![\"IMG_2527\"](\"http:\/\/gordonandjudy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/IMG_2527.jpg\")
<\/a>My first view of Tibet!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>The view from the plane as we near the ground.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>My Tibetan welcome scarf<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Ready for the adventure with Josie and Steve<\/p><\/div>\n
The next leg of the journey is a 65 km drive to Lhasa itself. The scenery is striking as we make the drive through the Yalong and Lhasa Valleys. The Himalayan Mountains surround us. On the outskirts of Lhasa, we have to pass through another security check of our passports and travel permit. We\u2019re staying in the Dekang Hotel. It\u2019s in the old part of town. It\u2019s an older hotel, but clean. It definitely has a Tibetan touch.<\/p>\n
View from the room<\/p><\/div>\n After checking in, the plan is to eat dinner, then relax and acclimate to the altitude. Everything I\u2019ve read, and anyone I\u2019ve talked to, mentions altitude sickness. We\u2019ve been taking some Tibetan herbs for 5 days, so with rest, hydration, and the herbs, maybe we\u2019ll be ok.<\/p>\n We walk down the street, eager to check out Lhasa. About 100 meters down the street, we find a little local restaurant. The menu looks ok, so we sit down for a dinner of duck, vegetables, Kung Pao chicken, and rice. The duck is different than the Peking duck we\u2019re used to seeing in Beijing. It\u2019s deep fried and crispy, instead of thin-sliced and served with the small pancakes. It\u2019s also served with the duck head. I guess we could eat it, but none of us were interested. The food was really good, and a great way to start off our Lhasa visit.<\/p>\n Our crispy Tibetan duck arrives.<\/p><\/div>\n It comes complete with the head!<\/p><\/div>\n Our table full of food<\/p><\/div>\n Steve, our cook, and Josie<\/p><\/div>\n Back in the room, everything was fine, except I couldn\u2019t find the heat controls. It\u2019s supposed to get down to 25 degrees tonight. The room is already cold. I guess there isn\u2019t any heat? I\u2019m not sure why? Maybe after a certain time of the year, the heaters are taken out? I guess I\u2019ll find out tomorrow morning. This is sorta reminiscent of some of the ski cabins I\u2019ve stayed in. Under the blanket is fine, but the room is chilly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today starts like any other Thursday when I\u2019m teaching early classes, up at 5:00, getting ready to leave around 6:15. But today I\u2019m headed for the airport and Tibet. I\u2019m pretty pumped about this trip. Tibet has always seemed like … Continue reading <\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>