Back in Lhasa

Hey guys,
I have fallen so far behind on my blog, I don't even know where to start. So we managed to get to Everest Base Camp and back without a permit. It is still such a big deal for me. I think it was out highlighting moment in Tibet the minute we saw Everest in a cloudless, clear blue sky. Back in Shigatse, the boys wanted to try to see if they could get to Mt. Kailash next. Obviously too far to hitch in the limited time they had and talking to the local Tibetan guides at the FIT agency(Foreign and Independent travel), the reality of Tibet hit us once again. He talked about the anger and the frustration in his heart. How it was impossible for local Tibetans to show their own country off and work as guides until they learnt to speak Chinese. He told us of how money from tourism went straight out of Tibet and how everyday there were more and more chinese guides with tour groups and permits. The permits were a huge hassle not only to us as tourists and foreigners but also to the guides and drivers too. Even the chinese driver who gave us a lift back to Shigatse could not help but swear at the control posts and police checks every so often. It seems like just another money making scheme but also a way of controlling who sees what, I guess.
Anyway, once back in Shigatse we went to celebrate and ended up dancing to music outside a supermarket with some local chinese girls. It's funny how Tibet seems to go to sleep so early. After a couple of beers we went to bed, happy but exhausted from our adventures and all the emotions of the past few days.
Next morning, we went to see the beautiful mask ceremony at the monastery and since it was a weekend, every Tibetan in Shigatse had turned up with alcohol and a picnic. It was a stunning sight. We couldn't help but stare at all the amazing faces and costumes, return the warm beautiful smiles, share a glass or two of butter milk or fermented milk, whatever they offered us. It was a great way to end our stay in Shigatse after which Ingrid and I took the bus back to Lhasa.
We were tired and a little pissed off at all the chinese police checkpoints and the chinese in general so the bus ride back to Lhasa seemed to take forever. But wouldn't you know it. There is no need to feel hate in Tibet. We met Kiyoi on our bus. The friendliest, funniest and warmest chinese girl and we were staying at the same hostel. We decided to share a room at the Yak hostel and follow her to Drepung monastery the next day and spend her last day in Tibet with her.
After a shower we went looking for food and found the boys at our doorstep instead. Dinner and an early night and we said goodnight to the boys and next morning were off to Drepung monastery. Here we met a spanish couple who gave us a timed ticket into the Potala, so after a rushed visit at the monastery Ingrid and I decided to see if we could blag it into the Potala and we did. Normally, we'd have to get up at 7 in the morning, queue outside the potala ticket office till it opens and starts selling tickets at 9:30 a.m and then hope that we did get tickets before they got sold out. Luckily for us, all we did was be nice and friendly to the spanish couple and in return we got tickets into the Potala. Good Karma everywhere here:) Unfortunately, not as impressed with the very small area of the Potala we got to see and there was no history at all. All the labels were just that, labels of objects found in the Potala. Some beautiful objects like the 3D mandala but we were rushed along by the chinese guards, didn't even get to chat to the monks who looked more like cleaners, they're not allowed to wear their robes, and so we walked out of the Potala feeling we hadn't really got a picture in our head that we were expecting.