Dear family and friends

 

Again thank you so much for your emails, loving and encouraging words.

 

I will respond to each of you when I get access to fast internet. All your emails are in a special "world tour" folder.

 

Today is our last day in Tibet. We spent 2 1/2 days in Lhasa, capital of Tibet. Fall weather is pleasant all the time, temperature is between 37-65 F. and  mountain air. We saw a lot of beauty on the way to Lhasa-mountains, lakes, very high passes, sunrises, sunsets.

 

Lhasa is a modern, thriving city with signs in 3 languages, Tibetan,  Chinese and English and constant signs of Chinese military presence. We visited the famous  winter palace of Dalai Lama- Patala with 1000 rooms and tons of gold on the roof, few monasteries, watched monk's discusions.

 

There are a lot of religious people around, chanting, walking with wheels of prayers, sticking money in every corner in the temples and monasteries.

 

Lhasa is full of beggars, old , women, children who hardly walk but  already

taught to say- 'give me money, give me money'.

 

I see 2 sides;great arhitectural structures which was built by few on the top   on the expenses of the misery of mass of people on the bottom and it is painfull.

 

In Tibet 70% are illiterate, life expectancy is 45 years.

 

Our week in Tibet was facinating, once in a life time experience, strenious

and beautiful, inspiring and upseting.

 

Tomorrow we are flying to mainland China- Xian.

 

Much love to all.