5 Days in Tibet

There are a number of things that one immediately notices when one lands in the Himalayan SAR or the Chinese Special Administrative Region of Tibet. The landscape is dramatic with towering mountains, vast plains, powerful and fast moving rivers and wide largely empty highways except for endless convoys of military trucks. The SAR designation is less obvious with China clearly the dominant influence in what was until 1959 the Himalayan Kingdom of Tibet presided over by the 14th Dalai Lama. That influence means that Lhasa, the capital has an airport which is both military and civil, there is a preponderance of brutalist Chinese architecture replacing the traditional Tibetan dwellings but despite that there are ancient temples and monasteries and towering above the city, the 900+ roomed Potala Palace no-one quite knows how many rooms there are due to the construction of the palace which has taken place over many centuries. Tibet is generally a high altitude country and Lhasa is set at 3,656 meters or almost 12,000 feet which requires acclimatisation but when travelling outside the capital through for example the Kampa La Pass, the road reaches 4,852 meters or almost 16,000 feet necessitating regular hydration and care not to over exert oneself since shortness of breath and splitting headaches can be all too common.

Back in Lhasa there are further differences to other Asian cities outside China with filmed recordings in all transportation and tourist hotels as well as no access to on-line Western search engines, news publications or social media sites. We were advised not to shower “as it thins the blood” and sightseeing was not to be undertaken lightly especially when clambering up ladders within the Potala Palace given the lack of oxygen, the overpowering smell of butter candles mingled with unwashed bodies in the confined spaces of the temples and the plummeting temperatures at night which ranged between cold and numbingly cold. When it came to hospitality, alcohol was best avoided due to the altitude and food on offer was best approached with circumspection. But yes we did risk our blood thinning and enjoyed regular hot showers without suffering adverse consequences.

If all that Tibetan adventure is not for you, then you are not alone since the journey to Tibet is arduous and Western visitors remain few in number. Once you have reached Tibet, it does still feel as a highly remote enclosed region set amidst the awe inspiring Himalayas,  but should you brave all those challenges, you could always… ride a yak!