Thanks morgen (any everyone else) - this was all very helpful information. We will be flying into Lhasa and will have begun taking Diamox beforehand. We will drink plenty of water and keep out physical activities at a minimum for the first day or so. And also will be keeping our fingers crossed!
We leave in 4 weeks from today for Beijing and are looking forward to the trip.

The elevation of Lhasa is about 12K ft, Cusco about 11 K.

We went with a group of 30 people, and the only one to get really sick was a 25 yo man who was the most fit of the group.

Talk about yak. We went to the Crazy Yak restaurant in Lhasa. ((*))

If we're not supposed to exert ourselves, how will we be affected by climbing the Zhongdian Monastery stairs? Should we bring oxygen cans with us?

Dear Sy1,
I have been Zhongdian and been told that most people did not affect by that elevation. So I do think it necessary to bring oxygen cans. Of course, Everybody of you must be healthy, no those kind of diseases.
Yes, in case you need, one is enough. Most people bought oxygen cans but they did not use it at all.
Good luck.
Morgen

Syl,

The Tibetan monastery can be driven to and you can use the rear entrance/exit instead of walking up those stairways in the front.

Is the Zhongdian Monastery the same as the Sera Monastery? We will be visiting the Sera.
Also, where do you get the oxygen cans?

When you arrive, slow down, drink plenty of juice, rest enough and you should be fine.

I have been at altitude twice. Once climbing Mt Kinabalu in Borneo (4200m) and last year on the Lares trek in Peru. In Borneo I had absolutely no problems with the altitude which I putdown to the act that we walked the mountain (i.e. we had the time to acclimatise). The in Peru, where we flew into Cusco (3200m) from Lima, I started feeling the altitude soon after we steped off the plane. Later that night I had the worst headache I have ever had and thought my head would explode! Painkillers had no effect and I slept not a minte that night. When I mentioned it to the hotel they let me use their oxygen. A couple of sessions on that and I was fine.

In my case the arrival at altitude abruptly seemed to be the cause but just because tou have avoided AMS once is no guarantee it won't affect you again. I didn't try diamox and so can't comment upon its effectiveness or otherwise but I did chew coca on the Lares trek and they did help a bit.

I would definitely check with your hotel in Lhasa to see whether they have oxygen

Hi,

I was wondering why it is not a good a idea to take a shower on the first day in Tibet? Thanks.

A shower is pretty "strenuous" because of the exposure of your body to various temperatures. Lots of things going on in your cardiovascular system to maintain your blood pressure and body temperature.

Thanks, rkkwan

I was surprised to see someone respond to this thread - written months ago.
I was in Tibet in September and did not have any symptoms of altitude sickness. However, I must add that I began taking Diamox 2 days before arriving in Lhasa and continued for 1 day after we left.
There were several people travelling with us that suffered from severe headaches, nausea, dizziness and a general feeling of malaise. They were not taking any medication. So, I guess there's something to be said for Diamox.

By the way, the trip was wonderful and Tibet was very interesting. I read just recently that the Chinese government was going to close Tibet to tourists for the next couple of months which will be the anniversary of their protests last year.