Kali-Shua, Tibet

(posted with a 24 hour delay due to server interupption in Lhasa)

This is my last post from Tibet. My flight leaves in a few hours. I just got back from my last swing around the Barkhor kora. I left my camera in my bag and just walked around absorbing everything; the shy but curious stares of the pilgrims, the sneaky grins from the little kids, the confidant greetings of the eager vendors, the spicey scent of the temple incense, the red-blue-yellow-green-white-pink rainbow of scarves, sweaters, jewlery and everything (blenders! baseball caps!) else being sold. What a magical place!



My bag is packed but I'm not ready to go. There are plenty of places I wasn't able to visit in my short stay here, but more than that I really feel like I could (and would love to) stay here in Lhasa for days yet- just watching the people and searching for more tucked away pockets of old, original Tibet. I know much of Tibet and Tibetan culture has been flushed away and destroyed by the Chinese, but what remains is inspiring and beautiful. My stay here has been too short, but its been a very cool introduction.