A pilgrimage to Tibet is one that I have been planning in my heart for quite some time. Thus, it was with a touch of sadness that we left our guide and driver at the Lhasa airport. The 90 minuted drive from Lhasa was mostly quiet as each one of us soaked in the beautiful surroundings for the last time.
Tibet brought many surprises. First, I found the Tibetan people to be some of the most welcoming and kind people that I have ever encountered in my travels. On our first day in Lhasa we watched as local Tibetans gave money to almost every pilgrim that entered the tiny restaurant where we had stopped for momos. We had many offers to drink chang and yak butter tea from people who had much less material wealth than we did. During our trip we were continually greeted by "hello" and a welcoming smile. Two of my favorite memories involved exploring a local bridge while a stream of locals passed and playing with our camera and video equipment with curious nuns in Gyantse. When I think of Tibetan people, images of devote people gently swinging prayer wheels will always cling to my mind.
Change is happening rapidly. The Chinese government seems to be working hard to make Tibet Chinese. For travelers, this means much easier access to all of the "tourist sites." We found new roads everywhere and government imposed fees for taking photos at many of the places we visited. Tibetan language, food, and people appeared to be the minority in the area. The influx of Chinese did not seem to deter the many pilgrims that made their way through the streets of Lhasa on the day of the full moon, but it is hard to know how long this will last. Development always brings challenges and questions. The Chinese government will most likely increase the standard of living for many Tibetans bringing education and infrastructure, but what will be the ultimate cost? Will the community of monks and nuns continue to shrink as young Tibetans opt to be tour guides and restaurant operators? Our Tibetan guide, Lhasing, brought this change home by telling us that, "Tibet is part of China" and "the Dalai Lama is a politician." It seemed clear to us that these ideas have been drilled into his mind.
I hope that I will be able to return to Tibet. I still have much of the world to see, but I know that this unique culture fostered in a harsh, high altitude environment will always have a special place in my heart. The beauty of the people and landscapes are striking. The combination of barren brown mountains, clear mountain streams, endless colorful strings of prayer flags, devote pilgrims, herds of yak, sheep and goats, and the unforgettable smell of yak butter and raw meat paint my picture of this unique land.
Our last night in China was spent at the Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing Hotel. We were overjoyed to have the creature comforts of home: a shower with plentiful hot water, a Western toilet, multiple English language TV channels, a comfortable clean bed and room service. We live a very spoiled, privileged life. We had no problem returning to the luxuries of our American lifestyle. Despite these conveniences, there is still a part of me that is ready to pack my bag and head out on the road less traveled once again......
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Friday, June 8, 2007
Last Days in Lhasa
6/7 and 6/8/07
Thursday morning we woke up in Gyantse and spent an hour or so exploring the fort along the outside of the city. The fort is most famous for it use against a British invasion, which unfortunately did not end well for the Tibetans. The fort was built along a high vantage point, which allows you to see the valley in all directions. It was fun to explore the different rooms including the dungeon and chapel. The most exciting part of the tour was making our way down a very steep stairway that was built into the hillside.
After exploring the fort we headed back to Lhasa. We soon discovered that the best road back to Lhasa would take us back through Shigatse. Some of my fellow travelers were disappointed to learn that we could have had another night's stay in the "Tibet Westin." We did have the fortune of meeting Tongue's family during our lunch stop in Shigatse. He is married and has a 14-year old son. The remaining 5 hour drive to Lhasa was not too eventful. We spent the last hour quizzing each other about our trip. We realized that we had many good memories and stories to shared.
We returned to the hotel in the Chinese district for one last night. We also discovered the closest thing to a restaurant that we've encountered in Tibet, the Dunya. We had a meal of penne pasta, veggie lasagna, and yak burger with fries (guess who ordered the yak burger). It was nice to have a bit of western food and service.
Vivek's Sound of the Night: Fireworks and repetitive banging on a chain link fence.
Today we got up early and moved our luggage over to the House of Shambhala for our last night in Lhasa. We spent the morning getting some laundry done, exchanging money, and sorting out the details of our tour of the Portala. Vivek and I had a self guided tour of the Portala Palace. It is the landmark of Lhasa and imposing structure that is truly inspiring. Inside we saw the favorite rooms of many Dalai Lamas, many tombs of Dalai Lamas, lots of shrines, and many Chinese tourists.
Vivek and I spent the afternoon shopping in the local market. We both had fun bargaining for the lowest possible price. I am certain we over paid for everything, but still managed to get a good deal. I also opted for a 60 minute massage at the blind massage center. My feet are very happy now. Tomorrow is our last day and I am sad to be leaving. It has been quite an adventure.
Thursday morning we woke up in Gyantse and spent an hour or so exploring the fort along the outside of the city. The fort is most famous for it use against a British invasion, which unfortunately did not end well for the Tibetans. The fort was built along a high vantage point, which allows you to see the valley in all directions. It was fun to explore the different rooms including the dungeon and chapel. The most exciting part of the tour was making our way down a very steep stairway that was built into the hillside.
After exploring the fort we headed back to Lhasa. We soon discovered that the best road back to Lhasa would take us back through Shigatse. Some of my fellow travelers were disappointed to learn that we could have had another night's stay in the "Tibet Westin." We did have the fortune of meeting Tongue's family during our lunch stop in Shigatse. He is married and has a 14-year old son. The remaining 5 hour drive to Lhasa was not too eventful. We spent the last hour quizzing each other about our trip. We realized that we had many good memories and stories to shared.
We returned to the hotel in the Chinese district for one last night. We also discovered the closest thing to a restaurant that we've encountered in Tibet, the Dunya. We had a meal of penne pasta, veggie lasagna, and yak burger with fries (guess who ordered the yak burger). It was nice to have a bit of western food and service.
Vivek's Sound of the Night: Fireworks and repetitive banging on a chain link fence.
Today we got up early and moved our luggage over to the House of Shambhala for our last night in Lhasa. We spent the morning getting some laundry done, exchanging money, and sorting out the details of our tour of the Portala. Vivek and I had a self guided tour of the Portala Palace. It is the landmark of Lhasa and imposing structure that is truly inspiring. Inside we saw the favorite rooms of many Dalai Lamas, many tombs of Dalai Lamas, lots of shrines, and many Chinese tourists.
Vivek and I spent the afternoon shopping in the local market. We both had fun bargaining for the lowest possible price. I am certain we over paid for everything, but still managed to get a good deal. I also opted for a 60 minute massage at the blind massage center. My feet are very happy now. Tomorrow is our last day and I am sad to be leaving. It has been quite an adventure.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Gyantse: Nuns and Chortens
6/6/07
After another (delicious) Chinese breakfast of dumplings and rice porridge, we piled into our trusty Land Cruiser and headed to Gyantse (elevation 3950m). Gyantse was a short hour drive from Shygatse on mostly paved roads. It made for a good start in the day.
When we arrived in Gyantse, the hotel we were supposed to stay at was full for the night. We were somewhat relieved because the hotel had a pile of old bed frames and mattresses out in their courtyard and they didn't look too dream inspiring. We then set off on our mini-tour of Gyantse trying to find a hotel that fit our budget and cleanliness standards (these two things appeared to be diametrically opposed). There was talk of trying to drive back to Shygatse for the night or moving on to Lhasa, but we finally settled on the Jianzang Hotel. Fortunately for Bummy, the hotel we found offered a TV with an English speaking channel. He is actually back at the hotel watching English language Chinese television now.
After lunch at the Yak Restaurant (where Bummy successfully ordered a cheese pizza), we wanted to explore the Rabse Nunnery. It was clear that our driver and guide were not familiar with this place and they did not want to take us there. We heard a variety of explanations: it is not on your itinerary, we will get fined if we go without permission, the roads are very bad. Fortunately, one of the women in the Yak Restaurant spoke English and let us know that we could easily get there by taxi. So, we left our guide and driver behind and hopped in a taxi.
The nunnery turned out to be not far from the center of town. The taxi driver dropped us off under a mass of prayer flags and it was a short walk up hill to the heart of the nunnery. It was clear that this place was not considered one of the main tourist attractions in Tibet. We were not greeted by a ticket collector or signs telling us how much it will cost to take a picture, but instead we were met by a group of curious nuns. Our first encounter happened when we entered a small chapel filled with a very large prayer wheel. Rainbow and I were busy circulating around the prayer wheel and Vivek was attempting to capture it on video, when a very sweet nun jumped in and walked around the prayer wheel with us. She and her friend were very interested to see how our video camera worked. The nun enjoyed watching the playback of herself on the video camera.
When we entered the main prayer hall we were again greeted by curious nuns. One of them asked me to take a seat next to her as she and another nun worked on drying some bowls. Before long we were surrounded by nuns curious about our camera and video recorder. I let one of the nuns take a few pictures with my camera. They were especially happy about the instant results they could enjoy. At one point I took a picture with a group of nuns and one of them grabbed some of my hair and put it on top of one of her friend's head (all of the nuns have shaved heads.) It reminded me of a picture or two I have taken with my dad! They were quite funny and friendly. It was clear from our visit that the nuns don't see too many Westerners. It felt wonderful to be able to connect with them so easily.
Since the nunnery was so close to town, we decided to walk back to our hotel. We had some Jasmine tea on the rooftop our hotel until it was time to meet Lhasing. He would take us to the Pelkor Chode Monastery. This monastery was similar to many others that we visited, but
but the main attraction was the Gyantse Kumbum, a 35 meter high chorten or stupa. As we entered the stupa, the sky began to turn dark and it was clear that we had about 15 minutes to make it to the top before it began to rain. Each level of the stupa includes several chapels with Buddhas and murals, but we walked by most of these quickly to make it to the top. From the top of the chorten we could see the entire town of Gyantse, most of which is circled by an old fortress wall. We could also watch the thunderstorm approaching in the distance. You could see the water falling in dark streams from the sky. We made it back to our car just in time to keep from getting wet.
Bummy and I grabbed our cards, ordered more tea, and enjoyed the rainstorm from the top of the hotel roof. We were hoping the rain would last through the night, but the storm moved through quickly and we had sunny skies by dinner time.
Dinner in Gyantse was a serious disappointment. Our guidebook stated that the Restaurant of Zhuang Yuan had sweet and sour chicken that was "legendary." We made the assumption that legendary implied famous for good reason, but we were sorely mistaken. We should have known better because none of us have seen a chicken since entering the country. This was the worst and most expensive meal that we have had during our trip. We had to go back to our hotel and order some additional food. I think we are all ready to send our resumes to Lonely Planet for the next Tibet update.
I just had a slightly strange encounter with a man sitting next to me in the Internet cafe. He asked to see my Tibet book, so I happily lent it to him. He was quick to point out that the Dalai Lama wrote the preface to the book. He then waved his finger across his neck (as if he was performing a decapitation) and then pointed at me. He did this a couple of times. It was a little strange. He asked to see my book again and I told him, "no." He tried to tell me that he was a teacher, but I don't know too many teachers that gesture in this way. Even the Internet cafe manager came over and gave him a look to leave me alone. So on that note, I had better sign off. We head back to Lhasa tomorrow. I am sad that we are coming to the close of our adventure.
After another (delicious) Chinese breakfast of dumplings and rice porridge, we piled into our trusty Land Cruiser and headed to Gyantse (elevation 3950m). Gyantse was a short hour drive from Shygatse on mostly paved roads. It made for a good start in the day.
When we arrived in Gyantse, the hotel we were supposed to stay at was full for the night. We were somewhat relieved because the hotel had a pile of old bed frames and mattresses out in their courtyard and they didn't look too dream inspiring. We then set off on our mini-tour of Gyantse trying to find a hotel that fit our budget and cleanliness standards (these two things appeared to be diametrically opposed). There was talk of trying to drive back to Shygatse for the night or moving on to Lhasa, but we finally settled on the Jianzang Hotel. Fortunately for Bummy, the hotel we found offered a TV with an English speaking channel. He is actually back at the hotel watching English language Chinese television now.
After lunch at the Yak Restaurant (where Bummy successfully ordered a cheese pizza), we wanted to explore the Rabse Nunnery. It was clear that our driver and guide were not familiar with this place and they did not want to take us there. We heard a variety of explanations: it is not on your itinerary, we will get fined if we go without permission, the roads are very bad. Fortunately, one of the women in the Yak Restaurant spoke English and let us know that we could easily get there by taxi. So, we left our guide and driver behind and hopped in a taxi.
The nunnery turned out to be not far from the center of town. The taxi driver dropped us off under a mass of prayer flags and it was a short walk up hill to the heart of the nunnery. It was clear that this place was not considered one of the main tourist attractions in Tibet. We were not greeted by a ticket collector or signs telling us how much it will cost to take a picture, but instead we were met by a group of curious nuns. Our first encounter happened when we entered a small chapel filled with a very large prayer wheel. Rainbow and I were busy circulating around the prayer wheel and Vivek was attempting to capture it on video, when a very sweet nun jumped in and walked around the prayer wheel with us. She and her friend were very interested to see how our video camera worked. The nun enjoyed watching the playback of herself on the video camera.
When we entered the main prayer hall we were again greeted by curious nuns. One of them asked me to take a seat next to her as she and another nun worked on drying some bowls. Before long we were surrounded by nuns curious about our camera and video recorder. I let one of the nuns take a few pictures with my camera. They were especially happy about the instant results they could enjoy. At one point I took a picture with a group of nuns and one of them grabbed some of my hair and put it on top of one of her friend's head (all of the nuns have shaved heads.) It reminded me of a picture or two I have taken with my dad! They were quite funny and friendly. It was clear from our visit that the nuns don't see too many Westerners. It felt wonderful to be able to connect with them so easily.
Since the nunnery was so close to town, we decided to walk back to our hotel. We had some Jasmine tea on the rooftop our hotel until it was time to meet Lhasing. He would take us to the Pelkor Chode Monastery. This monastery was similar to many others that we visited, but
but the main attraction was the Gyantse Kumbum, a 35 meter high chorten or stupa. As we entered the stupa, the sky began to turn dark and it was clear that we had about 15 minutes to make it to the top before it began to rain. Each level of the stupa includes several chapels with Buddhas and murals, but we walked by most of these quickly to make it to the top. From the top of the chorten we could see the entire town of Gyantse, most of which is circled by an old fortress wall. We could also watch the thunderstorm approaching in the distance. You could see the water falling in dark streams from the sky. We made it back to our car just in time to keep from getting wet.
Bummy and I grabbed our cards, ordered more tea, and enjoyed the rainstorm from the top of the hotel roof. We were hoping the rain would last through the night, but the storm moved through quickly and we had sunny skies by dinner time.
Dinner in Gyantse was a serious disappointment. Our guidebook stated that the Restaurant of Zhuang Yuan had sweet and sour chicken that was "legendary." We made the assumption that legendary implied famous for good reason, but we were sorely mistaken. We should have known better because none of us have seen a chicken since entering the country. This was the worst and most expensive meal that we have had during our trip. We had to go back to our hotel and order some additional food. I think we are all ready to send our resumes to Lonely Planet for the next Tibet update.
I just had a slightly strange encounter with a man sitting next to me in the Internet cafe. He asked to see my Tibet book, so I happily lent it to him. He was quick to point out that the Dalai Lama wrote the preface to the book. He then waved his finger across his neck (as if he was performing a decapitation) and then pointed at me. He did this a couple of times. It was a little strange. He asked to see my book again and I told him, "no." He tried to tell me that he was a teacher, but I don't know too many teachers that gesture in this way. Even the Internet cafe manager came over and gave him a look to leave me alone. So on that note, I had better sign off. We head back to Lhasa tomorrow. I am sad that we are coming to the close of our adventure.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Everest Found
6/3, 6/4 and 6/5/07
We love our tour guide, Lhasing, but every evening there seems to be a general confusion about what time we will depart the next day. Sunday morning we were up and ready at the last agreed upon time, but our guide was not to be found. As we waited patiently outside of the hotel with our driver, we watched as hotel employees streamed out of the building. We thought it must be a fire drill, but moments later it appeared that we were witnessing hotel employee boot camp. The employees came out of the hotel and lined-up in very straight rows. The hotel manager appeared to take roll, yelled something towards the hotel, and then music played over a very scratchy speaker. This was the employee's cue to move out and begin the morning group exercise activity. It was fun to watch, but even more fun to see Rainbow forming her own line at the back and joining in. She seemed to know the routine well, so I am not sure if she belongs to some Chinese exercise group back in the states.
Once Lhasing appeared we headed into town to obtain the travel permit to the Everest region. The operator of the office told us that she would be there at 10:00am. Of course when we arrived no one was there. We spent about an hour waiting for someone to show up and give us the permit. We were thankful that someone came down to issue the permit instead of telling us to wait in Shigatse until Monday and normal business hours.
We traveled four hours to our final stop for the day, Shegar (elevation 4050m). For the most part the drive was uneventful except for about 5 km of unpaved road. This section of road was at the top of a mountain pass and if felt like our driver was going 100 mph. There was no shoulder and at times the drop to the ravine far, far, below seemed much too close. I honestly thought there was a good chance that we could go over the cliff at anytime. Rainbow and Vivek were much braver and were focused on being the first to glimpse Mt. Everest. Shortly after making it through the treacherous bit of road, we had our first glimpse of the snow-capped Himalayas.
The breaking point..............
Our travel itinerary says, "Note: The meal, accommodation and road are not so good today." When we arrived in Shegar, we were able to confirm this statement to be partially true. The hotel room was not equipped with running water or electricity for most of the day. For Rainbow, this meant no hot shower. For Vivek, this meant a squat toilet in the middle of the night. Vivek's frustration with this reality was quite humorous to me, and I do suggest you ask him about it if you get a chance. We did have an active well just outside our hotel room (if you can call it a hotel).
After a very late lunch at the Muslim restaurant, Vivek, Lhasing, and I played a game of hearts. Lhasing was a very quick learner and did very well. The first time we passed cards to other players, he passed some of his best cards. I think it is a reflection of how Tibetans think. We let him know that he should definitely play to win and he had no trouble adapting to that motto.
Vivek and I had dinner in the hotel restaurant since Rainbow was still resting in her room and trying to figure out how she would survive without hot water. Rainbow did rally and I returned to the restaurant to keep her company while she ate. We met a very interesting traveler, Stephen Carver, who works both as radio journalist for the BBC and tour guide. He has been working on a radio program about Yetis which I hope to find on the Internet when we return.
Sound of the night: multi-lingual chatter of guides and travelers and a grumpy Vivek searching for the toilet.
Monday morning we were up and ready to head to Mt. Everest or Qomolangma as the locals call it. The entrance to the park was a short drive from Shegar. We had to stop at a Chinese military checkpoint and provide the very young guard with all of our travel documents. They took a written record of Tongue and Lhasing's information, but only reviewed our passports and visas.
As turned into the national park we still could not see Mt. Everest. There are so many other mountains around that the view of the tallest mountain in the world is easily obscured. We drove along bumpy dirt roads until we reach the top of a mountain pass, and it was here that we obtained our first good view of Mt. Everest. This was my second time seeing Mt. Everest. (The first time was with my mom on a Buddha Air plane flight around the summit.) We were very lucky to have a clear view of the mountain. Vivek filmed me dancing at the top and a couple of the local Tibetans girls came and joined me. We also hung a string of prayer flags here.
When we returned to the car, Lhasing informed us that we had just traveled up to the top of the mountain by way of 108 curves in the road. Just as I was wondering how many curves we would have to take down the mountain, our driver, without explanation, turned sharply left and started to drive straight down the mountain. This would be one of many off-roading experiences. I think we were all a little shocked, but ultimately thankful that we got down the mountain in a much more direct way. In order to return to the road, the car had to make it down a 45 degree incline. We all got out of the car and let the driver do this last bit on his own.
We drove another two hours through very scenic valleys. There were many small towns and a few were cultivating barley, which added an unusual touch of greenery to the normally dry, brown landscape. We encountered many people using horse drawn carts to transport items along the road. For most of the drive, we could not see Mt. Everest.
We finally arrived at Rhongbuk Monastery (elevation 4980m), which would be our "base camp" for our visit to Mt. Everest. We had a perfect view of the mountain, but were hungry, so we headed straight for the only restaurant to devour a heaping bowl of noodles. Once our stomachs were filled, we were ready to take the "90 minute" walk into Everest base camp. Although vehicles can take you part of the way, I was determined to add a small trek to this trip. Unfortunately, our guidebook was slightly off on the estimated time to complete the trek. The walk in took us approximately three hours. In order to make the trip faster, Vivek and I moved off the road and took a more direct path through the rocky terrain. Rainbow probably made the best choice and hired a horse drawn cart to carry her up the last portion of the trail. At the midway point we encountered a row of tents offering a place to sleep or a hot meal. Automobiles were not allowed past the midway point.
We were quite excited to finally arrive at Base Camp (elevation 5,200m). Unfortunately, the Chinese government requires visitors to pay $100 USD per person for anyone who would like to walk the final 100 meters to the official camp of the climbers. We could see the bright yellow tents not far from where we stood, but it was disappointing not to be able to walk the final 100 meters without paying the fee. Instead, we decided to spend our time hanging our string of prayer flags, on which we had written the names of many family members and friends. Our guide recommended placing them in a location that received a lot of wind, so that our prayers could be blown over and over again.
Determined to make the trek complete, Vivek, Lhasing and I decided to walk back to the monastery. Rainbow took her horse drawn cart to the mid-point where she joined us for the last bit of the walk. The return trip was shorter as much of it was downhill, but by the end of the walk, my feet were burning. I was in quite a bit of pain.
Upon returning to our humble quarters at the monastery, we piled into our small room with three beds. Vivek had secured us a room with a view of Mt. Everest. He wants me to write that they were "amazing" views and indeed they were, but the room was also next to some locals' campsite and the moment we arrived, they were peering in our window. We opened up our sleeping bags, and due to a very bad headache, I hopped right in. I was definitely feeling the effects of the altitude sickness. My headache was similar to a migraine, but even the back of my neck hurt. Rainbow and Vivek, were much stronger than I on this account. And, they both seemed to be doing OK with the fact that we did not have running water or toilets. Vivek took very good care of me that night, escorting me out when I felt sick or needed to go to the bathroom. He also brought me Jasmine tea to sip in hopes of calming my turbulent stomach.
Sound of the night: my restless thoughts as my headed pounded from the lack of oxygen.
This morning we woke early to watch the sun rise over Mt. Everest. The sky was crystal clear and we had a picturesque view of the mountain peak. Vivek and I watched as the morning sky slowly turned a pale shade of pink. It was a peaceful morning and I enjoyed spending the early morning hour with my husband. After a Tibetan "pancake" breakfast we were packed back in the Toyota Land Cruiser and headed back to Shigatse. This was going to be a long day of driving. For the first three hours of the trip, my main focus was on the road. I was still not 100% and it took most of my concentration to keep from getting car sick. I was relieved when we finally exited the park and hit paved roads again. We stopped in Shegar for lunch and I had a bowl of vegetable soup for lunch. I also had my first cup of coffee in hopes of getting my intestines back to work again. The noodles and momos have not been too good for my digestion.
We spent another four hours in the car driving back to Shigatse. As luck would have it, the hotel where we were supposed to stay was fully booked. (I can't imagine how our why), but this meant that we had to go to an alternative hotel. Rainbow has dubbed it the Tibetan Westin. We were so thankful to have hot water, a clean bed, and free Internet access! After a long hot shower, we ventured back to the same Chinese restaurant that we ate at the last time we were in town. We had a heaping serving of Chinese spinach, BBQ pork ribs, spicy tofu, and vegetable rice. We took Lhasing along with us and he and Vivek had not problem finishing off all of the dishes. I've decided to try some Chinese medicine to encourage my intestines to get working again, because the coffee didn't help as much as it should have!
We are off to Gyantes tomorrow. No more altitude sickness to worry about.
Sound of the night: The movie King Arthur and eventually silence.
We love our tour guide, Lhasing, but every evening there seems to be a general confusion about what time we will depart the next day. Sunday morning we were up and ready at the last agreed upon time, but our guide was not to be found. As we waited patiently outside of the hotel with our driver, we watched as hotel employees streamed out of the building. We thought it must be a fire drill, but moments later it appeared that we were witnessing hotel employee boot camp. The employees came out of the hotel and lined-up in very straight rows. The hotel manager appeared to take roll, yelled something towards the hotel, and then music played over a very scratchy speaker. This was the employee's cue to move out and begin the morning group exercise activity. It was fun to watch, but even more fun to see Rainbow forming her own line at the back and joining in. She seemed to know the routine well, so I am not sure if she belongs to some Chinese exercise group back in the states.
Once Lhasing appeared we headed into town to obtain the travel permit to the Everest region. The operator of the office told us that she would be there at 10:00am. Of course when we arrived no one was there. We spent about an hour waiting for someone to show up and give us the permit. We were thankful that someone came down to issue the permit instead of telling us to wait in Shigatse until Monday and normal business hours.
We traveled four hours to our final stop for the day, Shegar (elevation 4050m). For the most part the drive was uneventful except for about 5 km of unpaved road. This section of road was at the top of a mountain pass and if felt like our driver was going 100 mph. There was no shoulder and at times the drop to the ravine far, far, below seemed much too close. I honestly thought there was a good chance that we could go over the cliff at anytime. Rainbow and Vivek were much braver and were focused on being the first to glimpse Mt. Everest. Shortly after making it through the treacherous bit of road, we had our first glimpse of the snow-capped Himalayas.
The breaking point..............
Our travel itinerary says, "Note: The meal, accommodation and road are not so good today." When we arrived in Shegar, we were able to confirm this statement to be partially true. The hotel room was not equipped with running water or electricity for most of the day. For Rainbow, this meant no hot shower. For Vivek, this meant a squat toilet in the middle of the night. Vivek's frustration with this reality was quite humorous to me, and I do suggest you ask him about it if you get a chance. We did have an active well just outside our hotel room (if you can call it a hotel).
After a very late lunch at the Muslim restaurant, Vivek, Lhasing, and I played a game of hearts. Lhasing was a very quick learner and did very well. The first time we passed cards to other players, he passed some of his best cards. I think it is a reflection of how Tibetans think. We let him know that he should definitely play to win and he had no trouble adapting to that motto.
Vivek and I had dinner in the hotel restaurant since Rainbow was still resting in her room and trying to figure out how she would survive without hot water. Rainbow did rally and I returned to the restaurant to keep her company while she ate. We met a very interesting traveler, Stephen Carver, who works both as radio journalist for the BBC and tour guide. He has been working on a radio program about Yetis which I hope to find on the Internet when we return.
Sound of the night: multi-lingual chatter of guides and travelers and a grumpy Vivek searching for the toilet.
Monday morning we were up and ready to head to Mt. Everest or Qomolangma as the locals call it. The entrance to the park was a short drive from Shegar. We had to stop at a Chinese military checkpoint and provide the very young guard with all of our travel documents. They took a written record of Tongue and Lhasing's information, but only reviewed our passports and visas.
As turned into the national park we still could not see Mt. Everest. There are so many other mountains around that the view of the tallest mountain in the world is easily obscured. We drove along bumpy dirt roads until we reach the top of a mountain pass, and it was here that we obtained our first good view of Mt. Everest. This was my second time seeing Mt. Everest. (The first time was with my mom on a Buddha Air plane flight around the summit.) We were very lucky to have a clear view of the mountain. Vivek filmed me dancing at the top and a couple of the local Tibetans girls came and joined me. We also hung a string of prayer flags here.
When we returned to the car, Lhasing informed us that we had just traveled up to the top of the mountain by way of 108 curves in the road. Just as I was wondering how many curves we would have to take down the mountain, our driver, without explanation, turned sharply left and started to drive straight down the mountain. This would be one of many off-roading experiences. I think we were all a little shocked, but ultimately thankful that we got down the mountain in a much more direct way. In order to return to the road, the car had to make it down a 45 degree incline. We all got out of the car and let the driver do this last bit on his own.
We drove another two hours through very scenic valleys. There were many small towns and a few were cultivating barley, which added an unusual touch of greenery to the normally dry, brown landscape. We encountered many people using horse drawn carts to transport items along the road. For most of the drive, we could not see Mt. Everest.
We finally arrived at Rhongbuk Monastery (elevation 4980m), which would be our "base camp" for our visit to Mt. Everest. We had a perfect view of the mountain, but were hungry, so we headed straight for the only restaurant to devour a heaping bowl of noodles. Once our stomachs were filled, we were ready to take the "90 minute" walk into Everest base camp. Although vehicles can take you part of the way, I was determined to add a small trek to this trip. Unfortunately, our guidebook was slightly off on the estimated time to complete the trek. The walk in took us approximately three hours. In order to make the trip faster, Vivek and I moved off the road and took a more direct path through the rocky terrain. Rainbow probably made the best choice and hired a horse drawn cart to carry her up the last portion of the trail. At the midway point we encountered a row of tents offering a place to sleep or a hot meal. Automobiles were not allowed past the midway point.
We were quite excited to finally arrive at Base Camp (elevation 5,200m). Unfortunately, the Chinese government requires visitors to pay $100 USD per person for anyone who would like to walk the final 100 meters to the official camp of the climbers. We could see the bright yellow tents not far from where we stood, but it was disappointing not to be able to walk the final 100 meters without paying the fee. Instead, we decided to spend our time hanging our string of prayer flags, on which we had written the names of many family members and friends. Our guide recommended placing them in a location that received a lot of wind, so that our prayers could be blown over and over again.
Determined to make the trek complete, Vivek, Lhasing and I decided to walk back to the monastery. Rainbow took her horse drawn cart to the mid-point where she joined us for the last bit of the walk. The return trip was shorter as much of it was downhill, but by the end of the walk, my feet were burning. I was in quite a bit of pain.
Upon returning to our humble quarters at the monastery, we piled into our small room with three beds. Vivek had secured us a room with a view of Mt. Everest. He wants me to write that they were "amazing" views and indeed they were, but the room was also next to some locals' campsite and the moment we arrived, they were peering in our window. We opened up our sleeping bags, and due to a very bad headache, I hopped right in. I was definitely feeling the effects of the altitude sickness. My headache was similar to a migraine, but even the back of my neck hurt. Rainbow and Vivek, were much stronger than I on this account. And, they both seemed to be doing OK with the fact that we did not have running water or toilets. Vivek took very good care of me that night, escorting me out when I felt sick or needed to go to the bathroom. He also brought me Jasmine tea to sip in hopes of calming my turbulent stomach.
Sound of the night: my restless thoughts as my headed pounded from the lack of oxygen.
This morning we woke early to watch the sun rise over Mt. Everest. The sky was crystal clear and we had a picturesque view of the mountain peak. Vivek and I watched as the morning sky slowly turned a pale shade of pink. It was a peaceful morning and I enjoyed spending the early morning hour with my husband. After a Tibetan "pancake" breakfast we were packed back in the Toyota Land Cruiser and headed back to Shigatse. This was going to be a long day of driving. For the first three hours of the trip, my main focus was on the road. I was still not 100% and it took most of my concentration to keep from getting car sick. I was relieved when we finally exited the park and hit paved roads again. We stopped in Shegar for lunch and I had a bowl of vegetable soup for lunch. I also had my first cup of coffee in hopes of getting my intestines back to work again. The noodles and momos have not been too good for my digestion.
We spent another four hours in the car driving back to Shigatse. As luck would have it, the hotel where we were supposed to stay was fully booked. (I can't imagine how our why), but this meant that we had to go to an alternative hotel. Rainbow has dubbed it the Tibetan Westin. We were so thankful to have hot water, a clean bed, and free Internet access! After a long hot shower, we ventured back to the same Chinese restaurant that we ate at the last time we were in town. We had a heaping serving of Chinese spinach, BBQ pork ribs, spicy tofu, and vegetable rice. We took Lhasing along with us and he and Vivek had not problem finishing off all of the dishes. I've decided to try some Chinese medicine to encourage my intestines to get working again, because the coffee didn't help as much as it should have!
We are off to Gyantes tomorrow. No more altitude sickness to worry about.
Sound of the night: The movie King Arthur and eventually silence.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
On the Road to Everest
6/2/07
I am beginning to appreciate the old fashioned practice of journaling as I sit inside a very smokey Internet cafe in Shigatse. We headed out of Lhasa today, making our way towards Mt. Everest Base Camp. Again, we were lucky to find ourselves on paved roads for the entire day. Our first stop was Yumsto Lake. We had to take a windy mountain road to the look-out point. The road twisted and turned up the mountainside and if you had a window seat in the Land Cruiser it could be scary at moments. I was lucky enough to be sitting in the middle. When we reached the top, we had a very nice view of the lake. Like Namtso Lake, it was a beautiful turquoise color. We could see the snow capped Himalayas in the background. We all took a turn getting on top of a yak for a classic tourist snapshot. We were also hounded by Tibetan women hawking jewelery. I bought a couple of bracelets and am sure I paid too much, but it was hard to resist giving these women a few dollars.
Unfortunately, we had to go back down the windy mountain road to get back on the main road to Shigatse. We drove for another hour before stopping at a small "truck stop" area for lunch. We had four our five Chinese restaurants to choose from. The first restaurant we stopped in wanted 20yuan per person for lunch (less than $3). This what we had been paying for all of us to have lunch, so we moved on to the next place. As we ventured into new restaurants, we discovered that the entire row was engaged in price fixing. We settled on a little place the let us walk into their kitchen and point at the food we wanted. The cook was standing in front of two woks and next to him were several bowls filled with spices and seasonings. Behind him were an assortment of vegetables. In the end, we had stir-fried bok choy, spicy tofu, and some type of stir-fried squash. It was a tasty meal and we were quite happy to be able to tour the tiny kitchen before placing an order.
After lunch we hit the road again and spent several hours driving to Shigatse (elevation 3,900m). This is the second largest city in Tibet. The town has a building which looks like a smaller Portola palace, but it was only constructed a year or two ago. The original building was destroyed in the Cultural Revolution. Fortunately, the Tashilhunpo Monastery (constructed in 1477) survived. The monastery is the home to approximately 800 monks. The monastery includes many beautiful buildings and houses the largest Buddha in Tibet. It also included several tombs for the Panchen Lamas. We were surprised to see that they were charging $10 to photograph each of the chapels or $200 to video tape. According to one of the monks, the Chinese government is requiring these fees. We will bringing back lots of pictures, but not of the largest Buddha in Tibet!
Our hotel is another Chinese run establishment. It is clean and the room does not smell like toilet. This is my one wish for every hotel that we stop at......that it does not smell like the bathroom. I think our accommodations will be less comfortable in the upcoming days.
For dinner, we ventured out on our own. We took a cab to the section of town recommended by our guidebook, but all of the restaurants looked dark and grimy and there were no customers. We've had plenty of meals in dark and grimy places, but they all had customers. We decided to head back to the Chinese section of town and after poking our heads into several places, we finally settled on a place were we could see many customers and the kitchen in the distance. Freshly cooked food was our priority. Since we were without our guide and the menu was six pages of Chinese, we had to use the few phrases in our guidebook to order. We also used the "we'll have what they are having" technique. We ended up with another meal of spicy tofu and stir-fried greens. We also ordered a pork dish which ended up to be a little strange, so we are going to stick with vegetarian cuisine from now on.
Tomorrow we head to Shegar, near Mt. Everest. We probably won't have Internet access until we return through Shigatse in three days. We hope our peanut butter and mini-snickers bars will hold out!
Sound of the night: Medical emergency siren.
I am beginning to appreciate the old fashioned practice of journaling as I sit inside a very smokey Internet cafe in Shigatse. We headed out of Lhasa today, making our way towards Mt. Everest Base Camp. Again, we were lucky to find ourselves on paved roads for the entire day. Our first stop was Yumsto Lake. We had to take a windy mountain road to the look-out point. The road twisted and turned up the mountainside and if you had a window seat in the Land Cruiser it could be scary at moments. I was lucky enough to be sitting in the middle. When we reached the top, we had a very nice view of the lake. Like Namtso Lake, it was a beautiful turquoise color. We could see the snow capped Himalayas in the background. We all took a turn getting on top of a yak for a classic tourist snapshot. We were also hounded by Tibetan women hawking jewelery. I bought a couple of bracelets and am sure I paid too much, but it was hard to resist giving these women a few dollars.
Unfortunately, we had to go back down the windy mountain road to get back on the main road to Shigatse. We drove for another hour before stopping at a small "truck stop" area for lunch. We had four our five Chinese restaurants to choose from. The first restaurant we stopped in wanted 20yuan per person for lunch (less than $3). This what we had been paying for all of us to have lunch, so we moved on to the next place. As we ventured into new restaurants, we discovered that the entire row was engaged in price fixing. We settled on a little place the let us walk into their kitchen and point at the food we wanted. The cook was standing in front of two woks and next to him were several bowls filled with spices and seasonings. Behind him were an assortment of vegetables. In the end, we had stir-fried bok choy, spicy tofu, and some type of stir-fried squash. It was a tasty meal and we were quite happy to be able to tour the tiny kitchen before placing an order.
After lunch we hit the road again and spent several hours driving to Shigatse (elevation 3,900m). This is the second largest city in Tibet. The town has a building which looks like a smaller Portola palace, but it was only constructed a year or two ago. The original building was destroyed in the Cultural Revolution. Fortunately, the Tashilhunpo Monastery (constructed in 1477) survived. The monastery is the home to approximately 800 monks. The monastery includes many beautiful buildings and houses the largest Buddha in Tibet. It also included several tombs for the Panchen Lamas. We were surprised to see that they were charging $10 to photograph each of the chapels or $200 to video tape. According to one of the monks, the Chinese government is requiring these fees. We will bringing back lots of pictures, but not of the largest Buddha in Tibet!
Our hotel is another Chinese run establishment. It is clean and the room does not smell like toilet. This is my one wish for every hotel that we stop at......that it does not smell like the bathroom. I think our accommodations will be less comfortable in the upcoming days.
For dinner, we ventured out on our own. We took a cab to the section of town recommended by our guidebook, but all of the restaurants looked dark and grimy and there were no customers. We've had plenty of meals in dark and grimy places, but they all had customers. We decided to head back to the Chinese section of town and after poking our heads into several places, we finally settled on a place were we could see many customers and the kitchen in the distance. Freshly cooked food was our priority. Since we were without our guide and the menu was six pages of Chinese, we had to use the few phrases in our guidebook to order. We also used the "we'll have what they are having" technique. We ended up with another meal of spicy tofu and stir-fried greens. We also ordered a pork dish which ended up to be a little strange, so we are going to stick with vegetarian cuisine from now on.
Tomorrow we head to Shegar, near Mt. Everest. We probably won't have Internet access until we return through Shigatse in three days. We hope our peanut butter and mini-snickers bars will hold out!
Sound of the night: Medical emergency siren.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Tibet Found!
5/31 and 6/1
Yesterday, we headed out of Lhasa. Our first stop was Yangpachen hot springs. The hot springs are next to a Geothermal plant and could not have felt more industrial for the Tibetan plateau. According to our guide, the hot springs are supposed to have therapeutic properties, so we couldn't resist taking a dip. We opted for the outside pool, because the inside area was filled with Chinese tourists in newly purchased swimsuits who were busy enjoying the water and smoking cigarettes. The pool was not very clean, but the sulfuric water felt good. Lhasing even joined us for a dip. He was a good swimmer and enjoyed being in the water with us.
After our relaxing time in the hot springs, it was time for lunch. We could choose from the touristy Chinese restaurant or the local Tibetan place. We chose the Tibetan restaurant. After peeling back a heavy blanket, we entered a small dark room where we found some seats amongst the locals. We each received three heaping bowls of momos (small dumplings) in broth. The momos were stuffed with little bits of Yak meat, but who wants to think about that when one is hungry?
After lunch we headed to our primary destination for the day, Namtso Lake (elevation 4718m). Again, the road was paved, which made travelling much easier than expected. Our daily scenery has been mountains, rushing rivers, herds of yaks, sheep, and goats, pilgrims and local Tibetans on foot or motorcycle. We went through no less than 4 checkpoints along the road. I don't believe that a fee was paid, but we were definitely accounted for. In order to reach Namtso lake, we had to ascend to 5,100m. It made the trip not so comfortable at moments. Bummy had heard a rumor that altitude sickness tends to affect people with larger brains, so I think he wanted to prove he had a big brain this day. I think this portion of the trip was especially difficult for him.
We finally spotted the lake, a beautiful aqua shade of blue. Namtso translates to "sky lake." It is one of the highest salt water lakes in the world. Near the shore of the lake is a large tent encampment. Tibetans have set up "shopping malls," pool tables and small restaurants. Many pilgrims walk around the lake and begin their journey at this point. We opted to ride small horses down to the waters' edge for the cost of 20yuan round trip. We took some time to walk along the lake shore and enjoy the beautiful day.
After leaving Namtso, we headed for Damxung, where we would spend the night. On our way down the mountain pass, we had to stop and let the brakes of our Ford Explorer cool. Our guide and driver seemed concerned because we could not find the checkpoint man that was supposed to verify the time we left a certain point on our way back down. If you reach the bottom of the hill in less than the allotted time (30 minutes) you can be fined. It didn't seem to be an issue for us since the checkpoint guard had obviously gone missing for the day.
We spent the night at the Damxung Hotel. I was not feeling well by the time we reached the hotel, so I did not join Bummy and Rainbow for dinner. They reported having a very tasty Chinese dinner. Bummy had a bad headache so he went to the doctor to get more aspirin. Unfortunately, a local person was having a medical emergency so he would have to go back the next morning.
Sound of the night: Birds chirping
This morning after a breakfast of Tibetan bread with peanut butter (the American addition to the meal) we headed out of Damxung. After about 15 minutes on the newly paved road we headed on to a bumpy dirt road which would be our primary source of travel for the remainder of the day. The road wound along a wide river, which had appeared to have fairly low water levels. We stopped to watch some Tibetans cross the river on a wobbly suspension bridge. Lhasing and I were the only two adventurous enough to venture out on the bridge. The Tibetan women passing by would grab on to me tightly as they passed. It was a fun moment with the locals.
Back in the car, we drove and drove along the bumpy road. Sometimes the road's shoulder was less than a foot wide and the river below a long drop down. Thankfully, our driver seemed to be in better health today, so we put our faith in him completely (Did I mention he was vomiting blood yesterday?). After several hours we arrived at Reting Monastery (elevation 4100m). We seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. I finally felt like we were getting a glimpse of Tibet 100 years ago. According to our guidebook, the monastery was mostly destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, but it is the place that the Dali Lama would like to live if he ever returned to Tibet.
Inside Reting Monastery's prayer hall was very dark. The only light came from a few small windows on one side of the building and some 500 vegetable oil candles. There were colorful banners hanging from the ceiling and approximately 40 monks praying. The monks ranged in age and it seemed like many of the younger monks were distracted from their prayers by the visitors. Bummy was able to enter a special chapel that was for men only. After walking through the main prayer area, we visited the Sky Burial area. When Tibetans die, the bodies are chopped into small pieced and left for the vultures. We did not see any bodies, but the area for the Sky Burial is lined with large stones.
From Reting, we were scheduled to visit Ganden Monastery. It was obvious that our driver and guide were not familiar with the area. We stopped often to ask local people how we should go. It became clear that Tibetan use a lot of finger waving and arm gesturing when telling people the way to go. About 30 minutes after descending from Reting, we stopped for lunch. This was another very local Tibetan restaurant. There are not too many people I know who could eat lunch in a place like this....it was dark, people were smoking, I don't even want to think about the cleanliness. We all ordered a bowl of Tibetan noodles (basically the only choice was if we wanted a small or large bowl). The ladies went for small and Bummy ordered the large. The noodles were delicious. They were thicker than spaghetti noodles but light and tasty. The soup included "pork," but I can't confirm the meat type. We finished the meal off with some orange Fanta.
We spent another three hours driving along mostly bumpy, but very scenic roads, stopping frequently to make sure we were going in the right direction. We eventually reached a newly paved road and not long after found ourselves at the base of a mountain, about to turn and drive up. Looking up you could see green stripes criss-crossed the mountainside. These were the guard rails for the road. It was a somewhat scary ride to the top, but Ganden Monastery (elevation 4,500m), perched at the top, was breathtaking. It is my favorite place thus far. The monetary is home to 400 monks, who all happened to be in a meeting today. We were able to visit the main prayer hall, but most of the buildings were closed. Even though we could not go inside, it was amazing to walk around the buildings. The buildings are white, red and yellow and look ornate against the barren mountain landscape.
It took us about an hour to drive back to Lhasa. We were thankful for the newly paved roads, but know that they are only indication of a changing Tibet. Tonight we are staying at the Minsahn Jinsheng Hotel in the Chinese section of Lhasa. It was selected by our travel agent. I am just grateful that our hotel room does not smell like toilet. We headed back to the Tibetan section of town and had a very good meal at the Tibet Cafe. Tomorrow we head to Shigatse on our way to Mt. Everest!
Sound of the night: Lhasa traffic and Tibetan/Chinese disco music.
Yesterday, we headed out of Lhasa. Our first stop was Yangpachen hot springs. The hot springs are next to a Geothermal plant and could not have felt more industrial for the Tibetan plateau. According to our guide, the hot springs are supposed to have therapeutic properties, so we couldn't resist taking a dip. We opted for the outside pool, because the inside area was filled with Chinese tourists in newly purchased swimsuits who were busy enjoying the water and smoking cigarettes. The pool was not very clean, but the sulfuric water felt good. Lhasing even joined us for a dip. He was a good swimmer and enjoyed being in the water with us.
After our relaxing time in the hot springs, it was time for lunch. We could choose from the touristy Chinese restaurant or the local Tibetan place. We chose the Tibetan restaurant. After peeling back a heavy blanket, we entered a small dark room where we found some seats amongst the locals. We each received three heaping bowls of momos (small dumplings) in broth. The momos were stuffed with little bits of Yak meat, but who wants to think about that when one is hungry?
After lunch we headed to our primary destination for the day, Namtso Lake (elevation 4718m). Again, the road was paved, which made travelling much easier than expected. Our daily scenery has been mountains, rushing rivers, herds of yaks, sheep, and goats, pilgrims and local Tibetans on foot or motorcycle. We went through no less than 4 checkpoints along the road. I don't believe that a fee was paid, but we were definitely accounted for. In order to reach Namtso lake, we had to ascend to 5,100m. It made the trip not so comfortable at moments. Bummy had heard a rumor that altitude sickness tends to affect people with larger brains, so I think he wanted to prove he had a big brain this day. I think this portion of the trip was especially difficult for him.
We finally spotted the lake, a beautiful aqua shade of blue. Namtso translates to "sky lake." It is one of the highest salt water lakes in the world. Near the shore of the lake is a large tent encampment. Tibetans have set up "shopping malls," pool tables and small restaurants. Many pilgrims walk around the lake and begin their journey at this point. We opted to ride small horses down to the waters' edge for the cost of 20yuan round trip. We took some time to walk along the lake shore and enjoy the beautiful day.
After leaving Namtso, we headed for Damxung, where we would spend the night. On our way down the mountain pass, we had to stop and let the brakes of our Ford Explorer cool. Our guide and driver seemed concerned because we could not find the checkpoint man that was supposed to verify the time we left a certain point on our way back down. If you reach the bottom of the hill in less than the allotted time (30 minutes) you can be fined. It didn't seem to be an issue for us since the checkpoint guard had obviously gone missing for the day.
We spent the night at the Damxung Hotel. I was not feeling well by the time we reached the hotel, so I did not join Bummy and Rainbow for dinner. They reported having a very tasty Chinese dinner. Bummy had a bad headache so he went to the doctor to get more aspirin. Unfortunately, a local person was having a medical emergency so he would have to go back the next morning.
Sound of the night: Birds chirping
This morning after a breakfast of Tibetan bread with peanut butter (the American addition to the meal) we headed out of Damxung. After about 15 minutes on the newly paved road we headed on to a bumpy dirt road which would be our primary source of travel for the remainder of the day. The road wound along a wide river, which had appeared to have fairly low water levels. We stopped to watch some Tibetans cross the river on a wobbly suspension bridge. Lhasing and I were the only two adventurous enough to venture out on the bridge. The Tibetan women passing by would grab on to me tightly as they passed. It was a fun moment with the locals.
Back in the car, we drove and drove along the bumpy road. Sometimes the road's shoulder was less than a foot wide and the river below a long drop down. Thankfully, our driver seemed to be in better health today, so we put our faith in him completely (Did I mention he was vomiting blood yesterday?). After several hours we arrived at Reting Monastery (elevation 4100m). We seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. I finally felt like we were getting a glimpse of Tibet 100 years ago. According to our guidebook, the monastery was mostly destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, but it is the place that the Dali Lama would like to live if he ever returned to Tibet.
Inside Reting Monastery's prayer hall was very dark. The only light came from a few small windows on one side of the building and some 500 vegetable oil candles. There were colorful banners hanging from the ceiling and approximately 40 monks praying. The monks ranged in age and it seemed like many of the younger monks were distracted from their prayers by the visitors. Bummy was able to enter a special chapel that was for men only. After walking through the main prayer area, we visited the Sky Burial area. When Tibetans die, the bodies are chopped into small pieced and left for the vultures. We did not see any bodies, but the area for the Sky Burial is lined with large stones.
From Reting, we were scheduled to visit Ganden Monastery. It was obvious that our driver and guide were not familiar with the area. We stopped often to ask local people how we should go. It became clear that Tibetan use a lot of finger waving and arm gesturing when telling people the way to go. About 30 minutes after descending from Reting, we stopped for lunch. This was another very local Tibetan restaurant. There are not too many people I know who could eat lunch in a place like this....it was dark, people were smoking, I don't even want to think about the cleanliness. We all ordered a bowl of Tibetan noodles (basically the only choice was if we wanted a small or large bowl). The ladies went for small and Bummy ordered the large. The noodles were delicious. They were thicker than spaghetti noodles but light and tasty. The soup included "pork," but I can't confirm the meat type. We finished the meal off with some orange Fanta.
We spent another three hours driving along mostly bumpy, but very scenic roads, stopping frequently to make sure we were going in the right direction. We eventually reached a newly paved road and not long after found ourselves at the base of a mountain, about to turn and drive up. Looking up you could see green stripes criss-crossed the mountainside. These were the guard rails for the road. It was a somewhat scary ride to the top, but Ganden Monastery (elevation 4,500m), perched at the top, was breathtaking. It is my favorite place thus far. The monetary is home to 400 monks, who all happened to be in a meeting today. We were able to visit the main prayer hall, but most of the buildings were closed. Even though we could not go inside, it was amazing to walk around the buildings. The buildings are white, red and yellow and look ornate against the barren mountain landscape.
It took us about an hour to drive back to Lhasa. We were thankful for the newly paved roads, but know that they are only indication of a changing Tibet. Tonight we are staying at the Minsahn Jinsheng Hotel in the Chinese section of Lhasa. It was selected by our travel agent. I am just grateful that our hotel room does not smell like toilet. We headed back to the Tibetan section of town and had a very good meal at the Tibet Cafe. Tomorrow we head to Shigatse on our way to Mt. Everest!
Sound of the night: Lhasa traffic and Tibetan/Chinese disco music.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Lhasa Vanishing
5/29 and 5/30
It has been quite an adventure. I am thankful that I feel well enough to write a few words. The trip from Beijing was about four and a half hours with a stop in Chengdu. We were thankful that China Air provide much more leg room than United.
The landing in Lhasa was a bit jarring, I believe due to the short landing strip. The plane swayed back and forth as we made our decent. The airport was surprisingly modern. This should have been our indication of things to come. Lhasa is about an hours drive from the airport, but the roads are very good and in 2005 the Chinese built a tunnel through a mountain pass that makes the trip faster.
We were surrounded by stark, brown mountains and the occasional pale blue rivers which are very low at this time of the year. On our way into town, we stopped to see the largest rock painting in Tibet. Rainbow and I also met a group of local bikers who asked us to join them for some local beer. It think Vivek and Lhasing (our guide) were surprised to see us chatting away with the pilgrims.
As we approached the city of Lhasa, the car became quiet as we were shocked and saddened by the amount of development. There were sections of the city that looked just like Beijing. We did not feel as if we were entering Shangri-La. Some of this disappointment was tempered when we finally caught a glimpse of the Portola Palace. It is simply an amazing structure and I am thankful that it has survived many years of political turmoil.
We were taken to the Shanbhala Hotel, which thankfully was not the House of Shambhala where we had booked our stay. The House of Shambhala is a wonderful, Tibetan style inn. Our rooms are brightly painted with sashes framing the bed. There is an ornate courtyard at the heart of the hotel and it offers yoga and tantric massage. I am not sure the I will get to try the yoga (more on that later), but hope to experience the massage.
Of the three of us, the fearless leader had little worries about altitude sickness, but unfortunately it hit me hard. I was sick all last night, and was extremely thankful to have a kind and caring husband to watch over me. Last night was incredibly miserable, but by around 10:00 am I was able to stomach some toast. Vivek and I missed a tour of the Portola Palace, but we are hoping to see it when we return to Lhasa in a few days. Rainbow is taking Diamox and seems to be doing well with the altitude. The temperatures seem to be in the high 80s and the strong rays of the sun contribute to the discomfort.
Vivek and I ventured out to the market to find lunch. We found ourselves in a little place filled with Tibetans, but with no hope of reading the menu. We pointed to what a little boy was having and said, "we'll have that." They brought us a steaming bowl of momos (dumplings in broth-perfect for an upset stomach). It cost us 6 yuan (less than a dollar). We probably gave out more money in donations to pilgrims during our lunch then we paid for the food.
Later today our guide met us and took us to the Jokhang Temple. It was filled with monks chanting and eating. The temple was filled with many Buddhist statues and candles burning in vegetable oil. We had a nice view of the Portola Palace from the roof and even encountered a Tibetan kitten. We plan to spend the remainder of the day resting before we head out of Lhasa to Namatso Lake.
Sound of the night: Dogs barking and barking and barking
It has been quite an adventure. I am thankful that I feel well enough to write a few words. The trip from Beijing was about four and a half hours with a stop in Chengdu. We were thankful that China Air provide much more leg room than United.
The landing in Lhasa was a bit jarring, I believe due to the short landing strip. The plane swayed back and forth as we made our decent. The airport was surprisingly modern. This should have been our indication of things to come. Lhasa is about an hours drive from the airport, but the roads are very good and in 2005 the Chinese built a tunnel through a mountain pass that makes the trip faster.
We were surrounded by stark, brown mountains and the occasional pale blue rivers which are very low at this time of the year. On our way into town, we stopped to see the largest rock painting in Tibet. Rainbow and I also met a group of local bikers who asked us to join them for some local beer. It think Vivek and Lhasing (our guide) were surprised to see us chatting away with the pilgrims.
As we approached the city of Lhasa, the car became quiet as we were shocked and saddened by the amount of development. There were sections of the city that looked just like Beijing. We did not feel as if we were entering Shangri-La. Some of this disappointment was tempered when we finally caught a glimpse of the Portola Palace. It is simply an amazing structure and I am thankful that it has survived many years of political turmoil.
We were taken to the Shanbhala Hotel, which thankfully was not the House of Shambhala where we had booked our stay. The House of Shambhala is a wonderful, Tibetan style inn. Our rooms are brightly painted with sashes framing the bed. There is an ornate courtyard at the heart of the hotel and it offers yoga and tantric massage. I am not sure the I will get to try the yoga (more on that later), but hope to experience the massage.
Of the three of us, the fearless leader had little worries about altitude sickness, but unfortunately it hit me hard. I was sick all last night, and was extremely thankful to have a kind and caring husband to watch over me. Last night was incredibly miserable, but by around 10:00 am I was able to stomach some toast. Vivek and I missed a tour of the Portola Palace, but we are hoping to see it when we return to Lhasa in a few days. Rainbow is taking Diamox and seems to be doing well with the altitude. The temperatures seem to be in the high 80s and the strong rays of the sun contribute to the discomfort.
Vivek and I ventured out to the market to find lunch. We found ourselves in a little place filled with Tibetans, but with no hope of reading the menu. We pointed to what a little boy was having and said, "we'll have that." They brought us a steaming bowl of momos (dumplings in broth-perfect for an upset stomach). It cost us 6 yuan (less than a dollar). We probably gave out more money in donations to pilgrims during our lunch then we paid for the food.
Later today our guide met us and took us to the Jokhang Temple. It was filled with monks chanting and eating. The temple was filled with many Buddhist statues and candles burning in vegetable oil. We had a nice view of the Portola Palace from the roof and even encountered a Tibetan kitten. We plan to spend the remainder of the day resting before we head out of Lhasa to Namatso Lake.
Sound of the night: Dogs barking and barking and barking
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