Himalaya Adventure: DAY 18 MON. OCT. 20 LHASA

Hit another wall today. A poor night's sleep, digestive issues, fatigue, previous illness, altitude ... I was gone, baby, gone. I zombie my way through the day. Too bad, I picked the day we visited the summer palace complex of the Dalai Lama, and the spectacular Potala Palace. Both involved long walks, which drained me completely, plus over one thousand steps to climb to the Potala, which nearly did me in. When we got back to the hotel, I jumped into bed and stayed there.

Those were the only lines I wrote that day. Now, a couple of weeks later, I feel compelled to say a bit more. I truly was sick that day, not so much from a specific illness, but rather an accumulation of all the trip's little ills and challenges. We have all hit that wall on this trip.

The two palace complexes were magnificent. The summer palace doesn't get its due, in my view. It is immense, on huge well tended grounds. The buildings are simpler, but still impressive. One gets the sense that the Dalai Lama did indeed live a life of some privilege in those days. Perhaps surprisingly, the Chinese have allowed the buildings to be restored to the condition they may have been at the time of the invasion of Tibet by the Chinese in 1959. The Dalai Lama seems to have been present here only a short time ago.

But the Potala Palace certainly deserves accolades. It is unquestionably Tibet's national treasure and symbol. It was the main residence and office not only of the present Dalai Lama when he lived in Tibet, but of many previous Dalai Lamas as well. Many are buried here. The Palace was an administrative center as well, as the Dalai Lama was also a political leader, not just a spiritual leader. There is a grandeur to the place, a permanence, and a brooding atmosphere of significance. It is well worth the effort to get here and well worth the climb of the 1100 steps, which taxes the energy of healthy and active people at the best of times, because of the altitude: try it when you are ill and you begin to call out to the spirit of Buddha to help you, or to at least spare your life as you are sucking in oxygen and trying hard not to either faint or throw up.