This morning we visited a nunnery, as the museum we were supposed to see was being renovated. The nuns wore the same deep red robes as the monks, and also had their heads shaved, so at first glance it was hard to tell if they were male or female. There are only 108 of them, and not many girls are interested in joining anymore. They sat in long rows facing each other, chanting and drinking tea. They break for lunch and chant again in the afternoon. We were fortunate enough to hear the chanting, which is all done by memory.
After eating at a local restaurant, we saw the Potala palace in the afternoon. It sits high up on a hill in front of the mountains, and is another UNESCO site. The original was built in 637, but had to be replaced in the 17th century due to a fire which destroyed much of it. It has 999 rooms, most of which are not open to the public. It consists of both a White and a Red palace. The former was the seat of the government and the winter residence of the Dalai Lama. The red palace, towering high above the white one, has murals showing Buddhist folklore and ancient Tibetan life. Amongst the chapels are 8 spectacular tombs, covered in nearly 5 tons of gold. These rooms contain the remains of the 5th through the 13th Dalai Lamas. There were about 300 steps to climb, as well as a rough, rocky surface in between sections of the steps. To my amazement both Michael and I were able to climb up to the top, although my recovering broken foot wasn't very happy at the end! We were very lucky not to have much trouble with the high altitude. Some people were quite sick and had to miss some of the excursions.
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