Day 1
Landed in Lhasa airport and the drive to the main city is absolutely beautiful – surrounded by gorgeous mountains and the river.
Needed a nap because of the altitude sickness, but got up in the afternoon to walk around Potala Square & take some photos of the palace. The more briskly I walk or climb stairs, the lighter my head feels and headache is worse.
As you walk around, you do notice the increased military and police presence but none of them have bothered me. I’ve got some great photos already and looking forward to recovering, rest, and going walkabout tomorrow.
Day 2
Walkabout: fail. Mostly bedridden – the altitude sickness gave me headaches, fatigue, and shortness of breath. I gave myself the day to try and acclimatise. There’s just one photo I wanted to take which I woke up for around 6 pm.
The altitude sickness was so bad I lost my appetite!!! Worst.
The hotel were kind enough to give me two oxygen cans in case I really needed it. I used one and took some altitude sickness tablets and I’m feeling better. I still don’t have an appetite and the head is feeling a little foggy, but definitely feeling better.
Day 3
Tour starts. Learnt that Tibet women are allowed multiple husbands. Children often don’t know who their biological father is - all the men are their fathers. Polyamory is a cultural norm here. That’s all I learned today…
Kidding.
We visited the Medicine Buddha temple and a traditional village where I tried Yak meat for the 1st time. It’s like beef but tougher. At the Sera Monastery we saw the debating monks - they debate philosophy and teachings and are very animated in their discussions - often looking like they’re angry and sternly making a point.
Day 4
Today we visited the Potala Palace - the winter residence of the Dalai Lama - when not in exile in India.
After the palace we went to Jokhang Temple which houses the holiest statue of the Buddha in Tibet inside. This is also where you see people prostrating - I didn’t feel right taking photos of them.
Day 5
Our journey towards Mt. Everest begins going through Gongbala Pass, viewing Yamdrok Lake, and seeing Mt. Naiqinkangsang. Overnight we stay in Shigatze - a large city (for Tibet) with a population of about 700k.
Day 6
Micro & Macro: when you look at a bunch of rocks 2m away it doesn’t look special. When looking at them from 2km away, the mountain range looks beautiful!
Lesson: in as many situations as possible, extract yourself out to get the ‘2km view’.
Time difference between China/Nepal is 2.15hrs. There is only one timezone in ALL of China - East to West.
Day 7
We go through Tsola Pass (4,600m) and Gyatsola Pass (5,248m) which is 48m above Everest Base Camp.
Then we descend to EBC and as we approach, the aura and magnitude of Mt. Qomolangma (aka Mt. Everest) increases - she’s beautiful! It’s hard to put in to words how amazing it is just to lay eyes on Mt. Everest. My first feelings are of gratitude for my ability to witness this amazing mountain. Then I think about the fact I’m at 5,200m altitude and the top of Everest is 8848.68m… another 3,648m higher. Astonishing. I’m struggling to do a light jog at this altitude and people have gone up that high - brilliant. I learn that the youngest to peak Everest is 13 and the oldest, 80. Incredible achievements!
Also, how does a bunch of dirt and rock with a little snow on it look so majestic? Is it the tales of people trying to summit? Or, perhaps, it’s the amount of people who’ve perished trying to summit which makes you… respect it? Either way, she’s beautiful. I’ve decided Qomolangma is a She… for gender-equity purposes. (joking)
Day 8
The come-down from EBC is real. We start heading toward the border with Nepal to a town called Gyirong. On the way we see two old-school Land Rovers who are making the journey from England to Singapore by land.
Eating a Veg Bobby for breakfast - chapathi, omelette, vegetable pie in a cute traditional tea house named An Do - birthplace of the Dalai Lama.
The most wonderful guide I could have asked for - Su Nam!
And a lovely tour group! Shoutout to my mate Kirill from Moscow (image 2 below).
