Hindu Cremation

Hindu Holy Man

Kathmandu (elev. 4600 ft.)

TIBET

NEPAL

Durbar Square, Bhaktapur

Kathmandu Valley

Chaotic Streets of Kathmandu

Monkey, Pashupatinath Hindu Temple

              Potala Palace, Lhasa

                                                Dried fruit cart, Lhasa

                  Chinese Military, Barkohr Square, Lhasa

Potter, Bhaktapur

        Potala Palace, view from the roof of the Jokhang

The Friendship Highway - Lhasa to Kathmandu

Lhasa (elev. 11,800 ft.)

Gyantse (elev. 12,800 ft.)

Shigatse (elev. 12,800 ft)

Shegar (elev. 14,100 ft.) to Everest Base Camp (elev. 16, 700 ft.)

The flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa is one of the most spectacular in the world.  Flying just about the peaks of the Himalayas and getting your first glimpse of Mt. Everest and the roof of the world is truly thrilling.  Upon entering Tibet, security is extremely tight and there are several checkpoints prior to leaving the airport and again along the road to Lhasa.

Lhasa, the capitol of Tibet and the remote abode of the Dalai Lamas, object of devout pilgrimage and heart and soul of Tibet, is still a city of wonders, despite the large-scale encroachments of modern Chinese.  The Potala, a white and red fortress is a sight that has heralded the marvels of the Holy City for four centuries.  While the Potala dominates the skyline, the Jokhang, some 2km to the east, is the real spiritual heart of the city. The Jokhang is the most revered religious structure and most alive of Tibet’s temples and it’s surrounding Barkhor circuit with it’s prostrating pilgrims is an amazing introduction to Tibet. 

During our visit you could already sense the increasing tension among the Chinese military who patrolled the streets, squares and sights.  The entry times and time spent at the Potala is tightly controlled and most streets and squares have video cameras on the rooftops of buildings to monitor pedestrian activity.  If a member of the military even suspected that you were taking a picture of them, they would immediately accost you and force you to delete your photos.  If you were lucky they would only have you delete those of the military and not all of your photos.

Even though we spent 3 nights in Kathmandu, the elevation of Lhasa could be immediately felt when you walked off the plane, but within minutes we were able to adjust to the thinning air.  Our next several days would be spent not only sightseeing, but also acclimatizing.  Our first full day in Lhasa, we hiked from street level to the top of the Potala, no small feat at almost 12,000ft elevation.  But as time went by, it became easier and easier.  After two days it was time to move onward and upward.

                             Buddhist Nun, Drepung Monastery

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

                                                                                            His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Tibet, the land of the Snows, the roof of the world.  For centuries this mysterious Buddhist Kingdom has exercised a unique hold on the imagination of the West.  When the doors were finally opened in the mid-1980’s, Tibet lay in ruins.  The real Tibet no longer exists.  Since military occupation in 1950, the Chinese have systematically dismantled the Tibetan social fabric, destroyed it’s great monasteries, persecuted its monks and nuns and wreaked devastating damage on Tibet’s prisitine environment. For a while images of the Buddha were replaced by images of Chairman Mao.  Today many monasteries have been restored along with limited religious freedoms.  This remarkable place is changing fast.  Investment and tourism are flooding the region, inspired by a new train line from China.  Unfortunately the modernization is coming first and foremost on China’s terms.  China’s current wave of tourists has been dubbed the “second invasion” with a slew of new hotels, restaurants and bars set up and run by Chinese for Chinese.  Once the remote preserve of hardy backpackers, it is now local Chinese tourists that dominate the queues for the Potala and Jokhang.  Lhasa is booming and even small towns across the plateau are being modernized and rebuilt.  With every passing month, Tibet looks less and less like itself.  Any description of present-day Tibet must be framed in the context of iron-fisted Chinese occupation.

A Tibetan Visa can only be obtained just prior to travel from Nepal or China.  We were due to enter Tibet September 22 and discovered that due to the Chinese National Holiday, the 60th Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, no permits or visas would be given as of October 1st, Tibet would be closed to all foreigners for at least 14 days to try and prevent any Tibetan protests and uprisings against the Chinese.  We were extremely lucky to get our visas.

The Friendship HIghway is a spectacular road which traverses high mountain passes and crosses plateaus connecting Lhasa and Kathmandu.  First we traveled through Tibet’s richest farming areas along the western Tsangpo River, the highest major river in the world.  We go over two passes the first day, Kamba-la (15,500ft) where we see Yamdrak Tso Lake with it’s turquoise waters, and then over Karo-la (16,500ft) before descending to the historic village of Gyantse.  At each of the passes, we get out of our 4x4 Landcruisers to walk and hike in order to aid in our acclimatization.

                               Yamdrak Tso Lake

         Kumbum Monastery and Stupa

Farmer and Yaks plowing on the High Plateau

Life on the HIgh Plateau

      Tibetan Pilgrims at Kumbum Monastery

One of the more pleasant towns around Tibet, Gyantse, located in the Nyang-chu

Valley, is famed for the Gyantse Kumbum, the largest chorten in Tibet.  The white chorten, a magnificent eight tiered structure trimmed with decorative stripes and it’s crown-like golden dome, is awe-inspiring and contains a seemingly endless series of mural-filled chapels.

Equally as magnificent is the Gyantse Dzong (fortress) which sits high on a hill offering amazing views of the town and surrounding area.  While the jeeps drove us to the entrance, it was still quite a hike to the top of the fortress, with temperatures dropping as we climbed, but the reward of the views from the top made it all worth while. 

                  Prayer Wheels at Tashilhinpo Monastery

Monks at Tashilhunpo Monastery

Shigatse is Tibet’s second largest town and is a sprawling place, with dusty uneven streets and traffic even in the pedestrian only lane.  Since the Mongol sponsorship of the Gelugpa order, Shigatse has been the seat of the Panchen Lama and was based in the Tashilhunpo Monastery. 

This monastery is one of the few in Tibet that weathered the stormy seas of the Cultural Revolution.  This monastery is huge and is essentially a walled city in its own right.  It is the largest functioning monastic institutions in Tibet housing some 500 monks.

Just days prior to our arrival, the disputed Chinese-sponsored Panchen Lama was visiting and staying in his summer palace prior to going to Lhasa.  While on the road from Lhasa to Gyantse we were pulled off the road as the road was closed to allow for the passing of the Panchen Lama’s 35 car motorcade including private ambulance

Excitement was mounting as we reached the small towns of Shegar and Baber, as we knew that the next day we were to make the journey to one of the main reasons we had all come to Tibet, to see Mt. Everest.

At over 14,000ft, this tiny town is a small settlement lining 1km of the Friendship Highway and a good overnight spot on the way to Everest Base camp.  Again we were encouraged to walk into town from the hotel (and back, uphill) in order to help us acclimatize as the next day we would spend most of the day above 16,000ft.

The road to Everest Base Camp is a long and winding gravel road involving a series of zig-zags to the top of the Pan-la Pass (17,500ft.) where we get our first glimpse of Everest from the ground.  Even at 11am, it is below zero and we are forced to wear our down parkas, gloves and hats.  But not even the cold could dampen our excitement at seeing the mountain in the bright, cloudless sky, along with it’s neighbors, Lhotse and Cho Oyu. 

                                                                                 Road to Everest Base Camp

In order to visit Everest Base Camp a permit is required as the National Park is of course controlled by the Chinese.  Once again we received the information that as of October 1, for the Chinese National Holiday and for 14 days there after, the park would be closed.  We were due at Base Camp on September 29.  As expected security was quite tight.

As if trying to tease us, our jeep had a flat tire along the gravel road, but our driver was able to change it quite quickly, thus continuing our journey.  From here we arrive at the tent camp which is a few miles before the Base Camp.  Here we need to leave our jeeps and get into a Chinese government bus to be taking to Base Camp.  Until recently, one had to take a donkey cart to the Base Camp.  Once at Base Camp, we are told we have one hour to view one of the most spectacular sights in the world, Mt. Everest.

The morning was beautiful, with warm, blue skies and hardly a cloud as we viewed the towering North Face as it dominated the horizon.  I cannot fully express the trill of being at the base of the highest point on earth and staring it in the face.  Many of us either sent text messages or made phone calls to our friends and families to share this momentous accomplishment of being in a place where few people on earth have been.

                Traditional mode of transportation, Shegar

On the same winding road back to Shegar, just before the Chinese checkpoint, we once again had a flat tire.  This was actually our jeep’s third flat tire as we had one the first day on the way from Lhasa to Gyantse.  Since we were already on our spare, we had to use the spare from the second jeep.  There were some problems getting that tire onto our vehicle and once on, it was noticed that this tire too was flat.  Now facing quite the dilemma, a local drove by on his bicycle and returned a few moments later with a pump, unfortunately it was a bicycle hand pump.  None the less, they tried to inflate the tire and thankfully someone else came along with a better hand pump so we were able to get enough air in the tire to get us the last 12 km past the checkpoint and to our hotel.  The poor drivers had to get the tires repaired before the next’s days journey to the border town of Zhangmu

The Road to Kathmandu

The drive from Shengar to Zhangmu ascends over the passes of Lalung-la (16,500ft) where on a clear day we could see Everest and Cho Oyu, another peak over 8000m.  On this day, Everest was completely encased in clouds and those poor souls who rushed to Everest Base Camp either that morning or the evening before would be quite disappointed.  This was the last day that Everest Base Camp would be open until the Chinese decided to give out permits again after their holiday.

From here we started our descent of over 9800ft to the small town of Nyalam, a very modernized Chinese town, for lunch.

It was here that we were informed by the Chinese at the checkpoint that the road beyond Nyalam was closed due to both landslides and road work consisting of dynamiting the mountainside to make way for a new road.  We were to stay here until further notice.  We discovered that others had been stranded for 4 days.

Once again lady luck was on our side, after 2 hours, we were given the word that the road would be open for a short period of time and we could make our way.  Without delay we practically flew down the mountainside, past the landslide and with only minor traffic jams, made it through the construction zone by early afternoon, arriving in Zhangmu, a town built into the mountainside.

From here the following day was to the border where we waited in a long queue to leave Tibet, as everyone had to leave that day as Tibet had been closed to foreigners.  No photos were allowed in this area and was under the strict and constant eye of the Military.  Once through the tedious formalities and searches by the Chinese we were once again on Nepal soil and there was a huge sense of relief by our guide as here we were truly free and not under the constant watch of the Chinese.

Through the gorgeous Kathmandu Valley, the drive back to Kathmandu was breathtaking but tough in that we were back into sub-tropical weather and the heat and humidity were oppressive compared to the desert-like conditions of Tibet.

This marked the end of one of the most amazing journeys and adventures of my life.  Enduring altitudes where even small planes do not dare to fly and being face to face with Mt. Everest, the highest point on earth is a dream come true.

     Yak, the other dark meat.  It’s delicious!!!