On my first morning in Lhasa I joined the early Jokhang kora, the clockwise circuit of the temple. The pilgrims hold a brisk walking pace, however they take their time to take a look at a good piece of cloth on sale. Inside the Jokhang the pilgrims and the tourists are split - the pilgrims have to queue but can take the walk closest to the statues and paintings. The interior is not an experience for the claustrophobic, it's crowded, smelly and dark. From the roof, there are good views of the Potala and the surrounding Tibetan quarters.

The Potala itself is the landmark of Lhasa and draws your look every time - and it can be seen from all over the city. I didn't get in, as tickets are hard to come by these days. I did walk a kora here too.

The Norbulingka grounds, about 2 km west of the Potala, are a pleasure to walk in. I felt like the only visitor and got scared a few times by fierce dogs that patrol areas visitors aren't supposed to come. The residences and other buildings here look comfortable.

Impressive as this site is, after visiting I felt that the designated area mainly represents a dead culture, the nomination dossier pointing out 'Tibetan architecture' and 'theocratic government'. But it still is a very lively religious site also. And with that comes that sites dedicated to Tibetan Buddhism are already underrepresented on the WH list (I can only think of Bodnath, part of the Kathmandu Valley WHS). None of the great monasteries have been designated, while Tibetan Buddhism is such an important feature of this region (Greater Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Ladakh). I think that the designated area of this WHS would improve by including the pilgrim routes, like the Barkor kora or even the Lingkor kora.