September 22 Lhasa Tibet

We have truly entered a world very different from our own in Tibet. A brilliant blue sky overhead with bright white clouds as tall mountains surround us. The bus ride from the airport took us past fields of barley, a staple of the Tibetan diet and some herds of yak, another staple. We were lucky to be able to drop by the home of a typical rural family and saw their colourfully painted rooms with motifs that we have seen repeated in a variety of ways on so many other buildings and temples. The high altitude takes some adjusting but the cooler temperatures  are welcome though mid day in the sun is still quite warm. Buddhism truly defines Tibet and the streets are full of pilgrims prostrating themselves in the streets with others spinning elaborate prayer wheels as they walk along. We saw a very old temple and the summer palace of the Dalai Llama with some shopping in the market and a lunch that included yak curry.