I didn't have the chance to write in Tibet because of the bad internet connection and the difficulty of writing about Tibet in chinese's land.
It was quite impressive. I was on a tour group (travelling in Tibet is not free, you have to be part of a group and get a "Travel Permit" that makes this destination a bit expensive) of 4 people, plus other 4 on a different group. We all met in Chengdu. My group was formed of a Dutch couple, Lee, from England, and me. In the other group were a Swiss couple, Emma, from NZ, and Hilde, dutch, that is with me in Kathmandu now.
The train trip from Chengdu to Lhasa was amazing. 44 hours on a train and I wished it was longer. The landscape in Tibet is spectacular and I met a couple of tibet guys on the train that made the trip more interesting (a bit of a shame that their English wasn't very good, but we managed to exchange a few words).
I could describe Tibet as amazing landscape, with lovely people and bright colours.
Lhasa is a wonderful town, with a Tibet old centre full of pilgrims that prostrate and do their Kora (a pilgrimage) around the Jokhang, the main temple. Their devotion is touching. There are also a lot of chinese tourists, that you can avoid if you go to the smaller temples (like the Drepung Monastery).
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After 4 days in Lhasa we left for the Himalayas. We visited the Samye
Monastery, about 3 hours from the capit. It is Tibet's first monastery but at
that point I had enough of monasteries so I went hiking on one of the
surrounding picks instead. With Lee. Amazing view. The dirty road to reach the
monastery goes through rivers and amazing mountains and from the top of the
pick you could enjoy the same scenery. With the usual colourful flags to prey
for protection against earthquakes and floodings (at least this is what our
wonderful guide told me).
On the way to Gyantse, we stopped at the Yamdrok tse (one of the 4 holy
lakes in Tibet). Its water is of an amazing turquois colour, and when I first
saw it I understood why they consider it holy. It has something of magic in it.
It's just a shame you can't bath in its waters...
Gyantse is a nice small city with an interesting old town, with unpaved
streets and cows and sheep wandering around. It also has one of the most famous
monasteries, not visited.
On the evening of the 6th day we arrived in Shigatse. There is the only
monastery that hasn't been destroyed by the cultural revolution. Nice view of
the old town from the hill behind the monastery. When I walked in its narrow
lanes all I could see were high white walls and wild dogs. All the houses are
surrounded by these walls, which makes it impossible to see them from the
street.
The following day we left for the Everest Base Camp. I good 8 hours drive.
But again amazing landscape, that make the journey incredibly pleasant. Once we
got at our tent (called Tibet Hotel, while our friends' tent was "Himalaya
Grand Hotel" .. I found it quite funny) we walked about 1 hour to get to
the Everest Base Camp. It's not easy to walk at an altitude of 5150 m. We were
lucky because on our way there the Everest got cleared from the clouds and we
could take a couple of pictures, while from the EBC we couldn't see anything. But
still, nice walk. A bit chilly actually. The tent where we stayed reminded me
of the bedouins' tent where I stayed in Wadi Rum, but inside was amazingly warm
and with nice beds and tables where we ate and chatted before going to bed.
No sunrise view of the Mt. Everest. It was actually raining in the morning.
So we drove to the border with Nepal. The first 3 hours were in a dirty road
and we had a few adventures. The first time we stopped to help another 4x4 to
get out of a hole in the road. It was so nice to see all the passengers of 3
jeeps to help to get rocks to fill in the hole so that other 4x4 wouldn't get
stuck. The second time it was us who stopped. The driver of the 4x4 following
us advised of a problem with I don't know what. And again everyone was helping
out. The usual amazing landscape, that you can't get bored of, and tents of
nomads and people walking in the middle of what to me seemed nowhere.
In the evening we reached Zhangmu, also called Dram in Tibetan and Khasa in
Nepalese. One single small road that goes down the valley, with buildings on
each side of it, cars parked everywhere and so many trucks as I have never seen
in my life, that cause a terrible traffic. During the last hour to get there
the landscape had changed drastically, it already seemed a different country.
From the deserted mountains of the tibetan plateau we drove through rainforest
and waterfalls. Many chinese and nepaleses live there. Really, not the classic
tibetan town.
Last night in Tibet. A bit sad to leave. At the border our guide had wet
eyes and me with her. She is an amazing person and I will miss her. Always
smiling and helpful. I will miss tibetan people. So no-chinese! Curious and
smiling and eager to talk to you with their poor english.
Now I'm in a different country, looking forward to discover it!
