So it was time to say goodbye to China as we know it and say Tashi Delek to Tibet. Whilst Tibet is part of China, they are trying to seek independence and it does feel very different from China almost immediately.
As I mentioned previously (I think) getting the permit to allow us to travel into Tibet was difficult, in fact we were the first overlanding company to be granted a permit since 2010 which was great. However, in some respects the hard work was only just beginning. Tibet meant a lot more bureaucracy than the rest of China - which we had thought was bad enough. Firstly we had to have another guide, a Tibetan guide called Pen. We had been warned about what we should be saying to him - no Free Tibet rants! He also advised us not to mention the Dalai Lama etc. Entering Tibet also meant the start of our 'time trials' - basically when we reached a checkpoint we were given a time by which we should be at the next checkpoint, say 50km down the road. We were not allowed to get there before that time or we would be fined, however we could take longer. It was bizarre. We all conspired that it was so that the Chinese satellites could track us more easily - not that we were hard to miss in a bright blue and orange truck!
Anyway, bureaucracy aside, we all accepted that it was just part of the process of travelling in this part of the world. We realised we were lucky to be given the permit and if we had not gotten into Tibet is would have meant a huge itinerary change that would have resulted in us not getting in India and Nepal so we were happy to put up with it.
Back to Tibet - our first few days in Tibet were to be spent travelling at our highest altitude of the trips so far - reaching 5244m above sea level. I swear that as soon as we passed 5000m it started snowing!
Prayer flags on the pass
My app that recorded our highest point!
Snow!
Becs and Andy making a Warren sandwich during a lunch stop
The girls showing off the steaming piles of rubbish at the top of the pass
We had two days of driving through the above and camping en route to Lhasa, which was great - the only downfall being that I could not watch the Wimbledon final. A big thank you to my mum for the constant score updates! Go Andy!
We finally made it to Lhasa and I think all of the group would agree it was worth the wait. On the way to the hotel we caught sight of the famous Potala Palace and just enjoyed the sights and sounds of the city. We had 3 days here and during that time we got to visit many Buddhist sites and monasteries, as well as enjoying the shopping and food - including yak curry!
Lhasa tuk tuk
Yak curry
Beer from the roof of the world!
Lhasa buildings
Traditionally dressed Tibetan woman
Burning incense
Buddhist prayers
Jokhang Temple
Potala Palace from Temple
Teresa and Sophie posing!
Traditional Tibetan dance - apparently
There was even a pretend yak!
Pilgrims with Prayer wheels
Drepung monastery
Potala Palace by night
Lhasa was excellent and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is prepared to put up with the bureaucracy! A special place was the visit to the Potala Palace, the chief residence of the Dalai Lama until he went into exile in 1959. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside.
Our next main stop was Everest base camp - a highlight for most people on the trip (pardon the pun)! After an overnight stop in Shigatse to pick up some supplies we were on our way to Everest National Park, where we would camp for the night before heading to see Everest, or Mount Qomolangma as the Tibetans call it. Before I researched this trip I had always thought that Mount Everest was in Nepal, however the international border between China and Nepal runs along the Everest summit so it is in both countries.
Bushcamping at the National Park
A ridiculously early start in the morning meant getting tents down in the dark - not easy! However whilst there were a few tired grunts, we were all excited for the day ahead. We had been warned not to expect total clear views as this was rare but we were all cautiously optimistic.........we were not disappointed!
First partially cloudy view before dawn
It's starting to clear!
Highest monastery in the world
Me!
We got to the yurts where we would be staying (at an altitude of 5000m) and then some of us got the bus the last few Km to Base camp whilst some chose to walk.
Mary and Teresa putting up some prayer flags
Highest Post Office in the world!
After basecamp we went back to the yurts to chill. Unfortunately at that point I started to feel the effects of the altitude and got pretty ill and was ill until the next morning
until we started to descend. Whilst that was very unpleasant - the whole experience had been worth it. How many people can say they have seen Everest? I was definitely glad to get to lower altitude tho!
Teresa and Sophie in local coats in the yurt
We only had 3 more nights left in China, one of which was in a hotel near the border with Nepal. The other 2 where our final nights camping as from Nepal onwards it was all hotels. We made the most of it with some lovely spots, and enjoyed a lunch stop with some curious locals!
What a fantastic experience x
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