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Published: December 2nd 2007
The journey from Lhasa, Tibet to Pokhara, Nepal was both stunning and dismaying, awesome and frustrating, saddening, maddening, funny and sunny but at times very, very cold! Seven layers in To-bed is really no joke!...
1. Two pairs of socks
2. Thermal long johns
3. Warm trakkie trousers
4. Thermal top
5. Thick fleece jumper
6. Thermal fleece hat
7. Fleece gloves
... and that's before getting into a thick hooded sleeping bag, on top of and below as many blankets I could find! This was how I survived the night we spent in a place called Rhonghpu - the last place you can stay before Everest Base Camp - the temperature outside was minus 10 degrees C or less and it wasn't much warmer in the unheated room we slept in, which had thin walls and windows that didn't quite shut! When we woke up in the morning the inside of the windows were thick with a layer of ice which took a number of hours to defrost - at that point the room temperature was minus 1 so it must have been even colder over night! Much respect to the people that live there all the time - I really don't know how they do it! However, it was definitely worth it - the views of Quomolangma (the real name of Everest) both at sunset and sunrise will stay with me for the rest of my life! (I will add photos to this blog once we get somewhere with a fast enough internet connection!)
The complex journey across Tibet really began in China - due to various Chinese enforced restrictions it was pretty tricky to obtain travel tickets and a permit for entrance but we got round this by forming a group of six and paying for a guide for two days on arrival in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. We were told that we were required to be accompanied by a guide at all times in Lhasa and that we would have to exit the country once the two days were up - however we were banking on finding out the real situation on arrival as we suspected that the guide and permit regulation was simply a way for China to milk more money from us rather than an actual necessity - this was true - we met many travellers who had simply gone to the train station, bought a ticket and hopped on the train with no permit or guide! However we also met people who had been persuaded that the only way in was to purchase a ludicrously expensive tour including transport, food, a guide and accommodation in Tibet. We were pleased that although we had paid a little over the odds we hadn't been completely fleeced! Also some people had paid for these services but no guide had appeared and they never saw anything resembling a permit - our guide did actually meet us from the train and presented us with a "Permit", gave us a lift to the city centre and she showed us around some very interesting sites the next day!
The train journey itself was quite something - we travelled up and up to a height of 4500m past snow-capped mountains, aqua blue lakes and across miles of plains, yaks and the occasional person on the plateau before winding our way down into Lhasa. On the one hand it was good to be continuing our mission of travelling overland rather than flying, but on the other it was sad to see that the beautiful landscape had been altered so much to make way for the new train, especially given that the purpose of the new rail link is clearly not to open up Tibet to sympathetic and interested travellers but to allow more and more Chinese people to be resettled there and to encourage trade; "Environmentalists decry the damage to such a fragile landscape, and others fear its effect on Tibetans and their culture, which have been reeling under 56 years of often-brutal Chinese rule. Some believe that the Sky Train is the most serious threat by the Chinese yet to the survival of Tibet's unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity. The Chinese believe that the railroad will spur much needed economic development in Tibet." To us Tibet seemed very different to China but the high presence of Chinese inhabitants, businesses and developments was painfully obvious wherever we went.
Lhasa was fascinating - we visited the Ramoche Temple and The Sera Monastery complete with debating monks; got lost in the alleyways of the Barkhor, the old Tibetan part of town; ate delicious yak, sampled the local sweet milk tea and munched on crisps freshly cooked at the side of the road. Our visit to Tibet's most celebrated temple the Jokhang was unforgettable - we were swept around the main halls and many side temples on three different levels by Buddhists on pilgrimage - the way a Buddhist pays homage in such a place is to move continuously in a clockwise direction saying prayer mantras, placing offerings such as food, scarves or money at specific deities, adding yak butter to the candles to keep them burning and lighting incense. It's an intense experience as a visitor to get pushed and jostled around by hordes of pilgrims, observing the spectacle, breathing in the unforgettable smell of burning yak butter mixed with incense, trying to take in the amazing sites inside - beautiful hangings and thankgas of sumptuous fabrics in gold, maroon, yellows, blues, greens and reds; stunning gold plated Buddha statues representing uncountable manifestations in a myriad of yogic positions; endless paintings on the walls detailing various deities and stories from the Buddha’s life, all the while accompanied by the mysterious murmurings of the pilgrims prayers. At one point we took a staircase that led to the roof - from here we had a fabulous view of the Potala and could see down over the busy Barkhor square where pilgrims pay further homage by prostrating themselves on the ground and circumambulating the Kora (path all around the temple) spinning prayer wheels and continuing their murmuring. This link to a Chinese tour website (unfortunately couldn't find any Tibetan websites!) has some photos that give an idea of scenes around the Jokhang and Barkhor www.travelchinaguide.com/picture/tibet/jokhang_temple/ The whole experience was humbling and beautiful.
The Potala was a very different experience - another incredible building filled with beautiful Buddhist statues, decoration, candles and incense but empty of people and purpose; since the Dalai Lama fled, the building has had no function on a day to day basis, except that ironically the Chinese have been responsible for re-opening it as a tourist attraction! The Dalai Lama's quarters are like the Mary Celeste - it's as if he just left, a tea pot and cup sit by his chair waiting for him to return - if only he could. However hope remains that one day the Tibetan Government in exile and the Chinese Government will come to some kind of agreement that will allow the Dalai Lama to return, but the sad truth is that the Tibet he left is not the Tibet he would see now - mass construction, development and immigration have changed the face of this country for ever.
To travel from Tibet to Nepal we were required to book a tour as there is currently no public transport for visitors available due to further permit requirements and travel restrictions. We spent a week making this journey so we could take our time, visit some more interesting monasteries and temples in other towns and cities of Tibet; stay in a series of traditional Tibetan guesthouses and of course visit Quomolangma where my story began! Overall the tour was a real pleasure but our first day was somewhat disastrous (Bob will publish a Bobanory in the near future with all the details! Watch this space) Our guide Nwang from the Amdo region of Tibet was a fascinating man who taught us about Buddhism and gave us insightful information about each temple and monastery we visited; told us about his education in India and the poor state of education in Tibet; explained the story of his wife who is also married to his brother and his children who call him Uncle and his brother father (it is customary for the eldest brother in such a marriage to be called father whoever is the actual father!), he gave depth and understanding to our tour across this beautiful country.
Our exit from Tibet was as dramatic as our entrance on the sky train. We climbed up to the final pass where the whole Himalaya suddenly appeared in front of us as we reached the top, stretching out from east to west we could see the whole range backed by an azure blue sky - possibly even more mind blowing than Quomolangma! Then we wound our way down and round and down and round never ending hairpin bends, waterfalls and past the lush foliage of the lower altitudes to the border town - however, whilst the road was full of beautiful sites it was also packed with poorly paid Tibetans living in tents on the side of the road - a moving army of road builders, exploited by the Chinese to further the economic development of the country. Nwang's account of using this road to get to India highlighted to us just how much change has occurred and how quickly - it was only 20 years ago that he made the journey from Tibet to spend 10 years at school in India, at this time the road was simply a path and he and his parents took many days walking and camping to get there. The harsh landscape does not really lend itself to road development but the Chinese have dynamited their way through to lay the tarmac that we were travelling upon - once again the catch 22 of following our dream to travel overland instead of flying but seeing first hand the destruction and exploitation of the environment and people in this fragile land.
It will take me a long time to digest the experience of travelling in Tibet, so many contradictions exist in this fascinating place. However, the many mind blowing landscapes will be imprinted in my mind forever; the sights, sounds and smells of the temples, monasteries and pilgrims are unforgettable; the beautiful spirit of the Tibetans - still smiling, friendly and oh so welcoming despite all that has happened in this precious place will always remind me that peace and happiness can prevail no matter what challenges are faced.
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robert
non-member comment
august in tibet
we had similar experiences in tibet. it was rain and clouds 4 most of the time we were there (rainy season). however we traveled with our mandarin speaking son and his chinese girlfriend. it was the peak of the tourist season. we were there for 2 weeks. my son and his girlfriend became very frustated with the dishonesty and the "rip off the tourist attitude" of the tibetans and the travel regulations of the chinese. while traveling we were stopped and checked 4 permits about every 50 km. we were turned around on our trips from reasons such as "foreigners cannot travel with a chinese person in tibet" to " this dirt road is unsafe 4 tourists". the road was being traveled by semi trucks and buses. we ended up seeking chinese businesses in tibet because they were more honest. many tibetan establishments had 2 menus or prices. one price 4 tourists and a lower price 4 tibetans. however we did have a memorable trip. we experienced culture and scenery we will never forget.