Asian Adventure: Lhasa - Potala Palace

Asian Adventure: Roof of the World Tour Overview
Asian Adventure: Cathay Pacific B777-300ER Business Class San Francisco to Hong Kong
Asian Adventure: Cathay Pacific Lounge Review: The Cabin at HKG
Asian Adventure: Cathay Dragon A330-300 Business Class Hong Kong to Beijing
Asian Adventure: Regent Beijing Hotel
Asian Adventure: Beijing - Dongcheng District
Asian Adventure: Beijing - The Great Wall
Asian Adventure: Beijing - Run-ze Jade Garden
Asian Adventure: Beijing - The Sacred Way of the Ming Tombs
Asian Adventure: Beijing - The Legend of Kung Fu
Asian Adventure: Beijing - Tiananmen Square
Asian Adventure: Beijing - The Forbidden City
Asian Adventure: Beijing - Hutong Tour via Rickshaw, Tea Tasting, Flying to Xi’an
Asian Adventure: Hotel Shangri-La Xi’an
Asian Adventure: Xi’an - Qing Dynasty Terra Cotta Warriors
Asian Adventure: Xi’an - Tang Dynasty Dinner and Show
Asian Adventure: Xi’an Wrap-Up, Flying to Lhasa, Lhasa Home Visit
Asian Adventure: Shangri-La Hotel Lhasa
Asian Adventure: Lhasa - Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Market
Asian Adventure: Lhasa - Canggu Nunnery and Sera Monastery
Asian Adventure: Lhasa - Potala Palace
Asian Adventure: Leaving Lhasa and Flying to Chongqing
Asian Adventure: Viking Emerald
Asian Adventure: Shibaozhai Temple
Asian Adventure: Cruising the Three Gorges
Asian Adventure: Three Gorges Dam
Asian Adventure: Jingzhou City Walls Tour
Asian Adventure: Wuhan - Hubei Bells Performance and Provincial Museum
Asian Adventure: Shanghai - Shanghai Museum
Asian Adventure: Fairmont Peace Hotel, Shanghai
Asian Adventure: Shanghai - Old Shanghai and Yuyan Gardens
Asian Adventure: The New Otani Tokyo Hotel
Asian Adventure: Tokyo - City Tour
Asian Adventure: Mt. Fuji and Hakone Tour Returning by Shinkansen
Asian Adventure: ANA Suites Lounge Review, Tokyo Narita
Asian Adventure: All Nippon Airways B777-300ER First Class Tokyo Narita to Houston

It was time for the big test in Lhasa: the climb to the Potala Palace, home to Dalai Lamas for centuries.  Did our two nights in the city help us acclimate well enough to make it to the top?  For some of us the answer was a resounding no and those folks stayed at the hotel.  Others rode the bus with us, took some photos and made it to the lower plaza near the main entrance before deciding they'd had enough.  The rest of us made the climb and fortunately none of us had issues.

Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, the palace is named for Mount Potalaka, the mythical residence of a being that embodies compassion.  The Fifth Dalai Lama ordered its construction, which began in 1645.  The palace exterior walls are an average of 3 meters thick and are 5 meters thick at the base.  The building stands thirteen stories tall and contains over 1000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and 200,000 statues.

As we approached the street-level entrance, our guides pointed out a lovely photo angle.  I'm quite pleased with this photo; I think it's one of my best from the trip.

Potala Palace from street level

We walked along the street until we were directly in front of the center of the palace and then made our way up the walk until we were inside the walls at yet another plaza.  Here's where that walk up to the top started looking more challenging.

Hmm...that really is way up there

At this point some of the group turned back and the rest of us began the climb.  We were constantly told to take our time so we didn't pass out due to lack of oxygen.  Even those of us in the best aerobic shape were very deliberate about their pace.

Starting the climb, taking it slow and easy

The walk was a series of switchbacks across the front of the palace.  As it turned out, the point where the path switched directions proved to be an excellent place to stop and catch our breath.  Even our Tibetan guide was breathing heavily by the time we reached the top.  But we were fortunate to have such lovely weather not only on this day but the whole time we were in Lhasa.

It seemed steeper by the minute

Being close to the wall did allow to have great views of the area.  This plaza is across the street from the front of the palace.

Potala Plaza

We'd finally made it to the upper plaza.  If you look back at the photos of the palace we had climbed to the level of the second set of windows in the white wall below the red portion of the palace.  We walked through this doorway which was painted in the familiar red, yellow and blue colors we saw elsewhere in the city.  On either side were murals of, I assume, the Dalai Lamas of the past.  There is amazing detail in these paintings.

Exterior Doorway

Former Dalai Lamas, I presume

After walking through that doorway we found ourselves on a plaza that sold water and souvenirs from stalls on either side of the plaza.  Since we were at altitude the sun feels much stronger here and these quilts were hung in front of the shops to help keep them cool.

The quilts are beautiful and functional

Here we could also see the White Palace, which contains the living quarters, offices, the seminary and the printing house for the monks who live here.  This is the area we'd be touring and once we climbed those steps to enter, we had a time limit for the length of time we could be inside.

The White Palace

Like in the Jokhang Temple, no photographs were allowed inside which is probably what helps keep the tours moving along.  We transitioned from the White Palace to the Red Palace (seen in the first photo at the very top), which is an area devoted to religious study and Buddhist prayer.  Within the building are a number of different levels and we were constantly climbing up and down a few steps at a time and occasionally up or down longer staircases.  Also in the Red Palace are the stupas - tombs containing relics - of Dalai Lamas number Five through Thirteen.  The current Dalai Lama is number Fourteen.

We exited the Palace on the opposite side from where we'd entered and were treated to views of different parts of the city.

View of Lhasa from the palace

We wrapped up our day with another meal at the hotel buffet and got our bags packed for our flight to Chongqing (chong-ching).  There we'd board the Viking Emerald and begin the cruise portion of our trip.