KEY POINTS:
As the exiled Dalai Lama visits New Zealand, John Moyle journeys to the spiritual leader's ancestral home
Arriving in Lhasa is like arriving in no other destination in the world. The massive, newly built Lhasa station is bathed in an eerie glow that bleeds off into the clear night sky, dotted with bright stars that seem a whole lot closer. And for most non-Tibetans, the altitude of 3600m makes even the smallest exertion seem an insurmountable effort.
But then our journey here, on Quinghai-Tibet Railways' train N917, has been like no other, either.
As it pulls away from the Xining platform at 10.30pm, we are already at 3000m, the atmosphere so rare that a new moon lights up the barren landscape like a late-afternoon sun.
The temperature outside is already dropping below zero as we begin our climb to the "Roof of the World". As the ground temperature keeps plunging, inside our modern carriages with their own oxygen supply and heating, we are well protected from the harsh outside elements.
Joining us on the 26-hour journey are around 800 fellow passengers, an intriguing mix of native Tibetans, colourful nomads of indeterminable origins, Chinese soldiers and a few adventurous westerners.
To reach Lhasa, we must travel 1972km, pass 45 stations, and climb to 5100m at the world's highest station at Tanggula Pass.
As dawn breaks across the Tibetan Plateau, the monotonous countryside slowly yields to lush grasslands, grazing yaks and nomadic herdsmen, and then the moving sight of Lhasa.
Once we've gasped at the grandeur - and at the lack of oxygen - it makes sense to find our hotel and take a day or two to acclimatise before setting out on our mission to discover Tibet.
The Brahmaputra Grand Hotel is Lhasa's first five-star tourist establishment, and it is more than just a hotel. It is home to one of the largest repositories of Tibetan artefacts in the world.
The all-consuming passion of an ex-Army officer turned supermarket entrepreneur, Zhang Xiaohong, the lavish 186-room hotel contains more than 10,000 pieces of Tibetan antiques, costumes, masks, weapons, craft utensils and paintings.
"The hotels in other places had hot springs or some historical backgrounds," says Zang, "but in Tibet, we have a culture that is attracting the eyes of people from all over the world."
Lhasa is a city of great contrasts and many discoveries. It is also Tibet's heart and soul.
Set in the Lhasa Valley, this small city of 250,000 inhabitants is ringed by snow-capped mountains rising to heights of 5500m, and is home to a diversity of cultures.
Here you will find the latest Chinese fashions competing with traditional Tibetan hawkers selling embroidered yak-skin boots, and Tibetan teahouses jostling next to American-style hot dog palaces.
This 1300-year-old city is held sacred by Tibetan Buddhists; Lhasa literally means "place of the gods". Here you will find Tibet's holiest shrine, the 1300-year-old Jokhang Temple, the Barkhor with its circumnavigating pilgrims and hundreds of shops and stalls, the Norbulingka, once the summer residence for Dalai Lamas, and the Sera Monastery and its debating monks.
Most imposing of all is the Potala Palace, one of the great architectural wonders of the world, a 13-storey, 1000-room structure which for centuries was home to the Tibetan Government and, in winter, the Dalai Lama.
Clinging to a rocky outcrop that is the highest point around Lhasa, the 117m building includes the eastern White Palace, once the Dalai Lama's living quarters, and the central Red Palace that contains the lamas' assembly hall and more than 10,000 shrines.
After being frisked for matches and lighters, tourists must take a different path from that of the pilgrims. What appears a difficult climb turns out to be a gentle walk up stone pathways that lead into the White Palace and the richly decorated apartments of past Dalai Lamas. The narrow stairs and walkways open to the courtyard that marks the entrance to the Red Palace.
Once inside this awesome building, you are struck by the golden glow from yak butter lamps and the fragrant scent of incense. The Palace is a warren of dimly lit, tight corridors and small rooms, with the exception of the 750sq/m Great West Hall with its murals dedicated to the fifth Dalai Lama.
Another highlight is the stupa containing his remains. Stupendous in scale, this 15m high stupa is covered in more than 3000kg of gold and richly decorated with rare pearls, gems, agates and corals.
Emerging from the Potala, you cannot help but feel overwhelmed by the richness that Tibetan culture holds, and a sadness that these days it is somehow incomplete.
One of the most poignant sights is the empty throne of the Dalai Lama. Since he fled his homeland in the face of invading Chinese troops 40 years ago, New Zealand has seen him several times but his own people in Tibet have not.
- AAP
* John Moyle was a guest of China Southern Airlines, Guilin Tourism and Yuzi Paradise Hotel.
Checklist: Tibet
Getting There
China Southern has three weekly direct flights to Lhasa from Guangzhou, plus daily flights from Guangzhou via Chongqing. Visit www.cs-air.com/en. On top of your Chinese tourist visa, you need a special Alien Travel Permit for Tibet. These can be obtained through travel agents conducting organised tours to Tibet.
Where To Stay
The Lhasa Brahmaputra Grand has rooms from $340 per night plus 10 per cent surcharge. See www.asiarooms.com/china/lhasa/brahmaputra-grand.html. The three-star Mandala Hotel has rooms from $50 a night. See Tibet-tours.com.
