Lhasa to Old Tingri

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Travelling through Tibet is like stepping into another time and world, kept locked away for so long it has retained a part of humanity that is lost in so much of the world today. It was one of the only places in travelling that I felt insignificant compared to the land, world, galaxy and Universe. The lives the Tibetans have are hard, with the harsh weather, altitude and the occupation by the Chinese threatening a way of life that has not changed in possibly thousands of years and yet through all of this there is a sense of permanence and calm. The Tibetans are friendly open people who seem unsure of their future and yet very connected with their past and their traditions and it seems it now hangs in the balance with the new railway system being built which will link much of Tibet with China.
What Tibet I think teaches is that modern technology, contemporary thought and all the other trappings that come with modern societies are really not necessary, advancement should not be based on economy, how many roads or airports you might have but really on the contentment of its inhabitants. "if it aint broke dont fix it" well Tibet aint broke but it can teach us a lot and it is sad to see that its greatest teacher has been forced into exile to another land and it truly feels that the soul of Tibet is missing.

The experience of travelling across Tibet by Jeep is one I will never forget and I recommend it to everyone, its not as expensive you might think. I was lucky enough to travel with a great group of people who never made the evenings quiet!
During the day however you are travelling for hours on end across vast sweeping landscapes with fingers of mountains clawing into the plateaus of green fields or heading higher to the mountainous snow capped Everest region and then into the barren and dusty Old Tingri which reminded me of some old western movie.
I realy felt lucky to be an observer and thats all I would want to be in this place because it is too special to change and should be allowed to really progress in its own time.

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Photos

Another Palace
This reminded me of the castle from Labrynth

Himalayan A-Team?
With Mt. Cho Oyu in the background, we climb on one of our Toyotas and pose with our drivers.

A stones throw
We err decided to have a stone throwing contest?

Building New Roads
Chinese Influence

Old Tingri Nights
More card games and drinking, work hard play hard!

Drepung Monastery
Solitary Monk

Drepung Monastery
Prayer Wheels

Life on the open road
One of the better ones actually

Roadside Assistance
To speed things up a little i decided to give a hand

Comments

[marin]

hey. im interning with students for a free tibet in mcleod gnaj, india (aka little lhasa) so it was interesting to read about the real tibet. thanks for the photos and words. tashi delek! marin

[Dancing Dave]

MAGIC...
Where is this?