Article
Tibet: The People
Hongkonger Yau Wan-kong and his Thai partner Kittipong Kongkaew have taken to wearing Tibetan clothes at their cafe.
Photo: Ricky Wong
Homesick Hong Kong tourists in Lhasa may find comfort in the Spinn cafe in a small alley 10 minutes walk from Barkhor Street.
Although those looking for Hong Kong-style milk tea and wonton noodles may be disappointed, the tiny cafe, which serves Thai and international dishes, has become a meeting point for Hong Kong tourists and offers a snug place for a cup of coffee and a chance to speak Cantonese for those exhausted from shopping and monastery hopping in the old Tibetan quarter of Lhasa.
To Lhasa by bicycle
Cafe owner Yau Wan-kong, a 30-year old former children's song portal operator from Hong Kong, spent years backpacking around Southeast Asia and came up with the brainchild to open a cafe in Lhasa after staying a few months in Thailand. Mind made up, he next decided to cycle from Thailand to Tibet.
Together with his business and cycling partner, 28-year old Kittipong Kongkeaw, whom he met at a Bangkok cycling club, it took a gruelling five months to finish the ride.
When they finally arrived in Lhasa, it took them months to find the right premises, finally converting the ground floor of an old house near the Tibetan Hospital Road into the cafe.
Apart from serving Thai food, with Kittipong as chef, Mr Yau is most proud of the Vietnamese coffee his cafe serves, as he brought the kit all the way from Vietnam.
One year into business, the cafe has not only become a meeting point for Hong Kong tourists, but a melting pot for tourists from other countries and young Tibetans who like to meet tourists.
Hit by riots
So far, Mr Yau has invested about 100,000 yuan in his business, which was picking up before Lhasa was hit by the March 14 riot.
Mr Yau said he had stayed at home during the riot and did not experience much danger. But his business suffered as almost all tourists left. The visitors have been trickling back to Lhasa since May 1 when the city was reopened to mainland and Hong Kong tourists, but foreign tourists are still banned.
The extensively travelled backpacker decided to take things easy. He asked his Tibetan staff to buy him Tibetan costumes and both he and Kittipong started wearing them in the cafe when they reopened.
"I want to show the Tibetans that I am with them," Mr Yau said. "Tibetans won't try to take advantage of you and they are very straightforward. If you treat them nicely, they will treat you nicely."