"Every time I leave Lhasa to go to other places, I miss it a lot," said Wu, who firmly falls into the category of those who will not go back to his hometown.

OASIS: Guests relax in the bar Music Paradise (ZHANG PENG)

Jannette Troost runs a bar named Dunya with her husband Fred Madern. They came from even farther away. The couple from Holland has lived in Lhasa for 10 years. Troost first came as a tour guide.

"One of the motivations to open a bar and restaurant is that I couldn't find a good place for delicious food at that time, so I thought I should open one," said Troost. Now Dunya is touted as the best Western food in Lhasa. Dunya, which means the whole world, is well named. It hosts visitors from all parts of the globe, as it has now become the most famous bar among foreigners. The couple spends seven months of every year in Lhasa and goes back to Holland for the other five.

Zelang Wangqing, the owner of Makye Ame, is the local that goes to other places. Three American women first opened Makye Ame and then passed it on to Zelang. The house that houses the bar was originally where the sixth Dalai Lama and his lover Makye Ame dated. Located just outside Johkang Temple, the old yellow building has now developed into a tourist destination.

Zelang has spread the business to Beijing by opening two branches in that city. Another bar named Ganglamedo, which also enjoys good business in Lhasa, followed suit and opened in the capital.

Wu was also invited by friends in Beijing to start a business there, but eventually gave up the idea. "I rent this bar for about 2,000 yuan ($293) a month, but in Beijing, even a very small one would cost 10,000 yuan ($1,464). Because of that, I would focus more on making money than real enjoyment. That is not what I want."

Zhang had similar sentiments. "Bars in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai are more commercialized and not so pure. I prefer to stay here," he said.

But keeping a bar going in Lhasa is not as easy as it sounds. "Normally the cost for a bar every month is about 10,000 yuan including the rent," Wu said. "We always hear about some cool people saying they open bars just for fun. They don't care how much they make, but they should at least earn the cost back." He said that is the reason why some bars change hands so often.

Zhang said the bar is not the major source of his income. His income mainly comes from running a family-style hotel, selling merchandise as a vendor and working in a tattoo shop as an assistant. "I could hardly make profits from the bar alone," he said.

Troost and her husband have to work during their five-month stay in Holland to make enough money to support the bar.

"I will stay here as long as I can," said Troost. "I am quite used to life here."

Wu also said he does not think of leaving Lhasa. "I will keep running the bar, and if I have time, I will work on my painting skills and start drawing Tangka (an ancient Tibetan art)," he said.

Zhang has bigger plans. "I am thinking about going to India in two years to learn yoga and more about Tibetan Buddhism," he said. "Then I will come back to open a yoga training class or a Buddhist meditation center. I hope I can do that."