Breathless
Tashi Delai - or hello/ how are you/ good day in Tibetan
To say that Tibet took my breath away would be one of the greatest understatements of all time. The fact Lhasa is over 4000m above sea level meaning there is 30% less oxygen than in HK didn't help but even without that (or the fact all temples were saturated in yak butter fumes and everywhere else yak dung fuel fumes) it had the heart beating at double time.
The sky was almost constantly an amazing shade of blue (the sun was surprisingly powerful meaning we worn stupid hats and whitening sun cream - the only stuff available - from day two onwards) and the people, food (mainly yak meat), mountains, monasteries and palaces were something else.
Even the 48-hour train ride from Beijing to Lhasa was great; it was surprising how easily Sean and I relaxed in our cabin, with oxygen being pumped in, drinking whisky, reading and generally watching the world roll by. Once in Lhasa we had our first experience of Tibetan driving (amazingly even worse than Chinese) and got our first view of the Potala Palace (the main government buildings of the exiled Dalai Lama) outlined by the towering mountains before checking into the Yak hotel (seeing a pattern yak!)
In Lhasa we did the kora (pilgrim walk) around the Barkhor and ended touring the Jokhang (Tibet's spiritual centre). The air was thick with yak butter fumes and the place buzzed with worshipers spinning prayer wheels and chanting to add up merits to help achieve a better life in their next reincarnation.
We explored the Drepung and Reting Monasteries, 8 and 180 km outside Lhasa. All the temples carried charges to take photos and I noticed an almost perfect correlation between the price and the level at which my flip flops stuck in the yak butter covered floor.
Both monasteries had been badly damaged by the Red Guard in the cultural revolution but are gradually being rebuilt (Drepung far more so as than Reting) meaning even with Mao Zedong's best efforts they were still beautiful places of quiet worship.
The trip to Reting Monastery was on our return from Lake Nam tso, the worlds highest saltwater lake at 4718m above sea level. The Lake was an amazing shade of turquoise and was surrounded by mountains that towered over 7000m with the closer lower hills covered in prayer flags (earning those that put them there extra merits each and every time they flapped in the mountain breeze).
The drive to and from Lake Nam tso took us over a mountain pass at 5100m (well over 15,000 ft), this would have been fine if it wasn't for the fact that Dashi, our driver's land cruiser had a handbrake and he didn't keep getting out to inspect the foot break which seemed to overheat very often and quickly. Having driven Brucetta around Oz without decent brakes and having jumped out of planes at a mere 12,000ft I'm all to aware of what could go wrong! On the bright side we were well equipped for the trip with all the essentials
1 x Pringles
4 x pot noodles
3 x dairy milk
4 x water
1 x whisky
1 x oxygen bottle
What could possibly have happened...
After the epic trip into the mountains we returned for a final night in Lhasa and one last yak meal. I actually managed to eat the mighty beast every day in Tibet trying fried yak, yak with potato, yak burger, yak noodle soup, yak momo (Tibetan dumplings), dried yak, yak and onion, yak steak and even yak curry, class!
And that was the trip, getting home on China air took me from Lhasa to HK via Chengdu, Beijing and Shenzhen which could have been easier, especially as it didn't get me home until late last night and I started my new job at 9am this morning but if it was too easy....
Until the next time
Jonathan
Ps. If you can, always avoid toilets in Tibet, foreign cultures (mainly China) are killing the place in the name of progress but one thing they really do need help with is good flushing bogs!
JP
HK SAR
China
To say that Tibet took my breath away would be one of the greatest understatements of all time. The fact Lhasa is over 4000m above sea level meaning there is 30% less oxygen than in HK didn't help but even without that (or the fact all temples were saturated in yak butter fumes and everywhere else yak dung fuel fumes) it had the heart beating at double time.
The sky was almost constantly an amazing shade of blue (the sun was surprisingly powerful meaning we worn stupid hats and whitening sun cream - the only stuff available - from day two onwards) and the people, food (mainly yak meat), mountains, monasteries and palaces were something else.
Even the 48-hour train ride from Beijing to Lhasa was great; it was surprising how easily Sean and I relaxed in our cabin, with oxygen being pumped in, drinking whisky, reading and generally watching the world roll by. Once in Lhasa we had our first experience of Tibetan driving (amazingly even worse than Chinese) and got our first view of the Potala Palace (the main government buildings of the exiled Dalai Lama) outlined by the towering mountains before checking into the Yak hotel (seeing a pattern yak!)
In Lhasa we did the kora (pilgrim walk) around the Barkhor and ended touring the Jokhang (Tibet's spiritual centre). The air was thick with yak butter fumes and the place buzzed with worshipers spinning prayer wheels and chanting to add up merits to help achieve a better life in their next reincarnation.
We explored the Drepung and Reting Monasteries, 8 and 180 km outside Lhasa. All the temples carried charges to take photos and I noticed an almost perfect correlation between the price and the level at which my flip flops stuck in the yak butter covered floor.
Both monasteries had been badly damaged by the Red Guard in the cultural revolution but are gradually being rebuilt (Drepung far more so as than Reting) meaning even with Mao Zedong's best efforts they were still beautiful places of quiet worship.
The trip to Reting Monastery was on our return from Lake Nam tso, the worlds highest saltwater lake at 4718m above sea level. The Lake was an amazing shade of turquoise and was surrounded by mountains that towered over 7000m with the closer lower hills covered in prayer flags (earning those that put them there extra merits each and every time they flapped in the mountain breeze).
The drive to and from Lake Nam tso took us over a mountain pass at 5100m (well over 15,000 ft), this would have been fine if it wasn't for the fact that Dashi, our driver's land cruiser had a handbrake and he didn't keep getting out to inspect the foot break which seemed to overheat very often and quickly. Having driven Brucetta around Oz without decent brakes and having jumped out of planes at a mere 12,000ft I'm all to aware of what could go wrong! On the bright side we were well equipped for the trip with all the essentials
1 x Pringles
4 x pot noodles
3 x dairy milk
4 x water
1 x whisky
1 x oxygen bottle
What could possibly have happened...
After the epic trip into the mountains we returned for a final night in Lhasa and one last yak meal. I actually managed to eat the mighty beast every day in Tibet trying fried yak, yak with potato, yak burger, yak noodle soup, yak momo (Tibetan dumplings), dried yak, yak and onion, yak steak and even yak curry, class!
And that was the trip, getting home on China air took me from Lhasa to HK via Chengdu, Beijing and Shenzhen which could have been easier, especially as it didn't get me home until late last night and I started my new job at 9am this morning but if it was too easy....
Until the next time
Jonathan
Ps. If you can, always avoid toilets in Tibet, foreign cultures (mainly China) are killing the place in the name of progress but one thing they really do need help with is good flushing bogs!
JP
HK SAR
China
posted by JP at 11:30 am
