Out first stop was near a stream, with a view of the Potala palace at a distance amidst the morning sun. It’s the beginning of the spring season, so we could see light green trees with mist covered snow capped huge mountains at the background.

After that we started climbing up to a high altitude mountain pass called Kamba La pass which is around 4800m of altitude. And the scenery started to take our breath away with winding roads and never ending mountain ranges.

We reached the top of the Kambala pass, to see the breathtaking view of the Yamdrok lake. It is a freshwater lake in Tibet, it is one of the three largest sacred lakes in Tibet. It was a great sight! Just like a painting, the turquoise blue color of the lake was unbelievable. Even though it was windy and cold we were stunned by the beauty of the view that we stayed out a long time taking photographs. There were lot of prayer flags put up by pilgrims passing by, which is a common sight in Tibet.

Then we started to drive down the hill, to reach the Yamdroke lake. As we got down from the Yamdrok lake it was really chilly. But we didn’t want to miss the chance to witnessing this huge sacred lake up close.

These beautifully dressed Yaks are here for tourists to take photographs with. Their owners charge you for taking photographs. Tibetan mastiff dogs are also used for the same purpose. You can find big fluffy Tibetan mastiff dogs with their owner along the road in many places.

After driving along the lake we started to make our way up where we came across another unforgettable experience. It’s the Karola glacier, which a very beautiful glacier that comes down almost to the roadside.

After that we arrived in Gyantse to see the Palcho Monastery (Pelkor Chode Monastery). This monastery has spectacular Kumbum, which is a multi-storied aggregate of Buddhist chapels in Tibetan Buddhism. It believed to be the largest such structure in Tibet.

View of the Gyantse Fort can be seen from the monastery on a rugged hill surrounding the town.

Then we arrived in our hotel in Shigatse planning to to take good rest as we are heading to Everest base camp the next day.

The next day morning, we started our journey a bit later, as our tour guide had to get Aliens’ Travel Permits for us to enter the Everest mountain range national park. After that we started our journey passing many beautiful valleys, mountain ranges and several farming villages. It’s surprising to see so many settlements even at this high altitude.

On our way we came to the Gyatso La pass (5248m), which has great views of many mountain ranges.

Then we arrived in a small town called Shelkar for lunch.

As we continue to drive up, the next stop was Pang La Pass (5050m). The stunning view of the Himalayan mountain range was an unforgettable experience. Since I was small I dreamt  of seeing the Himalayan mountain range, and finally it came true.

 Then we slowly made our way to the Mt. Everest tourist base camp through many scenic valleys. On our way there were many check points where our passports and permits were checked. At one place we were required to go into the check point to show our passport and permits.

When we reached the Mt. Everest tourist base camp it was really chilly and clody and it was getting dark. We were excited to see all the tents set up. But unluckily we could not see the magnificent Mt. Everest as it was cloudy

This where the magnificent Mt. Everest should be seen.. but we were not lucky enough to see it today

The weather was really cold and windy.. soon it became so hard to stay outside so we went inside the tents to warm ourselves. The tents had benches/day beds around surrounding a fire fueled by yak dung (surprisingly there was no smell). We had noodled for dinner, which was cooked on the same fire. Yo do have meat and vegetarian options. Also plenty of green tea.

The public toilets were horrible, but I guess it has the best view in the world Take plenty of toilet paper, wet wipes and hand sanitizers. You don’t get running water in the camp. And you have just one light bulb in the tent powered by a battery, and no other electricity.

At night it was freeeeezing.. but there are plenty of quilts and you can crawl into your sleeping bags or cover yourself up with many cozy quilts.. (but still you will be cold )

In the morning when we woke up.. the area was fully covered with snow. It has snowed in the night, because when we came there was no snow at all. We were so excited to see the area covered with snow.. and most awaited moment..we could see the shadow of the Mt. Everest.. it was freezing so I could not take any pictures of the magnificent mountain.. but I will always remember that scene.

Then we started our journey back to Shigatse. The roads and all the areas were completely covered with snow. The journey back was slow as the road was slippery.

It was such a lovely sight… anywhere you look it’s all white and magical.

We arrived in Shigatse in the afternoon. We were all exhausted from the ride and the altitude, but we were not done for the day. After refreshing ourselves we were on our way again to see Tashi Lhunpo Monastery.

Tashi Lhunpo monastery was founded in 1447 by the 1st Dalai Lama. “On the west side is the tallest building of the monastery, which was built in 1914 by the Ninth Panchen Lama to house a gigantic statue of the Maitreya Buddha and is 26.2 metres (86 feet) in height.”

And also on the east side of the monastery is the old living quarters of the Panchen Lama.

That was the end of our stay in Shigatse. The next day we are headed to Namtso Lake, which I will continue in the next post

Enjoy!

To read my previous post on our first few days in Tibet : Tibet, China.. part 1

The beginning of the Tibet trip started with a long train ride. We wanted to witness the stunning views of the Tibet plateau so we decided to take the train from Xining to Lhasa. The train we took was Qinghai-Tibet train.

To sum everything up in this blog; main things to keep in mind;

1. Book train tickets early.
2. Decide which type of carriage you want to travel in. (soft sleeper, hard sleeper, soft seat, hard seat)
3. Before going to Tiber consult your local doctor regarding altitude sickness.
4. Keep all your documents together, take several copies of your entry permit.
5. Prepare for train toilets
6. Take your own food if you are not comfortable with Chinese food.

So in detail, there are few things to keep in mind if you are planning to visit Tibet by train. The train ride from Xining to Lhasa was around 22hrs, which is a long ride. So it’s better to be comfortable specially if you are taking the train towards Lhasa. You don’t want to be exhausted, sick and tired at the beginning of the tour. If you are taking to train from Beijing or Shanghai it will more like 44hrs, which is a very long time to be inside a train.

First thing is, you cannot buy train tickets directly (from overseas). You have to pay and reserve your ticket online, which is done through an agent. And later they will buy the tickets for you and send the ticket information to you. We reserved our tickets through China highlights. If you are in China mainland or in Hongkong you can get your tickets posted to your address.

Please book way ahead of time (atleast 1 month ahead of your planned trip). If you plan to take the train on a weekend, better to book it even before. Seats get filled up pretty fast.

There are four type of seats in Qinghai-Tibet train, soft sleeper, hard sleeper, soft seat and hard seat. You have to select what type of sleeper/seat you want when booking the ticket, but it’s not guaranteed that you will get what you selected. During weekends (during the high season) the train will be really crowded. So I recommend to go for a soft sleeper, which has only 4 bunks in one cabin, where as the hard sleeper has 6 bunks in a cabin. If it’s crowded toilets might not be clean too. So taking the soft sleeper will be more comfortable.

If you booked train tickets online like us, you will only have a screenshot of the paper ticket with a ticket pickup number. So once you reach the city from where you will be getting into the train, first you have to go and collect the ticket from the station. Online booked tickets can be collected at any ticket window except the refund and cancellation window. You have to show your passport and the pickup number at a window, and the staff will hand you the tickets. Also keep a copy of your Tibet entry permit with you to show if the staff ask for it. (If you cannot speak Chinese it’s better to hand it over with the documents to avoid any confusions )

When boarding the train, once the train arrived the platform you will be let into the platform. Your carriage number will be printed on your ticket. Near the carriage a attendant will be there to check your ticket, passport and the entry permit. Please keep them all together and hand it over. They will keep the copy of the Tibet entry permit.

On its way to Lhasa the train reaches high altitudes during its ride. The highest point is 5086m. There is a oxygen supply in the train when it reaches high altitudes, but still you are most probable to get headaches and dizziness. If you think you are not feeling despite the oxygen provided in the carriage, talk to the carriage attendant. Oxygen tubes will be given out to people in need for that. I think acclimatizing is the biggest challenge in taking the train, so be prepared for that. Talk to your local doctors before the tour and take necessary advice.

Drink lot of water and take your own food if you are not comfortable with Chinese food.

The squat toilets might not be so clean all the time, remember to take toilet papers, wet wipes and hand sanitizes. Take toiletries with you.

Food can be bought from a trolley that goes up and down the aisle ever hour. If you are in a soft sleeper you will have access to the dinning car. The food sold in the trolley are mostly Chinese food, so if you are not familiar with it take your own food and snack. You get boiling water in each carriage, so you can make some quick meals if you want.

And most importantly don’t forget to wake up early and enjoy the view!!!! and take lots of pictures!  

Once you arrive in Lhasa, if you do have a foreign passport, again you will be taken to an immigration check point outside the station to check your documents again. So don’t forget to keep all your documents together and in a reachable place.

Tibet is a part of China, situated in East Asia. It has some of the tallest mountain in the world and numerous high-altitude lakes. Several major rivers have their source in the Tibetan Plateau. And the ever famous the magnificent Mt. Everest, located on the border with Nepal.

Religion is extremely important to the Tibetans and has a strong influence over all aspects of their lives. Tibetan Buddhism is vastly followed in Tibet, which is a distinctive form of Mahayana and Vajrayana.

Three friends and I traveled to Tibet in April 2017. It was the end of winter season, and the weather was cold and sunny. We were on a 9 day (including arrival and departure dates) tour in Tibet. I will split the post in to couple of posts as it will be quite long.

The beginning of the Tibet trip started with a long train ride. We wanted to witness the stunning views of the Tibet plateau so we decided to take the train from Xining to Lhasa.

I have written a separate post on taking the train to Lhasa, Click here to check that out.

We checked into our hotel in Lhasa looking for a good rest. We stayed in “House of Shambhala” in Lhasa, which is a very cozy authentic Tibetan hotel :).

The next day morning we started off our first day of the trip with Drupung monastery.

“Drepung is the largest of all Tibetan monasteries and is located at the  foot of mount Gephel, five kilometers from the western suburb of Lhasa. It is one of the “great three” Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet. It was founded in 1416 by Jamyang Choge Tashi Palden (1397–1449), one of Tsongkhapa’s main disciples, and it was named after the sacred abode in South India of Shridhanyakataka” ~ wiki

It was really interesting to see the monks debating in the court yard.

“As part of the their training, monks participate in a series of debates. These debates are held in a courtyard of crushed stone. Senior monks grill junior monks on various doctrine. The junior monks are seated, while the monks questioning their knowledge of Buddhist scripture fire questions at them, accompanied by dramatic hand slapping. The hand slapping is a signal for the seated monk to respond.” ~ wiki

The next stop was Jokhang temple, which is a Buddhist temple in Barkhor Square in Lhasa. Tibetans, in general, consider this temple as the most sacred and important temple in Tibet. The temple is currently maintained by the Gelukpa school.

“The Jokhang was founded during the reign of King Songtsen Gampo. According to tradition, the temple was built for the king’s two brides: Princess Wencheng of the Chinese Tang dynasty and Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal. Both are said to have brought important Buddhist statues and images from China and Nepal to Tibet, which were housed here, as part of their dowries.” ~wiki

“The Barkhor is an area of narrow streets and a public square located around Jokhang Temple in Lhasa.The Barkor is a popular devotional circumambulation for pilgrims and locals. The walk was about one kilometre long and encircled the entire Jokhang.There were four large incense burners (sangkangs) in the four cardinal directions, with incense burning constantly, to please the gods protecting the Jokhang.”

“In addition to walking around the temple and spinning prayer wheels, pilgrims prostrate themselves before approaching the main deity; some crawl a considerable distance to the main shrine.”

Next day, it was time to see the Potala palace up close.

“The Potala Palace, winter palace of the Dalai Lama since the 7th century, symbolizes Tibetan Buddhism and its central role in the traditional administration of Tibet. The complex, comprising the White and Red Palaces with their ancillary buildings, is built on Red Mountain in the centre of Lhasa Valley, at an altitude of 3,700m.” ~ UNESCO

As we went there in the high season, there was a queue to enter the Palace. You are not allowed to take any kind of liquid inside, including water, beverages and cosmetics. Beverages can be purchased inside.

There are lot of steps, so most probably it will be hard to climb up if it’s your first day in high altitude. You will feel exhausted very frequently.

After the tour in Potala Palace, we headed to a tibetan restaurant to have a local meal. It was a vegetarian restaurant with many vegetarian option. They had a lightly sweet rice (Dresil), tibetan momos, lentil soup and many more vegetarian dishes. Also we had the pleasure of having tibetan black tea, which has a salty taste instead of the sweetness we are used to. (Sorry I don’t have a photo of the Tibetan black tea, but it looks same as the other black tea, just the taste is different)

Next stop was the Sera monastery. It is one of the “great three” Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet built in 1419. In this monastery also debating monks are one of the attractions.

In the courtyard of the monastery, young and old monks perform their debates. You are not allowed to use a camera to take photographs but you may use a phone to take photographs. Inside the courtyard in one side you can see the young monks and on the other side elder monks carry on their debates. It’s really interesting to watch these with all their hand and body gestures.

So that was the end of our awesome second day in Tibet. And next day we went to Shigatse, which is a long ride with amazing landscape views And the day after to Mt.Everest base camp.. We were all excited to experience all these new things. I will write all about it in the next blog post, with breathtaking photographs.