Shanghai'd

For a while there, we never thought we were going to make it to Lhasa at all given our visa troubles, but eventually we succeeded. Man, was it worth it. Lhasa is an incredible city: part traditional Tibetan village, part Chinese metropolis. There was an unmistakeable Chinese military presence everywhere, but surprisingly few tourists, either Chinese or foreigners. The paranoid Tibet Travel Permit process for foreigners undoubtedly has something to do with that, and I think many people are still (rightfully)hesitant to invest vacation time and money into such a schizophrenic destination (we want foreign investment and tourism ... no, we want isolation and privacy).

I digress. Lhasa is a beautiful, photogenic city that I can only attempt to do justice with these photos.