Blogs from Tibet, China, Asia

Yes, I was high not only because almost all of Tibet is above 3 500m and most often I felt extremely light-headed but on a natural high admiring this land of great beauty, of vast landscapes, sundrenched peaks, high altitude desert, densely forested gorges, brilliant skies, and crystal clean green rivers. Tibet, the “forbidden land” or the “roof of the world” is protected by the great Himalayan chain in the south and west, and even more inhospitable mountains to the north and east. It is hauntingly bleak and mysterious and has peaked (pardon the pun) the interest of so many outsiders for centuries. It is only in the last twenty years that more than a handful of foreign travelers have finally explored this sacred land. Although there are now frequent visitors to Tibet the allure is ... read more

We woke up this morning at Everest Base Camp (EBC) to find the clouds were still covering Everest. It was soo cold last night that our half drunk cups of tea were frozen solid. It was probably in the low 20’s, but it was pretty cozy sleeping under sheep wool blankets. Our guide said that we would wait a bit to see if the sun burned off the cloud cover, so I happily stayed under the blankets for an extra hour until breakfast and coffee appeared. We poked our noses out again at about 0900, and the clouds began to lift to reveal about ¾ of Everest. We jumped into the Land Cruiser and drove out to a hilltop overlooking Base Camp 2. By the time we arrived, the clouds had completely lifted to reveal Everest ... read more

Today sadly was our last full tour day in Lhasa, and our last day with our guide. Unfortunately he was not able to obtain yet another permit needed, this a military permit required for travelers outside of the city. We were introduced to our new guide who will drive us to the Nepalese border, and already has the necessary documentation. Even though our time here was short, Chuck has become a very dear friend to us. He brought us to his home today, where we had lunch and talked about music, iphones video games, and life in the US. He reminded us of how lucky were are to have the freedoms that we as Americans so oftentimes take for granted. Inside his home, like every Buddhist home, a room is dedicated as a holy room with ... read more

We arrived at Lhasa airport without a hitch at 1030 this morning. The skies were clear, and the views from the airplane window were absolutely incredible the whole flight. For the entire duration of the flight there was nothing but white snowcapped jagged peaks as far as the eye can see. I now can really appreciate why Tibet has been cut off from the entire world up until very recently. It is so inaccessible that before airplane travel, there really wasn’t a way in; the first car did not appear until the 50’s and roads were not built until the mid 80's. If not for mankind's hubris wanting to summit the highest peak, Tibet would still be the Shangri-La, or the Lost Horizon of lore. Lhasa sits at about 12,000 ft, which makes it the highest ... read more

Hier die Fotos die ich während der Kora gemacht habe. Kora wird die Umrundung des Berges zu Fuss genannt. (Durch die besondere Form und Lage, die den Kailash als Berg Meru identifizieren, zählt er im Tibetischen Buddhismus, Hinduismus, Jainismus und Bön – somit für eine große Anzahl von Menschen – zu den bedeutendsten spirituellen Orten und gilt als heiligster Berg. Eine Umrundung des Berges (tibetisch Kora oder Sanskrit: Parikrama) auf einem ca. 53 km langen Weg, der bis in eine Höhe von ca. 5700 Meter über den Drölma La (tib. „Pass der (Göttin) Tara“) führt, ist die wichtigste Pilgerreise für Anhänger dieser Religionen. ) Zu meinem Vorteil wurde mir das Ausmass der Anstrengung für den physischen Körper, eine Pilgerwanderung auf einer Höhe von über 5000 Metern zu machen, erst im Nachhinein bewusst. Steffi, mit der ich ... read more