Saturday 21st September – On the Rails
Clackety, clack, clackety, clack went the steel wheels of the train through the night. When we awoke after a ten hour sleep the landscape had completely changed. Everything was covered in snow and much to my surprise I saw a small herd of Tibetan deer.
James has forgone breakfast this morning so I ventured up to the dining car for fried egg and coffee. I shared the table with a young Chinese girl and we entertained ourselves over an international game of Sudoku.
The snow is now only on the mountain peaks and the fields are green and studded with rocks. There are plenty of streams and the occasional lake to break up this flat section of the plateau. There are Yak herds everywhere being attended to by shepherds. They are very hairy beasts which I suppose they have to be too survive in this climate.
When we stopped at a station James resplendent in his shorts reported that the outside temperature was a rather nippy 5 degrees. Alice and Join thought it was much colder. It is now late in our journey and the toilets are looking like a wild man had laid siege to them. It is definitely a fast entry and exit from the cubicle but somehow the Chinese are in there so long you would think they were taking a shower. The bathroom sink is also clogged due to the countless bowls of Chinese noodles being washed there. All in all the train staff have done a great job in maintaining a reasonably clean (unlike our Vietnam experience) and functioning carriage. The rest of the journey was uneventful and despite the amazing scenery we are champing at the bit to arrive in Lhasa. The station is huge and appears as if the Chinese were trying to make a statement.
After the officials had checked our rail ticket and travel permits we were met by our guide from Tibet travel. It is a beautiful day and quite warm despite the altitude of 3650 metres.
Our hotel the Tibet Heaven is rated 3 stars. Our room is excellent and the shower piping hot. A short walk was in order so that we could get our bearings and stock up on supplies. I must be getting a little vain as I invested in a Gillette razor. We had skipped lunch so settled for a steam boat dinner at our hotel. We ordered the shrimp and vegetables and a not too spicy broth. When it arrived there was meat on the bone and no sign of the shrimp. It turned out that the waitress had said “sheep”. Nevertheless the meal tasted good.
Sunday 22nd September – Lhasa Sightseeing
It is 7:30 and still dark outside. This is because the Chinese do not recognize time zones and as a result the time in Lhasa is the same as Beijing. It is like having the same time for Brisbane and Perth. I thought we were in for a Chinese breakfast and was delighted when they served us a plate of bacon with a fried egg. A cup of Nescafe and I am ready for a big day out.
One piece of bad news is that my net book died on the train journey. The amazing techno man James was able to retrieve my diary notes and Beijing photographs. At this stage I was writing my diary by hand, so primitive. When I find an internet cafe, most likely Kathmandu, I will type up the notes.
Our first stop this morning was Jokhang Temple. It was interesting watching Tibetan pilgrims prostrating themselves in some form of penance. Old and young made incense offerings at the large pyres that surround the temple complex. Our guide went to great lengths to explain the history of the temple that goes back to the 7th century. One of the early Dali Lamas married a Chinese princess and as part of her dowry he was given a sacred statue. This is probably why the Chinese claim Tibet as their own. It is an interesting history and worth a read.Our next stop was at Potala Palace where most of the Dali Lamas are entombed. The current 14th Dali Lama may not have the privilege of being entombed here. It is an impressive structure that dominates the skyline of Lhasa. The upper walls are about 3 metres thick and are constructed to withstand earthquakes. I nearly lost my Tasmanian Devil at security when it fell out of my pack back. Fortunately the security guards were amused and promptly returned him to me. The Devil has already made many Tibetan friends who are intrigued by the crazy foreigner with a hand puppet.
The walk up the huge staircase to the top of the palace left me breathless. I doubt that I could have blown out a candle. The tour through the different chambers of the palace was excellent and our guide was once again passionate about his subject. James and I are both well and truly Dali Lamaed out.
The group had a very late lunch on the rooftop of the New Mandala Restaurant. The selection of food was enormous and James settled on a Yak burger. I was more tame and had garlic soup with a toasted cheese and tomato sandwich. The rest of the group lingered at the markets while we headed back to the hotel. James constructed a clothesline for his hand washing and I Had just enough room for my socks and jocks.
Monday 23rd September – More Monasteries
Another late start to the morning but I did manage to brew up a cupachino before breakfast. Another round of cold bacon and fried eggs should be enough to keep us going for the day.
Our first visit was to the Drepung Monastery which is about 10 km from Lhasa. It was built in 1416 and has six main temples. Prior to the Chinese invasion in 1959 over 10000 monks resided there. About 1500 monks are currently in residence. The monastery covers an area of over 200 thousand square metres. After our visit I needed to use the public toilet and it seemed like all 1500 monks had been there before me. The urinal was worse as it looked like pea soup.
Our lunch was at a local restaurant situated next to the Sera Monastery. I was a little dubious of our guide’s choice but everyone seemed to enjoy the food with the bottomless cups of milk tea. All of the meals cost 10 Yuan which is about $1.90.
The Sera Monastery is the second biggest in Tibet and was founded in 1419. It has an assembly hall, three colleges and thirty three houses. We have timed our arrival for 3:00pm to align with the great debate. The monks debate each other six days a week for two hours. Obviously we had no idea what they were remonstrating about however the 40 plus monks put on an entertaining show. One thing that stood out was when a monk would lean forward with his hand stretched out and then slap it loudly. Our guide said it was like a refresh button designed to clear the mind. James and I were templed out so we sat up in the shade while the rest of the group viewed another 1000 armed Buddha.
We have opted to return to the hotel for a rest as James was suffering from a headache.
Tuesday 24th September – Shigatse
Up at six this morning to pack our bags and make ready for our 7:30 departure to Shigatse which is Tibet’s second largest city. After departing Lhasa it wasn’t long before we encountered a series of switchbacks that took us up to 4700 metres. Our view of Yamdrotso Lake (4100m) was spectacular. The water was a milky blue in colour.
We drove down into the Nyangchu Valley and passed through green farmland. We started to climb again and stopped at 4960m for a good roadside view of the Karo-la glacier. At the top of the pass we reached an altitude of 5100m. As we continued we passed numerous sheep and yak herds being tendered by the nomadic shepherds. Most yak herds are around 100 but the rich nomads can have as many as 1000 yaks.
A late lunch at Gyangtse was a welcome respite and we relaxed over a curry which was washed down by yet another mid strength beer (43Yuan). The group declined a visit to the monastery and settled for a visit to a Tibetan family home. Turned out to be a tired museum which used to be a manor house for a rich Tibetan.
The road to Shigatse was a little rough and the driver had to maintain a speed that allowed us to travel 35km in not under 55 minutes between check points. That meant we had to sit by the side of the road for 10 to 20 minutes. We amused ourselves by throwing rocks at a tin can perched on a fence. The driver however took the opportunity to have a couple of cigarettes.
The farmland in this area seemed to be very productive with large areas of barley and hay being grown. Finally the van pulled into the Zang Ba Hotel at 7:00pm. I must admit that our room is quite large and opulent. James and I are doing it tough at the moment!
For dinner tonight we headed out as a group to a local restaurant that our guide recommended. It turned out to be a favourite of western tour groups. I supplied the red wine a classic 2012 Yalumba Cabernet Sauvignon straight from the cask. Thanks Lil! The sizzling yak steak served with cauliflower and noodles was one of the best meals I have eaten on this trip. We split the bill and ended up paying 65 Yuan each ($11)
Wednesday 25th September – Everest Base Camp
I’ll start with the end of the day for a change of pace. Our van reached the Base Camp turn off a little after 4:30pm. After a series of switchbacks over a dusty, bumpy gravel road the top of the 5200m pass was reached. You always know when you have made it as the summit is festooned with Tibetan prayer flags. When you alight from the car you are surrounded by locals who the try and tempt you into purchasing beads, prayer wheels and fake amber rocks with a moth imbedded inside. Our first view of Everest was obstructed by cloud cover.
Our driver ploughed on relentlessly and after 95km of bone jarring driving we reached our destination at 10:00pm. James and I had been in the backseat for the last 5.5 hours and had suffered for it. I had a slight headache from all the jolting and after one particularly nasty pothole James alas had very sore unmentionables.
During the night the temperature dropped to minus one which I felt when having my ablutions in nature. The night sky was stupendous, stars everywhere with the snow capped mountains shining brilliantly in the moonlight.
Our day started slowly as our guide was delayed for 90 minutes by the Chinese beauracy as he tried to obtain our permits for Everest Base Camp. Next stop was the Shigatse Monastery. From our perspective this was our favourite as the temples were smaller and easier to appreciate. There was a 20m and 90m Buddha as well as tombs for a few Pelchi Lamas. At midday we departed on the 300 km road trip to the EBC turnoff.
Thursday 26th September – Mt Everest and a Road Less Travelled
Woke up this morning at 8:00 and was disappointed because low clouds were obscuring our view of the mountains. Our host whipped up some pancakes and coffee which went down a treat. There are approximately 70 tents set up in this area to accommodate the mostly Chinese tourists. Apparently a few deaths occur up here each year as people succumb to the cold or mountain sickness.
At 9:30 we boarded the shuttle bus which ferries the tourists the last 5km to EBC. On arrival the clouds had dissipated and we were treated to a magnificent close up view of Mt Everest. Truly awe inspiring and worth every dollar that we had spent on this trip.
Lunch was taken around 2:00pm and then our journey continued towards the China-Nepal border. After descending from yet another 5000m pass, the scenery changed dramatically. Everything was greener and the river cut a deep narrow gorge between the mountains. On one side there were numerous waterfalls cascading down the mountain slopes.
At 7:30 pm after passing hundreds of parked Chinese trucks we reached our hotel in the border town of Zhangmu. Had a good dinner and then was talked into hitting a night club with the group. It was a surreal experience watching these young Tibetans prancing around doing the latest Bollywood moves. The men were dancing and gyrating together trying to impress the young girls who tried to look indifferent amongst this untapped testosterone. Fifteen minutes and a beer was enough for all of us and I then took an early leave pass to bed.
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