Day 10 - last day

day 10

Today we ready fly to Beijing from lhasa airport.
At lhasa Airport, I found things so small , small airport , small book store and small resto. Dramatically but still so mysterious.

On Flight
I always slept on the flight - feel so good because of my travel pillow – nice excuse ya…… actually I always easily fall asleep hahahaha
The flight was pleasant from lhasa to Beijing.

When was my last time in Beijing?
Its Feb 15 2007 from Beijing back to Jakarta , WOW . It is incredible that I didn't set my foot in Beijing for about one and half year. It was a long time ago. in 2008 I am back again , I have a lot of friends in Beijing, but I don't know they can meet for reunion or not coz may be they go out for vacation but I try to contact with them and make a reunion.

Stepping out of the airport, we began to decided how we should go to downtown. Taxi station is on the left hand and the airport bus stop is on the right.

OUR CHOICE : RIGHT
Our destination is Zhong Guan Chun terminal , it’s the near to tsing hua univ and wu dao kou area , and we take a bus from there to reka’s house.

Why we choose the airport bus ?
1. its cheap … only RMB 16 and we don’t have many luggage
2. To avoid MR Un-Fortune taxy driver , coz its already 8.30 pm and we don’t want he take us round and around also pretend he don’t know wu dao kou area.
3. The bus large with large seat and it is also fast.
4. Maybe outside still traffic jam

Beijing changed a lot, I would say I am so impressed by Beijing again after last visit about one and half year ago. The roads are better, new subway – yeah… and cheap ticket too - , new building to shopping and also new metro from airport to everywhere

It takes about 45 minutes to get reka’s house

Arriving at reka’s house , it is already 9:30 PM we sleeping in reka’s house for few days . I am feeling good and starving too. We meet we balaz , he from hungary same with reka. So if they talk with their language I feel they argue each other…hahahaha but its not.

Oh… thanks to reka for feed us with BBQ street… yummy… I still cant believe I try food street again and also reka said we must run away if police come because if forbidden to sell the food in the street… GOSH…I am tired , starving and I must run too ? but thanks to God no police patrol in this area.

We eat , eat and eat that night .i don’t realize it 1:30 AM now. I think it is the time to go to bed .

day 10

ini adalah hari terakhir gitu di lhasa

ga kerasa , hari ini free day. di jemput buat ke airport sekitar jam 11 siang.
semalem itu giliran lin yang tepar , tidur mulu sampe pagi.
akhirnya pagi ini kita seger buger deh.... pagi nya kita pengen coba sarapan di hotel tapi karena kita ke ruang makannya udah sekitar jam 8 an gitu , ga dapet makanan lagi , cuma minum aer hanget ..tapi itu kayanya aer panas deh buat minum vitamin.

jalan jalan ke bakhor lagi , beli singing bowl,prayer flags, gantungan kunci mini , dll

abis itu buru buru balik ke hotel , siap siap .

dari jam 11 kita ke airport lama seh jalanannya.... sekitar 1 jam an , cerahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh banget tapi kita sedih, waktu kita nyampe pengennya cepet cepet ke beijing , giliran beberapa jam lagi ke beijing malah pengen lebih lama lagi di sini


nahhhhhhhhhhhhh pas nyampe di bandara , uda pada ngantriiiiiiiiiii karna bandaranya tuh kecil banget , kita nganti bersama teriknya matahari , HUH
panas boooo

trus bt nya lagi jam flight nya kita tuh di ganti jadi jam 4 sore , bt kan mustinya jam 2 an gitu.
tau gitu kan kita masih punya banyak waktu jalan jalan

ya udah . di bandara kita makan siang.. seperti biasa mie lagi ..... ngob - ngob ga jelas... jelas seh obrolannya misalnya , yg harus kita lakukan waktu di beijing....
1. makan di issin
2. makan di resto korea bbq yang katanya lin lin mirip sama bbq nya di phil
3. makan di resto korea bbq xiong jia
4.makan di tonkatsu
5.ke wudaokou clothes market
6. ke yong an li , mau beli dompet dll trusssssssss g pengen beli dompet itu seharga 30rmb , biarin di buka harga 300 rmb , harus dapet 30 rmb hahahaha
7. liat liat park olympic
8. jalan jalan di tsing hua uni..,,,
9. beli dvd bajakan harganya sekitar 8 atau 7 rmb
10 ke houhai , bei hai , dll

kita naek pesawat tuh jam 3 an , stop over di chong qing gitu dah jam 6 sore.
nyampe di airport beijing dah jam 9 an malem , tunggu bagasi lamaaaaaaaaaaaaa bener

akhirnya kita masih ada bus airport yang ke zhong guan cun juga , lumayan la... harganya masih rmb 16

dari zhong guang cun tuh dah deket sama tsinghua , deket juga sama tempat reka dari sana kita baru naek taxy . hemat hahahah karna duitnya buat makan ama jalan jalan deh.

dari bandara ke zhong guan cun tuh jauh banget... 1 jam lebih deh lewatin olympic park juga , dari sana ke tempat reka deket udah malem jadi ga macet cuma sekita 15rmb ,

akhirnyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ketemua juga rumah reka , itu dah jam 11 lewat deh..capeeeeeeeeeeeeee banget ternyata di sana tuh ada temen dia juga namanya balaz orang hungaria juga

dulu tuh orang ga aneh seperti skrang , tapi ga tau deh cuma g yang ngerasa apa lin ngerasa juga

menjelang tengah malem reka traktir kita yang rou chuanrrrrrrrrrrrrr semacem sate gitu isi nya bisa sayap ayam , roti mantou , jamur , selada , daging sapi , ayam , kambing , hati dll deh dibakar semua pake bumbu bumbu yang beijing banget...ahhahahaah kita seh bilangnya gitu bumbu beijing

kenyanggggggggggggggggggggggggggg soalnya di traktir.. jadi makan sepuasnya... hhahaha ngobrol kita.. g sampe ga nyangka bisa balik ke beijing lagi , makan mulu kerjaannya..

abis itu kita pulang.. capeeeeeeeeeee tidur , kita di kasih tempat tidurnya si reka , sebenernya tidur di sofa seh gpp , abis uda hemat hotel hahahaha selama temen nawarin tidur di tempat dia ya.. kita ayo aja..

Day 6 - Lhasa "Journey To The West"

Sept 28 2008
Lhasa - Elevation 3700m

On Monday morning we met our guide down in the lobby at 8 at the lobby , our first stop for in Lhasa – the heart and soul of Tibet - is the famous Polata palace –the winter palace of the Dalai Lama a vast white and ochre fortress soaring over one of the world’s highest cities-. We walked from our hotel to Potala Palace. It little bit col and rainy this morning but the atmosphere around Potala Palace is indescribable.

Potala Palace , It’s the centerpiece of Lhasa and also all over Tibet, Tibetans –tibet people- come inside the Potala for prayer or round the pilgrims every day.
Having been here less than 24 hours and now we must climbed all of the steps to the top , Its kill us !!!!.

I Saw so many many many many stairs along the wall to reach the mail building at the top. Its so tired , but slowly finally we reached the top
The views from the top of the palace are also spectacular as you can see all of Lhasa below with the snow capped mountains in the background.
The view from midway up the steps

Our last picture , before line up to enter the Potala Palace
After seeing many , many , many , many and many rooms to the palace and Photography is not allowed inside the chapels , we walked down from the back of the Palace.

All of the doors in the palaces have this kind of braided handle. The five colors are to represent the five elements.
Its 11 am when we finished our Potala tour , I didn’t expected my stomach began to hurt and I know I cant enjoy the journey anymore because its getting worse and worse. Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Go down from Potala , we met again our guide.

We promptly stopped for lunch around Barkhor area called MAKYEAME – means beautifull woman in Tibetan language- the foods not really good , but from upstairs we can saw area around Barkhor . We ordered soups , momo (dumplings filled with vegetables or yak met) , thukpa – noodles with meat –, cha ngamo -sweet milky tea- and some India food. We there until 2 pm and thanks to God my stomach not really hurt anymore and the mlky tea was so GOOD.

Views from second floor Makyeame
Our stop is the Barkhor , is essentially a kora –pilgrim circuit- that proceeds clock wise around the periphery of the Jokhang Temple.


All along the the pilgrim circuit are shops, stalls , tea houses and hawkes. They selling so many variety , prayer flags , tibet singing bowls, Tibetan boots , nepales biscuit , yak butter , juniper incense, turquoise jewelry and prayer wheels.
There were monks , women , children sitting in the streets with beats in their hand and start to praying , and many people give them money too. It’s a very common way of praying.
The golden – roofed Jokhang Temple is 1300 years old and is TIBET’S HOLIEST SHRINE. I saw in front of the temple there were dozens of Tibetans prostrating. They had pads underneath them and they would bend to their knees, stretch out on their stomach, come back to knees, stand up with their hands together, reach their hands to the sky, and then repeat it over and over again.
Like inside the potala place no photography allowed ,Inside the temple was lit by candles, was very cozy and warm.


I feel power and spirituality from the prayes surrounding the temple. we are lines to enter each room , They praying with many ways , some of them were holding prayer wheels chanting and repeat om mani padme hum, the other people they carried yak butter to pour into the candle holders or just bring small money 1 mao to put in in the stupa. So I can saw so many money from other country , I saw money from Indonesia too.

We returned to the Hotel around 3 pm , and the rest of the day was spent in bed with watching Korean love movie as ussual a love triangle hahahaha and I trying to find way to make my stomach feel better. After slept for 2 hours, 6.30 pm we go out in the street and take some photos in front of Potala Palace AGAIN until 8 pm.

Second day in Lhasa so impressing , It’s even more impressive than it looks in pictures.