Preciouse is presently teaching in China through a Footprints placement and she has recently undertaken a trip to Tibet and base camp 1 on Mount Everest - Check out her story and pictures!
Flying into Lhasa was like flying into a dirt desert with gravel to be your only support to slow down the incoming plane. I arrived on August 2nd, 2005 to begin my adventure through what is known as the vast land of mystery. I got off the plane and the altitude was 3,500 meters and it wasn’t affected by it much. I was encouraged to take an altitude sickness pill a day before going to Tibet from the people in Chendgu, Sichuan.
Once I grabbed my bags I headed out of the terminal to find a taxi with three other backpackers which cost 100 yuan to downtown Lhasa. The ride to Lhasa from the airport is about one hour and then you drive past the famous Potala Palace and then you’ve hit the center of town. We found a cheap 30 yuan hostel, dropped off our bags and headed to the street market. There are many vendors pretty much selling the same things until you turn a street and a new selection of goodies in a row awaits you. I was told that Tibetan knives are some of the most unique and finer quality available, so I bought two.
The culture was rich with color and the people had nothing but smiles smeared on their faces when you introduced yourself, I had imagined that the city would be as such; however, I was not very impressed by the amount of begging that went on. The monks were even walking by asking for money and at one point I had to literally pull my arm away from a man gripping onto it.
The local food was very tasty. I usually had the tofu with some spices grilled on a pit. The skewers of food for the barbeque were a must have if you were looking for something cheap and quick. There were no food chains but if you were craving some western food almost every restaurant made something you would eat at home.
I had purchased a permit to get into Lhasa which was going to allow me to purchase another permit to travel outside of Lhasa but within Tibet. The company gave the permit to the airlines when I arrived but I never once saw it. I went to buy another permit to travel to Mt. Everest and was asked to show the permit I had used to get into Lhasa. I explained to the travel agent that I had never seen the permit and asked what needed to be done to get it. I got the run around from the company I purchased it from in Chengdu and the travel agent in Lhasa. I finally found a tour company willing to forget about the permit and take the group I was going with to the base camp at Mt. Everest.
The drive to Mt. Everest was full of rocks, dirt, and patches of grass. The scenic viewpoints were crowded with children begging for money or food, some were asking for pencils. It was hard to stop and enjoy the more desolate areas because you knew so many people around you had to live in such a place. There were some parts of the drive where you would see villages and nothing else for miles and miles. Crops of buckwheat were usually the only form of farmed food you would see growing. Yaks were the Tibetans main source of cooking oil, butter, and tea. The Yak butter tea was a light yellow and brown color and smelt like cheese. The taste was salty and a bit bitter but still palatable.
The weather everyday in Lhasa was about 20-25 degrees Celsius in the day and 5-10 degrees Celsius at night. The altitude at the Mt. Everest base camp was 5,500 meters so in the evenings the weather was a little bit colder. The hike to the base camp and the heat in the day made it difficult with a backpack but still manageable. At times I found it difficult to breath and had to slow my pace and occasionally stop. There are motorbikes riding back and forth picking up people if they can’t manage the hike to the base camp.
My experience in Tibet will be unforgettable and I would highly recommend anyone interested in going to just do it!
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