Alongside the road from the airportsintosLhasa, on a cliff above a small lake, is a large colourful painting of the Buddha. It is there to protect travellers. I stopped and watched in fascination as many pilgrims holding prayer wheels walked past in the direction of the city. Nearby a sign read "Welcome to Lhasa". In the distance I saw the vast, golden-roofed, white and red Potala Palace perched majestically on its rocky outcrop, the 130 metre high Red Hill (Marpo Ri). Often at this point on the highway pilgrims call out prayers before finally entering the Holy City.

　　Initially I was amazed how modern and impressive this city of 300,000 people appeared with wide, straight boulevards and many smart buildings. Much of this area was built in the last 40 years and a considerable amount of new house, office, educational and hotel building is presently underway. However, my reasons for being there lay mainly in the old historic city.

　　I first went to Potala Square, the centre of the city. Sitting by a small lake that reflected the massive structure of the Potala Palace I thought how wonderful it was to be there. I was finally in Lhasa - the fulfilment of a lifetime's ambition. Soft music was playing somewhere behind me. I had a feeling of real happiness. I did very little that first day except dream - a dream had come true.

　　Next morning I woke up early. I was feeling light-headed and a little breathless. After all at 3,650 metres I was in one of the World's highest cities. The sky was an intense blue - a result of the altitude and the low humidity. It was really beautiful. Outside my window hundreds of pilgrims were already slowly making their way clockwise around what was once the Old City. They were following the 8km long Lingkhor Pilgrim Circuit or 'Kora'. With ceaseless devotion many spun large hand-held prayer wheels while others did a series of full body length prostrations. This custom of making clockwise circuits or perambulations is deep-rooted in Tibetan tradition. Pilgrims not only walk around temples and monasteries, but also around sacred mountains lakes and islands. The more circuits accomplished the greater will be the blessing the pilgrim receive.

　　The Potala Palace is the very symbol of Lhasa and indeed of Tibet. Many times, from locations in and around the city I was struck by the way it appeared to dominate the entire area. Built between 1645 and 1693 during the Fifth Dalai Lamas reign it became the Winter Palace when the Norbulingka was opened as the Summer Palace of the 7th Dalai Lama in 1755. The 13th Dalai Lama undertook considerable expansion to its present size in the early 20th century. A lot of restoration work has been undertaken recently to maintain its original glory.

　　The Potala proved to be a massive, awe-inspiring structure with so many rooms and prayer halls crowded with chanting pilgrims spinning individual prayer wheels while fingering long chains of heavy beads. At every shrine they bowed, prayed and gave offerings either of money or grain. Many women had thick braided hair and wore heavy costumes. Some gave the traditional greeting of "Tashi dele" ("hello"). The aroma of yak butter filled the air.

　　I discovered that there are actually two palaces. The earlier Potrang Karpo or 'White Palace' and the later Potrang Marpo or 'Red Palace'. Between is a smaller yellow section. I explored the main hallswheresthe Dalai Lamas held meetings and another hall containing the stupas or tombs of the former Dalai Lamas. Racks of religious books or sutras lined the walls.

　　I visited the chambers, or rooms, of the former Dalai Lamas - the reception room, places for meditation and living rooms. Then I went out onto the roof with its many magnificent gilded symbols of the Yellow Hat sect of Buddhism. It provided panoramic views of the city across to the Lhasa River. Below was Potala Square with its park and lake. The white chortens marking the original Western Gate stood below Chagpo Ri (Iron Mountain). The view also revealed a modern Lhasa spreading westwards with many medium-sized buildings. To the east lay the older traditional areas of white-painted two floor buildings.

　　A long series of walkways led down the front of the Palace to a gate at the former village of Shol. Outside along the wall hundreds of pilgrims followed the Potala Kora (circuit). Lined with countless prayer wheels it encircles the Palace. It was a Tibetan religious festival day when I was there. I started walking anti-clockwise and was soon politely told I should be walking clockwise! There were incredible contrasts - elderly lamas in traditional maroon robes spinning prayer wheels, young girls in western-style dress, long-haired boys wearing baseball caps and sun glasses, women with children strapped to their backs. Several pilgrims prostrated themselves in front of the main entrance to the Potala.

　　In a small hall on the circuit young monks chanted Buddhist sutras. From an incense burner smoke drifted around golden prayer wheels and shrines. The air was thick with incense. Another small bustling hall had a large prayer wheel continually being turned by the crowds. The sound of chanting from monks sitting outside drifted through the air.

　　Near the halls many Moslem traders had set up stalls selling food especially spicy kebabs. Others sold domestic implement, household goods, baskets and reams of cloth.

　　I went along the broad Dekyi Nub Lan to the white chortens at the city's former western gateway. Pilgrims symbolically walked through them. I climbed up nearby Chagpo Ri (Iron Hill) for a panoramic view of the Potala.

　　Behind the Potala is a small park. Around a pond were several traditional tings or pavilions. On the water families played in small peddle boats. Others rode on a giant ferris wheel. An elementary schoolsgroupswereshavingsa picnic. Three Tibetan women with children strapped to their backs sat beside me on a wall beside the lake. One had highly braided hair and many coloured bands on her head. I was feeling very happy and could have stayed in the warm sunshine all day, but there was much more to see.

　　In the afternoon I went to the Barkhor Square and explored the Jokhang Temple (Tsuglhakhang). Crowds of pilgrims thronged the forecourt. Paving stones outside the entrance were worn smooth by centuries of devotions and prostrations. The Jokhang's supreme importance over other temples and monasteries is due to its many revered shrines and sacred statuary. It was the first temple in Lhasa, the holiest site in the city and the most revered religious structure in Tibet. It dates back to the 7th century although little remains from that period - only a few carved pillars and the entrance arches.

　　Construction of the temple was started by King Songsten Gampo (AD 608 - 50) to house a Buddhist image, Akshobhya. It came to Tibet as part of a set of gifts for marrying a Nepalese girl, Princess Bhrikuti. His Chinese wife, Princess Wen Cheng, brought another statue, of the historical Buddha Jowo Sakyamuni from Chang'an. The two princesses were both Buddhist and they converted the king from the ancient Bon faith to Buddhism. He built the first Potala on the Red Hill for the women to live in. The Jokhang Temple faces a different direction from others in Lhasa. It faces towards Nepal - reflecting the way Buddhism arrived with the help of Princess Bhrikuti.

　　Going through a wooden doorway symbolically protected by four great 'Guardian Kings' I reached an ancient courtyard. This formed the main assembly hall or 'dukhang'. Open to the sky, it was lined with rows of butter lamps constantly being topped up with oil by many chanting pilgrims. Crowds of worshipers were also silently making body-length prostrations towards the holy sanctum containing the most precious object in Tibet - the original statue of Sakyamuni. Adding to the sheer magic of this atmospheric scene groups of monks in their maroon robes sat on stone steps.

　　Accompanied by a lama who spoke excellent English I entered the main prayer hall. It has undergone extensive recent reconstruction. Pilgrims inched their way through the low wooden doorways and along the narrow passages in semi-darkness relieved only by flickering butter lamps. The floor was slippery with butter droppings. Murals on the wall showed Wen Cheng's arrival in Tibet with the statue of Sakyamuni. In the middle of the hall are six important larger-than-life statues including Maitreya the future Buddha; the 1,000 armed Avalokiteshvara and a six-metre high statue of Guru Rinpoche.

　　Around the walls of the hall were many cubicles protected by heavy metal chains. Inside were some of the most important shrines in Tibet. The supreme shrines are the huge gilded image of Sakyamuni and the altars with images of King Songtsen Gampo and his wives. Many were covered with white hada scarves which are traditionally used in Tibetan ceremonial greetings. Wooden ceiling beams were also carved with human-faced lions - apparently an indication of cultural and religious contact with ancient Persia.

　　I went upstairs to the roof that was crowned with many golden symbols of Tibetan Buddhism. The most important being the two deer holding the Wheel of Dharma. It recalls the Buddha's first sermon that was held in a deer park. The views from the roof over the Barkhor Square and across to the Potala were incredible, indeed totally stunning.

　　The Barkhor Square was filled with stalls selling butter lanterns, prayer wheels, long rolls of cloth for making the traditional Tibetan clothes, hats, incense sticks, jewel-encrusted daggers, beautifully decorative thankas and many painting of the Potala Palace. I bought hand-held prayer wheels and followed the 800 metres Barkhor Kora clockwise between white painted stone buildings. It goes round the Jokhang Temple and is the city's most significant circuit. It was lined with countless stalls and thronged with prayer-wheel spinning pilgrims walking past prostrating monks.

　　After leaving the Barkhor area I went to a garden cafe by the lake below the Potala - a good place to reflect on all the memories of a wonderful day in Lhasa. Constantly I had the magnificent view of the Palace rising above me. It was a beautiful warm and sunny afternoon which enhanced my feeling of happiness at being here.

　　Next morning after breakfast I visited the former Summer Palace of the Dalai Lamas, the Norbulingka (Jewel Park). Situated in the west end of Lhasa, it is now a pleasant woodland park. The first palace to be built there was created by the seventh Dalai Lama in 1755 as a summer base. Every year one of the great highlights in Lhasa was the procession of the Dalai Lamas and their staff from the Potala to the Norbulingka. The palace has been extended several times since then. The New Summer Palace (Takten Migyu Potrang) was completed in 1956.

　　I went inside. Murals on the walls of reception rooms showed the history of Buddhism in Tibet in 301 scenes. Starting with the Sakyamuni Buddha, they told the story from the building of the great monasteries right up to the reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama. I wandered through the formerly private quarters which included a meditation room, living room, bedroom (with European-style bed), a room with an original Phillips radio, the throne room and the bathroom. There was also an assembly hall with a golden throne.

　　Five km northeast from the city is the Sera Monastery. Along with Drepung this was one of Lhasa's two great Gelugpa monasteries. Sakya Yeshe, a disciple of the revered Buddhist teacher Tsongkhapa, founded it in 1419. Today it is an important centre of Buddhist study. Hearing many loud voices, I wentsintosa courtyard shaded by broad trees. Large groups of maroon-robed monks sat or stood under the trees debating and laughing a lot. They were discussing Buddhist philosophy. Many were fingering long strands of prayer beads, snapping their fingers or slapping their hands to emphasise points. There were also several young boys there who were training to be lamas. I chatted with some, took photographs and had a lot of friendship. A lecture for the monks from a senior lama was about to start. At that point I left and walked up to a prayer hall that was undergoing extensive renovation and reconstruction. Local workers were up on the roof working and singing Buddhist songs - a custom I saw in many parts of Tibet. Nearby was a traditional chanting hall illuminated by many butter lamps. One of its many shrines was dedicated to a Japanese monk who had been a lama at the monastery.

　　I followed a path behind the halls which led towards some murals painted on the rocks. Across the wide valley the distance jagged mountain peaks averaging over 4,800 metres surrounding Lhasa reminded me somehow of my native Scotland. Below was the modern city with the occasional high-rise building. Dominating the scene was the spectacular sight of the Potala Palace sitting on its red crag. In the foreground directly below me were several prayer halls with their white walls, black framed square windows and roofs topped with faluns and the wheel of life. The gilded roofs glittered in the bright sunshine. Most buildings also had bundles of brightly coloured prayer flags rising from their roofs. From somewhere below I could here the chants of the monks while above me lines of pilgrims were also following the Sera Kora (pilgrimage circuit) clockwise around the monastery.

　　Following the path higher I came to a tall white wall that was used for 'Sunning the Buddha'. During The Tibetan New Year Festival a giant 'Thanka' or tapestry of the Buddha is extended down the face of the wall. Surrounding it again were several brightly coloured rock paintings with religious messages in Tibetan script (Tibetan has an alphabet with 30 characters). The largest paintings showed Tsongkhapa and Guru Rinpoche.

　　Looking farther up the mountain slopes I could see two monastic retreats, the Choding Hermitage and much higher up the Sera Utse. These were caves used centuries ago for long periods of private study by the teacher Tsongkhapa. Many prayer flags dotted the surrounding hills. Eagles flew overhead.

　　In the evening I returned to Lhasa and went back to the city centre. I walked along a main shopping street, Yuthok Lam, lined with department stores, international clothes boutiques and also the Xinhua Book Store. Lhasa now has so many modern buildings that contrast with the traditional images of the city. The young western-dressed Tibetans, in the fast food restaurants, trendy coffee shops, internet cafes and beauty salons also contrast with the older generations in their heavy traditional clothes walking slowly past outside.

　　Eventually I reached Potala Square and sat for a long time looking up at the Palace. I thought about this great city, with its palaces, temples and traditional life and the contrasts with modern life today. I also thought that my journey through Tibet was only starting, many more adventures and experiences lay ahead.