Last Day in Lhasa: buying a prayer wheel

May 4, 2007

After breakfast at our hotel, we set out to do the "outer Kora" circuit that passes by our hotel. Many pilgrims are walking by, so we just follow. When we aren't sure of the direction we wait and watch to see which direction they go.

We pass the mosque and streets we haven't walked before that have many shops. We are looking to find the shops the locals buy their prayer wheels and beads. Then on a corner we see shiny new prayer wheels of copper and silver with a local looking to buy. We stop, look at two, the shop owner indicates he makes them, and we find one we like. Patrick negotiates the price from 160 to 140 yuan.

We continue following the pilgrims and end up on a major street with computer stores. Patrick finds 5 sleeves for the DVDs after 2-3 attempts, there is no charge for them. Walking on, the pilgrims turn right down a narrow alley; there are people selling clay offerings of a pyramid shaped flat medallion about 1-2 inches with Buddha images, and prayer flags. Then we start to climb steps along a rock wall with thousands of painted Buddhas; some men are repainting/restoring some of the pictures. We are the only "foreigners" until we get to the end of the rock wall and there is a huge pyramid shaped monument with stone tablets. A Chinese tour group is walking clockwise around it. There are a couple of buildings with many many lighted candles and one huge prayer wheel with pilgrims prostrating and praying.

The walk continues back to a main street and then to the road that went in front of the Potala Palace. We try to get a bicycle taxi for 5 yuan, most want 10 and Patrick negotiated down to 7 yuan. Then one guy said he'd take us for 5 yuan, we don't think he knew where our hotel was located and midway he stops to re-negotiate the fare to 10 yuan per person. Patrick gave him 10 when we got out. We return to the Tashi for lunch after we mail our packages.

The China Post is very efficient and helpful. First, we did the big box of souvenirs, there is room left over so Patrick quickly goes out to buy Bob M. a Mountain Hardware jacket as a thank you. This fills up the box nicely. Bob is taking care of our finances and checking on the house while we are gone. After customs inspection, a man seals the box for us--it is amazing to watch him spin the box as he applies the tape. Patrick then bought an envelope to mail a DVD and is told he had to buy a box--which he did and then cut the box down to size.

We discover the Yak-Yak-Yak-Yak T-shirt Rachel bought for her mom ended up in the big box mailed home. On the way back to the hotel, we buy another one and Patrick returns to the PO to mail it to her mom. Rachel goes to the internet place to work on the newsletter. This is a huge one room with a hundred of computers. Most with kids playing games.

Our final dinner is again at the Dunya Restaurant for a yak sizzler. We need a good dinner after standing in line for an hour to get our passports with the Nepal visas. We arrived at 3:50pm at the consulate. Groups of 6-8 were let in at a time and escorted to another building where there is another 20minute wait. First, we enter a room, hand over our receipt to a boy behind a desk, he gives us our passports after he put a couple of stamps on it. Then we enter another room where a Nepalese dressed man interviews us for final approval.

We got 60 days on the visa.

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