Why is Tibet such an arse of a place to get to? If it were a genuine attempt by the Chinese to preserve and protect all that is sacred, unique and wonderful about the place it would be fair enough. But given that the Chinese have done their level best to Sino-fy Tibet and destroy its countless cultural relics that wouldn't seem to be the case.
It turns out that Xi'an, one of the closest big cities to Tibet, is also the worst place in China from which to get there. So I have discovered during my two days of trekking from one hostel to another and countless people and web pages to be told bollocks over and over again, all of it contradictory. "You must be part of a tour." "Individual travellers cannot enter." "The only way is to fly from Chengdu." Luckily for me I found a guy in Xining who does permits and tickets for individuals, and as it stands I might be rolling into Lhasa on 30th August! But given all the potential hazards and pitfalls I'll wait a bit longer before gloating and giving the tour operators two fingers.
