Trekking in Nepal .. End of Part I

After about 10 days trekking to Poon Hill, Ghorepani, Chomrong, the Annapurna Sanctuary and along a very scenic route through Tolka and back to the "highway" at Khare, we are back in Pokhara.

The Annapurna Range from our last camp

Compared to our taxi ride TO the trailhead, our ride back was just so "normal".  Our driver was a youngish fellow and his driving was unexciting, to say the least.  Minimal horn tootling, steady steering... Just nothing to write home about.  I was almost sad.  Almost.

It's nice to be back in Pokhara.  It's fairly quiet, warm, easy to get around.  Our hotel family welcomed us back and we have the same room we've had here each time.  One of the nice features of Pokhara is its lake, seen below.

Of course, as soon as I mentioned quiet, it became clear that there is some sort of Hindu festival going on.  There is singing and dancing happening.  Part of the celebrations seem to include music being played at speaker distortion levels. 

After dark, as we walked around after supper, I was surprised at the number of lights.  It would easily be the equivalent of Christmas.  Add in singing, bands, dancing.  I'm not expecting a quiet night.  No matter, it will be quiet up north.

Early in the morning, we will head to the airport and fly to Jomsom.  The flight will take about 20 minutes and will fly along the Annapurna range in the early dawn hours and over terrain that we just spent 10 days hiking through.

Once in Jomsom, we begin a 12 day trek into the kingdom of Mustang.  Pronounced " Moo-stung", it promises to be completely different.  It's harder to get into and requires special permits and a guide.  Much of it will be above 3500 m.  High and dry.  Remote and close to Tibet.

The trek continues.

Namaste !!

Annapurna Sanctuary - Part 3

October 25th, 2016

It's Tuesday.  I was up a few times in the night.  Something I ate, or possibly drank.  Otherwise, I slept pretty well considering I was in bed by 7:30 pm.  Once you eat supper, there isn't much to do. 

The sky starts to lighten by about 5:30 am.  I crawl out of my sleeping bag to see what the day is like.  Clear, with the tops of Machhapuchhre and Annapurna South poking up above the "hill" to the north.  They seem pretty close, but we won't be below them for a couple more days, at least.

After breakfast, we started with some down.  A few hundred meters at least, which we made up for and more on the other side.  We continue on in this fashion until about 10:30 am when we reach Chomrung.  This is a pretty big place, with many lodges, a German bakery, a number of places with reverse osmosis water outlets.  We pause for some liquid and press on.  Our objective is just across the valley.  It seems so close.  It takes a total of 90 minutes to get there, 30 minutes straight down to the river on a stone staircase.  Then more of the same up for an hour.

We are very close to Machhapuchhre, but the afternoon clouds have arrived and we can't see anything.  For the moment, we're too thirsty and tired to care.  We're at Upper Sinuwa (2350 m).

October 26th, 2016

For our Wednesday fun, we hiked for 4 hours and climbed 900 m.  We're now at 3200 m and on the steep uphill, it's starting to show.  It's just a bit harder to climb and you feel more like resting after a session with the stair master.

We are at Deurali, a small collection of lodges almost at the end of the line.  After this, there is only Machhapuchhre Base Camp (3700 m) and Annapurna Base Camp (4130 m).  We will probably spend the next night at the lower of the two, explore higher and then head downhill.  We're almost at the turn around point.

We're almost at the base of Machhapuchhre but we are too close to see it.  Can't see anything except the steep valley walls. The day's clouds have moved in.  Suddenly it's quite a bit cooler.

This afternoon's activities involve resting and drinking lots of fluids.  It's cold enough that I just roll out the sleeping bag, pull a quilt over top and crawl in for a nap.

October 27th, 2016

Given the weather pattern here, the strategy for today was to get up early, climb to MBC, drop our gear there and hike to ABC for the views which we hope will last long enough to accommodate us.

The strategy works.  There is space at MBC, the skies stay clear as we hoped, and we scamper up the 900 m of elevation, take in the views and scamper back down.  Scamper is probably the wrong word to describe our ascent, but we do make good time.  We don't feel that tired.

The peaks are amazing.  Surrounding the Sanctuary amphitheater is a ring of massive mountains.  All of them in the 6000 to 8200 m range.  We take pictures, admire the difference in elevation between where we are (4130 m) and the summit of Annapurna I (8200 m), for instance.  It doesn't look like it's 4 km higher than us.

The light is good and the air is very clear.

Eventually, there is little to do except head back down.  We drop the 400 m quickly.  A cold wind has come up and fog is drifting up the valley.  We have a couple of hours of sunshine at our camp before we are completely socked in.  By 3 pm, it is raining.  Just like yesterday.

We sleep, read and write.  First thing in the morning we will be on our way down.

October 28th, 29th & 30th, 2016

By morning, the everything had a light covering of snow.  Around 5 am, the lights of many headlamps could be seen from those making the hike up to ABC.  We were on the trail down by 7:30 am.  We hiked steadily, easy because it was quite cold and, after a quick lunch break at Sinuwa, arrived at Chomrong by 2 pm.  The last 40 minutes dealt with the looong stone stair climb of about 400 m.

It was nice to be warm again and not have to be wrapped up in a sleeping bag and all one's clothing just keep from freezing.

The next morning, we climbed briefly and then began an interminable descent into the next valley.  This took us an hour, step by stone step.

We had a very pleasant walk along the river on the shade, and ended our day near the small village of Tolka.  There are actual villages here, with hundreds of terraces climbing the steep hillsides.  We can see new road construction winding up the hills across the Modi Khola River from us.  Our passage is briefly interrupted by young children, singing us songs and asking for money.

It's sunny and warm so we rinse our clothing and get other items dry for the first time in several days.

The lodge for the night has spectacular views down into the valley in all directions, but in a few hours, the usual afternoon clouds arrive, the breeze picks up and it becomes cooler.

At night, the lights from houses on the opposite hillside shine out, all the way from the river up to the forest well above our elevation.

In the morning we continue on our way down the valley.  Lots of great views of the Annapurna range and, eventually, views down to Pokhara and Phewa Lake.  We will be back in Pokhara by mid-morning on October 31st.

Annapurna Sanctuary - Part 2

October 23rd, 2016 .. Continued.

Oddly, the text of my blogs will post but adding pictures causes problems.  They may have to wait.  I have, however, been able to email pictures with few or no problems.  So that's what you can expect unless the situation changes.

We're in Ghorepani, a hill village at the entrance to the valley leading to the inside of the Annapurnas.

So I'm not going to complain about any deficiencies.  We're 2 day's hike from the trailhead in a third world country.  The fact that there is WiFi here at all is pretty amazing.  And electricity.  You need to see the geography to get a sense of how hard it must be to develop such infrastructure here.

We also have hot showers.  I remind myself that hot showers were few and far between in the UK so I consider such things a luxury here.  Admittedly, the showers are in cold concrete compartments in the basement and I'm happy it isn't much colder, otherwise I'd probably forego the "pleasure" and just stay dirty. 

The Annapurna Sanctuary.  That's a valley that sits between a number of massive peaks.  Those would include a series of Annapurnas, also Machhapuchhre (Fishtail Mtn) at about 7000 m and a number of "lesser" peaks, all in the 6000 m to 8000 m range.  A stunning vista, although we are waiting for the cloud to dissipate for the full view.

When we arrived at the Sunny Hotel, it was pretty quiet.  A good time to have lunch, a shower and look at the views.  By 5 pm, the place is hopping.  It will be interesting to see if this continues all the way up the valley or if this is just an anomaly of location and the junction of several routes.

October 24th, 2016

Monday morning started early for us.  We were up at 4:30 am to hike up to the top of Poon Hill from where we would watch the sun rise amid all the peaks surrounding us.

Think stair master again, for 400 m vertical.  Made it up in 40 minutes, amid literally hundreds (well, maybe one or two hundred) of others.  All with their cell phones and headlamps.  We had a half moon, so really, that was all the light one really needed.

Watched the sun rise and illuminate the peaks.   We started off with a cloudless sky today so views are excellent.  In our vicinity are at least two peaks over 8000 m and several others over 7000 m.  That places their summits 4 to 5 km higher than where we are standing at a mere 3210 m.  It's still hard to come to grips with the scale of things here.

Once the sun came up over the hills and the big peaks were in sunshine, that seemed enough, so we headed back down to get ahead of the hordes.  Breakfast and on the trail before 8 am.

Hiking today was through rhododendron forest.  Not shrubs, but good sized trees.  The hillsides are covered with this forest and I try to imagine them in bloom.  Hillsides covered with white, red and pink flowers.  I hear that Tolkein modeled his Murkwood forest after Nepal's rhodo forest.

Every lodge or tea hut we come to has trinkets on display.  Mostly jewelry, necklaces, rings, bracelets.  Lots of beads.  Pretty much the same display everywhere.  I don't know anyone who wears that kind of stuff.

More stair master, some up and some down.  We actually end up lower than when we started.  We're stopped for the day at Chuile (2245 m).  Between here and Annapurna Base Camp, we will have to gain about 2000 m, and there's certain to be more down before we're done.

Our clear skies have given way to clouds so all we really see are the nearby hills and valleys.  That could be the daily pattern.

Our lodge appears well kept and tidy with a great view across the valley and down river.  All the lodges here seem to have electricity.  We actually passed a micro hydro plant awhile back.  There aren't a lot of lights but just enough.  It's a bit strange to look over to the hillside across the valley and see a few lights at night.  They have WiFi too although upload seems to be nonfunctional.  I'm beginning to think it will be everywhere in some fashion.  As long as there is, I'll keep posting.  If not, I'll wait until we return to Pokhara in a week.

Namaste!

Annapurna Sanctuary - Part 1

October 22nd, 2016

The Drive:

An hour and a half, 5 of us squeezed into something the size of a Nissan Micra.  An elderly Hindu gentleman taxi driver, who made liberal use of the horn: at corners, when passing, on the straightaway, random places in between.... There really was no place where more horn tootling could be thought of as inappropriate.

He had the odd habit of weaving the car back and forth, whether from force of habit from dodging potholes, of which there were many, or to confuse completing vehicles following or to intimidate approaching traffic, it was hard to tell.

His use of the brakes was erratic as well, which, combined with his steering eccentricities, caused us to proceed in a lurching and weaving fashion along a very rough road, rough enough to demand much weaving and lurching all on it's own.  And we weren't alone.  A steady stream of buses passed, many other jeeps, taxis and minivans, not to mention motorcycles.

Motorcycles.  Our taxi happened to be passing two at the same time that one was passing us and another was approaching from the other direction.  Not to worry.  Merely a situation where more horn blowing was seen as a solution.  From everyone.

To add to a potholed, stony,  barely 2-laned track, which still had some patches of asphalt remaining, were occasional piles of stony dirt, apparently dumped to fill holes in the road, but which had yet to be spread out.  Their present purpose was to reduce a possible 2 lanes to barely one.  A couple of passes with a road grader would have helped.

And there was the music.  The driver played a continuous track of Indian songs.  This particular set of selections sounded more to my ear like a rendition from the Chipmunks.  Just sayin'.

I tried leaning my elbow out the window, but became concerned that it might get scraped off by a passing vehicle, so I kept it inside.  Holding on to the overhead handle in an attempt to stabilize myself.  Why I bothered, I don't know.  We were packed into the back seat tightly enough extra movement was impossible.  We leaned to the left, we leaned to the right in concert to the weaving of the taxi.

After 90 minutes, we arrived in Nayapul (1070 m), along with many other tooting taxis and buses.

The Hike:

Anticlimactic by comparison.  We walked along a track about the condition of a poor BC Forest Service Road.  We left the noisy part of civilization behind.  Almost nothing but other people walking.  Passing small collections of houses, lodges and tea houses.

Many butterflies.  Some looked exactly like dead leaves when their wings were folded.  Even to the little stem on the leaf.  Unfortunately, they were too fast for me and my camera.

We stopped for lunch.  We pressed on.  We reached the planned day's destination, 

Tekhedhunga, at about 1 pm. Too early to stop, we agreed, so we pressed on until 2:30 pm, to stop in Ulleri (1960 m).  The last hour was straight up.  Think Davis Creek steep with about 2 or 3 km of stone stairs.

There is a collection of lodges here, overlooking a vista of steep, treed valleys.  Mountain cloud has moved in here and there.  Views are best looking down.  Time to rest, hydrate and wait for supper.

After recovering from the "stair master" workout, I wandered through the small collection of buildings, arriving at the playground where some boys were playing "volleyball".  One little boy was batting a red balloon back and forth so I played with him for a few minutes.

Supper of tomato, onion, cheese spaghetti and fries.  Then bed.

October 23rd, 2016.

Sunday.  We hike from Ulleri to Ghorepani.

Our track is steadily upward through forested hillsides, eventually becoming a rhododendron forest.  Sadly not the right season for blooms.

Occasional sessions with the stair master.  Some sections of flattish bits.

Arrived in Ghorepani (2860 m) after about 4 hours.  Quite a collection of hotels here.  The plane from Pokhara to Jomsom began passing overhead about 8 am.  That will be us in a week or so.

Some views of big peaks.  Some cloud is teasing us.  Only bits of the peaks are showing above the cloud.

Fortunately it's cool although somewhat humid.  By the time we arrive, I'm pretty damp.  Laundry will be on the agenda this afternoon.  Also the bakery.  A nap.

KTM to Pokhara

Basically, take my comments about Rules of the Road and increase everything exponentially.  Throw in hundreds of buses, hundreds of trucks, motorcycles weaving in and out, add a terrible road surface and near gridlock traffic, drag that out over 9 hours, and that would pretty much summarize our day of travel.  Keep in mind that Kathmandu and Pokhara are only 200 km apart.

There were many times that the bus advanced at a crawl.  Many times stopped.  For some reason I don't recall it being as bad last time we were here.  Maybe it wasn't as bad.  Maybe I've just forgotten.  Still took 8 hours last time.

I really wasn't able to take pictures that did the whole experience justice.  I have some video, but even that won't convey things properly.

The road isn't wide enough for the vehicles that are using it.  There are no shoulders.  Every time someone stops, or breaks down, you lose that lane.  Tractors, people walking.  Vehicles pulling out in front of you.  Vehicles turning.  Vehicles passing with oncoming traffic.  BIG oncoming traffic.  Motorcycles being squeezed to the very edge of the road.

One more piece of Nepali infrastructure that definitely isn't working.  And nobody working to fix it.

Anyhow, we arrived at the bus station in Pokhara, got whisked to the Hotel Yeti and our room was waiting.  Same room as 3 years ago.

This evening we will probably have a stroll down the main street, but since we will be back here twice before we're done, we don't need to go for the whole Pokhara experience today.

Tomorrow we will be picked up by a van or taxi or something and driven to Nayapul.  That's about an hour away and is where we start our first trek.

Kathamndu - More Dusty & Chaotic Than Ever

A Typical Lane Near Thamel

I remember being impressed by the chaos of Kathmandu the last time we were here.  The noise, weaving motorbikes, the cacophony of horns, voices, and the surge of people.  Small cars trying to navigate lanes too narrow for sensible passage.  The smells of dust, incense, garbage.  And yet, despite all that, an almost endlessly fascinating place to wander.

If anything, three years later, the main streets are worse.  Traffic consisting of motorbikes, cars and trucks, backed up for at least a block.  Pedestrians weaving in and out to cross the street.  Non functional traffic lights (no change from three years ago) with intersections being controlled by traffic cops.  Most intersections requiring several cops.

Why would anyone even consider trying to drive.  Walking is enough of a challenge.

On the lanes of Thamel, near our hotel, in the old part of the city (not sure how one defines old here), it is perhaps less busy.  There could be fewer tourists here.  In the aftermath of the earthquake in April 2015, visitors stayed away in droves.  It is, apparently, only now starting to  improve.

It's been a hard time for the business community over the past 18 months.

Rebuilding is ongoing.  We read in the paper that the Boudhanath stupa repairs are completed and that a dedication ceremony will be held on November 22, the day before we start our voyage home.

Some buildings have been torn down.  There is new construction.  Concrete bring mixed.  Parts of streets are being dug up to repair pipes.  And all of it being done by hand.  The largest pieces of equipment I've seen have been shovels and picks.

We leave Kathmandu tomorrow for a few weeks of trekking north of Pokhara and north of Jomsom.  It will be nice to get out into the country for awhile.  First will be 200 km by bus to Pokhara.  I expect that will take most of the day.

Occupied With Security

First, for obvious reasons, there will be no pictures with this post.

Second, when you travel to different parts of the world, different security regimes impose on one's life in various ways.  One gets used to the system at home, not knowing that in other parts of the world, people face vastly different conditions.

Third, this post isn't just about security matters.

China (Guangzhou)

I might have mentioned before the greater presence of police.  Most look like traffic cops and or security guards, but you see more than would be common in Canada, at least.

Tibet

Starting in the 1950s, China began a crackdown in Tibet.  This has all been documented elsewhere.

Incidentally, directly across the street from the Potala Palace is a "new" square.  A monument sits at the back called the "Monument to Tibet's Peaceful Liberation".  If you need to puzzle over that for more than a second or two....  We walked past it a few days ago.  Playing over very loud speakers, at near pain threshold levels, was something that sounded like Chinese opera, accompanied by a water fountain display.  I can only imagine what Tibetans think about this.

The Dalai Lama, of course lives in exile in India.  His picture is forbidden in Tibet, the Tibetan flag is forbidden, and Tibetans are not allowed to leave the country.

Currently, here in Lhasa, there really are police everywhere.  Not a militarized presence, mostly, but there are scanners for bags at various strategic locations.  More of an annoyance, really.  Yesterday, for example, we would have gone through at least a dozen.  I wasn't counting, but lots.  They don't slow you down, but....

There are police "stations" everywhere.  Sometimes quite visible, sometimes not.

Occasionally, you see military type police equipment parked here and there.

When you check in to your hotel, your passport information is entered into some computer system.  I understand this is common in many countries.  Obviously someone is very interested in knowing where you are most of the time.

We went on a 3-day road trip before we left Tibet.  There were numerous police checkpoints a!long the way.

At some, our passports had to be shown, along with our permit to be in Tibet. (Note that foreigners can't enter Tibet without a travel permit and can't leave the Lhasa area without a guide, and usually a driver.  Tibetans all have identity cards and they need to be shown at checkpoints too.

In a feeble attempt at controlling vehicle speed, there is a mandated minimum time imposed on distances between cities.  For example, the route back to Lhasa from Shigatse was about 300 km.  Our driver would have been fined if he was under that time.  Based on our observations, it was having little effect on speeds, or, more importantly, driving behaviour.  People seem to drive the easy they want and then just stop and rest somewhere until the time is made up.

Interestingly, we saw NO police patrol vehicles on any of our drives, either to monitor speed or driving habits.

In Barkhor Square, where there have protests and some self-immolations, there are soldiers wandering around, police on the roofs of buildings, police in the square where people are praying.

All in all, it was a slightly less than comfortable feeling.

Also, many Internet sites are blocked.  Most things Google (maps, blogger), as is Facebook.  Couldn't access the CBC or some newspapers.  This was common elsewhere in China.

Contrast that with Nepal.  A very different place.

It seems like an occupying force being imposed on the Tibetan people

I was reminded of a moment 3 years ago, here in Kathamndu.  I had just bought a Nepalese flag and a Tibetan flag.  The young man said to me, almost in an undertone: "free Tibet".

Exactly.

Kathamndu - 18 Months After

In Need of Some Propping Up

Temple .. Durbur Square

Temple .. Durbur Square

We were up for our walk at 6 am.  Nepal's big earthquake happened in April 2015 and we wanted to see for ourselves.

We were somewhat surprised during the drive in from the airport.  Most seemed as we remembered it.  Little visible damage, for the most part.

Our hotel was undamaged.  New structures are going up around it, but it remains a little oasis amid the bustle and chaos of the streets and alleys surrounding it.

I had seen media images from the old palace square (Durbur Square) which has many very historical buildings and temples, as a  UNESCO World Heritage site.  Yes, there was damage, but surprisingly, many structures are still standing, some with a certain amount of damage, some walls propped up with beams.

The old palace, a newer structure than some others, sustained a lot of damage and is mostly blocked off. 

Life goes on.  Street merchants were out in force by the early hours, the market was busy by 6:30 am.  The usual touts and salesmen were working the streets.  We were constantly solicited by rickshaw and taxi drivers.

We don't have enough time today, but when we get back, closer to the end of November, we'll have time to really explore.  We've heard that the historical structures in Patan were badly damaged.  There are some other historical sites we'd like to see as well.

It's nice to be back.  We head off tomorrow for a few weeks of trekking.

Namaste.

Rules of the Road in Tibet

An Intersection in Lhasa

I use this phrase very, very loosely.

Cars drive on the right, generally, except as described below.

Rule # 1 - Cars rule.

Rule # 2. - Pedestrians NEVER have the right of way, no matter where you are.

Rule # 3 - Pedestrian safety is the job of pedestrians.  When you cross the street, which you can do anywhere, it is up to you to decide when it's safe, watching for cars, pausing in the middle of the road, if necessary, to allow cars and scooters and motorcycles to pass.

General Principles For Drivers:

Getting ahead of the next vehicle is paramount.  If liberal use of the horn doesn't encourage them to give way, then passing is the only option.

Passing can be considered anywhere.  Neither oncoming vehicles, blind curves or double lines should deter if you feel you can make it past.

Passing can be either to the right or the left, as the situation requires.

If you're a taxi driver, your sense of entitlement is magnified many times.  More speed, greater use of the horn...they only serve to enhance your superior image.

Those white lines setting out lanes and even those yellow lines separating you from oncoming traffic?  Consider them merely as vague guidelines.  In fact, positioning yourself straddling the lane markers only enhances your chances of getting ahead to the right or left and makes it more difficult  for those behind to pass you.

When pulling out, don't be too concerned unless anything approaching is much larger than you.

General Principles for Pedestrians:

Your safety is your job and yours alone.

When crossing the street, especially at uncontrolled intersections, there is safety in numbers. If a crowd of people decide to make a move for it, go with them.

There might be some safety in crossing the street with old ladies, on the assumption that nobody wants to hit a grandma.  Crossing with a monk might convey similar protection, for obvious reasons.

When crossing, keep your eyes on the traffic.  Adjust your pace as necessary.  Stopping in the middle of lanes of traffic is OK.   It will flow around you.

Realize that traffic comes as cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, rickshaws, electric scooters and carts.  The last three are stealthy.  Keep your eyes open.

Last Day in Lhasa

Today was interesting.  We thought it would be just another monastery, but there was more.

We were driven some distance east of the city and waaaay up a very winding road nearly to the top of the mountain.

Technical note: the valley floor is at about 3600 m and the monastery is at 4300 m.  At least this time we felt OK, no wheezing lungs, no burning legs.  The picture looks down to the valley below.

This is the Ganden Monastery nestled into an amphitheatre near the top of Mt Wangburi.  This monastery was nearly completely destroyed by the Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution and has since been rebuilt.

We wandered through some of the buildings and then did an hour-long walk around the mountain.  This is a traditional, religious walk called a "kora", done by Buddhists, clockwise, around many of their sacred temples.   We've done several here in Lhasa as well as one in Shigatse.  This particular one was on a narrow trail overlooking the valley.

Along the way, we passed a place on the mountainside where they perform " sky burials".

We also had a quick look inside a "cave" where monks may stay for extended periods meditating.

Back in Lhasa, we did the kora around the Potala Palace, found some French fries (spiced) to eat and settled down for a rest.  We have a couple more things to see before the day's end.

Tomorrow, a short flight will take us over the Himalayas to Nepal.

Lhasa - Day 2 and a Road Trip

Day 2 in Lhasa

A bit of driving today and more walking. 

We visited a monastery in the morning and another (the Sera monastery) in the afternoon.  Both are within sight of the city.  The most interesting part in the Sera monastery, and the reason we went, was to watch the monk debates.  (Yeah, I know, there's already a Munk  Debates on CBC Radio.  This is different).

For two hours, monks are paired off, one standing and the other seated.  The standing monk will fire off questions to the other one, who is expected to answer.  The questions are philosophical or religious in nature and the process is intended as a learning tool and also to develop debating skills in the young monks.  It was quite an animated scene.

After an hour wandering through the market alleys and it was time for a rest before supper.

Tomorrow we go on a 3-day road trip.  Up into the mountains with major elevation gain.

Road Trip - Day 1

Today, we leave Lhasa and head southwest on the Friendship Highway, turning off to wind our way to the top of a 4800 m pass where we look down on Yamdrok Lake, one of the larger lakes in Tibet and one with a beautiful turquoise color.

We continue on through fantastic scenery to a second pass, this one at 5000 m.  This is the Karo-la.  Mountains surround us, some of the higher ones with cornices, snow and icefalls.

Then on to the last pass of the day, at a mere 4500 m.  We get out to take in the views and climb some stairs to a viewpoint.  Even that minimal effort leaves our legs calling for mercy and our lungs sucking for air.  It takes a minute or two before we feel normal.

We arrive in Gyantse which features the Pelkhor Chose monastery, a 9- tiered chorten, which we climb to the top, and the Gyantse Dzong, which is basically a fort on a rocky hill overlooking the town.

Gyantse apparently has had less Chinese influence and comes off as more traditional.

Road Trip - Day 2

About 90 minutes to drive to Shigatse, the second-largest city in Tibet.  There was also a 15 minute stop at the police station where the guide had to have our permits stamped and show our passports.  Talk about bureaucracy.  More about that in another post.

I will say one thing about the cities and towns we've seen so far:  the streets are wide, they are mostly clean (although there is plenty of grime and garbage around), and they have been easy to find one's way around. 

On the way, we pass many fields of barley being harvested.  This is used to make tsampa as well as beer.  Many small wagons and tractors on the road.

Our first stop is the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery.  It was founded in 1447 but suffered much damage during the Cultural Revolution.  On one old mural it was still possible to see traces of Chinese characters that defaced the mural.  In more recent years it has been declared a cultural relic and much restoration has taken place.  Because of this, it was one of the nicest looking of the monasteries we've seen.

Before supper, Joel and I walked a circuit used by the faithful that circles the monastery.  There must be between 6000 to 10000 prayer wheels lining the route, a distance of about 2+ km.  I'm guessing here.

We walked through a market which had the usual stuff, trinkets, beads, etc., but with a few tables of yak meat.  I have to say the smell didn't encourage me to have a yak steak any time soon.

Road Trip - Day 3

Today nothing but to drive back to Lhasa.  It's a distance of less that 300 km, but it takes almost 6 hours. The road is fine but there is traffic, everything from motor scooters, tractors, buses, big trucks, many cars and, to top it off, many checkpoints.  In addition, in an inefficient and futile way to control speed, vehicles are given a mandated minimum time between checkpoints.  All this means, in practice, is that people drive the speed they want and then just pull over and wait until they're at the right time.

I think the guide had to show our passports 3 times on this drive.

Anyhow, we're back in Lhasa, resting, doing some laundry and getting ready for tomorrow.

Lhasa - Day 1

We arrived in Lhasa, in the rain, late Wednesday afternoon.  After a short bit of processing (as foreigners, we were whisked away to a separate building to have our passports scanned and permit examined), we headed out to find our guide.  He was there and waved us over.  Tashi will be our guide and Lobsang will be our driver for our week here.

After a short drive through crowded streets, we were deposited at the Yak Hotel.  The Lhasa Kitchen was recommended for supper.  After Chinese noodles and fruit for the past 3 days on the train, it was very nice to get into some decent Indian food.  Real garlic naan, veg biryani, paneer and fried veg momos (all for about $17).  And since it's always nice to be where the beer is cheaper (and safer) than water, we picked up 2 bottles on the way back to the hotel.

One local feature we did see on our stroll after supper, also briefly on the drive in earlier, was the iconic Potala Palace.  Former home of the Dalai Lama.

So, this morning, our guide took us to the Potala Palace.  It's quite a view from the front, and by the time we arrived, there was blue sky above.  The Palace was built in the mid-1600s, and completed in 50 years.  Obviously without modern equipment.  Stone and wood.  Whitewashed and painted each year by volunteers.

By the time we had climbed to the top (pant, pant), we had climbed another 100 meters.  There are about 1000 rooms in the palace but only some are open.  Many Buddhas, many other religious icons, tombs of many past Dalai Lamas.  We are here at a good time because there are far fewer tourists and Tibetans who come on pilgrimage each year are still busy with harvest and other personal things.

After the Palace, Tashi took us to a Tibetan tea pavilion.  The locals come here to sip tea and visit.  We had Masala tea (with milk and sugar) and a bowl of yak noodle soup.  And yes, in case you were wondering, both were excellent.  😁

On the way back, I had a chance to get some video of a Tibetan circle dance.  Far more dignified than the chicken dance (anyone from the prairies will know what dance I'm talking about).

After a rest, we headed for the Jokhang temple, a short walk from our hotel.  Among other things, a great view from the roof.  This is the temple that most locals visit to do their prostrations, either just in front of the temple, on the clockwise circuit around the temple or all the way from whatever they live.  We saw quite a number engaged in that ritual.  Many more were walking the circuit (there are at several such circuits here in Lhasa), prayer beads in their left hands, sometimes with prayer wheels in their right hands, chanting their mantras as they went.

The day was brought to a close by more Tibetan Nepali Indian food and two hikes back to the Potala Palace for late afternoon and evening pictures.

Guangzhou to Lhasa by Train - Part II

We've been moving for almost 20 hours now.  Morning has arrived.  We're still passing many villages, many cities, long viaducts, many trains but very few stops.  I don't think we've had one since midnight although I did sleep soundly and might have missed one.

The air seems quite smoggy here.  We take this to be pollution, likely from coal burning.  There are hills, but it's difficult to see them in the distance.

We are nearing Xian, arriving at about 10:30 am.  This is the site of the terracotta warriors.  The stop was a brief one, however, just enough time to walk briskly to the front of the train, take a picture, get some steamed buns from a vendor and hop back on the train.

We were given a form to fill out, certifying that we were in good health and understood the hazards of increasing altitude.  Part of this route goes over 5200 m and Lhasa itself is at about 3600 m.  Both of us are taking medication to aid acclimatization.  I'm uncertain what most Westerners would do with the form without assistance.  We had our young friend Ma Jun translate the form for us.

I spent quite a bit of time talking with Jun, giving him time to practice his English and getting him to try and teach me some Chinese words.  All quite amusing as some Chinese sounds are not common in English and challenging to say properly.  Adding to the difficulty is his tendency to be very soft spoken making it sometimes hard for me to hear him well over the noise of the train.

By mid-afternoon, air quality has improved and visibility is better.  It's much drier here with much less vegetation and a generally starker landscape overall.  Hills, deep valleys,  many terraces.

Fall harvest is in full force here.  In fields we see potatoes being dug by hand, corn stalks bound up in stooks, apple orchards, cabbages, livestock and other crops we don't recognize.  Still lots of industry, but I think it's based on agriculture.  Many rail lines in addition to the one we're on.

By supper time, we have passed Lanzhou.  It's getting dark and the air quality has declined significantly. 

A bit after 8:15 pm, we arrive in Xining.  It's quite a sizable city.   This is where we leave our train and walk across the platform to another train which has special features needed for the high passes we must cross to get to Lhasa.  For example, each berth has an oxygen outlet.  We haven't figured out how it's supposed to work, yet, but it's there if we need it.  Maybe this is where they need the safety talk that you get on airplanes.

We are now officially on the Qinghai - Tibet railway.  But it's bedtime.  The excitement can wait till tomorrow.  Our young friend Jun has left. Home for him is a 3-hour bus ride away.

At 2:30 am, I wake as we stop in Geermu.  Not on my map, but our cabin mate, who has been amused by my shorts and light tee shirt in the cool temperatures recently, shows me on his phone that it's +2C outside.  Refreshing, I'd say.  We go outside and stand on the platform for a couple of minutes before we're chased back inside.

At about 7 am, we stop on a siding.  No idea where we are, but it's dark outside, evidence of how far west we've come.  Looking outside I'm sure I can see a light covering of snow. A bit further on, there are literally hundreds of transport trucks stopped on the road nearby. The line stretches for miles.  We seem to have crossed a pass, but there are a few of them along the route so our exact location remains a mystery.

We pass a building with a sign: Riachiqu, but we're no wiser, other than we're at 4582 m. We see a wolf trotting across the plain, not far from the train.  The snowy hills remind me of Montana.  Cold.  Desolate.  We see small groups of some type of deer, some eagles, donkeys, the odd yurt.

We passed the Tanggu La (Pass @ 5067 m) late in the morning.  This puts us, finally, in Tibet.  Since then, we've been dropping in altitude.  Snow is slowly disappearing and we're currently going by a very large lake.  Ponds, yaks, sheep, some ducks.

A few times, I've seen the oddest thing.  Out in the middle of nowhere,  there has been a solitary figure, standing at attention, saluting the passing train.

Oxygen has been hissing into our compartment ensuring we don't develop altitude sickness.  I just checked my pulse rate, usually a good indication of how I am.  It's about 62.  Wonder what it will be after we've been out of the train for awhile.  Lhasa's altitude of 3600 m is still pretty high.

We arrived in Lhasa at 5:30 pm and after being processed, met our guide and driver who took us to the Yak Hotel. 

Now starts the Tibetan adventure.