It may sound mundane to talk about shopping in the midst of Tibet's fantastic sights. However, there are many odd, fascinating and beautiful things to buy. Tibet's culture continues to produce all sorts of objects for religious and other uses. In the heart of Old Lhasa, the best marketplace for curios is on and around the Barkhor. Small shops carry colourful items like prayer flags, fur hats, horse bells and bridles, broad leather money-belts and copper teapots. The merchandise in small open street stalls changes from day to day. A curio seeker can find temple bells, conch-sell trumpets, rosaries, prayer wheels, amulets and a variety of jewelry make of turquoise ( at least Rmb 150 per string if old ) and silver. Most of the small items such as prayer wheels, bracelets, necklaces and others are made by Tibetans in Nepal and India. A useful item is a wooden tea cup, with or without a lining of beaten silver.

Along the Barkhor Tibetan rugs can be found hanging on display . Some of these have more individuality and appeal than the rugs are of wool and usually have soft colours; newer rugs are usually of a wool mix and are brighter. As you amble clockwise around the Jokhang Temple you may be approached by Tibetan pilgrim-traders eager to sell you their own swords, inlaid knives, jewelry, Buddha figures and who knows what else. In the Barkhor's shops and stalls, and above all with individuals, you can bargain. As a loose guideline, you might get prices in shops down 20-25 per cent, but from stalls and individuals you should get nearer 50 per cent of the stated price. Haggling is a game that every Tibetan enjoys, and it should be played with perseverance, patience and good humour. The failure by tourists to haggle effectively has had a dramatic effect on prices. In addition, many popular items are becoming rare. However, remember that too many souvenir ' cultural objects' may invite confiscation by customs officials when you leave the country.

A fair variety of Tibetan handicrafts is on sale at the 'Selling Department for Tourist Products' on Beijing Dong Lu. Those are fixed priced.

Any visitor to Lhasa notices the decorated tents, canopies and awnings that Tibetans use for numerous outdoor purposes. These are becoming a popular item for travelers to take home. At the Lhasa Tent and Banner Factory skilled artisan can copy and custom-make any design they are shown. They can make one-by-two-meter ( three-by-six-foot) door curtains, awnings, canopies, small family tents for picnics or big ornate marquees for festivals or travelling lamas, with bestiary applique decorations in different colours. Prices vary greatly according to the complexity of the decoration.

For everyday practical items, there are four main department stores in New Lhasa. The General Department Store is a cavernous, L-shaped store at the west end of Yuthok Lu, and the Nong Ken Ting Department Store is a multi-story building ( with the Friendship Store on its top floor) halfway along the south side of the same street. The others are a large pale-green building in a fork in the road 300 meters ( yards) east of the Holiday Inn, and a pale green building two-thirds of the way to Sera Monastery on the east side of Sera Lu. There stores and several other medium-sized shops stock comfortable cotton clothing, canteens, mugs, canned food, writing paper, envelopes, soap, towels and toothpaste. Toilet paper ( wei sheng Zhi) can be found in most shops.

Lhasa's major bookshop, Xinhua, on Yuthok Lu, is not impressive but it does carry maps of Lhasa, posters, Tibetan primers, Tibetan-Chinese dictionaries, and Chinese and Tibetan paperback books. A bookshop with Tibetan literature is located just north of the Barkhor, west of the meat market.