Walking higher through the monastery's grounds, considerable renovation work appeared underway. Again I went into some halls, with their mostly white exterior walls, black framed square windows and rooftops adorned with glittering gilded features such as the "Wheel of Life". Within the halls, the now familiar yak butter lamps, sandalwood aroma and quiet chanting. However I wanted to walk and soon headed up a path, passing murals painted onto rocks with bundles of prayer flags nearby. I reached the Sera Kora where many people continued to walk clockwise around the monastery. A tall white wall rose in front of me, used for "Sunning the Buddha" ceremonies with a giant thangka during the Tibetan New Year Festival. High above, more prayer flags adorned hillsides.

I was in Lhasa at the start of an incredible journey that would take me both to the Base Camp of Mount Everest (Qomolangma) while also traversing some relatively little visited parts of Tibet. At that time much of Tibet was still developing. Travel was both adventurous and indeed, hard! It was good spending a couple of days simply relaxing in Lhasa at the culmination of my Tibet experience. Naturally I had been spellbound by the city's classic iconic reminders of my youthful dreams. However I also discovered a pleasant small but modern city to walk around. This was something I did at every opportunity including sitting at outdoor cold drink stalls or evenings relaxing in smart coffee shops. In Lhasa I had also experienced a diverse range of cuisine from Tibetan, including local yoghurts, to spicy Sichuan and a fascinating range of international dishes from popular traveler cafes. I appreciated finding places where I could relax on an outdoor terrace to look across the city as evening fell while literally "letting time drift by". There I thought of my early ambition, then seemingly unachievable, to reach Lhasa. But from Lhasa an onward journey lay ahead that would take me through some of the world's most dramatic scenery, often a far cry from the comforts that Lhasa had provided.

Chorten at former west gate into Lhasa 2000.  [Photo by Bruce Connolly/chinadaily.com.cn]

Lhasa seen from Potala Palace 2000.  [Photo by Bruce Connolly/chinadaily.com.cn]