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Sometimes when you visit temples you can still see things like this on the walls. A tibetan we went with started yelling and screaming at the sign. We didn't know what to do but luckily a fellow Tibetan spoke to him and he stopped yelling. As far as we know he never got nabbed by the police. It just goes to show that ill feeling still exists between the two communities.
One evening as we sat enjoying our dinner camped one night on the plain at Tingri, we were surprised by eight freshly scrubbed children--in and of itself a surprising sight--bearing their schoolbooks at the open flap of our tent. They stood quietly, looking in to our tent. When asked, they said that they wanted to have pens for their schoolwork. The leader, no more than 7 or 8 years old, had the most devastating smile I have ever seen. Attractive when she wore her serious face, her smile truly lit up her face. It would have been hard to resist a demand for anything when that smile appeared. We could spare only one or two pens and had long since learned that money only brings more beggars. Nor did we have candy or gum or any other the other common gifts we had been giving away. Keen to offer something, I recalled a tip I had read before leaving home: people will often welcome even...
Yumbulagang is variously called a palace, a fortress, and a chapel. According to legend, holy texts fell from the heavens onto its roof, proclaiming the appearance of Buddhism in Tibet. Whatever it may have been originally, there is no question that the Chinese completely destroyed this stunningly located thousand-year-old structure in 1969. Without knowing its history, most visitors would probably be surprised to learn that the structure there now was completely rebuilt in 1982. The faithful replica is maintained by a handful of Geluk monks. Yumbulagang sits in the Yarlung Valley atop a rocky ledge. Although it is not particularly high (the walk up the ridge takes a lazy half hour), the brightly painted buildings present a striking profile, silhouetted on a rock spur against brown cliffs and rocky overhangs. The higher one climbs within the complex of buildings, the broader the vista....
From Lhasa, take a bus to Tsetang, one of those ugly prefab towns that the Chinese have planted all over Tibet. From there you take a bus to the monastery of Tranduk. Tranduk is not an exceptional monastery, but since the monks rarely see tourists, they all like to make a chat and share some buttertea. From there you can walk to Yumbulakhan, half fort, half monastery perched on a hill with great views over the valley.Back in Tsetang it's another busride to a ferry over the river, then a bumpy ride on the back of a truck and finally you've reached the Samye Monastery, a beautiful and active holy place. There's a primitive guesthouse and eatery on the grounds.
While my 2 fellows prefered to do some climbing around Rongphu I decided to continue to the basecamp the next morning (2 hrs.). Although it was very hard to get out of the sleeping bag, I was happy to go out early. Dazzling clear sky, sun climbing from behind the Everest, deer and yaks crossing my trails, a monastary dog following me, but further completely alone, together with this majestic mountain. It must be fantastic to go up there, I thought, but ok...next life may be. By the way the basecamp was deserted as well, only memorial signs and rubbish proved that heros had been here before.
Since the lodge closed and most remaining monks/nuns were leaving as well, we were glad to get a ride down in the back of the monastary truck, packed together with a few dozen of chanting Tibetans. We could have chosen to trek back via the trail to Tingri (3 days, recommended in summer), but since there are no villages and we had no supplies left, we didn't go for it. Besides, we were already dreaming about everything available in Khatmandu.BTW, the truck never made it to the highway; about halfway we were stopped by 4 Chinese in a jeep that gave no permission to continue. We had to walk again...
When we arrived at Rongphu monastary the place was almost abandoned. We were told that the visitorslodge was open for the last day this season. The views were fantastic and the surroundings were excellent for climbing and hiking, but camping here...no thanks
Unforgettable is the first view on Mt. Everest since the pass, about halfway between Cho Dzom and Rongphu. It appears suddenly just when you finish another curve. The last 23 km to the (probably) highest monastary in the world are increasingly beautiful, climbing another 700 meters to 4900m. Along the road also many ruins and holy laces.
The circumstances for the people living here are tough. The closest watersource was 4 km away and the father almost every day walks all the way down to get new supplies. The children look a little dirty and neglected also because of the tsampa and the dust from the road used by trucks and (tourist-)jeeps, that splits the village in two. The mother was coughing all the time from the lack of ventilation in their room annex kitchen with stove running on yakshit. For food usually the whole family always eats tsampa, a kind of dough from roasted flour. Not too bad, but no variety at all. And finally there's severe cold and burning sun to suffer from.
It took about 7 hours (30km.) to reach the tiny settlement of Cho Dzom. The scenery today was a little boring since mostly flat and dry. The highlights were the villages we passed. In Cho Dzom again we were welcomed greatly. There's place to sleep at the regional school, but we accepted an offer from a family to stay in their house.
Yak Hotel Lhasa
8 Reviews and 61 Opinions This is a supposedly 3 star hotel but why remains a mystery. We stayed there for 2 days on our...
Gyantse Hotel Gyangze
2 Reviews and 29 Opinions The hotel's official rating is ***, which did mean it was pretty basic - and so it was (it would not...
Kyichu Hotel (Jiqu Fandian) Lhasa
1 Review and 65 Opinions I stayed at this hotel in February 2007. The beds were hard, but that's normal in China. They had...
Reviews and photos of Tibet attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Tibet sightseeing.
Q: I am planning a trip of a life time and have two years to do so… so first I want to get some ideas from seasoned travelers and...
A: If you want to hike or bike, Tibet (which is stunning, by the way) is probably not going to work out. The Chinese government will only issue permits for people to enter...
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