Tibet

it’s an obsession…i am obsessed with the destruction of this country and its people and culture. i want to see it for myself before everything tibetan disappears from tibet.

wide open spaces, smiles, endless skies, prayer flags fluttering in the breeze, pilgrims, the smell of yak meat, yak candle, yak tea, yak butter, chinese soldiers, mountains, deserts, lush green vegetation amist waterfalls, and a sense of breathless in face of a people of deep faith and strenght and also breathlessness from the altitude

I am fascinated by this Buddhist country with its robed monks, where they feed their dead to the vultures, its rooftop of the world status, former home of the Dalai Lama…

I just hope that the country will be able to remain Tibetan and not more and more like China by the time I get there.

To get a permit, go to Chengu, to Sam’s Guest House. They can book a flight and get permit for you to enter Lhasa in about 24 hours. Of course Lhasa is amazing. The altitude makes you feel sick for a few days, and you’ll wake up a few times thinking you’re suffocating, but once you acclimatize it’s okay. The Patola Palace is the scenic highlight, but the people are the real highlights.

I love it there

The history, the art, the people… all good things. The bad, massive Chinese influence, the poverty, and the desolation. Tibet is definitely worth visiting. Do Lhasa in a day or two – get out of the city into the country side. It’s a great place.

Great for rock or mountain climbing. We went trekking there for 4 straight days, it was great. Beware of food poisoning though, so avoid meat at all cost – unless eating at the home of a local.

...and i’ll live there too.

The dream begins there.

You can organise your own road trip tour when you get to Lhasa – more flexibility and cheaper too if there are around 4 people in the landcruiser.