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Published: August 21st 2009
The little bus that could...
This is the mini-bus our tour company set us up with instead of the 4WD Land Rover's we were expecting...it sat 26 of us and was full throttle the whole way up to Everest...We get up early, finish packing and drop off our backpacks with the hotel front desk then walk into our little Cool Yak dining room to grab a bite eat. As our group slowly ambles in it’s clear we are excited about the upcoming journey. Seeing Lhasa has been an incredible experience but we are all in this group because we chose to pay for an 8-day tour that includes three full days driving and trekking up to the base camp of Mt. Everest. I’m not much of a mountain climber, but the thought of seeing Everest (Chomolungma in Tibetan) that close has me giddy. It’s an achievement in itself, never mind there is no physical danger involved: It is the highest peak in the world, in the highest country in the world, and Jenny and I are going to see it together.
Take a look at all the pics from today's adventure on my new Flickr account,
click here.
The drive up and back to Mt. Everest takes three days because of the distance and the condition of the roads. We are up at 5am this morning and as we all stroll
Believe it or not...
This is a bathroom in Tibet... out of our alleyway and look around for our Land Rover’s it quickly becomes apparent that the next three days are not going to go as expected. Instead of 4WD as promised by our tour company, there is an even smaller bus than we had been using for our trips around Lhasa idling at the curb!
It seems that although our guide, Don, told the tour company about how big we are, how we had confirmed 4WD’s for our trip, they didn’t listen. What can we do? We each pile in along with three day’s worth of luggage and food/water by the time we were all seated and the luggage stowed; there is barely room to move. Two guys in the back are sleeping on luggage that can’t be shoved anywhere above our heads. Everyone is fuming but we take off in the morning darkness and nobody says anything for the next three hours.
Yamdrok Lake, Karola Glacier, Palkhor Chode, Kumbum and Gyantse We drive all morning towards towards Gyantse along the Kyichu River. The river is copper brown and muddy as a brownie. It rolls slow, then rips, then slows up again, as it winds its way
Tibetan Yak Dog...
These are the dogs of Tibet, they are everywhere and they all look the same. They look so fluffy and friendly, until you try to pet one and then watch out! He is probably used to herding stubborn Yak's around so has no respect for humans...:) beside us like a friend. By mid-morning we are driving up and into steep mountains with terrain and composition that I have never seen in my life. Around every corner is another breathtaking view and we hear Don shout we are now in Kamba-la pass (4796m/15,734ft.) and we get our first unobstructed view of a holy lake, Yamdrok. It is one of the three holy lakes in Tibet and the water is an intoxicating mix of lime green and Caribbean blue and is so still it mirrors the curve of the earth. The water in this lake is said to be the most beautiful in the world. It is unusually gorgeous and we remind ourselves that we are in the Himalaya’s now.
Take a look at all the pics from today's adventure on my new Flickr account,
click here.
Another hour and we stop on the side of the road so crowded with tourists and locals it seems as if a small town has magically popped up like a picture book of dreams. The attraction is a huge mountain glacier, Karola. The area is crowded with several coach-style buses, Land Rovers(!), and hundreds of vendors and Tibetan locals selling
Local woman with friend...
Even a photographer from National Geographic would of paid the posing fee to sweet lady...I love this shot! everything from bracelets to beer. There are so many locals a small town has been created just for the summer visitors. Everyone is friendly but the vendors can be a bit irritating, even more pushy than the Chinese back home. So I use the opportunity to head away from the crowds and take some great pics of the locals; two young girls holding sheep pose and then hit me up for a pic fee of 5 yuan (they all do this), and the pic is so good I also pay an older woman who also holds a sheep. Jenny and I hook up again and breath hard as we build a small stone stupa as an offering to the glacier.
There is a special dog that is very popular here in Tibet. They have very thick fur, are always brown and black and are very stout. They have some type of Mastiff in their breeding and they are very territorial also. I make the mistake of walking too close to one who I thought was sleeping and it was only his chain that kept him from sinking his teeth into my upper thigh. These dogs are the only other
Even the kids get in on the action...
These two giggly girls kept shouting take our picture, take our picture. I did, then they held their hands out and demanded the typical 5 yuan posing fee. It was worth it just to hear them singing to each other as I took this shot... unfriendly face we have met in Tibet; Chinese guards being the first. Tibet Travel Tip: Don’t pet the dogs.
After the glacier we are getting hungry and Don says he’s called in our lunch to save some time. We soon pull to a stop in a tiny town where there are more horses and mules and dogs than cars. We are led into a small dining room and enjoy a simple, traditional buffet lunch that tastes delicious but we are all still trying to get our bearings and adjust to life in the bus so we aren’t talking much. There is much grumbling but we all agree there is nothing that can be done so we make the best of it. Lunch is quite tasty and a few hours later we are in Gyantse, a dusty little town that happens to be Tibet’s third largest settlement. It’s often called the “Heroic City” and used to be capital of a 14th century kingdom.
Take a look at all the pics from today's adventure on my new Flickr account,
click here.
In Gyantse we visit the Palkhor Chode Monastery, which is one of the friendliest and beautiful I’ve seen on
The Stupa...
We climbed each of the levels of this for a rewarding view at the top... our trip so far. The monks are all smiling and chat with us and we are free to explore anywhere we want, but still can’t take pictures inside the temples, etc. Inside the Assembly Hall there are two thrones, one for the Dalai Lama and one for the Sakya Lama (present Buddha).
We look across the grounds and up to the Kumbum, a magnificent six-story high chorten, honeycombed with little chapels. We don’t’ have time to visit the Kumbum but we do take a half hour and climb up another famous Stupa. Each level is reached by a steep staircase that rewards us with four little chapels housing intricate statues on each level - and the view from the top is spectacular. Again, everyone is friendly and poses with us, tries to speak some English, and this is a good visit. On our way out of town we pass the Dzong, a picturesque fort that watches over the town and we stop to take a few pics.
We drive some more late into the afternoon and eventually the daylight begins to fade. We are a bit late but are given the option of seeing another famous monastery, the
Inside the Stupa...
In four rooms on each level they contained these treasures... Tashilumpu. The name means "Heap of Glory," and it is one of the six big monasteries of Gelupga (or Yellow Hat Sect) in China and the biggest Tibetan Gelugpa Buddhism temple in Tibet. It is also the seat of the Panchen Lama who is considered to be the second most important religious leader of Tibet. The Panchen Lama is hand picked by the 14th Dalai Lama as his successor, and this made the PRC very angry so they arrested him and he is currently under house arrest here in China in an undisclosed location - and has been for over 10 years! Then China said, “Hey, here is the real Panchen Lama and they presented their own man and are now forcing Tibetans to recognize their man as the only Panchen Lama - or else. Panchen sounds very similar to puppet, does it not?
Take a look at all the pics from today's adventure on my new Flickr account,
click here.
After the monastery visit we finally make it to our hotel for the evening in Shigatse. It is a nice hotel and we have another delicious dinner(!), have a few beers and our musical group gets together and
Chatty monks...
Yes, those are two monks laughing about a picture on his cell phone...everyone in this country has a cell phone! we sit around chatting about the once in a lifetime day, and bus ride, we just experienced. Good and bad. Pros and cons. Highs and lows. We all agree that's life in China, and more so here in Tibet. We all crash early cause the real bus ride from hell is tomorrow.
Peace.
Take a look at all the pics from today's adventure on my new Flickr account,
click here.
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Manuel
non-member comment
Help finding tour operator to E.B.C. please
Hi! How are you? My name is Manuel, I live in Spain and I'm going in September to Lhasa. I saw your blog about your 3 day trip to Everest Base Camp. I want to do exactly the same (3 day ride to EBC) because I'll be travelling only 3 weeks in China and I plan to go from Beijing to Xian, Lhasa, Chengdu, Guilin, Hong Kong and Shanghai, so I don't have much time to stay in Tibet but 5 days max. I would appreciate if you could tell me the name or even the contact details of the tour operator with whom you booked your 3 day tour to Ev. B. C. and if it is possible the price they charged for it. Thank you very very much, and I hope you'r enjoying your long stay in China! Best regards! Manuel