Tibet

A love for China has sparked an interest in Tibet. Although China is a beautiful and inspiring country, the government has a negative control on Tibet. Possibly on a peace exhibition, or maybe just to see the monasteries. The views are ones to be reckoned with!

I went to Lhasa, Tibet on the train from Beijing. This trip is definitely worth taking, but be sure that you prepare yourself for the altitude. If you are not physically fit, it will be a very difficult trip for you. Even those of us in my group who were fit had problems and everyone got sick. I wouldn’t recommend eating the food on the street if you’ve never eaten in a third world country and absolutely do not drink the water. You should book through a travel agency and make sure they take you to a variety of places. Lhasa is full of monasteries, but there are also hot springs and a beautiful countryside outside of the city.

It is very important to remember that the Tibetan people are under Chinese control against their will. Please do not speak to people about this, however. They may choose to do so with you if you are from somewhere like the United States, but they are always careful to do so when no one is around (especially Chinese people). Just be careful not to put them in a position that will be dangerous for them and their families.

Also, the Tibetan people are the absolute worst drivers on the planet. They will scare any normal driver to death, but they rarely seem to have accidents. (Quick story: On the way to the Lhasa Airport (which is about 2 hours away from Lhasa), there was a long, long Chinese military convoy that everyone was trying to pass on a two lane road. At one point, there were literally three lanes of traffic going one direction and one lane going the opposite direction. My friend and I glanced at one another and simultaneously pulled out our cameras to get a picture in case it happened again. About 30 minutes later, we were still passing the convoy and going around hairpin turns on the wrong side of the road and honking the horn to let oncoming traffic know that we were in their lane. Terrifying!)

Finally, I would recommend that you take the train in and fly out. The train is not a lot of fun, but the scenery on the second morning is totally worth it. Make sure you get either a hard or soft sleeper.

You will love Lhasa. Good luck and best wishes!

(The photo is of the Barkhor Market taken from the roof of the Jokhang Temple.)

I want to go there with my friend yin (but maybe I shoud call him my dear brother),we agreed to go there before 2010.02.02.But in fat,I konw this only a beautiful dreams ,in the end I will arrive there alone.

I decided to go to Tibet with my bf. We can’t see each other very often. So maybe go on travel together is a good idea. I hope Tibet is as great as it’s said

lol check out my list- I already added this

and I want to go mostly to see the Dali Lama…

And I suppose I can think of worse people to travel with than Scott :)

I had signed up for a year’s exchange program, and when they asked me what my 3 preferences for where to go was, I picked Tibet as my first choice and got it. Then suddenly a week later, I thought, ‘OMG, I don’t want to spend a whole year in Tibet, that is too scary, I should have picked somewhere else…I mean, I want to go to Tibet, but not for a whole year’

Does anyone know what this dream is trying to tell me? Is it just that I don’t want to spend a year in Tibet?

Take your bike! This is me arriving at Mt Everest Base Camp!

Three tips about Lhasa.

1) Jokhang temple and Potala Palace are both near the old town, right in the center of Lhasa. Visit Jokhang in the morning when it’s open to the pilgrims. It is so amazing to be in amongst 1000+ devout buddhists, spinning their prayer wheels on the ‘circuits’ they walk, kneeling and prostrating themselves thousands of times in front of the entrance, and standing in line with their ‘mao’ notes (a few pennies each) and Yak butter, to give offerings. My wifes favorite place during our 5 week China/Tibet visit.

2) From the roof of the Jokhang temple is an excellent place to get a picture of the Potala palace (see mine, above).

Our guide was just great. Best guide out of a dozen or more we had. His name was Dop Jor, and he’s from Tibet. He knew everybody, got us in everywhere, and was a wealth of information. I’ll see if I can find his contact information later – very highly recommended!

3) The best food in Lhasa (for Westerners) is at the Dunya restaurant. It’s only a couple of blocks from the Jokhang temple. It’s owned by some ex-pats, including an American and I believe some people from Denmark. The Yak-Sizzler was very good, washed down with Lhasa beer. Do yourself a favor and eat here at least once.

Train from Shanghai to Lhasa opens any day now – I’d love to hear from someone who takes it. I will definitely be visiting Lhasa again.

I want to take many beautiful pictures of the people and the very blue sky there.

Plus it’s the westest of the west China, no reason not going there, huh?

this is very clear place,clear sky!!!