lhasa, tibet: red light district

we asked some old, alcoholic ex-pats where the prostitutes hung out. we knew they'd be able to tell us.

when we told the cabbie to take us to the red light, he laughed.

we expected the hookers to be destitute tibetans, but everyone we encountered was chinese.


a woman we presume to be a prostitute strides across the street



grinning busboys outside a strip club. they wouldn't let us in to see the girls, so we came back the next night with a guy. they took him to the club, which he told us was filled with mirrors, dancing women and suit-clad men with money.


a 24-hour fruit and veggie stand across from a strip club


teenagers at the roller rink in the red light district. the constant droning of a chinese soap opera on the television, the looped 1990s house music and the never-ending twirl around the rink gave the place a strange, circular rhythm. it just swallowed time.



skate rentals cost a dollar.