Some fellow travelers to Lhasa and I have lunch. They are (clockwise, Tad being 12 on the clock) Hiro (cyclist), Miho, Linus (most recently from Beijing), Yoko, Chiaki (taking a tasty sip), Takako, Hiromichi, and Alftan (from Singapore). I had great time trying new foods and then sharing the foods with these traveling friends This was my daring delight of the meal, yak cheese soup. It was quite chewy and a bit salty. Let's just say there was enough for everyone to try some Pilgrims prostrate themselves before the entrance to the Jokhang Temple On this street in Lhasa this woman carries a large prayer wheel that is spun as a reminder to be in constant prayer. There are scriptures inside the spinning wheel A scene on another street in the old Lhasa area. Notice the Chinese flags and 50 years of "liberation" banners flying across the street PeaceBiker Tad is in front of another temple near Lhasa where many monks are studying to become Buddhist priests The summer palace of past Dalai Lamas in Lhasa, Tibet Inside the same temple I find a mountain of...solidified yak oil. Many worshippers come to the temple with their own thermoses of yak oil and add the oil to the lamps in the temple. This particular vat of fat was about 1.5 meters in diameter Our guide pointed out the dual influences of these creatures at the tips of the roof of the palace. The dragon-like head comes from China and the elephant-like nose comes from India Almost every afternoon the Buddhist teachers teaching these monks in training will give them a question to debate. They will then ask each other questions and quiz each other on the topic. The one asking the questions points, with arm extended, to his debate partner When a monk asks a question he will slap his hands together and point to his debate partner. (To understand more fully watch the fascinating video taken on July 19, in the summary on Lhasa.) The same temple from above. Lhasa is in the background This building's narrow, simple elegance caught my attention