Earthlooping at the Potala Palace
We only spent 6 days in Tibet. We had to join a tour to go there and the guide was the worst ever. We couldn't visit some of the most important sights due to a heavy snowfall. We suffered some headache because of the altitude. And the whole trip was really expensive. However, and despite all these, Tibet is one of the best places I have ever been and, by far, the best place visited during the whole trip so far. So, imagine how beautiful, authentic, untouched and out of this world is the highest country of the world.
After spending two days in Chengdu we were finally ready to board the highest train of the world and go to Lhasa, in Tibet. We went to buy some food and in the evening to the train station. In there, after waiting a bit we jumped in the train. We were expecting a quite special train but actually the train looked exactly the same as all the other ones we had taken in China. The only difference were the oxygen outlets you found next to every seat or bed. They are like a small box you can open and there's a valve inside from where to attach a plastic tube and breath some oxygen in case you need it.
Besides that, a normal train but full of Tibetan people, who look totally different from Chinese. We occupied our bed and carried on the normal life on the train for the first 30 hours or so. Until that time there should be nothing special, but from then on the train would be going at an average altitude of more than 4000 meters above sea level almost all the time, reaching a maximum of 5100 m.
We went to sleep and woke up the following morning (the day we were arriving in Lhasa) with actually any special feeling because of the altitude. Later we found out that we had already been in the highest train station of the world (5100m) and that most of the oxygen outlets of the train were on, so that's probably why we didn't feel much the altitude.
We went for a walk to the other carriages of the train and there we started to see the real Tibet: plenty of Tibetans cramped on the seats, some of them breathing oxygen from the outlets and they looked like taken from out of a movie, with their dark skins, traditional clothes, smells... quite a view.
We went to sleep and woke up the following morning (the day we were arriving in Lhasa) with actually any special feeling because of the altitude. Later we found out that we had already been in the highest train station of the world (5100m) and that most of the oxygen outlets of the train were on, so that's probably why we didn't feel much the altitude.
We went for a walk to the other carriages of the train and there we started to see the real Tibet: plenty of Tibetans cramped on the seats, some of them breathing oxygen from the outlets and they looked like taken from out of a movie, with their dark skins, traditional clothes, smells... quite a view.
First Tibetan views from the train
The rest of the train trip till Lhasa was devoted to enjoy the beautiful Tibetan views from the window (basically grasslands with hundreds of yaks grazing and some snowcapped mountains) and to get ready to get off in Lhasa, at 3600 m, which we did at around 5 in the evening.
The train trip was an experience in itself, and it is a masterpiece of engineering, as it runs over permafrost and they had to build special "bridges" not to melt the permafrost. the views you have are really stunning and prepare you to what you will see once you get off. On the way we were also asked for our Tibetan permits, mandatory for all foreigners visiting the country.
When we got off the train, the first thing was going to a police office by the station to register ourselves, and from there out of the station, where we met for the first time our guide. We saw a tiny girl holding a paper with my name and a guy next to her who welcomed us to Tibet. Oh, he must be our guide. But no, the guide was the tiny girl who didn't even say hello and just told us to go to the jeep to be transferred to the hostel we had previously booked. Well, not a really nice first impression of the guide (later that bad impression would be more than confirmed).
Once in the jeep, the driver welcomed us and even gave us a traditional white Tibetan scarf. On the way by jeep to the hostel we could have the first impression of Lhasa new town, which was quite disappointing, as it looked exactly as any other Chinese city. The only thing that broke the monotony of the landscape was the first sight of the Potala Palace. And wow, even if it was from the car, the view was really impressive.
We finally reached the hostel and had a talk with our guide, just to confirm that that Tibetan girl was everything but a guide. She didn't know anything about the plan, she wasn't able tot tell us the best places to see in Lhasa... anything. So we just told her to come back the following morning at 8 to go and visit some temples and monasteries, as it is forbidden to go on your own. The best news were that we could explore Lhasa on our own, we only needed the guide to enter the temples, monasteries and the Potala Palace.
The train trip was an experience in itself, and it is a masterpiece of engineering, as it runs over permafrost and they had to build special "bridges" not to melt the permafrost. the views you have are really stunning and prepare you to what you will see once you get off. On the way we were also asked for our Tibetan permits, mandatory for all foreigners visiting the country.
When we got off the train, the first thing was going to a police office by the station to register ourselves, and from there out of the station, where we met for the first time our guide. We saw a tiny girl holding a paper with my name and a guy next to her who welcomed us to Tibet. Oh, he must be our guide. But no, the guide was the tiny girl who didn't even say hello and just told us to go to the jeep to be transferred to the hostel we had previously booked. Well, not a really nice first impression of the guide (later that bad impression would be more than confirmed).
Once in the jeep, the driver welcomed us and even gave us a traditional white Tibetan scarf. On the way by jeep to the hostel we could have the first impression of Lhasa new town, which was quite disappointing, as it looked exactly as any other Chinese city. The only thing that broke the monotony of the landscape was the first sight of the Potala Palace. And wow, even if it was from the car, the view was really impressive.
We finally reached the hostel and had a talk with our guide, just to confirm that that Tibetan girl was everything but a guide. She didn't know anything about the plan, she wasn't able tot tell us the best places to see in Lhasa... anything. So we just told her to come back the following morning at 8 to go and visit some temples and monasteries, as it is forbidden to go on your own. The best news were that we could explore Lhasa on our own, we only needed the guide to enter the temples, monasteries and the Potala Palace.
Tibetan people doing the Barkhor Kora
Once we got rid of our "guide", we left our stuff in the room of the hostel and went to explore for the first time Lhasa Old Town. And here started the real Tibet. From the very first moment you enter the old town you are in a complete different world. We left the Chinese part of Lhasa and we started to see narrow streets, tiny little restaurants which instead of door had a big Tibetan cloth to enter, Tibetan shops, Tibetan people.... but the most jawdropping of all was the Barkhor Square, the main square of Lhasa. It is a big square in which the Jokhang Temple is (the most important temple in Lhasa) and where people are all the time doing the kora. the kora consists on going around the temple praying and saying mantras (prayers). You see plenty of people doing it, many of them holding a prayer wheel in their hands and some of them even prostrating (three steps, praying and down to the ground dragging themselves on it. They even wear special clothes and gloves, impressive).
We joined the kora, went all around the temple and it was like being inside a movie, a theme park or a videogame. Everything was surreal, like out of this world, you see this somewhere else and it is something for tourists, but in Lhasa everything is authentic, so authentic that it looks fake.
After exploring in the evening the center of Lhasa and having the first try of Tibetan food (yak momos or dumplings, yak butter tea and a Lhasa beer) we went back to the hostel still impressed by the first sight of the Tibetan capital.
We joined the kora, went all around the temple and it was like being inside a movie, a theme park or a videogame. Everything was surreal, like out of this world, you see this somewhere else and it is something for tourists, but in Lhasa everything is authentic, so authentic that it looks fake.
After exploring in the evening the center of Lhasa and having the first try of Tibetan food (yak momos or dumplings, yak butter tea and a Lhasa beer) we went back to the hostel still impressed by the first sight of the Tibetan capital.
Barkhor Square and the Jokhang Temple
We had a perfect sleep and so far we didn't notice the altitude at all. Lhasa is at 3600 m and they say the first days you should take it easy, drink a lot of water, don't drink alcohol, you will have problems to sleep... but the only thing we noticed was that breathing was a bit more difficult, like you had somehow to focus to breathe, but nothing annoying.
So, fresh and shiny we woke up early morning to meet our guide at 8 in the reception. And guess what... she showed up half an hour later! Yes, that girl was whatever but a guide... but nothing to do, we must be accompanied to visit the sights so nothing to do about her. Anyway, the first thing we did was going to Jokhang Temple, the one we visited the previous day from outside and located in the main square of Lhasa.
The first sight when we arrived there it was even more impressive than the one the day before: hundreds of people prostrating in front of the temple and also waiting to enter it. We, as foreigners, were able to skip the queue and get inside immediately. The temple was full of people but it was really nice and impressive. There was a smell of the butter lamps all around and we were entering the small chapels inside the main room. The "guide" just was with us and explained us about the different Buddhas (that's all she did every day, repeating the names of the Buddhas).
From there, we went up the temple to enjoy sublime views of the square and even Potala Palace and then we were free to continue exploring the streets of Lhasa until 3, when we were meeting the guide again to go to Sera Monastery.
So, fresh and shiny we woke up early morning to meet our guide at 8 in the reception. And guess what... she showed up half an hour later! Yes, that girl was whatever but a guide... but nothing to do, we must be accompanied to visit the sights so nothing to do about her. Anyway, the first thing we did was going to Jokhang Temple, the one we visited the previous day from outside and located in the main square of Lhasa.
The first sight when we arrived there it was even more impressive than the one the day before: hundreds of people prostrating in front of the temple and also waiting to enter it. We, as foreigners, were able to skip the queue and get inside immediately. The temple was full of people but it was really nice and impressive. There was a smell of the butter lamps all around and we were entering the small chapels inside the main room. The "guide" just was with us and explained us about the different Buddhas (that's all she did every day, repeating the names of the Buddhas).
From there, we went up the temple to enjoy sublime views of the square and even Potala Palace and then we were free to continue exploring the streets of Lhasa until 3, when we were meeting the guide again to go to Sera Monastery.
People prostrating in front of Jokhang Temple
And by coincidence, that day was the only day of the year that they change all the prayer flags of Lhasa. Around the temple, there are poles totally covered by thousands of flags, and that day they were changed by new ones, so they put the old ones in the square and people could take them as a memory. And that's what we did, we took a couple of prayer flags from the thousands standing in the square. Then it was just wandering around the Old Town, doing the kora, entering shops, visiting some other small temples... just to confirm that yes, Tibet is something special. It's really authentic, nothing is for tourists, all the people praying, prostrating, all the temples, the monks, the people dressed in traditional costumes, the tiny little restaurants and shops... everything is real.
At 3 we met the girl again and this time we headed to Sera Monastery, one of the most important ones in Tibet. We went there by taxi and again, immediately after entering the monastery it feels you are somewhere hundreds and hundreds of years ago, totally untouched. The monastery is like a small town itself, with only a bunch of tourists, empty narrow streets with only monks walking, prayer wheels and a few small temples. The best of the visit, though, was the monks' debate. Every day in the afternoon the monks gather in a courtyard and they debate about religious affairs. They are in couples and there's one standing and another one sitting. One raises a question and the other one has to answer it. Then they change roles. We stayed there for an hour or so and then went on to explore the rest of the monastery before heading back to Lhasa and going with our companion (not guide anymore) to have some tea at a really nice teahouse right off the Barkhor Kora. Then a Lhasa beer, some Tibetan food in one of those authentic small restaurants and back to the hostel to have some sleep.
At 3 we met the girl again and this time we headed to Sera Monastery, one of the most important ones in Tibet. We went there by taxi and again, immediately after entering the monastery it feels you are somewhere hundreds and hundreds of years ago, totally untouched. The monastery is like a small town itself, with only a bunch of tourists, empty narrow streets with only monks walking, prayer wheels and a few small temples. The best of the visit, though, was the monks' debate. Every day in the afternoon the monks gather in a courtyard and they debate about religious affairs. They are in couples and there's one standing and another one sitting. One raises a question and the other one has to answer it. Then they change roles. We stayed there for an hour or so and then went on to explore the rest of the monastery before heading back to Lhasa and going with our companion (not guide anymore) to have some tea at a really nice teahouse right off the Barkhor Kora. Then a Lhasa beer, some Tibetan food in one of those authentic small restaurants and back to the hostel to have some sleep.
Our third day in Tibet was devoted to visit the famous Potala Palace and the Drepung Monastery. This time the companion was not late so at the expected time we were in Potala Palace. It was the first time we saw it from close, and the building is really massive and impressive, better than what you expect. We crossed the security control, left the earthlooping banner there as it was forbidden, and climbed up the some hundreds of steps to the main entrance.
Inside the palace, what we saw were basically different rooms (each one devoted to a different activity of the Dalai Lama), small temples and the tombs of the past Dalai Lamas (big golden stupas). Even if the visit was really interesting, the Palace lacks a bit of life. As the Dalai Lama is not there anymore, now the palace is a museum, so compared with the monasteries or temples, which are full of activity and life, is a bit dead, like more impressive from the outside than from the inside.
From Potala, we took a taxi and went to Drepung Monastery, another of the most important Tibetan monasteries. This time it was possible to visit all the temples in it, and despite of not having a monks' debate, the Monastery was similar to Sera, like a small town and a feeling of being centuries ago. Beautiful. With all the sights of Lhasa done, we headed back to the Old Town, said goodbye to the companion till next day, went for some food, then back to Potala to do the Kora, take some night pictures (even a more impressive sight at night) and to bed.
Inside the palace, what we saw were basically different rooms (each one devoted to a different activity of the Dalai Lama), small temples and the tombs of the past Dalai Lamas (big golden stupas). Even if the visit was really interesting, the Palace lacks a bit of life. As the Dalai Lama is not there anymore, now the palace is a museum, so compared with the monasteries or temples, which are full of activity and life, is a bit dead, like more impressive from the outside than from the inside.
From Potala, we took a taxi and went to Drepung Monastery, another of the most important Tibetan monasteries. This time it was possible to visit all the temples in it, and despite of not having a monks' debate, the Monastery was similar to Sera, like a small town and a feeling of being centuries ago. Beautiful. With all the sights of Lhasa done, we headed back to the Old Town, said goodbye to the companion till next day, went for some food, then back to Potala to do the Kora, take some night pictures (even a more impressive sight at night) and to bed.
The day they changed the prayer flags in Lhasa. People took the old ones as souvenirs.
The next morning we woke up early to meet the companion and leave Lhasa. We were taking the jeep and driving to Gyantse and Yamdrok Lake. Or at least that was the plan. But there was a complication we noticed when we went down to the reception. During the night there was the biggest snowfall of the year in Lhasa! More than 30cm of fresh snow covered the city and it was still snowing. During the whole trip we had only seen snow once in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) and now that we had to drive we had the biggest ever... The companion showed up and she said that the roads were closed and it was impossible to go anywhere outside Lhasa. Disaster. We had already had to cut off one day in Tibet because the country was closed for foreigners for the Tibetan New Year and now at least another day because of the snow.
So the only option was to wait for the weather to get better. The companion told us as soon as she had any news she would call the hostel to tell us. And the worst news were confirmed: it was still snowing, the roads were closed and it would be impossible to go to Gyantse and Yamdrok Lake. Shit. Ok, so what we did was going again to explore Lhasa, this time a totally white Lhasa. And that amount of snow really was an unusual thing, as people were playing with the snow everywhere, there were plenty of funny snowmen all over the city... and snow, snow and more snow everywhere. Still, people were doing the Kora and praying, although not prostrating this time, it would have probably been a bit too much.
Finally it stopped snowing and we went back to the hostel to find out that the companion and the jeep driver were there waiting for us with some good news: finally the roads were open and we could leave Lhasa! The bad news were that we had to drive straight to Shigatse and skip Gyantse and Yamdrok Lake, as to get there there is a high pass and it was closed.
So the only option was to wait for the weather to get better. The companion told us as soon as she had any news she would call the hostel to tell us. And the worst news were confirmed: it was still snowing, the roads were closed and it would be impossible to go to Gyantse and Yamdrok Lake. Shit. Ok, so what we did was going again to explore Lhasa, this time a totally white Lhasa. And that amount of snow really was an unusual thing, as people were playing with the snow everywhere, there were plenty of funny snowmen all over the city... and snow, snow and more snow everywhere. Still, people were doing the Kora and praying, although not prostrating this time, it would have probably been a bit too much.
Finally it stopped snowing and we went back to the hostel to find out that the companion and the jeep driver were there waiting for us with some good news: finally the roads were open and we could leave Lhasa! The bad news were that we had to drive straight to Shigatse and skip Gyantse and Yamdrok Lake, as to get there there is a high pass and it was closed.
So we spent the rest of the day inside a jeep to get to Shigatse after some 6 hours. the trip was really tiring. In Tibet they have a really weird traffic law which says that you cannot exceed 50, sometimes 40 or even 30 kmph on the road. And I don't get it, it is a perfect straight, paved and wide road, so whenever you were exceeding then you had to be stopped waiting before getting to a police checkpoint, and there ae plenty of them!
Somehow we made it to Shigatse quite tired and with only time to have some food and to go to sleep. Tired because of the trip but also for the first time because of the altitude. Even if Shigatse is at "only" 3800 m, that night we felt a quite strong headache.
We woke up the following morning luckily with no headache anymore and ready to visit the monastery in town and afterwards to go to the Everest Base Camp. It was going to be a quite long day, although right now we were not expecting it was going to be a really longer day than planned. We went to the monastery on our own (the companion and the driver went to arrange the permit for the EBC) and, as Sera and Drepung, this one was also impressive. A massive monastery, full of temples, rooms, stupas, people praying, butter lamps... as all the places we visited in Tibet, it was an experience in itself, unforgettable. The pity was that we didn't have enough time to fully explore it, as at 11 we had to start going to the Everest, otherwise we would get there after sunset.
It took us some 4 hours driving on the main slow road with a stopover for lunch in a really authentic restaurant of a small town on the way before we took a turn left into a gravel road. We were entering the Everest National Park!
From that moment on , the landscape changed dramatically and we went from a paved road with no special sights to an unpaved one surrounded by mountains. And the best of it all came when, after and hour and a half or so of climbing a mountain pass we reached the top of it at 5200m and we stopped there.
Somehow we made it to Shigatse quite tired and with only time to have some food and to go to sleep. Tired because of the trip but also for the first time because of the altitude. Even if Shigatse is at "only" 3800 m, that night we felt a quite strong headache.
We woke up the following morning luckily with no headache anymore and ready to visit the monastery in town and afterwards to go to the Everest Base Camp. It was going to be a quite long day, although right now we were not expecting it was going to be a really longer day than planned. We went to the monastery on our own (the companion and the driver went to arrange the permit for the EBC) and, as Sera and Drepung, this one was also impressive. A massive monastery, full of temples, rooms, stupas, people praying, butter lamps... as all the places we visited in Tibet, it was an experience in itself, unforgettable. The pity was that we didn't have enough time to fully explore it, as at 11 we had to start going to the Everest, otherwise we would get there after sunset.
It took us some 4 hours driving on the main slow road with a stopover for lunch in a really authentic restaurant of a small town on the way before we took a turn left into a gravel road. We were entering the Everest National Park!
From that moment on , the landscape changed dramatically and we went from a paved road with no special sights to an unpaved one surrounded by mountains. And the best of it all came when, after and hour and a half or so of climbing a mountain pass we reached the top of it at 5200m and we stopped there.
The monks' debate at Sera Monastery in Lhasa
What we saw in front of us was one of the best views of all the trip. We had the Himalaya Range, with 5 of the 14 eight thousanders of the world perfectly visible from there. From left to right we were seeing the Makalu, the Lhotse, the Everest, the Cho Oyu and the Shisha Pangma. Jawdropping!
After admiring the landscape and taking a few pictures, we went back to the jeep and continued driving for about one more hour until we had the first close-up view of the Everest. It was like being in another world, a desert landscape, a gravel road and the top of the world in front of you. Finally we arrived at the base camp before sunset, so we got off to admire the Everest and to take a few pictures. despite being really cold it was quite a thing to have the highest mountain of the world just a couple of hundred meters in front of you, and even if it was a bit cloudy and we were not able to see the summit, the whole thing was impressive.
Back to the car and now it was time to drive to the town where we were supposed to stay overnight, so we took a gravel road different from the one before. And here it was when things started to get a bit complicated.
We started driving and the road was getting worse and worse. At some points it was half blocked because of the snow, but luckily the driver could manage to avoid it. Until somewhere. We got to a point where the road was totally blocked because of a snowslide not many days ago. It was already dark, the road was really narrow so, after looking around with the headtorches and trying to find an alternative road the driver decided to go back. It took us quite a long time to be able to reverse but we finally made it. Now it was either going back all the way or finding another road. And the driver opted for the second option, which was also the most stupid one.
After admiring the landscape and taking a few pictures, we went back to the jeep and continued driving for about one more hour until we had the first close-up view of the Everest. It was like being in another world, a desert landscape, a gravel road and the top of the world in front of you. Finally we arrived at the base camp before sunset, so we got off to admire the Everest and to take a few pictures. despite being really cold it was quite a thing to have the highest mountain of the world just a couple of hundred meters in front of you, and even if it was a bit cloudy and we were not able to see the summit, the whole thing was impressive.
Back to the car and now it was time to drive to the town where we were supposed to stay overnight, so we took a gravel road different from the one before. And here it was when things started to get a bit complicated.
We started driving and the road was getting worse and worse. At some points it was half blocked because of the snow, but luckily the driver could manage to avoid it. Until somewhere. We got to a point where the road was totally blocked because of a snowslide not many days ago. It was already dark, the road was really narrow so, after looking around with the headtorches and trying to find an alternative road the driver decided to go back. It took us quite a long time to be able to reverse but we finally made it. Now it was either going back all the way or finding another road. And the driver opted for the second option, which was also the most stupid one.
Earthlooping at the Everest Base Camp with the top of the world behind me!
He decided there was probably a side road somewhere near where we had to stop so we could avoid the snowslide. And he was probably the only one in seeing something similar to a road there. Actually it was just a place full of stones and big rocks. But he didn't give a shit, he drove the Nissan Patrol like crazy in the middle of the dark and into the middle of the rocks and... stuck. Of course, we were stuck like hell. It was dark black, freezing cold, at 5000 m and we were somewhere in the Himalayas stuck. Great. As there was no possible way of continuing there, now the main objextive was to somehow take the car out from there. And it was not going to be easy. The driver couldn't move the car so we started pushing, taking rocks out of the way... at some point we really thought we would spend the night there and then be rescued the following day, or go walking to the nearest village or I don't know, but it was not a really nice feeling.
After one hour trying to get out from there, finally the driver could take the car from the rocks and it was a miracle nothing got broken. The situation was really tense and even the driver (with his hands bleeding because of the rocks) was nervous and sweating, so when everything finally ended he could breathe relieved. It was by far the most unpleasant situation of the entire trip and once back on the road we decided to go to sleep to the nearest village. It was impossible to continue the plan and we were tired like hell it was almost midnight, so the only option was going to a tiny little village to have a rest in a guesthouse. And this was another experience in itself.
After one hour trying to get out from there, finally the driver could take the car from the rocks and it was a miracle nothing got broken. The situation was really tense and even the driver (with his hands bleeding because of the rocks) was nervous and sweating, so when everything finally ended he could breathe relieved. It was by far the most unpleasant situation of the entire trip and once back on the road we decided to go to sleep to the nearest village. It was impossible to continue the plan and we were tired like hell it was almost midnight, so the only option was going to a tiny little village to have a rest in a guesthouse. And this was another experience in itself.
5 of the 14 eight thousanders behind me! Makalu, Lhotse, Everest, Cho Oyu and Shisha Pangma
When we entered that place it was like entering the movie set of any Hollywood film. It was a bar/restaurant/guesthouse authentic at the most. There was a whole family there dressed in Tibetan clothes, with dark faces, drinking beer... out of this world. We were really exhausted but being there was something undescriptable. We ordered some food and around 1 in the morning we went to bed in the upper floor. Surprisingly, sleeping at more than 5000 meters was no problem at all and at 5 in the morning we woke up (yes, only 4 hours of sleeping) to continue the trip to the Nepalese border. It had to be that early ecause the driver and the companion had to go back in the same day to Shigatse (I'm not taking tours normally, but I thought in them the customer is always the first thing, am I right?).
Anyway, before 6 in the morning we were back in the Nissan (I must admit that I was really impressed with the previous day performance of a Nissan Patrol from the 90s) driving on the same gravel road and again asking for directions to get to the main road, which we took after a couple of hours. Finally, it seemed that all problems were over. We took the road and ahead of us we had some 5 hours until reaching Zhangmu, the last Tibetan village before Nepal.
Anyway, before 6 in the morning we were back in the Nissan (I must admit that I was really impressed with the previous day performance of a Nissan Patrol from the 90s) driving on the same gravel road and again asking for directions to get to the main road, which we took after a couple of hours. Finally, it seemed that all problems were over. We took the road and ahead of us we had some 5 hours until reaching Zhangmu, the last Tibetan village before Nepal.
And this being Tibet it couldn't be a normal road. It was probably the most scenic road I have ever been to. We started driving uphill and the timing was perfect, as with the sunrise we reached a mountain pass with the Shisha Pangma, one of the 14 eight thousanders, right in front of us. Beautiful. We stopped for pictures and then continued driving downhill. Even if it was freezing cold inside the car, the views we had were something we will never forget: mountains, rivers, gorges... it was like being in a painting. All this, though, driving on a snowed and slippery road which gave us more than one heart attack. At some points we were driving protected by snow walls at both sides of the road, but when there were no walls it was just a deep cliff on you right. But still, that road is a once in a lifetime experience.
After a couple of hours we started the dramatic descent to Nepal, along a twisting road downhill following the course of the river and passing by some small villages until we started seeing the first Nepalese trucks parked and queuing on one side of the road. Nepal must be close! And it was, indeed. A few more kilometers of bends and we got down to the gorge, to the river. That was Zhangmu. We got off the car, took our stuff, exchanged some yuans into Nepalese rupees, said bye to the companion and the driver and went to the border to clear the Chinese customs. We were saying goodbye to Tibet (and China) and we were about to cross the Friendship Bridge into Nepal.
After a couple of hours we started the dramatic descent to Nepal, along a twisting road downhill following the course of the river and passing by some small villages until we started seeing the first Nepalese trucks parked and queuing on one side of the road. Nepal must be close! And it was, indeed. A few more kilometers of bends and we got down to the gorge, to the river. That was Zhangmu. We got off the car, took our stuff, exchanged some yuans into Nepalese rupees, said bye to the companion and the driver and went to the border to clear the Chinese customs. We were saying goodbye to Tibet (and China) and we were about to cross the Friendship Bridge into Nepal.
The Shisha Pangma in front of us on the road to Nepal
Tibet has been, by far, the most beautiful and exciting destination of the trip so far. Even if the tour and the "guide" we had were a complete disaster, the country itself is some of these places you have to visit at least once in your life. It is almost untouched by tourism, it has amazing monasteries, really nice people, stunning landscapes and roads and a capital that it is so authentic that looks a movie set.
If you have the minimum chance of visiting Tibet, don't hesitate, go for it no matter what and if you can afford it, spend as many days as possible, just don't book your tour through Mix Mix Hostel in Chengdu! You won't regret!
Don't forget to check the complete Travel Guide of Tibet and all the pictures from the Tibet trip!
If you have the minimum chance of visiting Tibet, don't hesitate, go for it no matter what and if you can afford it, spend as many days as possible, just don't book your tour through Mix Mix Hostel in Chengdu! You won't regret!
Don't forget to check the complete Travel Guide of Tibet and all the pictures from the Tibet trip!
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