Tibet, overview

** the journal of our travels in Nepal - India will follow shortly.

Friendship Highway: Tingri to the Nepalese border

Our last day in Tibet... We started the day by going to another vista point to have the Mount Everest "at our fingertips"

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

The trip was through a more desolate, desert plateau scenery...

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

On the way to Nyalam we drove through our final pass – the Lalung-La- at above 5000 meters. It was the highest elevation of the day and we could see the Himalayan mountain range with snow covered peaks. This seemed really like being on the "Roof of the Earth".

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

Then, the landscape went though a shocking transformation as we were descending to Zhangmu at 2.300m.

We’ve gone from dry, sunny with brownish vegetation...

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

to wet...

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

then misty and lush green scenery

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

through winding roads...

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

all within couple of hours and amazingly all this in one single very deep valley. 

We stopped in Zhangmu (the border town to Nepal) to wait for the opening of the border next morning; it's a one-street town jammed with cars, trucks, animals and who knows what else queuing to cross into Nepal. Once the border opens, hundreds of vehicles start to descend from the Tibetan plateau into the gorge filled with endless waterfalls...



All our photos on Tibet Overland Tour

Friendship Highway: Shigatse To Tingri

This was the day of extremes:

On the third day of our overland tour along the friendship highway, we got as far as 5000km (along the shortest route - but we made an aprox. 1000km detour to Beijing) from Shanghai:

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

Then, we reached the highest point of our journey and also the highest elevation we have ever been (and might ever be):

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

As we were slowly descending towards Tingri, in the middle of nowhere we have met a friendly Tibetan family who was just "passing nearby". We still wonder where did they appear from so sudden and where they were headed to on foot... (at least one of the kids seemed to be coming from...)

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

Later on we had for the first time a direct and unobstructed view of the Mount Everest rising magnificently 4000m above:

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

Our end destination for the day was the most primitive, yet authentic Tibetan village we had seen; a few mud houses and a couple of guesthouses on one side of the river and some tents on the opposite side: it was the village of Tingri at an altitude of mere 4200m

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

where the two basic items being offered (besides the usual yak joghurt and hot momo for our hungry bellies) were "internet and oxygen":

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

We decided to buy some of both.

Unfortunately we don't have pictures, but we have to mention that we have seen here the most amazing night sky we have ever seen. Due to the lack of light sources in the area and the thin air, one could really see the milky way with as a cloud of stars...a truly amazing experience - something similar to the upper picture on this comparison (just imagine it without any light source) ... which is made impossible in our modern world by light pollution. This satellite picture from Wikipedia illustrates well how little light is scattered in Tibet in comparison with other parts of the world.



All our photos on Tibet Overland Tour

The journey of our travel along the Friendship Highway continues with the next blog entry....

Friendship Highway: Gyantse to Shigatse

Day 2 of our Tibet overland tour was dedicated to visit the Monasteries of Gyantse and Shigatse.
As we were walking towards the Pelcho Monastery in Gyantse, we decided to take a backstreet instead of the main tourist route, the later being a wider street with green trees planted aside (probably another example of the recent beautification projects in China); thus we had a glimpse into the everyday life of local Tibetans: babies crying and cows lying around at every second doorstep, kids going to school and tiny shops opening up along the road...

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

As we walked into the Monastery, the main Assembly Hall was straight ahead and we began the explorations from here. The entrance is decorated with statues of the Four Guardian Kings; just by the entrance on the left is a protector chapel, with murals depicting sky burial. The Assembly hall was fairly empty, no monks chanting, no pilgrims making butter yak offerings... but then it turned out that all pilgrims were 'busy' with walking around in the endless series of tiny chapels at the Kumbun, chanting prayers and slipping in their donation to the Buddha statues.

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

The Gyantse Kumbun in fact is the Monastery's most famous attraction: a monumental, 8-story-chörten with white layers trimmed with decorative stripes and a golden dome... the inside is no less impressive, 108 chapels filled with Buddha statues and painting after exquisite painting (kumbum means '100,000 images').

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

Next, we were heading to Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet and home to the Tashilhunpo Monastery, which is the traditionally the seat of the Panchen Lama who would rule over the western part of Tibet. The full name in Tibetan of the monastery means: "all fortune and happiness gathered here".

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

The monastery itself is like a small city, with a labyrinth of walls, cobblestone paths, stupas and prayer wheels and several assembly halls (one of which we even thought to have recognized in the "7 Years of Tibet" movie), its main 'attraction' being a gigantic, 26-meter-high Buddha statue (the largest gold-copper Buddha statue in the world).

But one of the highlights of visiting the monastery for us was that it gave us room to socialize with the locals, all very friendly people, smiling and looking at us with probably just as curious eyes as we looked at them.

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

The old city was also worth a visit... something like walking into a different time: kids greeting us with a loud "Hellooo" (it seemed to be the only world they knew in Engligh though), while their dads playing chess or billiard on the street corner...  (provided their billiard-board was not taken already :D).

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

In the evening our guide decided it was time to have some fun and surprise us with something authentic but at the same time contemporary ... we soon found ourselves in a Chinese-Tibetan disco (at 3,900m !), full of flashing lights and a weird combination of Chino-Tibeto-European melodies sung in Tibetan language... Hmm, what did we earlier say about stepping into a different world?

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

All our photos on Tibet Overland Tour

The journey of our travel along the Friendship Highway continues with the next blog entry....

Friendship Highway: Lhasa to Gyantse

It was a "very blue sky" kind of day as we left from Lhasa early morning, starting our journey along the Friendship Highway (one of the most scenic routes on the Tibetan Plateau) towards Nepal... we thought a bumpy, occasionally unpaved road was ahead of us and were happy to have a good 4x4 car for the 4-day-drive (apx 800 kms) to the Nepalese border. But it turned out pretty quickly that the road was much much better than we expected...

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

The road led up to Khamba-La pass at over 4,700m where we had stunning views of the deep turquise Yamdrok-tso, one of the four holy lakes in Tibet, while the snow-capped Himalayas pierced the clouds in the distance...

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

After a lunch stop at one of the en-route Yak resturants we continued our way to Gyantse, passing again through very dramatic landscapes: wide open, green countryside

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

... suddenly turning into the land of eternal snow as we passed by the Kharola Glacier

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

... just to get us back to the dazzling "deep-turquoise lake-view" type of scenery:

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

Arriving to Gyantse, we set off to visit the Gyantse Fort. The stiff 30-minute climb to the top of the Fort was well worth the effort for the great lookouts of the surrounding Nyang-chu valley, the town itself and the compound of the Pelkor Chode Monastery.

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

There, on top of the Fort, we found a mysterious message we did not obbey:

From ASIA - TIBET - Friendship highway

And now THE CHALLENGE from Tibet: What does this sign really stand for?
Play to win a Ganesha statuette to bring you good luck.


All our photos on Tibet Overland Tour


The journey of our travel along the Friendship Highway continues with the next blog entry....

Chinese in Tibet

Without getting into political discussions, we thought the occupation of Tibet must be mentioned in a blog entry.

Already on our journey to Tibet, we we were presented a less pleasing sight: an array of Chinese army trucks (long as far as the eye could see) headed for Tibet:

From ASIA - TIBET - The journey to Tibet

Then once in Lhasa it is impossible to miss the soldiers which are everywhere, fully armed with machine guns.
On the streets:

From ASIA - TIBET - Lhasa

or on rooftops:

watching for any sign of disturbance... (BTW: Chinese soldiers don't like to be photographed so excuse the quality of these pics taken in quite a hurry)

What is maybe less apparent without knowing how the system works (and unfortunately it works, "been there seen that" in our home town): huge industrial zones are being built, and guess who gets works. We know that unfortunately it only takes a generation's time and demographics get changed irreversibly.

Also, due to the strict regulations, Tibet remains closed to independent travelers and the only way around this is to book a tour with a travel agency. In addition to the Chinese visa, special Tibet travel permit is required, which is frequently checked (already on the train to Tibet and at many 'pitstops' along the way to Nepal...)

A further typical communistic method of "tender care" of traditions of a culture, that we were also very familiar with, is to build communistic monuments everywhere. Sorry Mr. Mao, we do not intend to give you the satisfaction by taking or posting pictures of it.

Let us end this post by expressing our hopes that the Tibetan culture is strong enough so that in some form or another it will survive - the world would be poorer without this amazing culture...

Lhasa

“Go to Tibet and see many places, as much as you can; then tell the world”

~His Holiness the Dalai Lama
... and this is what we are trying to do. With our travel. Our photos. And our blog entries.

We found Lhasa a fascinating place from the moment we arrived. The city sits on the highest plateau in the world with even higher peaks surrounding it and the majestic view of the Potala Palace dominating the landscape.

From ASIA - TIBET - Lhasa

(Speaking of arrival, it turned out pretty quickly, we weren't exactly designed for life above 3500m. Even though we didn't find ourselves incapacitated by altitude sickness, we certainly had to slow down and take every step very easy. The altitude in Tibet is a force to be reckoned with and we have now a whole new respect for those who do crazy things like climbing the Everest, hiking in the Himalayas or cycling from Lhasa to Nepal...)

On our first day, we visited Norbulingka, the Summer Residence of the Dalai Lamas up until the 14th Dalai Lama's exile to India in 1959. It's a pleasant park - with small palaces and man-made lakes - and a perfect starting point for our sightseeing in Lhasa.

From ASIA - TIBET - Lhasa

Across the road from Norbulingka - the Tibet Museum, 'advertising' the "peaceful liberation of Tibet" by the Chinese and "the tender care" shown to the Tibetan culture. Chinese military in general have a shockingly strong presence everywhere in Tibet. The Chinese flag is around all major sites and the Chinese soldiers patrol Lhasa in numbers we haven't seen anywhere else in China.

From ASIA - TIBET - Lhasa

The reality is that there are two Lhasas. One has all the marking of a modern Chinese city: wide, clean streets, large public squares dominated by massive TV screens, Adidas and Playboy stores and most importantly, Communist monuments. The other, the traditional Tibetan quarter, with its narrow streets, temples, prayer wheels and tiny shops.
One of the most visible borders between the Tibetan and Chinese Lhasa is the Barkhor square:

From ASIA - TIBET - Lhasa

On its western side - a huge square, chaotic traffic and a large shopping street leading almost up to the Potala Palace; to the East - one of the most captivating sites in Lhasa: the old Barkhor with the Jokhang Temple in the center,

From ASIA - TIBET - Lhasa

one of the holiest sites in Tibetan Buddhism, where from sunrise to sunset Tibetan pilgrims in traditional dress coming from as far as the Eastern Tibet (many of them prostrating themselves all the way to Lhasa!) make the clockwise circuit, while spinning prayer wheels, burbling mantras and making yak butter offerings.

From ASIA - TIBET - Lhasa

A visit to the Sera Monastery gave us some insight into the everyday life of about 600 monks still living here (before the Chinese invasion, it used to be the second largest Monastery in Tibet, housing over five thousand monks). The place was really like a campus with many buildings and dormitories for the monks, and a few larger Assembly Halls, where we had the chance to watch and listen to the monks chanting their prayers.

From ASIA - TIBET - Lhasa

The next day we visited the breathtaking landmark of Lhasa and one of the great architectural wonders of the world. The years and the conflicts have fortunately managed to elude the Potala Palace, which still imposingly dominates the skyline and the first views of the century’s old palace are unforgettable.

From ASIA - TIBET - Lhasa

We were only allowed to enter the Palace in given time slot and had exactly one hour to explore the circuit they allow tourists to see. Once through security, we walked up hundreds of stairs leading up to the entrance which was also quite challenging given the altitude as you can easily get tired after 20-30 steps already.
The white and red outside is as beautiful from close as it is from afar and the inside does not disappoint either. It is as if you stepped into another world... small, dark rooms with typical Buddhist decoration, with an unmistakable smell of yak butter lights filling the air.  The rooms of the Potala include bedrooms, assembly halls and tombs of former Dalai Lamas, of course with the exception of the current Dalai Lama living in exile in India. As we stepped out the Palace and slowly walked down amongst the pilgrims,

From ASIA - TIBET - Lhasa

we had a strange feeling of connection with the Potala and the Tibetan people and their heritage even in such a short time. It is a very strong and impressive feeling to be in the presence of the Dalai Lamas, which is hard to explain... and which accompanied us throughout our amazing journey from Lhasa to Kathmandu... (see our next blog entries).

All our pictures on Lhasa.

The journey to Tibet - our memorable 48 hours train ride from Beijing to Lhasa

Tibet! The land full of mystery, far remote from the world, high up on the Tibetan plateau in the Himalayas...

As a lot of people, we were dreaming for long of traveling to Tibet, the land of the Dalai Lamas...


We can not sufficiently emphasize that the journey TO Tibet is as magnificent as Tibet itself and that one should not, we repeat should NOT fly to Lhasa! So much that it should be forbidden.

The incredible journey that we tried to capture on photos is required for one to be able to truly appreciate just how remote, how high and how much "off the beaten track" this Land is. 48h from Beijing might seem a long journey, we were expecting to see the same  scenery for hours and get bored at seeing nothing but deserted areas.

However, the journey was one of the most incredible experiences we ever had. The change of scenery is just stunning and the journey feels like a journey in time...

- The journey started from Beijing West Railway station:

From ASIA - CHINA - Beijing

- While still in mainland China, the route passes through multiple provinces dominated by hills all worked by hand to try to feed the 1 1/2 billion people:

From ASIA - TIBET - The journey to Tibet

- In-between we spent our time by "socializing" with Tibetan locals:

From ASIA - TIBET - The journey to Tibet

- Then, as the train started climbing, we had our first glance on the snow-topped mountains in the far horizon of the plateau:

From ASIA - TIBET - The journey to Tibet

- Then we reached an area of land shaped by the waters from melted snow from the Himalayas and crossed by the only single road leading to Tibet from mainland China:

From ASIA - TIBET - The journey to Tibet

- As we reached an altitude and area covered  by eternal snow, we were presented a less pleasing sight: an array of Chinese army trucks (long as far as the eye could see) headed for Tibet:

From ASIA - TIBET - The journey to Tibet

- Once we had the snowy areas behind us, we arrived on what was the begining of the Tibetan plateau, with its endless nuances of brown, yellow and deep blue skies:

From ASIA - TIBET - The journey to Tibet

- After a long time of deserted landscape we were happy to see some form of life, even if just some Yaks eating...eating we have no idea what...:

From ASIA - TIBET - The journey to Tibet

- Climbing above 5000m and passing the world's highest railway station a the Tanggula pass, we were surprised not to have snow at the altitude:

From ASIA - TIBET - The journey to Tibet

- As we got closer to the Himalayas (actually as the air got thinner), the sky got bluer and bluer...

From ASIA - TIBET - The journey to Tibet

- for a change of scenery, a 4000m+ high laying lake offered some more spectacular views:

From ASIA - TIBET - The journey to Tibet

- Seeing the tracks ahead of us, we are repeatedly reminded of what an extraordinary feat of engineering it was to build this railway, most of its section starting from Golmud being laid on permafrost:

From ASIA - TIBET - The journey to Tibet

- After a very long time we glanced the first sign of human life in Tibet, a small town nearby:

From ASIA - TIBET - The journey to Tibet

- Just to get a feel of the thin air outside (oxygen is being pumped into the compartments of the train), we had a short "pit stop" at 4500m, were Krisztina decided to give signals to the train driver (or to aliens? I still don't know)

From ASIA - TIBET - The journey to Tibet

- The sun then set before arriving to Lhasa (where our story continues...):

From ASIA - TIBET - The journey to Tibet

All our pictures on The Train Journey.