How interesting, loved your descriptive writing and pictures! Wish I was younger! I was in Tibet several years ago, thought I would have loved to be able to drive over into India.
Yay for Awesome Birthday! Hey Lizzy,
I'm so happy your birthday was fun. I love reading your blogs, they are written so well. No wonder you have followers that you don't even know :) I heard about the soccer game, my boyfriend went to work at 7am to watch it with his co-workers. He also told me how in the 1800s in Portland (china town) they used to abduct them and send them to china to be slaves or something and they called this "getting shanghaied" But if this happened to me then I would get to visit you :)
Happy Birthday Lizzy! Happy Birthday!!!! I hope you do something fun/relaxing/exhilarating !!! I got you a b-day card and the address labels printed but I need to get it in the mail. Life is a lot harder without a car, gotta walk, bike, bus, or rail to get anywhere. the closest convenience store is 1.5 miles. Anyway I love you! Happy B-day STF!
_Ammers_
To Nancy- on female solo travel in Tibet Nancy~
I'm sorry it took me so long to reply to you. I didn't notice I had new comments until just now.
I've always had difficulty finding travel partners, for various reasons. It took me many years and missed opportunities before I was able to 'cowboy up' and go it alone.
I'm glad you won't miss the opportunity to see Tibet just because it means going solo. I had absolutely no problems in Tibet due to being a woman. There is a slightly different dynamic between the sexes in Tibet than in the rest of China. Women do a great deal of work, both in the fields and at home, and seem to be respected and admired for it. I never once felt threatened or even remotely disrespected or objectified. Occasionally in Asia, Western women receive poor treatment as they are seen as promiscuous, but I never felt that for a minute in Tibet (I also dressed conservatively). Even when I was given a compliments on my appearance, it never felt sexual. I was alone for 7+ hour long drives with my male guide and driver, and at the stops I frequently ate with the other guides and drivers, as they new I didn't prefer meals alone. I was a curiosity, but even as the only female and only foreigner present in those situations, I always felt comfortable.
Just use common-travelers-sense and you will have no problems (as far as being a female goes in Tibet).
Traveling alone, however, was a little lonely as my hotel/tour agency wouldn't let me join a group (so they got more money) and I felt very isolated the entire trip. I would recommend joining a group tour if you would like to meet others or travel with other tourists. It's less expensive, and perhaps a little more fun. I did feel I got a more authentic experience though, as in so many cases, I was the only foreigner present.
Hope this helps Nancy! Enjoy Tibet, it's a beautiful country of beautiful people, and a very safe place to be a solo-female traveler :)
~Elizabeth
Pictures Liz,
You are an unbelievable author. Wow!! You tell the story and make it come alive.
Can't wait to read the rest!!
Is there a place where you label the pictures? If not, better do it now while you can remember.
Love,
Auntie Shrew
WOW Sounds like you turned a bad day into a great adventure. Hooray for you. I don't do well on two-wheeled vehicles - probably because I'm too tall. I tend to steer and force the bike to go where I want it to go, rather than relaxing and letting it take me where I guide it. Great blog, BTW~
Hey,
Thank you very much for your informative blog entry, it is very useful to me. I intend to go to Tibet this summer. Since this trip has been planned very spontaneous it is hard to find a travel partner who can join me in the trip. I saw you have made a lot of wnderul photos of Tibet and those with yourself. Did you travel alone? If yes, was it difficult to travel alone in Tibet as a woman? I'm so sorry that I ask you these questions so directly, but I am sort of desperated and happy to hear any advices :)
Best wishes
Nancy
Lhasa alone My hotel told me I had to have a guide to go to temples, but I saw plenty of people wandering solo. Here's the best I can figure it, based on what I've read and what I saw: Technically, you have to have a guide to leave Lhasa or enter a temple/monastery, and you can't go anywhere not on your travel permit. In reality, no one checked my permit while I was there (though I was with a guide...) and my understanding is, they want your money, so frequently, they'll let you slide solo so long as you're behaving. The problem is, there are a lot of no-no's you might need a guide to inform you of, such as temple etiquette, off limits areas, and that under no circumstances can you photograph the military guys that fill the streets. You and whoever issued your permit will be in serious trouble. It likely won't end at camera confiscation.
SO.... I think maybe you could do it alone, but some of the places are a virtual maze, and the potential to get in trouble is there... if you do decide to go that route, I'd leave an extra day to go back with a guide in case things don't work out.
(Potala might really require a guide, and you have to buy your ticket for there a day before with a scheduled entry time.)
Best of luck on your travels! Tibet is amazing, I'm sure you'll love it :)
Please let me know if I can help with any other questions :)
guide? Hi there,
It was fun to read your Tibet entries as I'm trying to plan going there now.
Did you have to have a guide to see stuff in lhasa like potala palace, jokhang temple, etc. or could you go on your own? I was thinking of trying to get a guide for places outside lhasa but do Lhasa on my own. What do you think?
I really enjoyed your post about Vietnam! You gave such detail I felt like I was there too! My blog is looking for travel reviews, photos, etc, to share. If you have the time, check it out at dirty-hippies.blogspot.com, or email me at dirtyhippiesblog@gmail.com. Continued fun on your travels!
Heather :)
Always ask "why not" and let your experiences re-define you.
Hello readers :)
I'm Elizabeth, a soon to be 26 year old American student in China. I've lived abroad before for almost four years (in Germany) and traveled extensively in Europe during that time.
After about three years back in the States, I'm happy to have returned to the international community and to have the chance to explore another part of the world.
While I started this blog as a way to keep my friends and family (now scattered around the world) apprised of my travels and experiences, I have been delighted to fin... full info
Patsy
non-member comment
How interesting, loved your descriptive writing and pictures! Wish I was younger! I was in Tibet several years ago, thought I would have loved to be able to drive over into India.