Tibet Trip Report - Part 1
Oct 1st, 2004, 05:05 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 132
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Tibet Trip Report - Part 1
I traveled to Tibet the first 2-1/2 weeks of August. Regardless of where I was, there were beautiful mountains everywhere. Unfortunately it was on the tail end of the rainy season so many of the days were cloudy and somewhat gray. I was not with a tour group but did have a private guide and driver throughout my entire trip. It was a great way to see Tibet. My photos of this trip are posted at: www.pbase.com/msallen
On my way to Lhasa, I stopped in Chengdu for about 5 hours to see the Panda Breeding Center. It was amazing! Next, I was off to Lhasa where I spent a couple of days acclimatizing and seeing the local sites.
I spent a lot of time at Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Square where I saw numerous nomads and pilgrims in traditional dress, especially just walking the kora. There were pilgrims prostrating in front of Jokhang and on their way around the kora. This means that they?d take 3 steps, prostrate, take another 3 steps, prostrate again, etc. (When I was outside of Lhasa, I even saw pilgrims prostrating on their way to Lhasa ? perhaps taking them several months to walk 100 or so miles.)
I also visited the Potala Palace and Sangye Dongoo (not sure of the spelling) which has a mani stone painting and structure where many pilgrims walk the kora around the area prostrating and spinning prayer wheels. It was very mystical. Additionally, I went to Sera Monastery to see the monks ?debating?. It was very interesting to watch the animated monks and, they became even more enthusiastic when the ?master? came out to observe them.
I stayed at the Kyichu Hotel, which is on the edge of the Tibetan old town and was very charming. The Tibetan décor, friendly staff, peaceful gardens and great western style breakfast buffet made it a popular choice. Even though it is only a *** hotel, I preferred it over the Lhasa Hotel (formerly Holiday Inn). It is not a back-packer hotel. I am not very adventurous when it comes to eating local food. However, there was a great restaurant, Dunya?s, which is owned by Dutch & Americans where I could get western-style food that was delicious. Clearly, it was a favorite of mine. Other restaurants where good western-style food was available was Kyichu Restaurant ? Naga Restaurant (close to Pentoc, not part of Kyichu Hotel) and Snowland?s Hotel Restaurant. Both of these restaurants also had good Tibetan food.
More later. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them.
On my way to Lhasa, I stopped in Chengdu for about 5 hours to see the Panda Breeding Center. It was amazing! Next, I was off to Lhasa where I spent a couple of days acclimatizing and seeing the local sites.
I spent a lot of time at Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Square where I saw numerous nomads and pilgrims in traditional dress, especially just walking the kora. There were pilgrims prostrating in front of Jokhang and on their way around the kora. This means that they?d take 3 steps, prostrate, take another 3 steps, prostrate again, etc. (When I was outside of Lhasa, I even saw pilgrims prostrating on their way to Lhasa ? perhaps taking them several months to walk 100 or so miles.)
I also visited the Potala Palace and Sangye Dongoo (not sure of the spelling) which has a mani stone painting and structure where many pilgrims walk the kora around the area prostrating and spinning prayer wheels. It was very mystical. Additionally, I went to Sera Monastery to see the monks ?debating?. It was very interesting to watch the animated monks and, they became even more enthusiastic when the ?master? came out to observe them.
I stayed at the Kyichu Hotel, which is on the edge of the Tibetan old town and was very charming. The Tibetan décor, friendly staff, peaceful gardens and great western style breakfast buffet made it a popular choice. Even though it is only a *** hotel, I preferred it over the Lhasa Hotel (formerly Holiday Inn). It is not a back-packer hotel. I am not very adventurous when it comes to eating local food. However, there was a great restaurant, Dunya?s, which is owned by Dutch & Americans where I could get western-style food that was delicious. Clearly, it was a favorite of mine. Other restaurants where good western-style food was available was Kyichu Restaurant ? Naga Restaurant (close to Pentoc, not part of Kyichu Hotel) and Snowland?s Hotel Restaurant. Both of these restaurants also had good Tibetan food.
More later. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them.
Oct 7th, 2004, 06:15 PM
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 132
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm sorry it has taken me so long to continue this report. If you are interested in seeing my photos of Tibet, please visit: www.pbase.com/msallen/tibet_2004
Part 2 of 3:
We headed out of town to visit Gyantse and Shigatse. It took about 7-8 hours to drive to Gyantse from Lhasa in our Landcruiser. About half of the drive was on dirt-packed rocky road with beautiful scenery everywhere you looked. In fact, we had two flat tires on our way to Gyantse. Even though the drive was very rough, it was well worth the scenery. We went over a couple of amazing mountain passes and you literally feel the air getting thinner at 16,000-17,000 feet. And of course, we saw a lot of yaks, nomads and beautiful Tibetan tents. When we stopped for our picnic lunch, nomadic kids appeared from nowhere to watch us eat and sell us mushrooms. Even though I had no intention of eating any of them, we bought lots of them!
After a very long day, we arrived in Gyantse and stayed at the Gyantse Hotel. All of our meals were at the hotel where they served the typical Chinese banquet. We were offered a couple of interesting dishes ? pig?s ear and pig?s tongue! Needless to say, I landed on sweet and sour pork which was my mainstay throughout the trip.
There are several sites in Gyantse: the Pelkor Chode Monastery, Kumbum and the Tibetan old town. When I was there, all of the road were torn up and being rebuilt so the town was in disarray. The Tibetan old town was fascinating. It was easy to imagine the way many of these towns were before the Chinese influence.
I took quite a few photos inside Pelkor Chode Monastery and found that it was fairly typical of other monasteries. My guide was kind enough to go back to my hotel to get my tripod so that I could get some good photos without using a flash.
Next to the Monastery was the Kumbum, similar in style to Nepali chapels, had numerous chapels of the gods.
On the road between Gyantse and Shigatse, we stopped to see a family-run barley grinder. Barley was being ground by two large stones! We also saw about 20 young adults celebrating the harvest.
The Monastery at Shigatse (Tashilhunpo) was amazing. I visited 2 days before the Panchen Lama was to appear so there were many preparations underway. There were many chapels with pilgrims donating ghee at each of the candle urns in chapels. Most of the pilgrims wore red boots and women braided their hair with different colored thread. Later in the day, we returned to the monastery and walked part of the larger kora around the monastery. We met quite a few very interesting and dedicated people.
In Shigatse, we stayed at the Manasarovar which was quite nice. I got a good laugh out of all rooms having bedspreads that said ?Happy Birthday?! Again, we had the Chinese banquet. I?m starting to get tired of having sweet and sour pork at every meal.
The full day drive back to Lhasa was uneventful, but beautiful. On all of our long drives, our driver had a couple of cassette tapes. It seems really strange to hear ?Hotel California? as we are rolling along the countryside of Tibet.
When we arrived in Lhasa late in the afternoon, we went shopping and bought some wonderful Pashmina shawls.
The next day we drove to Nakchu, about 4-5 hours northeast of Lhasa, for the horse race festival. The scenery was beautiful, but the weather was overcast and slightly rainy. Apparently the Chinese government took over all of the hotels in town. My guide was able to secure one room at the Nakchu Hotel due to their connections with the management. I?m fairly certain that my room was one that the guides/drivers usually stayed in. The walls were water-stained and the shared bathroom was completely open ? no stalls, no privacy!!
The next day we attended the horse race festival and it was quite fun. The people north of Lhasa have fur on their traditional dress because the weather is colder. Watching the procession at the beginning of the festival was very interesting. As people dressed as the black yaks were entering the stadium, they?d all raise their mask so that the TV cameras could see their face. I also did not realize that many of the nomads have motorcycles. As part of the procession, there were quite a few motorcycles with couples in traditional dress.
The horses in the race were quite small ? more the size of large ponies. It was fun to watch. However, after one night in the hotel and the rainy weather, I decided to head back to Lhasa one night early.
It felt good to be back at my favorite hotel in Lhasa, the Kyichu Hotel. The next day we visited an orphanage that not only accepts and cares for orphans but also for children with disabilities. Unfortunately, they are dependent entirely on private donations. They have a wonderful shop called ?Paper Roads? which sells many of the handicrafts made by the children and young adults. If you are in Lhasa, I?d encourage you to visit and donate as much as possible. It is truly a wonderful place.
I also bought a couple of Tibetan rugs from Potala carpet company. This company employees people from rural areas that otherwise would not have an income. Their rugs are exceptional quality ? it is a joint venture with a Swiss company. Also, I visited the master tailor Passang-La just north of my hotel. He is crippled but makes high quality custom-made jackets in three days. Each jacket was 100% wool and cost $25.
The next day we took it easy and strolled around the old town of Lhasa visiting several monasteries, nunneries and Norbulinka (the Dalai Lama?s summer palace).
The following day we headed out of town to Drigung Til Monastery. It was a beautiful day for the drive. This monastery is very special as it is considered one of the holiest places for a sky burial.
The next day we got up at 5am to go to the Shoton Festival.
More late. I?m sorry it is taking so long to get through this, but I will finish it this weekend.
Part 2 of 3:
We headed out of town to visit Gyantse and Shigatse. It took about 7-8 hours to drive to Gyantse from Lhasa in our Landcruiser. About half of the drive was on dirt-packed rocky road with beautiful scenery everywhere you looked. In fact, we had two flat tires on our way to Gyantse. Even though the drive was very rough, it was well worth the scenery. We went over a couple of amazing mountain passes and you literally feel the air getting thinner at 16,000-17,000 feet. And of course, we saw a lot of yaks, nomads and beautiful Tibetan tents. When we stopped for our picnic lunch, nomadic kids appeared from nowhere to watch us eat and sell us mushrooms. Even though I had no intention of eating any of them, we bought lots of them!
After a very long day, we arrived in Gyantse and stayed at the Gyantse Hotel. All of our meals were at the hotel where they served the typical Chinese banquet. We were offered a couple of interesting dishes ? pig?s ear and pig?s tongue! Needless to say, I landed on sweet and sour pork which was my mainstay throughout the trip.
There are several sites in Gyantse: the Pelkor Chode Monastery, Kumbum and the Tibetan old town. When I was there, all of the road were torn up and being rebuilt so the town was in disarray. The Tibetan old town was fascinating. It was easy to imagine the way many of these towns were before the Chinese influence.
I took quite a few photos inside Pelkor Chode Monastery and found that it was fairly typical of other monasteries. My guide was kind enough to go back to my hotel to get my tripod so that I could get some good photos without using a flash.
Next to the Monastery was the Kumbum, similar in style to Nepali chapels, had numerous chapels of the gods.
On the road between Gyantse and Shigatse, we stopped to see a family-run barley grinder. Barley was being ground by two large stones! We also saw about 20 young adults celebrating the harvest.
The Monastery at Shigatse (Tashilhunpo) was amazing. I visited 2 days before the Panchen Lama was to appear so there were many preparations underway. There were many chapels with pilgrims donating ghee at each of the candle urns in chapels. Most of the pilgrims wore red boots and women braided their hair with different colored thread. Later in the day, we returned to the monastery and walked part of the larger kora around the monastery. We met quite a few very interesting and dedicated people.
In Shigatse, we stayed at the Manasarovar which was quite nice. I got a good laugh out of all rooms having bedspreads that said ?Happy Birthday?! Again, we had the Chinese banquet. I?m starting to get tired of having sweet and sour pork at every meal.
The full day drive back to Lhasa was uneventful, but beautiful. On all of our long drives, our driver had a couple of cassette tapes. It seems really strange to hear ?Hotel California? as we are rolling along the countryside of Tibet.
When we arrived in Lhasa late in the afternoon, we went shopping and bought some wonderful Pashmina shawls.
The next day we drove to Nakchu, about 4-5 hours northeast of Lhasa, for the horse race festival. The scenery was beautiful, but the weather was overcast and slightly rainy. Apparently the Chinese government took over all of the hotels in town. My guide was able to secure one room at the Nakchu Hotel due to their connections with the management. I?m fairly certain that my room was one that the guides/drivers usually stayed in. The walls were water-stained and the shared bathroom was completely open ? no stalls, no privacy!!
The next day we attended the horse race festival and it was quite fun. The people north of Lhasa have fur on their traditional dress because the weather is colder. Watching the procession at the beginning of the festival was very interesting. As people dressed as the black yaks were entering the stadium, they?d all raise their mask so that the TV cameras could see their face. I also did not realize that many of the nomads have motorcycles. As part of the procession, there were quite a few motorcycles with couples in traditional dress.
The horses in the race were quite small ? more the size of large ponies. It was fun to watch. However, after one night in the hotel and the rainy weather, I decided to head back to Lhasa one night early.
It felt good to be back at my favorite hotel in Lhasa, the Kyichu Hotel. The next day we visited an orphanage that not only accepts and cares for orphans but also for children with disabilities. Unfortunately, they are dependent entirely on private donations. They have a wonderful shop called ?Paper Roads? which sells many of the handicrafts made by the children and young adults. If you are in Lhasa, I?d encourage you to visit and donate as much as possible. It is truly a wonderful place.
I also bought a couple of Tibetan rugs from Potala carpet company. This company employees people from rural areas that otherwise would not have an income. Their rugs are exceptional quality ? it is a joint venture with a Swiss company. Also, I visited the master tailor Passang-La just north of my hotel. He is crippled but makes high quality custom-made jackets in three days. Each jacket was 100% wool and cost $25.
The next day we took it easy and strolled around the old town of Lhasa visiting several monasteries, nunneries and Norbulinka (the Dalai Lama?s summer palace).
The following day we headed out of town to Drigung Til Monastery. It was a beautiful day for the drive. This monastery is very special as it is considered one of the holiest places for a sky burial.
The next day we got up at 5am to go to the Shoton Festival.
More late. I?m sorry it is taking so long to get through this, but I will finish it this weekend.
Oct 9th, 2004, 08:43 AM
#8
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I just returned from a 5-day trip to Lhasa and seeing your pictures really reminded me of my wonderful experience. I only stayed in Lhasa but the city is much more modern than I had realized. I wish I could have stayed longer and seen more sights. Unfortunately, one of my friends was really sick from AMS so my last one and a half day was spent in the hospital.
From Lhasa we continued to Lijiang and I must say, it is one of the most gorgeous cities I have been to. I loved staying in the old town and walking through the old buildings with streams flowing through. I will definitely return to Lijiang and stay longer next time.
From Lhasa we continued to Lijiang and I must say, it is one of the most gorgeous cities I have been to. I loved staying in the old town and walking through the old buildings with streams flowing through. I will definitely return to Lijiang and stay longer next time.
Nov 3rd, 2004, 10:04 AM
#9
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Dear Nan:
I read your report on Tibet with great interest. I think you are the person I should talk to.
How can my wife and I get there from Beijing without having to take a ver expensive tour which worthiness I seriously doubt?
I will aprreciate all of your help regarding this matter as I am leaving on Friday November 5 to China, although I will keep checking the site from there.
Thank you
I read your report on Tibet with great interest. I think you are the person I should talk to.
How can my wife and I get there from Beijing without having to take a ver expensive tour which worthiness I seriously doubt?
I will aprreciate all of your help regarding this matter as I am leaving on Friday November 5 to China, although I will keep checking the site from there.
Thank you
Nov 3rd, 2004, 04:03 PM
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 132
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I booked my trip through an agency in Lhasa - Wind Horse Adventure Tours. They have agents in all major Chinese cities who can probably help you. I'm not sure if they'd require you to purchase more of their services or not. Here is their email address: [email protected] Their website is Tibetan Windhorse Adventure Tours. (There is another Windhorse Tours, but they are not located in Lhasa.) They are the in-country operator for many high-end tours. If you plan on traveling outside of Lhasa, this agency uses the newest and roomiest Land Cruisers. If this agency is unable to help you, I've read that you can take independent tours to Lhasa and need only the permit for the air ticket. I'd try several agents in Beijing.
If you have the chance, try to stay at the Kyichu Hotel in Lhasa. It is close to the old Tibetan part of town and is very charming. I think it would be very hard to find nicer staff -- all are very willing to help.
Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, I'll try to answer them.
If you have the chance, try to stay at the Kyichu Hotel in Lhasa. It is close to the old Tibetan part of town and is very charming. I think it would be very hard to find nicer staff -- all are very willing to help.
Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, I'll try to answer them.
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
seemaskt
Africa & the Middle East
26
Jun 15th, 2011 06:56 PM
