Living the dream on the roof of the world

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Day 490: Sunday 1 November - Leaving Beijing in the biting cold

The cold in Beijing is biting as the three of us wait for a taxi to take us to Beijing West Station, apparently the biggest train station in Asia. In terms of luggage we are three very unmatched travellers. Bruno looks like he’s travelling for a few days not a few months, I have an average sized backpack and Patricia is carrying the kitchen sink, the entire contents of her wardrobe and maybe even her wardrobe and enough food to keep Tibet fed through the long winter months by the looks of it! We almost need a second taxi just for Patricia’s luggage.....what have you got in there girl? Or what haven’t you got in there is the more appropriate question! No wonder she has found travelling around such a stressful experience, it must be like a small sized military operation every time she needs to get from A to B!

Beijing West train station is huge alright and we have fun in one of its many supermarkets as we get some provisions for the train. The shop assistants teach us the hand signals for the Chinese numbers which to the onlooker must be just hilarious and the conversation between Bruno and them about what drink goes well as a mixer with Chinese rice wine is even funnier. They bring out a bottle of red wine - they have clearly misunderstood what we are asking - as that mixed with 40% Chinese rice wine promises to be very potent!!

We board the train without anyone even asking to see our permit for Tibet which is supposed to be a requirement for foreigners to even be allowed to travel to Tibet. When the guard asks for our tickets on the train, again there is no request to inspect our permits. I’m thinking that the ongoing travel restrictions on foreigners travelling to Tibet is one big money making exercise for the Chinese authorities and tour agencies alike. This permit is one big con......we’ll see if we get asked for it once we arrive in Lhasa but I have a feeling we probably won’t.

On the train we settle into our three adjacent bottom bunks in the hard sleeper section of the train. Bruno gives his up for a disabled lady in the bunk above and then proceeds to get given a gift of food every hour or so. First some nuts, then a huge root vegetable that the lady intimates she will cook into a soup tomorrow for him and the following morning when I peer into his compartment the shelf above his bed is packed with food items which I’m sure are all gifts from the lady and her travelling companions. The root vegetable has the three of us chuckling as we drink the rice wine (mixed with coke not red wine!) until the early hours chatting and full of excitement that we’re on our way to Tibet. Yeah! Already I’ve had more fun on this train journey despite it only being a few hours into it than I have on all my other train journeys in China put together. Having travelling companions makes a huge difference.

Day 491: Monday 2nd November - A Tibetan party to greet our arrival

The "Sky Train", the "Lhasa Express", the "Rocket to the rooftop of the world", the "World's highest railway"; regardless of the moniker, The Qinghai to Tibet train is truly an engineering wonder. The whole journey is 45 hours covering 4064 kilometres with the last 1142 kilometres crossing the Tibetan plateau on the newly built Qinghai to Tibet track between Golmud and Lhasa which was only opened in 2006. The train won’t reach that section until tomorrow but today alone since we left Beijing we will pass through 5 provinces - Hebei, Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Qinghai.

When we wake, all with sore heads due to the rice wine, we are approaching Xian. It is a beautiful day outside and yesterday’s winter freeze in Beijing almost feels like it was a dream. Xian is the second stop that we’ve made (we made the first one at midnight in Shijazhuang) and it is great to get a glimpse of the city’s famous city walls again. It is a little over two weeks ago since I stepped off the train in Xian and met Patricia which was the start of bringing this group and the tour to Tibet together. It feels like longer, so much has happened in the meantime, in a travelling sense and also in the amount of effort that it took over the intervening period until we finally got it all sorted and boarded the train.

I spend the day relaxing on the train, watching a DVD, reading a book, looking at Patricia’s travel guides to work out the remainder of my trip and get even more excited than I am already, chatting with Bruno and Patricia and watching the world go by outside. The scenery of Gansu province is much starker than that to the east. The train is following a narrow valley walled in by steep mountains and little vegetation is growing. It reminds me of the arid scenery I have seen on the television covering the troubles in Afghanistan. We are now at 1600 metres above sea level, about half the distance we have to climb up to Lhasa, on the roof of the world. My ears keep popping adjusting to the falling air pressure outside. In mid-afternoon we reach our third stop at Lanzhou, and in the late afternoon we stop at the capital of Qinghai, Xining our final stop of the second day. We are half way to Lhasa now.

Soon after making our stop at Xining the party starts. The three of us open a bottle of vodka and along with our new Chinese friend Shaofeng make various toasts - to our health, to our parents, to love and to the Dalai Lama. By this stage the bottle is finished and although in improved spirits (excuse the pun!), the party looks to be over. However, I soon make acquaintances with a Tibetan showjumping team on their way back to Lhasa further down our carriage and they generously offer first me and then Bruno and Patricia when they join me, several beers more. Their English is basic, my Chinese is very basic but we manage a conversation that must last a few hours. Most of this conversation is toasts to Tibet, to the Dalai Lama, to anything really, and I learn some Tibetan which the morning after the night before I have now forgotten! Alcohol fuels my silly side and for some reason I start impersonating a Xiong Mao doing Gungfu (A kung-fu Panda)!!! Quite what the four year old girl and her mother make of this act I don’t know!!!

The evening will remain a precious moment in my memory, yet another example of the warmth of the Chinese people. Along with the Laotians, Cambodian children, the Japanese, the Chinese stick out in my recollection as the friendliest people I have met on this journey. Shaofeng spends the evening looking after our possessions as we party further down the carriage which is a really kind gesture and the Tibetans were brilliant fun and want to continue the party in Lhasa when we arrive. Right now though my sensible side has kicked in and I decide that a mix of alcohol and thinner air which we will be confronted with upon waking tomorrow will not be a good mix. It is time for bed.

Day 492: Tuesday 3rd November - A monumental feat of engineering as we cross the Tibetan plateau by rail

I wake to my first view of the Tibetan plateau. It is a fantastic sight belonging to another planet. Just mile after mile of barren nothingness, rolling plains of permafrost and snow with snow-capped mountains in the distance. The skies at high altitude are always more spectacular, an incredible intense blue. Beneath them the permafrost glistens. The scenery is moon-like and similar to that of the South American Altiplano. That I use this as a comparison should be no surprise as both are high altitude plateaus above 3000 metres from sea level. I look back fondly on my memories and images in my head from the time I spent on the Peruvian and Bolivian Altiplano’s, still some of the most uniquely beautiful scenery I have seen on my entire trip. My first impression of Tibet is a good one, for all the excitement and build up I am not disappointed. I know I am going to love Tibet.

There is so much nothingness except for this incredible feat of engineering that slices through the Qinghai-Tibet plateau for over 1000 kilometres. This section of railway was started in 2001, and completed 5 years later at the cost of almost $4 billion. Like the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze the project was first dreamt by Sun Yatsen the founder of modern day China but plans had to be abandoned due to money and a shortage of technology. There are many technical difficulties for such a railway. About half of the section is built on barely permanent permafrost. In the summer, the uppermost layer thaws, and the ground becomes muddy. Chinese engineers dealt with this problem by building elevated tracks with foundations sunk deep into the ground, building hollow concrete pipes beneath the tracks to keep the rail bed frozen, and using metal sun shades. In addition, the air in Tibet is much thinner, with oxygen pressure being only 60% of what it is at sea level. Special passenger carriages had to be used, releasing oxygen into the carriages after Golmud and there are personal oxygen canisters should you need them. Also several oxygen factories were built along the railway. The whole project involved more than 20,000 workers and over 6,000 pieces of industrial equipment, and is considered one of China's major accomplishments of the 21st century. The construction of the railway is part of the China Western Development strategy and there are already plans to extend it across Tibet to the Nepalese border and improve the rail network in the western provinces of China.

In completing the construction several records were set:

• The world’s highest rail track at Tanggula Pass at 5072 metres above sea level
• The world’s highest rail station at Tanggula at 5068 metres above sea level.
• 80% of the Golmud to Lhasa section is at 4000 metres above sea level.

As the scenery gets better and better outside the state of the toilets gets worse and worse in the train. I don’t wish to dwell on the latter, but the former demands a few words. Outside the scenery changes from barren wastelands to endless plateau covered in snow with mountain peaks in the distance. We then pass the highest freshwater lake in the world, which lies at an altitude in excess of 5000 metres above sea level. It is only the second time I have been above 5000 metres, and sat in the relative warmth and comfort of the train with oxygen being pumped into the cabin, it is infinitely easier than the first when I climbed Cotopaxi in Ecuador. We pass yak grazing on the barren lands, very occasionally a settlement but mostly there is just nothing outside to see but admire the breathtaking scenery of the plateau.

For the last part of the journey we follow a valley towards Lhasa, where we arrive at 6pm, 45 hours after we started. Patricia is ecstatic to get out of the train but I could spend another day gazing out of the train, watching the world go by and admiring the fabulous scenery of the Tibetan plateau. There are other ways to get to Tibet but surely none to compare with taking the train. Since the railway was opened 3 years ago it has attracted a lot of criticism but I am not about to add my dissenting voice to these. The journey was one of the most special I have taken in 16 months of travel and I feel extremely privileged to have been able to make it. I had a lot of fun with Bruno and Patricia, the Chinese and Tibetan people in our carriage were lovely and the scenery simply breathtaking.

Our guide Migmar and our driver Dawa meet the three of us off the train. We arrive without any request to see our permit. We are presented with a white scarf each as a symbol to cleanse our minds. I don’t know about our minds, but our collective bodies need a good cleansing after two days without a wash and braving the increasing squalor of the toilets on the train!! I’ve been excited about my arrival in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet for weeks now but the initial minutes in the city are an anti-climax. Driving from the train station to the centre of Lhasa we pass through a typically drab modern Chinese city. Is this the effect 6 decades of Chinese influence in Tibet have had? Thankfully once we arrive in the centre of Lhasa Tibetan architecture is very much in evidence.

We head towards the guesthouse where Angie has being staying since her arrival yesterday. It is just off the Barkhor circuit in the heart of the Tibetan part of the city. It is a perfect location that Angie has chosen and the three of us are more than happy with her choice. We soon get to put a face to the voice we have spoken to several times when Angie comes down to meet us. Bruno, Patricia and myself get a room together and then Bruno and I join Angie on a walk around Barkhor.

How to describe the Barkhor circuit? It is definitely something that words could never do justice, nor even pictures that we think can paint a thousand words. No, the only way really to be able to describe Barkhor is to actually experience the same overpowering spirituality and humanity of the Tibetan people who make the pilgrim circuit. The Barkhor circuit is a street that circumnavigates Tibet’s most holy temple, the Jokhang. It takes about 10 minutes to walk around the 800 metre circuit during which your senses are constantly provoked by the scenes that unravel in front of you. You don’t walk, more shuffle as you follow the clockwise flow of pilgrims who walk around the circuit over and over to get more merit for their next life. The flow of people just takes you with it, forget stopping for photos. And how many photo opportunities……Tibetan men and women carrying prayer wheels, devotees throwing themselves prostrate on to the pavement every few steps to pray, the medieval buildings which line the circuit, the hundreds of stalls on the circuit selling yak butter, yak meat, Tibetan souvenirs etc. Then in the evening add the smells of Tibetan food cooking……it is an amazing place. Dusk is probably the best time to walk the Barkhor, but early morning is also good. These are the times of the day where the most pilgrims seem to be making the circuit but at all times you will see many Tibetans making the pilgrimage. The Barkhor circuit was one of the images I had in my mind of Tibet before I arrived. I am not disappointed, a simply incredibly spiritual place. Every time you walk the circuit it is different.

After walking the Barkhor circuit the four of us get dinner together and start to get to know each other. Everyone is really nice, this is going to be a fun and enjoyable 9 days together and I am really looking forward to sharing it with Bruno, Patricia and Angie. Whilst we are eating, Noodles from Beijing walks in. I knew he was coming to Tibet but really didn’t expect to see him. I start my experience of Tibetan cuisine with Yak pie, which is very similar to mince pie back home. It won’t be the last time I have yak as I later find out!

Day 493: Wednesday 4th November - Overdosing on Yak!

Today’s itinerary is a visit to the famous monasteries of Drepung and Sera, both on the outskirts of Lhasa. We board the bus to Drepung monastery where we spend the morning. Before we visit the temple itself we get a flask of Tibetan milk tea which I’m a big fan of. Sweet and milky it is very similar to Indian chai. We share our milky tea with a cool Tibetan guy who reminds me of Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings!

Drepung monastery sits high on the mountainside to the west of Lhasa, offering beautiful views across the valley in which Lhasa sits and the ‘bowl’ of mountains which surround the city. Drepung is the largest monastery in Tibet with over 600 monk’s resident and it resembles a small village. Founded in the 15th century it was the seat of the second to the fifth Dalai Lama’s before the Potala Palace was built. The kora (pilgrimage circuit) around the monastery takes a good few hours. I have long been ‘templed out’ but a Tibetan monastery is a different experience. Many of the Buddhist temples of Southeast Asia, Japan and China feel like hollow houses of God. They are full of Buddhist images just as many of the great cathedrals of the Christian faith are full of Christ’s image, beautiful buildings but no real living embodiment of the faith. A Tibetan monastery is different. Extremely spiritual exemplified by the pilgrims offering their prayers and making a monetary offering at virtually every Buddha or chapel, the smell of juniper incense burning, the warm glow of the butter lamps, the low murmur of monks chanting and the beating of drums and clapping cymbals to a slow melodic beat.

The architecture of the monastery is also very interesting. Medieval like central Lhasa, the walls are whitewashed and the other dominant colours are burgundy and the decorative gold. This is the style of all the monasteries we visit, and naturally our first encounter is the most rewarding. Whilst we are enjoying our visit we come across some workers who are restoring some of the buildings in the monastery and whilst working they dance and sing, just like in many of the musicals. Their ‘performance’ belongs more in the west end of London than on the roof of a Tibetan monastery, nevertheless it ends an interesting and cool morning at Drepung. We finish our visit by taking a lunch of yak momos, small dumplings stuffed with yak meat.

We jump into the back of a truck to make the downhill journey to Nechung monastery, the seat of the State Oracle until 1959, the person the Dalai Lama would consult before making important decisions. The monastery is small and doesn’t take long to visit and is not as interesting as Drepung. The journey down here was the best part as the Tibetan’s took great interest in the hair on the back of my hands, then on my arms and finally on my stomach. They stroke my hair and pull it with Bruno’s encouragement. To them, I am the missing link in human evolution!

In the afternoon we catch the bus to Sera monastery, to the north of the city. The bus journeys are so much fun as Bruno befriends the local Tibetan’s and charms them with a mix of a few greetings in Tibetan and chat in French, English and jibberish! It is hilarious just listening to him chat away! On the way to the bus a girl begging clamps herself to my leg and won’t let go until I give her some money. I have no intention of succumbing to her tactic and after I walk 100 metres down the road with her still attached to my leg she finally gives in!

We time our visit to Sera monastery, the second largest Tibetan monastery with the afternoon session of monks debating. The debate is very theatrical, one wonders if it is for the benefit of the tourists but nevertheless it is interesting to spectate for a while. Otherwise Sera monastery is very similar to Drepung, comparable architecture and many chapels with images of Buddha inside. The view isn’t as good as from Drepung and I think I’ve had my fill of monasteries for the day.

In the late afternoon there is time to enjoy the views from our guesthouse’s rooftop terrace. Whilst surfing the net I can look out over central Lhasa to the Potala Palace in the distance, not every day you get to do that. It looks spectacular from afar and tomorrow I’m sure it will look even more impressive from up close when we get to visit it. In the evening the four of us get dinner together. I go all out for Tibetan food tonight. I start with yak butter tea which isn’t as disgusting as I’d been led to believe. Okay so it isn’t exactly my cup of tea as it is too rich and without any real taste but I’m disappointed in a way that it wasn’t the rancid drink I’d imagined. To eat myself, Angie and Bruno share yak momos, yak curry and yak bobi - similar to a Mexican burrito. Not content with having consumed enough yak today I finish with yak cheesecake. I joke that tomorrow I’m going to wake up transformed into a yak as I’ve eaten that much of it today!!

Day 494: Thursday 5th November - Realising the dream and not being disappointed

Moo! Or whatever noise a yak makes!! I’ve turned into a yak overnight after overdosing on it yesterday!

The image foremost in my mind when I dreamed of one day coming to Tibet was the Potala Palace, winter residence of the Dalai Lama for the last 4 centuries until the current one left for exile in India in 1959. I first set me eyes on the architectural wonder two days ago as the train approached Lhasa. Since, I have seen it across the city from the rooftop of the hostel but nothing can compare to seeing it close up. The palace rises 13 stories from 130 metre red hill, scraping the sky. The palace is ochre, white and gold the dominant colours of Tibetan architecture. The Potala Palace was at the top of my list of places I wanted to see in Tibet when I dreamed of making this trip and it doesn’t disappoint. Incredible!

In front of the palace a line of pilgrims is formed praying and offering their devotion to the once seat of Tibetan Buddhism. The Potala consists of the White Palace, used as the living quarters of the Dalai Lama and the Red Palace for political and religious functions. I’m expecting an empty shell inside, stripped of its wonders by Chinese authorities. However, inside its 1000 rooms are various priceless antiquities, golden tombs decorated with jewels of every Dalai Lama from the fifth one who built the palace in the seventeenth century. There are various throne rooms, living quarters and stunning chapels inside the Potala as well. It takes just over an hour to complete the visit and as long again to climb and descend the steps leading up to the palace. The views across the city and of the surrounding mountains are spectacular as well. The Dalai Lama certainly chose the best spot in town to build the palace.

After our visit I continue with Migmar to Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama’s summer palace. The others decide that it is not for them and return back to the hostel. Inside Norbulingka are the summer palaces from the 7th, 8th, 13th, and 14th Dalai Lamas. The new summer palace of the current Dalai Lama is the only one which justifies the entrance fee, one of the others is closed and the other two are single room affairs. The gardens surrounding the palace have seen better days.

Later in the afternoon, Migmar picks us up from our hostel for the short walk to Jokhang Temple. The Jokhang Temple is 1300 years old, and if the Potala Palace was once the political centre of Tibet, the Jokhang is the spiritual centre of Tibet. It is in the centre of the Barkhor circuit which pilgrims from throughout Tibet flock to walk the kora around the temple. Inside the temple are various golden statues of Buddha but I enjoy the views from the rooftop much more. From the rooftop, you can see the mesmerising golden domes of the temple, the awestruck pilgrims praying below, watch pilgrims make the Barkhor circuit, look across the rooftops of Lhasa, admire the medieval architecture in Barkhor Square and also the mountains in the distance. Another awesome experience.

In the evening after getting dinner with the other three, Bruno and I walk down to the Potala Palace hoping to see it lit up. By the time we get there the lights are switched off. I really want to see it in the dark but that will have to wait until tomorrow, our last night in Lhasa.

Day 495: Friday 6th November - Incredible views from Ganden Monastery

Ganden monastery is often excluded from most overland trips from Lhasa to Nepal. Most tours offer only two full days in Lhasa and skip Ganden, a 50 kilometre drive from the city. I insisted on putting this on our itinerary for two reasons: first to get an extra day in Lhasa which is recommended as two days is not enough to enjoy the sacred city and second because I’d read that Ganden monastery offers outstanding views from its mountainside location. My judgement was spot on as for me Ganden monastery is up there with Potala Palace and the Barkhor Circuit as my highlights of Lhasa.

The drive east to Ganden is beautiful, taking us along a river valley. Along the way we pass a number of devout worshippers making the pilgrimage to Lhasa, praying on the road as they walk to Lhasa. They walk a few steps then lie down offer a few prayers, then walk a few steps more. It is an incredible scene and it must take them days to reach Lhasa.

Ganden monastery is one of the three main monasteries of the Gelupga sect in and around Lhasa (We’ve already visited Sera and Drepung, the others). It was built in the early fifteenth century and the views it offers from its mountainside location of the Kyi-chu valley are visual eye candy. It might not be as big as Drepung, hold the intrigue of watching monks debating of Sera but the views alone make this my favourite monastery in Tibet. The exterior of the monastery is also spectacular as the buildings climb up the mountainside. Five monasteries and temples in 3 days could have been too many if it had been just an ordinary monastery but Ganden is extraordinary.

Following our visit, Angie decides that she will climb the mountain behind Ganden to get a view of the valleys behind us as well. She must take nearly an hour and a half which doesn’t go down particularly well with the others as they sit waiting but for me it allows precious time to soak up the amazing view. Our extended stay at Ganden does however eat into our supposedly free afternoon. I just want to chill out after an intense few days but the others had planned to go shopping.

I get an early dinner with Patricia making a toast to Erin Louise, my friends new arrival back in the UK. Bruno joins us later. Me and Bruno discuss going to the Potala Palace again to see it lit up but that never happens as I spend a couple of hours on the phone to Xuelan by which time the palace is no longer illuminated. It clearly wasn’t meant to be! I steal Angie’s pictures the following day at least.

Day 496: Saturday 7th November -The start of the road trip along the Friendship Highway

After four days in Lhasa it is time to leave this city which is the heart and soul of Tibet. Lhasa was only a small town of 30,000 people when the Chinese invaded Tibet in 1950, since when there has been an influx of Chinese migrants bolstering the city’s population to around half a million. This may have become a Chinese boom town and is now a cultural hybrid of a place but in my opinion it still retains a Tibetan feel. Chinese may outnumber Tibetan’s 2 to 1 but it still has its Tibetan heart and soul. People mix freely and help to create the special feel of Lhasa. The only disappointing feature of Lhasa are the Chinese soldiers that patrol on almost every street corner. I understand that there have been clashes in the past and that this is still a very politically sensitive area but it is both excessive and unnecessary, and blights the spirituality of Lhasa.

Otherwise Lhasa has very much lived up to my expectations. These expectations were sky high and usually when you are so excited about visiting somewhere you come away with a touch of disappointment that the reality didn’t meet your expectations. Not with Lhasa, for me it was one of the most special cities I’ve been to on my trip. My vision of Lhasa beforehand was the Potala Palace reaching skywards and the Barkhor circuit. These were two of my three highlights of Lhasa, the other being Ganden monastery which sits in the most spectacular location.

I’m no city person and I’ve already fallen in love with Tibet. The scenery outside the cities promises to take this tour up a few notches further. Yesterday’s 100 kilometre round trip to Ganden gave us a taster of what to expect, as we passed some beautiful scenery along the river valley. Today marks the start of our road trip along the Friendship highway which connects Lhasa with Kathmandu. It will take us 5 days to reach Kathmandu, and the total journey will be closer to 1000 kilometres when you add the detours to Gyantse and Everest Base Camp.

Just leaving Lhasa is an effort. Angie must be carrying luggage twice her diminutive bodyweight and when you add in Patricia’s 37 bags it is a tight squeeze getting it all into the back of the Landcruiser. Dawa does a brilliant job but our journey must be delayed by half an hour. No one is going to want the back seat in and amongst all the bags but since they belong almost entirely to the girls, it is agreed that they can take it in turns.

The first significant landmark we pass of the day is Yamdrok-Tso lake. The scenery has already been spectacular up to this point as we have passed mountains several shades of brown and driven along river valleys which have pierced the high altitude desert. Yamdrok-Tso lake belongs in the breathtaking category. Our first sight is from Kamba-la pass (4700 metres altitude), the first of five mountain passes we will have to cross to reach Nepal. The lake lies several hundred metres below the road and its waters are the most fantastic blue. Far in the distance, almost on the border with Bhutan is Mount Nojin Kangtsang which at 7191 metres is the first 7000 metre peak I have ever seen. Wow! Yamdrok-Tso reminds me very much of Lake Titicaca which straddles the Peru-Bolivia border. This is because of both the colour of the lake and also the mountains that can be seen in the distance from both lakes, the Andes in the case of Lake Titicaca and the Himalayas for Yamdrok-Tso. Viewing the lake from its shoreline is equally as special as the clouds in the sky and the surrounding mountains reflect off the mirror-like waters which shimmer in the sun.

We stop in the town of Nangartse for lunch. The town itself is not particularly attractive and every building seems to be occupied by an empty restaurant. However, in the distance the Himalayas tower over this one street town. From Nangartse we make our way up to the Karo La pass where we stop to take photos of Mount Nojin Kangtsang from close up. The mountain doesn’t look like the 7000 metre peak it is but then again we are stood on a pass which is at 5020 metres. This is now only the third time I’ve been above 5 kilometres above sea level and seeing the summit of Nojin Kangtsang appear so close I soon realise how high I actually am. Tibet literally is the roof of the world!

From the pass we drop down and pass the man-made Mala-tso lake which is just the most amazing turquoise blue. The only places I have seen such an incredible colour of water was in South America and in New Zealand. I have always said that Patagonia in South America had the most spectacular scenery I have ever seen and Tibet almost matches it. Almost, but not quite, but that could change before I get to Nepal. Nevertheless, it is breathtaking scenery and not because of the thin air.

We arrive in the small town of Gyantse in the mid afternoon. Gyantse feels more Tibetan than Lhasa, the Chinese influence here is negligible. The town is guarded by a fort which is located high on a hill above the town. We’ve come to Gyantse to visit Pelkor Chode monastery. The monastery itself is small and holds little interest but the reason it draws tourists is for the Kumbum Chorten which is located within the monastery walls. The Kumbum Chorten is a 35 metre high stupa full of small chapels and images of Buddha. Almost all the literature I’ve read on Tibet rates the Chorten very highly but I come away rather unimpressed. It doesn’t rank alongside the monasteries we’ve already seen, but maybe we’ve become overexposed to Tibetan Buddhism in such a short space of time?

I think it would be nice to stay in Gyantse to get more of a feel for contemporary Tibetan life in the small town but we are staying tonight in Shigatse. It takes a further hour and a half to reach Tibet’s second city. Shigatse Dzong, a Potala Palace lookalike overlooks the city giving you an initial favourable impression of the city as you first see it on the approach. This impression soon gives way when you realise that Shigatse is just another rapidly expanding Chinese city with little charm.

We debate in the Landcruiser as we drive through the city about where to stay. Migmar and Dawa are telling us to stay in one hotel which we can’t see in our guidebooks. We’re all wary of their recommendation and would prefer one of our own choices but relent and let them show us this place. It turns out to be very good, a 3 star hotel. We think it will be expensive but they will do us a deal on a four bed room for 200 Yuan (£18). We have our own bathroom, hot water and heating and that seals the deal, particularly for the girls.

Day 497: Sunday 8th November - Classified as an alien!

We wake in the warmth of our hotel room looking forward to a hot shower. I haven’t showered for three days now because my last shower in Lhasa was in lukewarm water. This is okay in sub-tropical climates or even temperate climates but in the cold of Tibet you need hot water otherwise you catch a chill whilst trying to wash. There was hot water last night which Patricia took advantage of but the rest of us thought we would wait until the morning. Unfortunately when we get up there is no hot water. It looks like the hot shower will have to wait until Kathmandu in 3 days time......I just hope my travelling companions don’t mind!! At least we are all in the same boat, and at least this isn’t southeast Asia or southern China when I would need to shower every 20 minutes! Angie tenaciously demands some compensation as they had told us the afternoon before that there would be 24 hour hot water, and eventually after threatening to go to the police she gets some money back.

Before we leave Shigatse we visit Tashilhunpo monastery, the seat of the Panchen Lama, the second highest ranking figure in Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama. The current Panchen Lama is not in exile in Dharamasala, India like the Dalai Lama, but the story about the Panchen Lama is even more bizarre. There are actually two Panchen Lama’s, the real one which the Tibetan’s recognise and a fake one promoted by the Chinese authorities for his pro-China attitude. The real Panchen Lama was kidknapped when he was a boy and his whereabouts is unknown but it is thought he is under house-arrest somewhere in China.

Tashilhunpo monastery is one of the six great Tibetan monasteries along with Ganden, Sera and Drepung near Lhasa and one each in Gansu and Qinghai provinces, which were once part of a much larger greater Tibet than the present day autonomous province. It is very much similar in style to the other three famous monasteries we have already visited and initially I am thinking this is a monastery too many. However, as we explore more of the monastery which resembles a walled village we see a huge 26 metre bronze Buddha and then finally reach an open courtyard in front of a lavishly decorated chapel where monks are making models of stupas ahead of a festival which is tomorrow. The courtyard is very medieval in style, and is full of energy with the monks busy chatting as they work. It is one of my favourite scenes from our various visits to the holy places in Tibet. Tashilhunpo was worth visiting after all.

When we get back to the car park, Dawa and Migmar are waiting for us. Migmar has our Alien Travel Permit is his hand which allows us to travel west to the Nepal border. Our original Tibet Tourism Bureau permit only covered us in and around Lhasa, Gyantse and Shigatse. Now I think it is kind of cool to be classified as an alien. I have long thought that I was special, very different to the rest of the human race but now I have proof!!!! I can’t get Sting’s song ‘Englishman in New York’ out of my head. I change the lyrics very slightly to:

‘I’m an alien, I’m an evil alien, I’m an Englishman in Tibet’

Just days ago I was growing extra hair and turning into a yak after eating too much yak meat. Now I look like a little green man. The thin air of Tibet has a lot to answer for!!! ; )

Leaving Shigatse behind we are once more treated to the beautiful, yet bleak and arid high altitude desert of Tibet. We pass a road marker which states we are now 5000 kilometres from Shanghai. Shanghai was my starting point of my second visit to China, and I have indeed travelled far and wide across China in the last 6 weeks. We cross over Tropu-la pass which is a mere 4500 metres where we stop to take photos of the panoramic view and the thousands of prayer flags that are flying over the pass. From the pass we drop down to the town of Lhatse where we get lunch.

The lunch stops are starting to test our patience. The prices of the restaurants we are stopping in are expensive for the food we are eating and we suspect we are subsidising Migmar’s and Dawa’s lunches. I don’t even suspect, I know and it is frustrating. They are both really nice guys but it isn’t right or fair to expect us to foot the bill each time, even if it is being done indirectly. This wasn’t in the tour contract we signed. Tomorrow we choose where we eat.

From Lhatse we climb towards Gyatso La pass which at 5248 metres will represent the high point of the journey across Tibet. This pass is even higher than Everest Base Camp. The pass also marks the entrance to Mount Qomolangma (The Tibetan name for Everest) national park. The entrance, like Troupa-La pass is covered in Tibetan prayer flags. On the way down to Shergar we get our first view of the world’s tallest mountain. We stop in Shergar to get our permits to enter Mount Everest National Park and to get water. I end up giving my first bottle away to some weary Tibetan travellers who in the fierce sun are desperate for water.

Shortly after Shergar we pass through a military checkpoint and then we leave the Friendship Highway behind for the gravel tracks of Mount Qomolangma National Park. We have a 91 kilometre drive to get to Rongphu monastery which is situated just before Base Camp. The drive takes us through moonscape scenery first which reminds me of the scenery on the Bolivia-Chile border before we get a panoramic view of the Himalayan range. Breathtaking! I do a jig of delight as I gaze out on to 5 of the 14 mountain peaks which measure 8000 metres plus. From left to right are Makalu, Lhotse, Everest, Cho Oyu and Xixiabangma and numerous other mountains which although they may not have the height of these five add to a remarkable view with the desert in the foreground offering a great contrast.

The daylight has faded when we arrive in our guesthouse opposite the monastery. The snow on the north face of Everest is shining in the moonlight. Outside the conditions are harsh with the wind blowing and the cold biting. Inside everyone crowds around the fire to keep warm. With little to do except trying to keep warm everyone opts for an early night.

Day 498: Monday 9th November - Walking to Everest Base Camp

Angie gets up to walk to Everest Base Camp for sunrise. The rest of us choose the more sensible option of watching sunrise from the guesthouse. It’s not really about the sunrise, rather the mountain. Everest’s north face rises steeply from the arid desert plateau surrounding it but it doesn’t look high enough to be the world’s tallest mountain at 8848 metres. Then again I keep forgetting that I’m stood at 5000 metres. It is so cold and windy that I’m soon running for the relative warmth of the fire in the guesthouse. After breakfast and with the sun still struggling to rise above Everest, myself and Bruno set off to walk to Everest Base Camp (EBC). The walk is 8 kilometres, but is almost flat. EBC is only 200 metres above where the guesthouse is, and the incline is barely noticeable. This walk would be a stroll in the park at sea level but at 5 kilometres above, in whipping winds it is hard to breathe. Me and Bruno barely say a word on the walk up to EBC, conserving our energies for the struggle against the wind. The walk takes us up a barren valley, lined with glacial deposits with Everest rising supremely at the end of the valley ahead of us.

It takes us 2 hours to reach EBC which kind of feels like cheating as the walk from the Nepalese side takes 10 days. Still the end result is the same, a front seat view of the world’s most famous mountain and it is a special moment. Breathtaking, but I don’t know if that applies foremost to the winds or the mountain. We actually end up about 100 metres above EBC, which looks little like the base camp I imagined, rather a collection of abandoned huts. However, November is not the climbing season, it is too cold to make a summit attempt on Everest. We take a few pictures for mementoes of our time at the bottom of the highest point on Earth before scrambling down the scree slope and jumping into the warmth of our waiting Landcruiser.

We have a 100 kilometre drive ahead of us which takes 2-3 hours to get back on to the Friendship Highway and out of the Everest National Park. The scenery is as wonderful as on the way into the park but this time I’m too exhausted to appreciate it. I’m so tired, have a piercing headache and feel slightly nauseous, symptoms I recognise from the time I got altitude sickness in Ecuador. A few nomads herding yak across the desert arouse me from my fatigue but I can’t wait to lie down and rest.

We rejoin the Friendship Highway at Tingri which would be an unremarkable one street town if it wasn’t for the view it enjoys, looking out on to the Himalayan range. We stop here for lunch and this should be our resting point for the night also. I’m still not feeling good but I’m sure the 1000 metre drop in altitude from EBC will help as will the opportunity to do nothing for the rest of the day. A debate which started in the Landcruiser coming from EBC continues as we wait for lunch to arrive. The girls are advocating crossing the border a day earlier than planned, Bruno wants to keep to the original itinerary and I’m not bothered either way. This needs to be a unanimous decision and as we discuss it further Bruno changes his mind and also agrees that it will be for the best if we leave Tibet a day early. After EBC the only thing that is exciting about the trip to the border is the scenery we pass on the way. The towns we will stop in offer nothing. So, we might as well make the journey as quickly as possible. This means leaving Tingri after lunch which is what the other three want to do. But I am not feeling up to the car journey today and would rather delay the journey until tomorrow. This is a call where the majority wins though, and the others prefer to make the border crossing early tomorrow rather than later in the day which it would be if we stay in Tingri tonight. I go with the majority, on the positive side I will sleep tonight at 2300 metres rather than 4300 metres above sea level which will be better for my current health situation.

At 4pm we start out towards Zhangmu, the last town in Tibet before the Nepalese border where we will stay the night. An hour later and we reach the final pass on the Friendship Highway - Tong La. The views from every pass have been spectacular. Yamdrok Tso Lake from Khamba La in particular was special but the panoramic view of the Himalayas from Tong La tops them all. There have been many amazing views in the last three days but the view from Tong La pass is possibly the most memorable. The brown rolling hills of the desert culminating in the snow topped peaks of the Himalayas on the horizon and the indigo blue sky offer a series of contrasting colours and shapes which are mind-blowing.

From Tong La the road drops steeply towards Zhangmu. This would be a great road to mountain bike down. The steepness of the descent reminds me a bit of the world’s most dangerous road in Bolivia - it is as steep if without the inherent danger factor. Just 5 kilometres before we get to Zhangmu we reach roadworks which hold us up for an hour. Patricia is stressing whereas me and Bruno stroll around chatting to the workers and enjoy a beer by the roadside whilst checking what is going on. The landscape has changed, there is now vegetation and a river lies in the bottom of the deep gorge below us.

Getting through Zhangmu is almost as difficult as negotiating passage through the roadworks. As the last town before the border there are lorries parked everywhere, presumably waiting for the border to re-open tomorrow. The town clings to the hillside and there must be a good few hundred metres between the bottom of the town and the top. It is 8pm before we finally get to our hotel and despite the long day we all gather for one final dinner together. It has been a great journey along the Friendship Highway and I have had a fun time with the rest of the group. Migmar and Dawa have been very accommodating to our various requests including our change to the itinerary today. Bruno is a good humoured chap and very kind hearted and has been a lot of fun and I’ve enjoyed having some interesting chats with Angie also. Patricia though has exuded negativity ever since we left Lhasa and if I look back hasn’t been totally happy or comfortable since Beijing. I don’t know if she’s finding it hard adapting to such a different travel experience from the western world, I suspect so, but it makes it a bit harder to enjoy yourself when someone in the group is dampening the mood and being so negative. Kathmandu is her dream I just hope she can relax and enjoy her dream. And, after six weeks it is my final night in China.

Day 499: Tuesday 10th November - The end of the best road trip ever

I finish my Tibet experience with the staple diet in Tibet of tsampa and bo cha (yak-butter tea). I’ve already had yak butter tea and it is drinkable if not my cup of tea. Tsampa, dough like balls made of barley is barely edible and after a couple of bites I can’t stomach chewing tasteless dough balls. I don’t know how the Tibetans survive on this diet!

Poor old Dawa packs the Landcruiser with our luggage for the final time and we drive down to the immigration office, 9 kilometres away in the valley below. The Chinese immigration office isn’t open when arrive so that gives me time to appreciate what is one of the most scenic border crossings in the world. Perhaps only the one between Bolivia and Chile can compare. The Friendship Bridge links China and Nepal which lies across the valley in the river below. Above us Zhangmu clings to the hillside, and below us scruffy Kodari looks half asleep. And why shouldn’t it be, for although it is 9:30am in China it is only 7:15am across the river in Nepal. Tomorrow it will be nice to wake up in the daylight for a change instead of seeing the sunrise at 8:30am thanks to China’s one time zone.

We have no issues with Chinese immigration contrary what Migmar has been telling us. He reckoned they would search our bags for pictures of the Dalai Lama which in this part of the world in the equivalent to being caught carrying a kilo of contraband. We wave goodbye to Migmar and walk across the Friendship bridge and we are now in Nepal. We continue to walk down through the town to the Nepalese immigration office. You can get a visa on arrival which is no problem. However, since I researched into Nepal, the rules have changed and you can no longer get the two month visa I had hoped for. The options are a month long visa costing $40 or a three month visa for $100. I don’t know if I can fit what I want to do in Nepal in a month but I am reluctant to pay $60 more when I think I only will be here around 5 weeks so I opt for the month long visa. The immigration officers allow you to pay in Nepalese rupees as well but the exchange rate they offer is shocking so I pay for Bruno’s visa to stop him getting ripped off.

With our visas we walk through the town looking for a car to take us to Kathmandu. We could take a bus but this will take all day and a car between four of us is not that much more. We join up with an Irish couple, Nicky and Emma and hope to find a pick-up truck that can take all six of us. We strike several deals at 4000-5000 rupees (£30-£40) but the price suddenly goes up once we are ready to commit. It is very frustrating and I’m thinking I’ve crossed Friendship bridge into unfriendly town. After probably an hour and a half of negotiations resulting in nothing but frustration we finally agree a deal for a pick-up we catch as it arrives at the border for 5000 rupees. Five of us get into the jeep and Nicky gets on the back with all the bags. We’re on our way to Kathmandu and the final part of our overland trip from Lhasa.

The scenery on the Nepalese side of the Himalaya’s is equally as spectacular as that on the Tibetan side, but very different. The high desert plateau of the Tibetan side has been replaced by lush valleys and roaring rivers with some of the clearest water I’ve seen. In the distance the snow capped peaks of the Himalayas don’t offer any clue to the barren desert plateau that lies behind. The roads are in much worse condition than they were on the Chinese side but who cares about the slow progress when the view is this good?! After an hour and a half, Nicky swaps and Emma and I climb into the back of the pick-up. This is the best way to observe the beautiful countryside and what a way to finish the best road trip I have ever taken. After a quick lunch stop this journey of amazing vistas culminates in another view which will remain in my memory for evermore. The driver stops to allow us to take pictures from atop a hill looking down to fertile plains below and across to the Himalayan range from the south side. The view is very different from the Tibetan side but just as special.

We were warned on the border that we could have problems getting to Kathmandu because of protests and when we get to Sanga sure enough the road is blocked with a demonstration. We plead for passage which they allow after 10 minutes or so, only because we are foreigners. The last hour or so of the 1000 km journey from Lhasa is the only section where the scenery isn’t breathtaking. We are now in the Kathmandu valley, chaotic, dusty and noisy and the end of the road trip. In the mid afternoon we jump out in Thamel, in the centre of Kathmandu. What an exhilarating 10 days it has been travelling over 5000 kilometres over some of the most amazing scenery I have ever laid my eyes upon.

It is very difficult to select one thing which stands out as being the most special place after travelling for 17 months. Nevertheless, Tibet belongs in the select few places which I could list from the top of my head which were very, very special. Tibet still maintains its mystique even in the 21st century when international travel is so easy. For me, this is the Shangri-la. This mystique is part of what makes Tibet special but is far from the only thing. The warmth of the Tibetan people whose humanity glows as brightly as their rosy cheeks, the spirituality of Tibetan Buddhism which is intriguing to an outsider and the stunning scenery of Tibet are the other things that make this one of my favourite locations in the world. Just about every day has had several jaw-dropping moments where I have just stood back and appreciated the opportunity to live a dream. To list these will take a paragraph alone, but still I will.

Crossing the Qinghai-Tibet plateau on the train on the third day from Beijing and then later that day getting the first experience of the immense spirituality and humanity of the Tibetans on the Barkhor circuit were the stand outs from day one in Tibet. Day two had the interest of seeing our first Tibetan monastery, Drepung, Tibet’s largest. On day three there was the awesome Potala Palace and standing on the roof of the Jokhang Temple with a bird’s eye view of Barkhor Square was just as special. Day four had the magnificent views from Ganden monastery, whilst day five was the start of the road trip along the Friendship Highway. It started with the beautiful Yamdrok-Tso lake then the unbelievable turquoise waters of Mala-tso lake. The next day I enjoyed the medieval courtyard scene of Tashilhunpo monastery with all the monks making preparations for the Buddhist festival but that was topped by the first sight of Mount Everest and then the moonscape and panoramic view of the Himalayas once inside Mount Everest National Park. The following day was about getting up close and personal with Everest at EBC which is a once in a lifetime, and then the views from Tong La pass of the Himalayan range were the equal of anything on the trip. And then to finish by enjoying the contrast of the Himalayas from the Nepalese side riding in the back of a pick-up truck. It all adds up to the most special journey of my life, a 5000 km road/rail trip which I will never forget.

Having dealt with Tibet, what about China? I didn’t enjoy my second visit as much as my first two months ago. I was impressed by the magic of China during my first trip here, largely because I avoided the big cities and the tourist hordes. My second visit to China was much more about the cities. Particularly during the national holiday week the amount of Chinese tourists at times were suffocating. But, in the end once I got to Beijing the magic returned. Walking the Great Wall and Tibet would be my two picks of the best of China. Just below them would be many of the places from my first visit: Lijiang, Yangshuo, Longji, Chengyang, Macau. There were other stand outs from my second visit to China: the second afternoon on Emei Shan and riding on the Mongolian grasslands spring to mind.

My two months in China across both visits have taken me to 18 of its 33 provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions and special administrative regions, and I have seen another four from the window of a train. My favourites would have to be Guangxi and Tibet where I spent the longest time. I can’t split them, they are both magical places. During my two months I have seen most what are considered the highlights of China: The Great Wall, Beijing, Tibet, Shanghai, The Li River, The Terracotta Army, The Three Gorges and Hong Kong. Yet, China is so huge that although I’ve seen many of the highlights I still have only scratched the surface. I would still love to travel along the Silk Road and see Kashgar in the north-west, the ice festival in Harbin and travel around Manchuria in the North-East. That’s without exploring further the provinces I’ve already been to: Sichuan and Inner Mongolia which I didn’t really do justice to. I’ve excluded much more but there is that much to see in China that I’d have to write all day to mention it all. One visit does not suffice, nor even the two that I have made. I guess then I’ve already answered the question I pose after every country, ie would I come back? But, I’ll deal with this a little later in full.

So what did I make of China? I did enjoy it of course, and after the first two weeks of my first visit I’d have put it very near the top of the list of my favourite countries. My second visit on the whole didn’t live up to those heights but it would still be in the top half of the 19 countries I’ve visited on my trip to date. I’d recommend China without hesitation but go quick as the best time to visit has already been and gone and things will only get worse. What do I mean? A country that was only opened up to foreign tourists in 1972 has taken time to develop a tourist infrastructure. At the same time as this was developing the Chinese people were getting rich and now there is a huge middle class. This will only get bigger as the country develops further and many of the tourist attractions are already at breaking point, overrun by domestic tourists. This isn’t a complaint just a fact. It is their country and I’m grateful to be allowed the opportunity to visit. But, one of the few negative points of my time in China has been the amount of Chinese tourists which spoilt some experiences, most notably the Terracotta Army at Xian and Huangshan which otherwise would have been included as highlights of my travels through China.

I said before I arrived in China that I viewed China as the ultimate challenge for a traveller. I don’t know if I still hold that opinion, I can’t honestly decide between it and South America. English is more widely spoken in China than it is in Latin America, and much more than I had been led to believe but communicating is still the major difficulty in China. But, to you doubters out there (my brother’s girlfriend Kelly, and Xuelan) who thought I wouldn’t be able to get around and cope in China I proved you wrong! The fact that they both herald from China I guess adds weight to my point that China isn’t an easy country to travel in and isn’t where a first time traveller should start.

What about China the country? In the west we form our views of this country from the media we watch. After travelling the country I’ve had to adjust my ingrained views. We think of China as a country with a poor record on human rights, a country waiting in the wings to become the next superpower, a county where the people have few freedoms, a communist country and isn’t communism evil? Granted, the above is not wholly false, it is just things aren’t really as extreme as how we perceive them to be. Rather than comparing China to the western world we should compare modern China with how things used to be. This is a country that has crammed what took centuries for the west to achieve in six frantic decades of breakneck development.

People are better educated than they have ever been in China’s history. For the first time since China was unified 2200 years ago every Chinese can speak to every other Chinese as a result of adopting one national language - Mandarin. No longer is the nation wrenched into divisions by the barriers of language, for so long a divisive hurdle to progress. Today’s Chinese are wealthier and healthier than ever before. They are also more free. This is not freedom as we know it in the west, but the more basic freedoms that most Chinese never knew until this century. The complexities are vast but this does not stop naive foreigners who live in blissful ignorance of the realities of governing a diverse, huge and complicated land from laying down simplistic judgements. The truth is for its many faults the Chinese Communist Party has given the country stability. By and large the Chinese people are wealthier, healthier, better fed and better educated than at any time in history. This is not opinion, these are facts.

There have been many mistakes and atrocities in modern day China and we should not be ignorant of these. Both the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, two of the greatest man-made disasters in history, each took millions of lives. There still remain problems of course, huge challenges. Progress has been uneven and at an unhealthy rate and as a major world player now, China needs to take a more active role in world diplomacy. Transforming the world’s largest society is no easy overnight task.

China may be run by the communist party but it is a market economy. As each year passes it becomes more open. Rather than fearing how China will change the world order we should embrace the Chinese people. Chinese people want the same as anyone else: a home, a decent job, security for their family, the prospect of a better future. The present regime has provided the opportunity for this to more Chinese than any other government has in the long history of Chinese people. Communism works in China at least at the moment. In its place under democracy would China have been able to introduce the one child policy successfully? Probably not, so with a surging birth rate, China would have been left with many mouths it was unable to feed. Would the rich east and south have subsidised the poor west? Would the country have fractured along the lines of its many ethnic groups? Questions we can only attempt to answer just as we are guessing when we say democracy would be more successful than communism.

Finally to return to the ‘would I come back question?’ There are undoubtedly enough places that I still want to visit in China to answer this in the affirmative. But for me, right now, China is more about a girl than the future places I could visit.

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