On our last day in Tibet we visited the family of our guide in their small village between Lhasa and Shigatse. The village was shielded from the road by a high embankment and consisted of about thirty families. The small traditional houses were without running water or indoor plumbing. Our guide showed us the (very public) place outdoors designated for bathing. Though there was a small manmade channel running in back of the houses for irrigation, we were told for drinking, bathing, and other purposes water was carried up from the river in buckets. The river ran far below, down a fairly steep embankment broken only by the winding road. We climbed a ladder into the house, as the ground floor was reserved for the livestock: sheep, goats, chickens, cattle, yaks, etc. Inside, the family
... read more
