Knockin' On Heaven's Door

Planning your first cross-border jaunt over The Himalaya? It might be incomplete without Lhasa, says Kinnari Shah

- Kinnari Shah

Have I ever dreamed of visiting one of the world’s highest cities? Set in a mountain-frilled valley, 12,000 feet above sea level? The answer is an enthusiastic, childlike yes. When my Kailash Mansarovar yatra was taking shape this July, Lhasa was a place that had showed up as an overland route option. So, agog with excitement, I grabbed the opportunity to visit the capital city of Tibet, part of the famous ‘rooftop of the world’. Home to holy sites like the Jokhang and Sera monasteries, Norbulingka Palace, and the Potala Palace (once the winter residence of the Holy Dalai Lama), Lhasa has always been a prominent name in the Himalaya.

The connecting flight via Kathmandu that lands at Lhasa’s Gonggar Airport is said to be one of the most scenic aerial routes in the world, with views of Everest on one side, as well as K2 on clearer days. There’s only one direct flight from Nepal to Lhasa in this sector. So even when the flying time between these two places is a mere one-and-a-half hours, flight rates run on the higher side. Most plains-people in India aren’t used to altitude increases in everyday flights, so it was thrilling to note our elevation jumping from 1,350 metres in Kathmandu to 3,650 metres in Lhasa.