mark to support this “leap 2012 tibet” once in a lifetime trip and we believe this is the best trip we could put together considering leap 2012 partiers, comfort, international travelers, access to tibet, per value $€£¥¢ and reputation. ask for it by name “rob & donna ilves leap tibet trip beijing / lhasa / kathmandu” and just do it, be there.
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fyi:
further lhasa tibet tidbits and good ole information
country:
china
region:
tibet
prefecture:
lhasa
coordinates:
91° 07’ 00” e, 29° 39’ 00” n
airport:
gonggar/lhasa international airport code is lxa, longitude : 90° 54’ 1” e, latitude : 29° 17’ 35” n, is 100 km or 2 hours out of lhasa, transport available.
major nationalities:
han chinese, tibetan, hui.
regional dialect:
tibetan language, hohhot dialect.
time zone:
+8 (utc) chinese standard time.
weather:
averages in feb/mar for lhasa 55f (13c) high, 28f (-2c) low.
currency:
chinese yuan renminbi.
fyi: mid-market rates: 2011-04-05 21:25 utc
1.00 usd = 6.54275 cny
us dollar chinese yuan renminbi
1 usd = 6.54275 cny 1 cny = 0.152841 usd
visa:
(* when you apply for a china visa, it is highly advised / suggested, not to tell the officer that you have plans for traveling to tibet; your tour operator will inform them in china. tibet is still a very sensitive place, so the application would become a very complicated and maybe political process.)
a chinese visa is required for foreigners.
a 1 year multi entry visa is suggested.
as well, a tibet travel permit is required to enter tibet which our tour operator will process and obtain for us.
(* when you apply for a china visa, it is highly advised / suggested, not to tell the officer that you have plans for traveling to tibet. our tour operator will process the tibet visa for us.)
fyi: though $$$ we have used and received good service, from ( www.travisa.com )
lhasa, sometimes spelled lasa, is the traditional capital of tibet and the capital of the tibet autonomous region of the people's republic of china. lhasa is located at the foot of mount gephel.
the city is the traditional seat of the dalai lama and the potala and norbulingka palaces, both are included in a world heritage site and in tibetan buddhism is regarded as the holiest centre in tibet.
lhasa literally means "place of the gods", although ancient tibetan documents and inscriptions demonstrate that the place was called rasa, which means "goat's place", until the early 7th century.
lhasa is the capital of the tibet autonomous region in china. the city is home to about 255,000 inhabitants and it is located at 3650 meters (12 000 feet) above sea level on the northern slopes of the himalayas.
lhasa, which means "land of the gods", is the heart of tibet. over 1,300 years old, it sits in a valley right next to the lhasa river. tourist resources are plenty, good hotels, tasty restaurants, travel agencies, chinese department stores and supermarkets, in some parts of the city, you may find no difference to other chinese cities, but the tibetan influence is still strong and evident, especially around the old quarters near barkhor.
the eastern end of lhasa is more prominently traditional tibetan, focusing on the area around the jokhang and the barkhor. traditionally dressed tibetans engaged on a kora (a clockwise journey around the jokhang, the major buddhist shrine), often spinning prayer wheels are a common sight in that area. the western end of lhasa is more chinese in character (i.e. chinese from the east of the country). it is busy and modern, and many ways a surprise to many tourists. it is there one finds most of the infrastructure, such as banks and contact with officialdom.
get there:
by plane:
the lhasa gonggar airport (iata: lxa) is about 100 km from lhasa. it takes 2 hours to the center of lhasa. there are flights from beijing, chengdu, chongqing, guangzhou, hong kong, kunming, qamdo, shanghai, xi'an, xining, and zhongdian (shangri-la), with international flights available to kathmandu, nepal.
by bus:
buses run from golmud in neighboring qinghai province, but are almost as pricey as the flight from chengdu due to the permit issue.
by train:
the qinghai-tibet (qingzang) railway connects lhasa and golmud, with services continuing onto xining, beijing, chengdu, shanghai, guangzhou and chongqing.
trains running to/from lhasa
t27/8 to/from beijing (west) - lhasa - takes about 48 hours
t22/23/24/21 to/from chengdu - lhasa - takes about 48 hours
t222/223/224/221 to/from chongqing - lhasa - takes about 49 hours
t164/5 t166/3 to/from shanghai - lhasa - takes about 51 hours
t262/4 to/from guangzhou - lhasa - takes about 60 hours
k917/k918 to/from lanzhou - lhasa - takes about 28 hours
n917/n918 to/from xining - lhasa - takes about 24 hours
by ship:
let us know how that works out.
getting around:
the jokhang area is easily navigable on foot. cycle rickshaws are everywhere, though prepare to bargain. taxis are a standard y10 for anywhere in lhasa city. minibuses operate to areas such as norbulingka, sera monastery, drepung monastery, and other nearby sites.
buses are available in front of jokhang temple or at the parking lot near the temple for tsurphu gompa, ganden gompa, nyemo (dazi), phenpo lhundrub (linzhou), meldro gungkar (mozhugongka), chushul (qushui), taktse (dazi), gongkar (gongga), and other nearby areas. tickets are available at the ticket office at the parking lot or when you board the bus.
sightseeing:
the jokhang temple (tsuglagkhang) - constructed in the 7th century ad to house the statues of buddha that princesses bhrikuti from nepal and wen cheng from tang dynasty china brought as gifts for their future husband, king songtsan gampo. the temple has been enlarged many times over the centuries and now also houses statues of king songtsan gambo and his two famous foreign brides. however, the original statue of jowo sakyamuni buddha that princess wen cheng brought from chang’an over 1300 years ago is definitely its most sacred and famous possession, and is perhaps the most venerated religious artifact in all of tibet. the temple, a splendid four-floor building facing west under a guilded rooftop, is located on barkhor square in the center of the old section of lhasa.
the potala palace (podrang potala) - a stronghold probably existed on red hill as early as the 7th century ad when king songtsen gampo built a fortress on it for his two foreign wives. the palace was rebuilt by the fifth dalai lama in three years, while the thirteenth dalai lama extended and repaired it into what it is now. it became winter palace in 1755 when the seventh dalai lama made the norbulinka into a summer residence. with over 1 000 rooms, the potala contained the living quarters of the dalai lamas while they lived, and their sumptuous golden tombs when they died. as the religious and political centre of old tibet and the winter residence of dalai lamas, the palace witnessed the life of the dalai lamas and the important political and religious activities in the past centuries. potala palace also houses great amounts of rare cultural relics including the gold hand-written buddhist scriptures, valuable gifts from the chinese emperors and a lot of priceless antiques. admission rmb 100. guided palace tours generally include one hour inside the palace; allow at least that much time to walk up and down the many steps leading up to and from the palace. the palace is 14 stories tall and any visit involves climbing a lot of stairs up/down. make sure you are fully acclimated before visiting.
the potala was included in the unesco world heritage list in 1994, the jokhang temple monastery in 2000 and the norbulingka summer palace in 2001.
the norbulingka summer palace - located about 1km south of the potala palace - the seventh dalai lama constructed the first summer palace in 1755 and each successive ruler added his own buildings. norbulingka is now undergoing complete restoration. presently, the complex contains a small zoo, botanical gardens, and a mansion. there is a small entrance fee.
the barkhor street market a circular street around the jokhang temple in the center of the old section of lhasa, it is the oldest street in a very traditional style in tibet, where you can enjoy bargaining with the local tibetan vendors for the handicrafts which are rare to be seen elsewhere in the world. barkhor street is one of the most important religious paths along which pilgrims walk around jokhang temple while turning prayer wheels in their hands through centuries. buddhist pilgrims walk or progress by body-lengths along the street clockwise every day into deep night.
drepung monastery was founded in 1416 by a disciple of tsong khapa, was the biggest and richest monastery in tibet and its lamas helped to train each new young dalai lama. drepung was also home to the nechung, the state oracle. at its height, drepung had over 10 000 monks, and governed 700 subsidiary monasteries and owned vast estates. drepung belongs to the gelupa sect.
sera monastery was founded in 1419 by one of tsong khapa’s (the founder of the gelupa sect) eight disciples. it became famous for its tantric teachings, while drepung drew fame from its governing role. sera was smaller than drepung, with 7,000 monks, but was very rich and comparable in power. the monks of sera were considered clever and dangerous.
tibet museum minzulu road, lhasa. admission rmb 25. elaborate museum with artifacts reflecting the entire history of tibet. ask for a free audio tour in your language at the entrance. predictably, the museum presents a very chinese view of the "peaceful liberation" of tibet, but the museum is worth a visit.
do:
do the koras with other pilgrims
drink tea and eat thugpa in the many teahouses near the jokhang
shop in the barkhor square
people watch
blind massage at medical massage clinic lhasa, located on the 3rd floor of number 59 beijing middle road, directly across from the kichu hotel (can ask at the hotel for directions). phone 6320870. cost 80 rmb per hour. english spoken. a vocational project of ngo braile without borders [1]. great way to adjust to the altitude or just relax.
money in tibet:
the currency is chinese yuan renminbi. live rates at 2011.03.20 17:02:00 utc, 1.00 usd = 6.56900 cny (china yuan renminbi) 1 cny = 0.152230 usd.
atms and foreign currency conversion can be done at the bank of china main office west of potala palace or at the branch on beijing donglu between the kirey hotel and the banok shol hotels.
dine and eat:
a lot of nice and comfortable restaurants can be found in lhasa old district. most of them are located near the jokhang temple along beijing zhong lu (or called beijing road middle) and its tributary road zang yiyuan lu (or called tibetan hospital road). some of them serve western food, nepal and indian food. examples are snowland restaurant, lhasa kitchen, naga french restaurant, tashi restaurant. each meal can be as cheap as usd$3 per person (price at 2005 october). on the southeast corner of barkhor street, there is a well-known tibetant restaurant among backpackers -- makye ame - means beautiful woman. sitting at this second-floor restaurant gives you an amazing view, especially at sunset, of the part of the barkhor street which is full of pilgrams moving in clockwise direction. the location of makye ame is unbeatable, but the food is nothing to write home about. the smaller tibetan restaurants, especially the teahouses are much cheaper and serve more tasty food.
snowland restaurant tenjieling road #4, near jokhang square, phone 0891-6337323 large menu features a mix of western, napali, indian and tibetan food. good service, good food, very popular.
new mandala restaurant with roof top garden, located in front of jokhang temple, phone 86-0891-6342235. indian, nepal, tibetan and some western dishes. roof top has good views of the city. try the yak sizzler. this is a terrible restaurant actually. go somewhere else.
tengyelink cafe. great yak steak, great atmosphere. best food to be found in lhasa. cheap breakfast options are available.
for chinese restaurants, though usually poorly-decorated, meals are much cheaper. a plate of beef noodles can be as cheap as usd$0.7 and you can have a full meal including drinks for less than 4 euro! most of the chinese restaruants, however, serve sichuan's spicy cuisine. in recently years, a lot of chinese, most of them from sichuan and shannxi provinces, moved to lhasa for business.
apart from eating at restaurants, you can buy food or snacks in the main supermarkets, all around beijing zhong lu.
yak meat. most restaurants sell yak meat and it is a must try in tibet. yaks are actually cattle that are adapted to the highlands. dried yak meat is available at all supermarkets, as is another tibetan staple, tsampa.
although tibetan restaurants are more traditional and full of history, to the western traveler the chinese food might seem more diverse and more appealing than the greasy boiled yak meat typically served in the tibetan ones. westerners also might avoid the traditional tibetan tea which is in fact black tea with yak butter in it and is typically being kept warm in heat insulating containers for quite some time.
be prepared with at least a few basic food describing words as in many of the restaurants they only speak chinese! be prepared to learn to use chop sticks as some restaurants do not have forks, spoons or knives.
drink:
tibetan butter tea (pöcha) is a must try, though it may not be a pleasant experience for all! it is a salty mixture of black tea and tibetan butter. traditionally it is churned by hand with a thick rod in a long upright wooden container. however, when electricity came to the city in recent years, modernized tibetans turn to use electric mixers to make their butter tea. the tibetan butter is not rancid as commonly described, but has a cheesy taste and smell to it, close to blue cheese or roquefort. think of it as a cheese broth rather, that you will appreciate particularly after a long hike in cold weather.
an alternative to tibetan butter tea is sweet tea which is more familiar to western palates. sweet tea drinking was introduced in the xxth century by merchants returning from india, first among well-off tibetans, since sugar was a luxury on the plateau, then when sugar became more available among the general public. as compared to india, tibetan do not use spices (clove, cinnamon, cardamon)
(sweet (milk) tea drinking habit in tibet probably doesn't come from contact with british but with indians and nepal themselves, a very common drink of these nations. tea is brewed in a boiling mixture of milk and water with sugar. the british fashion is of not boiling the leaves, and to add sugar and a cloud of milk after pouring tea in a cup, according to individual tastes.
'chang'- don't miss it. tibetan beer made of barley has a lighter flavor than a western-type, bottled beer, since they do not use bitter hop. often home-brewed and with as many taste and strength variants as industrial beers. beware of chang: the yeast is still alive in it, and will carry on fermenting and producing alcohol in the warm temperatures of your stomach! usually no germ risk since yeast prevents bacteria proliferation.
sleep:
hotels in lhasa are not all up to international standard. a four star hotel in lhasa is probably equivalent to a three star in europe.
stay safe:
lhasa is 3650 meters (about 12 000 feet) above sea level, so there is considerable risk of altitude sickness, especially if you fly in from a much lower altitude so your body does not have time to acclimatize. this is a serious concern; altitude sickness can easily ruin a holiday and can even be fatal. inland chinese traveling to the tibet plateau always take special drugs to help mitigate altitude sickness. these drugs were originally developed for military personnel to accommodate quickly in high altitude areas. so they can be very useful sometime and are easily available at hotels where you stay. gao yuan kang (a healthy plateau, literally)or gao yuan ning(a peaceful plateau) are two effective drugs among others.
if you must fly to lhasa, it would be wise to fly via an intermediate destination such as kunming at 2700 meters (9000 feet) and spend several days at that intermediate destination completely acclimatizing there before flying to lhasa.
do not under any circumstances give or show to monks or locals pictures of dalai lama as this can get you in trouble and cause severe trouble for the recipient. keep in mind some monks may collaborate with the authorities, or may not be monks at all.
respect:
do not wear a hat inside the jokhang, potala or other sacred sites. please no short pants or tank tops. when visiting shrines it is customary to leave a small money offering, especially where you do not have to buy a ticket!
circumambulate stupas and other sacred objects in a clock-wise direction.
do not climb onto statues, mani stones or other sacred objects.
photography is not allowed inside the potala palace. you can take photos in the jokhang temple. some monasteries will allow photography upon payment of a small donation or fee. monks begging will often allow a photograph after you make a small contribution. when in doubt, ask before snapping your camera.
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