The Tibetan part of town in the east is dotted with temples and lively, narrow streets full of tanned faces and ready smiles. Tibetans have a strong sense of who they are. They eat and drink noisily, sharing their food without a thought. They welcome tourists and generally are more boisterous than the Chinese. Beside the laugh lines, the worry of an uncertain future is etched on their faces.
Many men spend their days shooting pool in a city where jobs are scarce.
Demarcating the two neighborhoods is the Potala Palace. Perched high in the hills and surrounded by melted snow, the former home of the Dalai Lama is now a museum owned by the Chinese. Most Tibetans continue to revere the Dalai Lama, and many homes feature secret altars to him, adorned with forbidden photos. Tibet's youth are not so dedicated. Compared to their Chinese contemporaries, Tibetan teenagers are hip.