There have been so many news stories this week that it is hard to pick one to write about.   Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of our invasion of Iraq.  The stock market has had another big week of losses and gains.  Severe flooding continues in the mid-west.  The list goes on and on.

(I woite this on March 20, 2008.)

And then there's the uprising in Tibet. 

Having visited Tibet two and a half years ago, I thought I would share a little of my trip there.  I had very mixed feelings about going.  In fact, the trip to Tibet was part of a longer trip to China.  Knowing the circumstances surrounding China's rule of Tibet made me uneasy about visiting China.  

China is a country that I have wanted to see since I was a young girl and it was now or never.  I went in part because this particular trip also afforded me the opportunity to visit Tibet.

It was quite a drive from the airport to the city of Lhasa and on the way we saw a number of farmers and their families working in the fields.  As you can see, the conditions are still pretty primitive.  Can you imagine farming like this?  No John Deere's in sight!

Tibet is located on the Tibetan Plateau, the world's highest region. The plateau is about 14,000 feet high which causes problems for many visitors.  We were on medication prior to flying to Tibet and while there to combat the effects of the altitude.  It still managed to lay me low one day, the only time on my 21 day trip.  I was also not as full of life according to my fellow travelers.  They were very happy to see me return to "normal" once we reached lower ground.

Most of the Himalaya mountain range lies within Tibet. Unfortunately we were not able to see Mount Everest.  It is always the case, no matter where I seem to go I am always looking over the fence, or in this case the mountains, thinking that's where I want to go also.  Maybe one day.

We stayed in Lhasa, the traditional capital and also the capital of what the Chinese government calls the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).  We were able to visit the Potala Palace, the home of the Dalai Lama prior to his exile in India, which is pictured here. 

Potala Palace is a World Heritage site and it is easy to understand why.  The size alone is amazing.  It covers approximately 34 acres and it makes you wonder how they were able to build such a structure given the equipment and tools that must have been used.  It is hard to imagine.  And, imagine is exactly what I have to do as the day of this excursion was my "down" day.  Can you believe flying thousands of miles and missing such an opportunity.  What are the chances of my every getting back there.  Oh well, I did get this photo of the exterior though so I must be content.

My next post will show photos of shops, people, goods, and architecture. (I'm sneaking one in here now.) 

I hope you enjoy my "return trip" to this unique country.  

If you ever have a chance to visit Tibet please take it.  You will find yourself transported to a very different place and, in many ways, a very different time.