Tibet, the uncensored sequel...

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Ok for the lucky ones who read this: I deliberately published this entry silently, just our of compassion for my parents. I think they wouldn't like reading certain parts too much....

Tibet, the uncensored sequel...

In March 2008 there were huge riots in the streets in Lhasa. Since these riots guides and drivers are once more required. The military Chinese presence on the streets in Tibet is very clear, especially around and in the Tibetan quarters. But besides the military posts, with at least 4 soldiers, at every road entering a Tibetan quarter and the patrols in the streets, we've seen these guys on the roofs with AK47s and other lethal material. Petrol stations used by only the Chinese have roadblocks + soldiers. Every patrol of Chinese actually has a Tibetan soldier, as the Chinese themselves do not understand Tibetan, so they need locals as well. These Tibetan soldiers are far from loved by the other Tibetans.

We also heard stories that among the Tibetan population quite some paid spies for the Chinese are present. Especially in the monasteries monks are being 'watched' as monks are rather influential and can raise popular support.

As a tourist you cannot travel freely through Tibet, guides are needed. And outside Lhasa a driver is needed as well. This really reminded us from our trip to North-Korea. One difference was though, that in the evenings you were free to roam through Lhasa, and so we did....

One evening I went out for a drink together with an other guy and we came across a small pool hall where we played pool and drank liquor that we bought from a small nearby shop. Being a bit tipsy, we headed off home. On our way we encountered a Chinese patrol that settled down for the night on a small square. Small makeshift fire from carton board kept these 6 soldiers warm. We decided to chat with them, out of curiosity. After a few laughs and jokes it became clear that these soldiers were bored like hell and were open for a talk, so we zero-ed in. A bit more tactical than stated below we figured out the following:

• Salaries for them in Tibet are ~threefold, compared to being station elsewhere in China.
  
• Chinese do not occupy Tibet, but the Tibetans occupy a part of China
  
• Chinese hate the Tibetans
  
• Pictures are strictly forbidden from military objects. When I took hold of my camera and 'by accident' a flash went off. I was pushed by three soldiers to the floor. Ok, that was my own mistake....
  
• Chinese do not like that their ranking officer is being 'bullied', as my friend did this, suddenly a second (lower ranking) soldier put his AK47 on his head....
  

Clearly time to go home....

But it was indeed time to go home, cause as we walked away a second patrol came around the corner. I do not want to know what would have happened in case this second patrol saw us goofing around with the first patrol.

The next morning we heard some stories from the Tibetan side:

• In case a Tibetan walks at night through the streets by himself, there are possibilities that the Chinese club him just for fun, drag him to a police station for a second portion. The next day family/friend can then pick him up for a small fee....
  
• The girlfriend of a good guy disappeared during the March 2008 riots. No life signs since. She was from Eastern-Tibet, where the people are apparently more 'nationalistic' than elsewhere in Tibet. Chinese influence is also more present there...
  
• Movements of Tibetans are restricted. Travel passes are required in order to move between towns/villages. These permits are valid for three months.
  
• Guides are heavily dependent on their guide permits. Guides from Lhasa will find a hard time to get approval to take a group outside Lhasa. The reason being the fact that in March 2008 riots took place in Lhasa. So people from Lhasa are restricted more. Guides from Eastern-Tibet have it even harder, as these guides cannot even enter Lhasa. They are 'confined' to Eastern-Tibet. But a guide who comes from a 'quiet' location is still allowed to work as a guide.
  
• Many Tibetans do not know their own flag anymore. This I find really sad.
  
• Quite some Tibetans are by now 'ok' in case they stay a part of China, but the Dalai Lama should be allowed to return to Tibet and religious freedom should become 100%!f(MISSING)ree.
  

I personally think that the Chinese are there for the long haul and they know it. Instead of repressing the Tibetans hard all the time, they improve the logistical links with China (e.g. improve (rail)roads) and offer high paying jobs to Chinese who are 'immigrating' into Tibet. In other words: in the longer run the Tibetans will simply be overrun by Chinese. By now the number of tourists visiting Tibet from China are tenfold compared to Western tourists.

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Comments

[august]

crossing from china
hi im planing to go to tibet in about a month and i wonder how you went in there when you visited. by road? if yes, how did you arrange your visa? any comments on possible complications etc is more than welcome hope you can help cheers august

[Sorry but we are not at home]

crossing from china
Well the chinese visa we got already at home, but the Tibet travel permit (i.e. seperate from the chinese visa itself) we got in Xining. travel agencies get arrange that in one day. But the trick is that you'll need a guide & driver. These must be arranged beforehand, you can't arrange that upon arriving in Tibet. in case you go from Nepal, then i suggest to arrange the travel permit, car & guide in Kathmandu. The closer you get to tibet, the cheaper it get. Check in guesthouses / ho(s)tels for travel partners in case you want to share the costs of the driver & giude.... Traveling freely was for us not possible, you'll need a fixed itinerary.

[Jialin su]

I visited Tibet in 2004 and a special pass was needed for foreigners then. Tour guides were also required. I don't think that changes. But anyway I am Chinese. Fairly good tour packages can be found in Chengdu, one of the gateways to Tibet, which provide options of expeditions into some hinterlands of Tibet. Actually Tibet is far beyond Lahsa, which is relatively close to the Chinese dominant parts of China. I was a little disappointed by the degree to which Lahsa and its surroundings were commercialized, when Tibetan kids grabbed around my legs for money and shepherds drove away their sheep because we hadn't paid for photographing. No muck throwing. I did have pleasant chats with some local Tibetans, even though their Mandarin was hardly understandable. I am pleased that Tibetans are still speaking their own language and I would say their culture is considered well preserved. And definitely spectacular landscapes. I would suggest a sip of milk tea in a local teahouse when altitude sickness sets in, rather than holing up in the hotel.

[Andrew]

Traveling in tibet
Hi, You wrote a brilliant article there, congatulations. I was just wondering something, with my girlfriend, we're wishing to travel to Tibet this summer. And we'll definitely take the China and the Tibet visas, but we're wondering how much would we actually need to have a local guide ? We were thinking of taking public transport and trying to avoid any checkpoints. But perhaps this is a bit too risky and we should take a guide. I guess that it is quite easy to get a guide from within Lhasa ? and do you know how much would it cost ? Thank's a lot for any answer you might be able to give me. Andrew

[byebyegirl114]

Hi
Hi, Andrew,i'm very glad to answer your questions. 'cause one friend of mine went there with his girlfriend last month. He said that the agency did a quite good service for them. They spent 10days there. And it cost about 280 Yuan to have a local guide.If you want some more information, just ask me, and i'll try my best to make a clear explanation. Sabrina