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Here, shops, restaurants and make-shift stalls line the perimeter of the square selling mainly Buddhist related items like katas (prayer scarves), imitation Tibetan pearl strung into bracelets, necklaces and telephone straps, hand held prayer wheels, thankas, Tibetan herbs and even VCDs of Tibetan music and documentaries. Stall-owners are either local or immigrated Chinese entrepreneurs. This is the place to buy your gifts and souvenirs for your family and friends. Expect to bargain up to 50% off or be prepared to be fleeced.
At dawn and dusk, the square is even more crowded as pilgrims circumambulate the circuit clockwise around Jokhang Temple. For a glimpse of real Tibet, walk past the narrow lanes in between the stalls and shops into the back alleys. Here, time seemed to stand still as locals go about their business. There are many smaller temples, shrines and even mosques to stumble across; quaint shared quarters of the locals sharing one central water pump in the courtyard, grocery shops, Tibetan tea houses where locals congregate to catch the latest drama or news on a small television, children playing outside their houses; a slice of real Tibet. |
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