Literally. I have never cried leaving a hotel before, it's a crazy tale and even Fiona and I find it quite amusing though the sadness from leaving Tibet is very real.
Our final day in Lhasa at the Gorkha Hotel was incredibly sad. The weather matched our mood, wet and dreary. I came down for breakfast to our regular breakfast nook, looked about the beautiful restaurant and felt very depressed. The night before Karma came by to visit us in our rooms to say good-bye and to gossip about what we did that day. He is so amazing. We were so subdued for breakfast that morning. Our cute restaurant manager who has the most beautiful smile (and who I have a crush on) came by for our usual small talk, he told us the staff were sad to see us go.
That morning, Karma invited us up to see his private suites, we walked about as he spoke of the improvements he was making to the hotel (the hotel only opened 2 months ago, it is absolutely beautiful and the food at the restaurant is amazing - we ate there for all our meals, the chef came from a 5 star hotel in Nepal).
The rest of the day sped by, we had a final lunch and Fiona left to get our bags. I saw the porter bringing our bags down and the stark reality of leaving such an incredible hotel and city really hit me. We sat down on a bench overlooking the courtyard and Fiona started crying. Even writing about this last day now is bringing tears to my eyes. I have never felt such incredible comfort and ease living in a hotel, the owner and staff literally welcomed us like family. Lhasa city itself is gorgeous, I really loved it there. The last few days were idyllic, I woke up each morning in a beautiful Tibetan-designed room, waltzed downstairs for a yummy breakfast as I contemplated what to do that day. Do I go for a massage, go around the Barkor circuit deciding what to buy, roam around the city experiencing the friendliness and vibrancy? I would invariably find something new to buy and meet some old Tibetan stallkeeper who I would sit and chat with for a while as we swapped life stories. There were 2 old stallkeepers that I actually went back to for quick chats during my last few days there, they were so welcoming and warm, when I caught a cold the old lady was worried for me. The ppl there are beautiful and I was so lucky I was able to communicate with them.
After roaming about, I would go back to the Gorkha for lunch. Have more chats with the cute restaurant manager, it felt like I had to compete with him on who could smile the biggest, he really did have a beautiful smile. What I miss the most though is seeing Karma's face as I walked through the foyer of the hotel, he would have this wide grin, greet me and ask me what I did, what I bought, sit there at the restaurant chatting to me as I ate lunch. On the plane ride out of Lhasa his face would intermittently surface in my mind and I would feel like crying all over again.
So back to our final hour there, after trying to compose ourselves since I had started crying too, we walked out into the foyer and saw Karma waiting there for us. Karma had these white scarves that he placed over our heads to keep us safe on our travels. So much for composing ourselves, I just began crying like a baby. Thinking about it now, it was quite funny how emotional we got. Karma was hugging us good-bye, making us promise to email him so he would know we got to Mongolia safely. I have never cried so much, not even leaving Australia or Japan! I guess knowing that I would probably not be returning anytime soon was a huge contributing factor.
Lhasa is definitely my favourite city of all time. We arrived into Mongolia and it just doesn't feel right. I want to go back to a place that welcomes me. Where I can discover new things about the city each time I go out the door. Where I can return and feel like it's home.
I am grateful that I experienced it though. Tibet is wonderful and I am grateful for all these priceless memories. It's a pity Mongolia was next on the itinerary, there is no way it can compete. We walked into our guesthouse today in Ulaan Bataar and saw our room, it doesn't feel right. The capital of Mongolia itself is a huge disappointment, quite ugly as it tries to westernise, there is no culture here. We embark on a 10 day tour around Mongolia tomorrow, covering the Gobi desert, a volcano, sand dunes and lots of other wonderful sites. I hope it takes my mind off leaving Tibet. We have decided to only stay a few days in the city itself and then head on to Korea. I can't believe what a heavy influence Korea has in this city!
Since leaving Tibet I have begun thinking of returning back home to Australia. I realise how important it is to have friends and family nearby. We have decided to cut our stay in Mongolia short, we are covering the main sites but won't be spending as much time as originally planned. I am looking forward to going back to Japan and completing the pilgrimage and then returning home to Australia and beginning a new life there. Tibet has put things into perspective for me.
4.19pm, Wed Sep 1st, 2004. Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia.
Our final day in Lhasa at the Gorkha Hotel was incredibly sad. The weather matched our mood, wet and dreary. I came down for breakfast to our regular breakfast nook, looked about the beautiful restaurant and felt very depressed. The night before Karma came by to visit us in our rooms to say good-bye and to gossip about what we did that day. He is so amazing. We were so subdued for breakfast that morning. Our cute restaurant manager who has the most beautiful smile (and who I have a crush on) came by for our usual small talk, he told us the staff were sad to see us go.
That morning, Karma invited us up to see his private suites, we walked about as he spoke of the improvements he was making to the hotel (the hotel only opened 2 months ago, it is absolutely beautiful and the food at the restaurant is amazing - we ate there for all our meals, the chef came from a 5 star hotel in Nepal).
The rest of the day sped by, we had a final lunch and Fiona left to get our bags. I saw the porter bringing our bags down and the stark reality of leaving such an incredible hotel and city really hit me. We sat down on a bench overlooking the courtyard and Fiona started crying. Even writing about this last day now is bringing tears to my eyes. I have never felt such incredible comfort and ease living in a hotel, the owner and staff literally welcomed us like family. Lhasa city itself is gorgeous, I really loved it there. The last few days were idyllic, I woke up each morning in a beautiful Tibetan-designed room, waltzed downstairs for a yummy breakfast as I contemplated what to do that day. Do I go for a massage, go around the Barkor circuit deciding what to buy, roam around the city experiencing the friendliness and vibrancy? I would invariably find something new to buy and meet some old Tibetan stallkeeper who I would sit and chat with for a while as we swapped life stories. There were 2 old stallkeepers that I actually went back to for quick chats during my last few days there, they were so welcoming and warm, when I caught a cold the old lady was worried for me. The ppl there are beautiful and I was so lucky I was able to communicate with them.
After roaming about, I would go back to the Gorkha for lunch. Have more chats with the cute restaurant manager, it felt like I had to compete with him on who could smile the biggest, he really did have a beautiful smile. What I miss the most though is seeing Karma's face as I walked through the foyer of the hotel, he would have this wide grin, greet me and ask me what I did, what I bought, sit there at the restaurant chatting to me as I ate lunch. On the plane ride out of Lhasa his face would intermittently surface in my mind and I would feel like crying all over again.
So back to our final hour there, after trying to compose ourselves since I had started crying too, we walked out into the foyer and saw Karma waiting there for us. Karma had these white scarves that he placed over our heads to keep us safe on our travels. So much for composing ourselves, I just began crying like a baby. Thinking about it now, it was quite funny how emotional we got. Karma was hugging us good-bye, making us promise to email him so he would know we got to Mongolia safely. I have never cried so much, not even leaving Australia or Japan! I guess knowing that I would probably not be returning anytime soon was a huge contributing factor.
Lhasa is definitely my favourite city of all time. We arrived into Mongolia and it just doesn't feel right. I want to go back to a place that welcomes me. Where I can discover new things about the city each time I go out the door. Where I can return and feel like it's home.
I am grateful that I experienced it though. Tibet is wonderful and I am grateful for all these priceless memories. It's a pity Mongolia was next on the itinerary, there is no way it can compete. We walked into our guesthouse today in Ulaan Bataar and saw our room, it doesn't feel right. The capital of Mongolia itself is a huge disappointment, quite ugly as it tries to westernise, there is no culture here. We embark on a 10 day tour around Mongolia tomorrow, covering the Gobi desert, a volcano, sand dunes and lots of other wonderful sites. I hope it takes my mind off leaving Tibet. We have decided to only stay a few days in the city itself and then head on to Korea. I can't believe what a heavy influence Korea has in this city!
Since leaving Tibet I have begun thinking of returning back home to Australia. I realise how important it is to have friends and family nearby. We have decided to cut our stay in Mongolia short, we are covering the main sites but won't be spending as much time as originally planned. I am looking forward to going back to Japan and completing the pilgrimage and then returning home to Australia and beginning a new life there. Tibet has put things into perspective for me.
4.19pm, Wed Sep 1st, 2004. Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia.
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