Lhasa - Potola Palace - Visit with local seamstress - Orphanage

The Potala Palace sits upon a hill in Lhasa. You can see it from across the city.  

Yak meat was the primary protein here.  It was quite good, but no, it didn't taste like chicken!  Closer to beef.  Yak butter tea was the drink of choice for locals and yak butter was also used as fuel for the candles in the monastaries.  Yak wool is spun for cloth. 

This is our group of 19 Canadians and Americans with our Chinese Tour Guide, Zhu Zion. 

Dennis and JudyResting on our way up the 350 steps at 12,400 elevation!!The view from the top of the palace was beautiful overlooking the whole city.  Pictures were not allowed inside the palace.

We visited the home of a seamstress/tailor. 

Three generations lived and worked there.Living Room

The kitchen was clean, neat, small and simple.

Most homes have a space devoted to religion/shrine.

Boiling water made easy Tibet was less polluted than China and the sun shone most days. 

We had a really big thunder and lightning storm one night that was fun to watch.

The kids at the orphanage we visited appeared clean and seemed happy.  This little darling was a twin and youngest at 15 months old.

They were obviously short on material possessions.

 It was not a school day and the kids were outside screaming and running as all kids do.

This was one of the girls dorm rooms. 

There are 149 children from 15 months to 22 years. 

They teach the disabled kids old style crafts such as paper making and traditional shoe making.They won't adopt out of Tibet until they are at least 12 years old and understand their Tibetian heritage.