Blogs from Tibet, China, Asia - page 3

We are now in Kashgar and here we start a change to the original schedule. It is unlikely that we will get into Nepal or India as the border was damaged by a landslide, so we will be following a road called G219 which is a military road, and rarely used for commercial vehicles. It can go up to 5000 metres, but we won't be camping at that height, probably below 4000 metres. However it could be snowy and we don't know what facilities there are so a bit of an adventure awaits. Obviously no wifi so will update everyone when we get to Lhasa at the other end. Entering China was challenging. We got to the first checkpoint at about 10.00 and once through we then encountered another couple of passport and luggage checks (and ... read more

Moving on from Buddhism and monasteries, arrival at Everest Base Camp was the other attraction heavily anticipated, and it didn't disappoint. Having watched the movie "Everest" only a couple of weeks before commencing this trip, I decided I didn't have a death wish so had well and truly crossed climbing to the summit off my bucket list, but checking out the mountain at close quarters was still on the list. As anticipated, as we approached the Everest region the altitude got higher and the countryside became even more desolate, with pretty much no vegetation of any sort. From Shigatse, we drove around 220kms along the Friendship Highway before taking a side access road required to reach the Everest Base Camp. On this access road, we crossed both the Gyatso and Pang passes, each of which were ... read more

While our drive from Lhasa to Gyantse was a mere 260kms, it took most of the day for a number of reasons – namely a number of photo stops, a diversion or two, some winding roads, a lunch stop, and the crazy speed restrictions for tourist minibuses on the Friendship Highway, something about which I shall comment more in my final blog. Our first stop was indeed one of the highlights for all the keen photographers. Soon after a significant climb of over 1,000 metres to the 4,700m Khamba Pass, we got a great view of Yamdrok Lake, one of the four main holy lakes in Tibetan Buddhism. The lake is shaped like a coiling scorpion, doubling back on itself so that it appears to have a huge island in the middle, but this area is ... read more

Our time in Tibet is nearly up and we have loved journeying around this country. We visited Lake Namtsu in the NE overnight. Accom and weather could have been better but we did manage to stop at a pass for a view of the lake at 5,100 metres. Higher than anywhere in Europe. Today was a short trip to a lovely Monastery in the hills. Early start for flights to Katmandu then Delhi... read more

Day 10. Today we headed off for the highest fresh water lake in the world at over 5000m! It is a sacred site in Tibet. Beautiful winding valley road getting ever higher, so Oxygen at the ready! The lake is beautiful, still and surrounded by mountains. At 5,000m climbing a few short steps is unbelieveably tiring for me! Back down 1,000m for lunch stopping off to take photos of a small Tibetan village street and houses. The houses have ornate gateways and doors, the rest of the building being thick brick whitewashed walls. Along the walls were stacked Yak dung, which is dried and used for burning in the winter months. On to another temple called Sera Monastery, where the monks debate Buddhist scripture in a courtyard. Some are standing, others are sitting. The ones standing ... read more