Tibet 2010

Lung Ta - "Wind Horse" in
Tibetan - These are Prayer Flags

T I B E T 2 0 1 0

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We know that Tibet is a part of China. However, we want to recognize it independently since Tibet is such a unique and amazing land. It also is a land of many contrasts. The landscape varies from stark deserts to the world’s highest mountain. While there are a few modern towns (with Lhasa being the largest) most Tibetans live in small villages. Tibetans have their own culture, their own language, their own history and they do not even look like the Chinese. The people are devout Buddhists and the viewing of pilgrimages to monasteries and/or temples are a common sight. We are extremely grateful that we were able to visit this land and we hope to return while it retains its unique culture.

WEDNESDAY, 21 APRIL: When checking in for our flight from Chengdu (China) to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, we had to show not only our passports but our Tibet Travel Permit as well. The same thing occurred when we passed through a special security line for Lhasa. (On an aside, the Tibet Travel Permit cannot be obtained outside of China. Using a competent and well-known Chinese travel agency is key to a seamless entry into Tibet - thank you TravelChinaGuide for your assistance – www.travelchinaguide.com ).

We boarded our flight for Lhasa at 1:00PM. Lhasa sits in a huge valley at almost 12,000 feet and is surrounded by mountains. Our flight arrived at the airport at 3:00PM. After gathering our luggage, we were met outside the airport by our guide, Urgyan, and our driver, Jimmy, both of whom we will tour with for the next nine days. Jimmy was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser 4WD. Very nice! We drove one hour to reach the city of Lhasa and checked into the Sheraton Four Points. We then parted company until 9:00AM the next morning.

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One of the first things we noticed in our room were two canisters of compressed oxygen which were priced at $5 each on the mini bar list. We concluded that there must be a pretty good number of people who have problems at 12,000 feet. At 6:30PM, we enjoyed a buffet dinner at The Sheraton, including a local beer, Lhasa Beer, which was very tasty. The buffet was outstanding with fresh clams, fresh oysters, different kinds of fish (some we never heard of) including smoked salmon and salmon sashimi all prepared however you wanted them. Then there was roast duck, leg of lamb, curried beef, roast pork and on and on. What a spread. Then, time to relax and unwind.

THURSDAY, 22 APRIL: We had breakfast at the hotel early in the morning. Unfortunately for us, there was no spicy noodle soup so we had to get by on other choices and those choices were pretty incredible. Oh well! At 9:00AM, we began our touring with Urgyan and Jimmy. Our first stop was the Drepung Monastery. It sits above the city and is sheltered into a mountainside. We first walked up a long hill to access the buildings and then we climbed numerous staircases to view the various rooms. The climb felt worse than it was since we were at almost 12,000 feet and hadn’t acclimated yet.

The monastery was built during the 1400’s. In the late 1950’s, there were some 4,000 monks living in the monastery. Now, there are 400 monks living there. While we were enjoying the monastery as tourists enjoying an historic place, there were many local Tibetans from the countryside making pilgrimages. They wore traditional garb and made offerings of small bills (i.e., 0.1 Yuan or ~1.5 cents) at each of the many statues. Also, they brought yak butter which is used at offering tables. Wicks are inserted into it and the melting butter lights the worship areas and sends a continuing prayer to Buddha (not unlike the Catholic tradition of lighting candles). We stayed at Drepung for several hours and enjoyed the various sights within its thick and ancient walls.

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	Drepung Monastery
	A closer view of the right side of the Monastery. The "draperies" hanging outside are actually carpets woven from yak wool & are very waterproof
	A closer view of the Monastery's left side
	An interior courtyard
	The side of the courtyard
	A prayer room in the Monastery
	The actual altar
	Offerings of butter provide the lighting (wicks are inserted into the liquid butter)
	Three Tibetan Kings
	Wall Hangings
	Storage of Handwritten Books of Scriptures - Some in Sanskrit, some in Tibetan and some hundreds of years old

After leaving Drepung, we went to a local carpet factory. We watched four sets of women (two to a set) weaving rugs from sheep’s wool. It was amazing how quickly they could weave. Also, the patterns they were weaving were very intricate and quiet beautiful.

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Next, we went to the Tibet Museum, a new building not too far from the city center. It had various collections: ancient artifacts; traditional costumes and culture; weavings; and a beautiful jade collection. We spent our time wandering from exhibit to exhibit and taking photographs of the more stunning pieces.

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	Welcome to the Museum
	A jade seal (chop) used by the Great Vehicle Dharma King (1413)
	A golden urn from the 1700's
	This jade pot was given to the 14th Dali Lama on behalf of Chairman Mao when the Preparatory Committee of Tibet Autonomous Region was founded
	A golden stupa from the 14th-15th century
	A longevity vase made of coral
	A carved jade green bowl with lid

Afterwards, we went to the city center and enjoyed a traditional lunch of steamed vegetarian momo’s and a vegetable soup. A “momo” reminds you of a dim sum or stuffed dumpling. They were delicious!

Our final stop of the day was the Sera Monastery. It was founded in 1419 and it too sits on the side of a hill. Sera is primarily known as a monastery of learning and it houses its own college. The main area of study is philosophy. While we were at Sera Monastery, the monks were all called to a courtyard to discuss some philosophical question. We were allowed to look on and it was quite interesting. The monks formed themselves into small groups (typically 4-8). One monk would “slap” his hand and advance a question and other monks would respond. Then, a different monk would start the process again. It looked like sheer mayhem but evidently it works.

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	The entry to Sera Monastery
	A stupa with prayer wheels beneath it (in the foreground is a large incense burner)
	A group of monks entering the Monastery
	Inside a courtyard where the beautiful golden ornaments are visible on the roof top
	Access doors into interior sections of the Monastery
	Monks studying via a "question and answer" session
	Corner buildings in the Monastery
	A monk in one of the many walkways

At every Tibetan monastery or temple, you will find incense, prayer wheels and stupas. Tibetan prayer wheels are devices for spreading spiritual blessings and well being. Rolls of thin paper are imprinted with many, many copies of a prayer, the most common being Om Mani Padme Hum. Then, they are wound around an axle in a protective container (usually metal or wooden) and spun around and around. Tibetan Buddhists believe that spinning a prayer wheel has the same positive effect as orally reciting prayers.

A stupa (Chorten in Tibetan) is an important religious monument that consists of three parts: a whitewashed base, a whitewashed cylinder and a crowning steeple or shaft. The stupa represents Buddha with the base being his lotus throne, the cylinder being his torso and the steeple being his crown. Stupas always house items that Buddhists hold sacred such as scriptures, statutes, hair clippings, fingernails, relics and cremation ashes of saints. They are sometimes used as tombs in which mummified bodies of high lamas (priests) are buried.

We returned to our hotel at about 4:00PM for a brief break until going out to dinner at 6:00PM. Instead of dining at the hotel, we were taken to a Chinese Sichuan restaurant. The food was excellent albeit way too much for two people to consume. However, we did our best! We returned to the hotel at 7:30PM and relaxed for the balance of the evening.

FRIDAY, 23 APRIL: We once again enjoyed breakfast at The Sheraton before beginning our touring with Urgyan and our driver, Jimmy. Today we drove immediately to the Potala Palace which, along with Mt. Everest and the Dalai Lama, are the most recognizable symbols of Tibet. Despite arriving at 9:00AM when it opened, there was already a huge line of pilgrims waiting to enter the Palace. We were able to bypass many individuals since we were tourists and not pilgrims and, as a result, we entered the Palace very quickly. However tourists (i.e., non-Tibetans) pay a high fee and it is free or nearly so for Tibetans.

Once inside the initial gates, it was amazing. The Palace is absolutely huge! It originally was a small complex which was constructed in the 7th century. That part of the Palace retains its red color so it can be distinguished from the newer buildings. During the time of the 5th Dalai Lama (17th century), the Palace was expanded to its present day size. It is 115.7 meters (~380 feet) high and has 13 stories.

To access the Palace, you have to climb stone steps – a lot of stone steps! Like we said, the complex is some 13 stories high. We didn’t have any difficulty but many of the pilgrims who traveled to the Potala Palace from lower elevations had to stop and take breaks, especially some of the older men and women. It was interesting to observe the various traditional costumes being worn as well as the variety of hand-held prayer wheels being used to convey wishes to Buddha.

The Palace is not a monastery but instead has served as the home of the Dalai Lamas, including the current (14th) Dalai Lama who now is in exile in India. In addition to living quarters for the Dalai Lamas, it also includes numerous temples, prayer assembly halls, funeral stupas and monk dormitories. All the Dalai Lamas except the 6th (and of course the 14th who is still alive) are entombed in the Palace (the 6th died outside of the Palace when visiting Eastern Tibet and his stupa is located there). The Palace was also used as a seat of government during Tibet’s history. No photography is allowed within the interior zones of the Potala Palace. However, the Palace has a bookshop that sells books containing color photographs of the many rooms, statutes and wall coverings throughout the complex. It is sold only within the Palace. Of course, we had to buy a copy – both to have the photographs and also to support the Palace.

We spent the entire morning exploring the various areas we were allowed to visit. By the way, if you visit during the peak periods (June, July and August) you only have one hour to stay. Afterwards, we walked out the backside of the Palace. So, you go in via stairs and out via another set of stairs. Of course, the views are different and we had to take time for more shots of the outside of this beautiful building. We eventually worked our way to the People’s Square, a large plaza constructed at the base of the Potala Palace where Chinese influence was made very strong in the city. From it, Ed was able to take some great shots of the entire complex. It is one of those amazing places and is difficult to imagine or appreciate unless you have visited it in person. Ed also did a bit of shopping. He was followed by a woman who insisted Ed buy a bracelet (which we later found out was an amulet hand carved from yak teeth to ward off evil spirits) from her. Eventually, she dropped her price from 100 Yuan to 20 Yuan (~3$) so a deal was struck.

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	The Potala Palace as seen from People's Square
	The entrance to Potala Palace
	We're actually here!
	A closer view of the Palace
	The stairs which begin the trek into Potala Palace
	A building at the base of the stairs as seen from part-way up the stairs into Potala Palace
	Pilgrims on more of the stairs that we too had to ascend
	Urgyan shows us that the red parts of the Palace are made from sticks
	The actual entry into the Palace
	A "protector" painted at the entry to the Palace to keep out evil
	Another "protector" painted on the opposite wall
	An interior courtyard (also note how blue the sky is; amazing!)
	A view of Lhasa from Potala Palace
	Another view of Lhasa with Drepung Monastery barely visible just to the right of center near the base of the mountains
	Prayer Wheels at the exit as well as pilgrims in traditional garb carrying their own prayer wheels

When we left the Palace, we drove into the center of town and enjoyed a Chinese lunch with Urgyan and Jimmy. We convinced them to share our table and it was great fun having them join us. Again, it was a feast – soup featuring cucumber and seaweed; yak with green & red peppers; tomatoes with scrambled egg; sautéed winter melon; and sautéed cauliflower and broccoli. Knowing we had a buffet dinner awaiting us this evening, we had the boys eat as much as they could while we tried to hold back (despite it all being delicious).

After enjoying lunch, we walked to the Jokhang Temple which is situated in the center of Lhasa. It is viewed as one of the most important monasteries in Lhasa. Construction on it began in 647. It too began as a small complex and was expanded during the time of the 5th Dalai Lama. Jokhang is one of the monasteries of learning like Sera. If we understood correctly, it advances the philosophical discussions to an even higher level than those undertaken at Sera Monastery.

Again, photographs were allowed only outside of the Monastery and in its entry courtyard. The place was absolutely packed with pilgrims. After visiting Jokhang, they then walked clockwise praying and spinning their prayer wheels around the exterior of the building. The walk wasn’t too long as the complex is somewhat compact. This was also done at the Potala Palace but was a much bigger undertaking given its size.

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	The plaza before Jokhang Monastery
	The Monastery entry
	A courtyard inside Jokhang
	A Monastery building
	A beautifully painted hall and a solitary monk
	Pilgrims with their own prayer wheels (note the traditional dress, esp. the woven aprons)
	Another group of pilgrims

We ended our afternoon by visiting a local crafts shop followed by walking through the bazaar surrounding the Jokhang Temple. It was amazing how many individuals were selling goods. We decided, however, to hold off on most of our purchases until our upcoming visit to towns on the way to Mount Everest.

SATURDAY, 24 APRIL: We were picked up by Urgyan and Jimmy at 8:45AM and we headed out of Lhasa. We were headed into the high country and we mean really high. Initially, we drove through valleys along side a river. Then, we started the trek up on switchback roads. Our initial stop was at a pass at 4,900 meters (~16,100 feet) where we enjoyed great view of Yamdrok Yumtso Lake. The lake is glacial and was an incredibly vivid green. Then, the backdrop to the lake was an incredible mountain, Nachen Kalsang. Urgyan told was it was 7,000 meters (~23,000 feet) tall. Wow! We took some photographs and we learned we would later pass near Nachen Kalsang so that we would be able to get pictures of its beautiful glaciers.

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	The river valley we followed to leave Lhasa
	Our winding road as the climb begins
	Yamdrok Yumtso Lake, Nachen Kalsang Mountain and a small Tibetan village of the left
	A closer view of Nanchen Kalsang towering 23,000 feet tall

We continued driving and actually went down a bit in altitude. We passed numerous villages and herds of livestock, primarily sheep. Most of the local Tibetans are farmers and herders but their villages now have electricity and, in some instances, you can see a TV dish. So, changes are happening!

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We stopped in a small town for lunch. We enjoyed vegetarian noodle soup, sautéed eggplant and curried potatoes. Yummy! Afterwards, we continued driving through a valley until we once again started a trek up the hills. Near 2:00PM, we reached a turnout at Karola Pass at 5,000 meters (~16,500 feet) with great views of the Nachen Kalsang glacier. It was spectacular! There was a beautiful stupa not too far from the glacier’s base and Ed was able to capture it too.

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We then continued our trek and again went downhill and into a valley. There were villages and farms throughout the area. It was amazing to look at the landscape. It had to be a geologist’s dream! The hills looked like they were molded putty with all different colors and angles. The environment continued to be desert-like (somewhat like the Mojave) but with more and taller mountains and quite a few snow capped.

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About 3:00PM, we arrived in the town of Gyangtse at 4,000 meters (~13,100 feet) and checked into the Gyangtse Hotel for the evening. The hotel was quite nice and offered an oxygen concentrator for a fee. Urgyan told us that many people can’t sleep at this altitude and some have to be moved to lower altitudes. On an aside, neither one of us had any issues with the altitude at any point during the day or night. The hotel had some great views of an ancient hilltop fortress. This was the first fort we’ve seen in Tibet. At 3:30PM, we drove through town and up to the Baiju Monastery. It was erected in 1418 and its magnificent stupa was built in 1427. There are multiple buildings and chapels in the complex. We visited the main building and enjoyed looking at the various Buddha statutes. It was surprisingly busy but Urgyan said that many locals make weekend pilgrimages. It was another amazing place and off the beaten path by any standards.

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	A view of the ancient hilltop fortress above Gyangtse
	The entry to Baiju Monastery (Note the Prayer Wheels on left & right)
	An overview of the Monastery and its setting
	The temple and stupa
	A close-up of the temple
	A close-up of the stupa
	The entry into the temple
	The altar and Buddha
	The traditional butter offering
	A beautiful tapestry
	Columns of handwritten scriptures
	A beautiful golden urn
	Us in front of the Monastery's stupa

Afterwards we returned to the hotel. We met Urgyan and Jimmy for a 6:30PM dinner at the hotel. It was an incredible feast with yak meat, vegetables, three kinds of soup (radish, chicken and noodle), lamb, duck and chicken. Unfortunately, we all ate way too much and none of us could enjoy the fresh fruit that followed. Afterwards, we returned to our room to cull some of the incredible photographs as well as catch up on the diary and then enjoy a great night’s sleep.

SUNDAY, 25 APRIL: This morning we met Urgyan and Jimmy for breakfast at 8:00AM. Then, everyone gathered up for a 9:00AM departure. Today we headed to Shigatse, our home for the evening at the low altitude of 3,900 meters (~12,800 feet) but a bit higher than Lhasa. The drive was only 90KM so we arrived at about 10:30AM. En route we took time to stop at a water wheel used for grinding barley. It was pretty amazing how quickly the barley was turned into flour. Urgyan and Jimmy each had some grain ground to take to their respective homes.

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	The grismill
	Two water wheels used for powering the grinding stones
	Inside the mill with two grinding units
	A closer view of barley being turned into flour
	A yak on the roadside as we're leaving the grismill (Note: Behind the yak, yak dung drying in the sun. This is the principal fuel and heating source in Tibet.)

Once we arrived in Shigatse, we drove immediately to the Ta Shi Lhun Po Monastery. This Monastery is one of the four “Yellow Hat” sect monasteries in Tibet. It was founded by the first Dalia Lama in 1447. However, it is home to the Banchan Lamas (different from the Dalai Lamas who are the heads of Buddhism much as the Pope is the head of Catholicism). Inside its chapels, are beautiful golden stupas housing the remains of the 5th through 9th Banchan Lamas. The monastery also houses the largest sitting Maitreya Buddha Statute which is 27 meters (~89 feet). We have beautiful pictures of the outsides of many of the buildings and a few stupas. However, we have no pictures of the interior of any of the buildings. Most monasteries and/or temples charge a nominal fee (10 Yuan to 25 Yuan) for photographs. At the Ta Shi Lhun Po, the fees were 150 Yuan so we passed. (We’re going to have to give someone a business lesson. Having ten people paying 15 Yuan ultimately will a much greater return than turning off people with a 150 Yuan (about $22USD) fee and getting nothing.)

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	An overview of the enormous Ta Shi Lhun Monastery
	The actual entry into the monastery complex
	The roof-lines of the various elements of the monastery
	One of the narrow walkways we used to access the main temple
	Urgyan, our Tibetan guide, at the prayer wheels (He is a devout Buddhist)
	A view of the temple set high at the back of the complex
	This is the entrance to a multilevel courtyard containing the main temple
	The main temple
	Looking into the temple courtyard from one of the surrounding buildings
	A closer view of decorations on the temple (Note: The red room in the foreground is made of bundles of sticks.)
	Urgyan outside the temple

Afterwards we drove to the Shigatse Hotel and took a quick break from 12:30-1:00PM before sharing lunch together. We went to a Chinese restaurant not too far from the hotel and enjoyed a great meal.

We all returned to the hotel and went our separate ways. Urgyan had to go obtain another Travel Permit on our behalf so that we could go to Mount Everest. Jimmy set about cleaning and waxing the car. We went for a walk since we were staying in the central area. We stopped at several stores. Our only purchase was a pair of sunglasses to give to Urgyan as a gift. It was amazing to us that at these high altitudes he didn’t know about eye protection. At dinner time, we presented the sunglasses to Urgyan. He was a bit taken back but at the end of the dinner he couldn’t thank us enough.

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MONDAY, 26 APRIL: Well, we all decided it was Jimmy’s fault because he washed and waxed the car. After having breakfast, we checked out of the hotel at 8:45AM and it was snowing. Not much, mind you but it was snowing. However, as we made our way towards Tso La Pass at 4,000 meters, the snow turned into a heavy sleet. As we drove along, all cars put their flashers on for better visibility. We had to wonder a bit as Jimmy began chanting prayers. Thankfully, however, the sleet subsided as the storm passed. The sun finally started breaking through and the moisture quit before we made the pass. Then, we headed down into another huge valley.

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	The dusting of snow as we left Shigatse
	This marker says we're 5,000KM (over 3,000 miles) from Shanghai (or a long way away!)
	A view of Tso La Pass
	Ed at Tso La Pass at 4,000 meters (~13,200 feet) standing in fresh snow left from the morning

Once into the valley, we took a side road about 15KM through a canyon to visit Sakya Monastery. The monastery has two parts. The original was constructed in 1073 and is located on the hillside. We visited the second part which was built in 1268 and now has a small village outside its gates. As soon as we entered, Urgyan had to produce our most recent travel permit (which we thought was only needed for Everest but we learned it was needed for the entire province).

After finishing formalities, we visited two chapels, both prayer halls and in the first one we were the only guests. So, we paid the nominal fee for Ed to take photographs. After visiting the second prayer hall (this was the larger of the two) we were able to climb up a steep set of stairs to access the roof of the monastery. We were able to look down on the inner courtyard where we had just stood. Pretty neat!

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	The entry to Sakya Monastery with prayer wheels on either side and an incense burner in the foreground
	The brightly painted interior courtyard
	The entry into the first temple
	The interior of the temple
	A statute with the "red hat" to designate its sect of Buddhism
	A highly-decorated Protector
	The larger second temple
	One of the corridors at the second temple
	A view down of the steep stairs we had to climb to access the roof
	The temple's roof top and moon-like setting
	Another view from the roof with stupas placed outside the walls

After leaving the monastery we drove to the town of Lhatsi where we had lunch. As we were leaving, some of the employees (all girls) asked Ed to take their photographs with Lindy. Then, it became a free-for-all where all the girls wanted photographs together, alone, in groups, etc. Even the mother of one of the girls wanted in. Ed spent time taking photographs for everyone and then we had Urgyan explain that we would send the photographs to him and he subsequently would deliver them to the girls on one of his trips. That made everyone very happy.

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	This young woman wanted to pose wearing Lindy's sunglasses (look at how thick her braid is)
	Two different girls posing for the camera
	Lindy and "The Girls" (Note: "Mom" is on the far left and she continues to wear the traditional garb)

We then resumed our journey to Tingri, our home for the next two nights in our quest to reach Mount Everest Base Camp. To do so, we went over Gatsola Pass at 5,248 meters (~17,230 feet). Of course, we stopped to take photographs and walk around. We both felt great and had no problems. That was a huge plus since we were active at the same altitude of the Mt. Everest Base Camp. At times, Mt. Everest (or Qomolangma – “Cho-mo-lang-ma” in Tibetan) is visible from the pass but no so today. However, we still got great views of the high country.

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	A roadway sign advising we are entering Qomolangma National Nature Preserve (home of Qomolangma or Mr. Everest)
	Ed at Gatsola Pass The market states the elevation is 5,248 meters or 17,287 feet. WOW!
	A nearby glacier
	Views of our road leading into the high country of Mt. Everest

We then passed the Everest cut-off road which we will use tomorrow to access Mt. Everest. We reached Tingri and checked into our hotel. It was just barely a hotel at that. We did have a room and it had private facilities (which leaked terribly) and electricity sometimes (but with some exposed wiring) and a roof over our heads (which had leaked terribly and destroyed much of the wallpaper and ceiling). However, it had no heat or hot water – pretty amazing for a place that reaches below zero centigrade (32 degrees F) every night even this time of year. We inquired about renting a portable heater but no luck. The electric system couldn’t handle it. The hotel does have 10 heated rooms but they were taken by other guests. So, we wore our down jackets while in the hotel and slept in clothes under multiple comforters. Guess this is a “hotel” in the bush.

TUESDAY, 27 APRIL: Today was a true adventure. We had a quick breakfast with Urgyan and Jimmy at 7:00AM in semi-light (the dining room lights went off due to blackouts so the curtains were opened so we could try to see). We left at 7:30AM. Overnight we had real snow –2”- 4” – not just a dusting – and everything was covered. It was ~28F when we left. Thankfully, we were in our down jackets and gloves because the car was cold as we began the day.

We drove on a paved road about 15 minutes before reaching the turnoff to Mt. Everest. Here, we had our first check of credentials as we went inside a military check-point and everyone had their identification reviewed and recorded. Then, we went through a small village. At the village end we once again had to go through a review by the equivalent of the Chinese Parks Department to ensure all permits had been purchased. Finally, we began the road to Mt. Everest. It’s 100KM of unpaved, bouncy, narrow, winding road. The road had about 4” of fresh snow and was icy. Thankfully, Jimmy has great driving skills as he had to correct for skids on almost every curve. Quite the thrill as the road is going up a steep incline (you could see the ribbon of road beneath us since there were essentially no guardrails) in our quest to reach our first pass at 5,200 meters.

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	Our snowy morning
	Typical village housing consisting of a two story home with a courtyard to keep the animals in at night
	What the drive looked like from Jimmy's perspective
	Our winding, snowy, steep road with no guardrails

We stopped briefly at the pass primarily as a break for Jimmy. The 24KM it took to reach the pass took us over an hour! We took a few photographs but the morning was cloudy and Mt. Everest wasn’t visible. So, we continued on our trek which went through a huge valley with multiple small villages. We didn’t see many other vehicles but we did have to wait at one point for a herd of yak that had jammed the road.

As we began to leave the valley, we once again had to stop for a credentials check, this time at a road-side shack with a rope barrier. Thankfully, it went quickly and we continued on our way. Ultimately, the road took us to a Tibetan tent-camp about 2 miles below the Everest Base Camp and at an altitude of 17,000 feet. It was now 10:30AM. It had taken three hours to get there and Mt. Everest was not visible. So Urgyan suggested we have tea in one of the many tent hotels that some tourists use to have two chances to see Mt. Everest – one on the afternoon of arrival and one on the morning of the following day.

We made ourselves comfortable on the many padded couches (also used as beds) and our hostess kept our tea glasses full. The tent was nice and cozy because it had a stove that used dried yak dung (and some sheep dung) for heating and cooking. We sipped tea and relaxed as Urgyan watched the clouds move in and about Mt. Everest.

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At 12:00 noon, Urgyan said it was time to go. We thought that Jimmy would drive us to Base Camp but instead we were required to use a tourist bus. No cars or busses allowed past the tent camp without a special permit. The bus ride was fine especially if you like the “Nascar experience.” Thankfully, there was no snow as the sun had melted everything away.

When the bus stopped at base camp at an altitude of ~17,250 feet, we went through another full credentials and permit review by the military. Once we got the go-ahead, we were able to hike down a small road and then climb up a steep trail on a small outcropping and then, WOW!! First, there was a huge meadow below us that had an amazing number of camps set up by mountaineers. They are required to spend two weeks acclimatizing to the altitude before proceeding to hike Mt. Everest. So, it was a bit of a surprise to see so many groups getting ready. Most of these groups never get near the top of Everest but they do some hiking along the base and some may get to Camp One or Camp Two (Camp Three at 28,000 feet is the final camp before the assault to the top).

Then, the view of Mt. Everest…. OH MY GOD!! At first its peak was covered in thin clouds and then it slowly cleared and into came into full view. It was totally awesome! The highest peak on earth at 8844.43 meters (29,039 feet)! The pictures hardly do justice to this magnificent mountain. We were thrilled that we were actually seeing Mt. Everest from the point at which its many famous climbers began the trek. Another, WOW! However, we were saddened when Urgyan informed us that just yesterday two Nepalese sherpas died on Everest and some of the climbers were injured. It was due to very high winds, extreme cold and a snowstorm that hit us as far down as Tingri. Very sad but it happens every year.

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	Our "official" arrival at Qomolangma (sign courtesy of the military outpost)
	Looking down from our outcropping onto Everest Base Camp
	Mount Everest - UNBELEIVABLE!
	Another view of this AMAZING mountain - the world's highest
	Our guide, Urgyan, in front of Mt. Everest (proudly wearing his first pair of sunglasses)
	We're actually at the Base Camp of Mt. Everest with the sun showing all the mountain's beauty
	A closer view of this magical mountain
	Another view of Mt. Everest's peak cradled by clouds in the background

We were allowed to stay at the Base Camp until 1:30PM when our bus driver did the multiple honking signal of “you must leave now.” We returned back to the Tibetan tent camp and enjoyed a quick lunch of rice and cabbage. Urgyan and Jimmy brought barley flour to make their traditional starch dish (tsampe pronounced “zam-ba”). They mixed tea with the flour to make a sticky ball and ate it without any cooking. They also ordered some yak meat with cabbage as an accompaniment. As we got ready to leave, our hostess brought out a cured yak leg (Tibetan proscuitto) which she asked us to drop off at her guest house in a village we passed along the way. So, it was loaded into the back of the vehicle.

At 2:30PM we started the trek back down to Tingri, our home base and non-heated hotel. The drive was a bit nicer in that the ice was gone but it seemed even bumpier as a result. One key plus is that we did have views of the top of Mt. Everest. Still very impressive. Again, we stopped at the 5,200 meter pass for a quick break. At this time, Mt. Everest was once again being shy so photography was tough but we could still see it. We continued on and were at the military check-point we first stopped at en route this morning at 5:00PM. Again, we had to go inside for the same credentials check. It went quickly and we then were back on paved road and reached Tingri in about 15 minutes for a total of 2 hours and 45 minutes for the return trip and nearly 10 hours for the day. As an aside, Urgyan told us that the small tour busses that bring small groups of people to the Base Camp have to go much slower than our Toyota Land Cruiser and take six hours each way. In order to go in groups, you have to stay overnight at the Tibetan tent camp.

All and all, it was a very wonderful day. We were somewhat amazed that we stayed at the tent-camp/Base Camp elevation of over 17,000 feet for about four hours and neither one of us suffered at all from the altitude. That, along with the view of Mt. Everest, made for an exceptional day.

WEDNESDAY, 28 APRIL: We had an early breakfast of breads and jams and left the hotel at 8:30AM. We must add that we once again had our meal in our down jackets as we have had at every meal at this establishment. The sky was absolutely clear so as we left and began our climb back to Gatsola Pass we were able to take some final photographs of Mt. Everest (Qomolangma). We waved goodbye and thought how lucky we were indeed to see this beautiful mountain two days in a row.

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The balance of the trip was a repeat drive for us back to Shigatse. We arrived near noon and stopped for a lunch of noodle soup and potato momo’s near the monastery. We then went into the old tent market. Ed bargained a bit and we bought a prayer wheel decorated in Sanskrit and included in its interior are scriptures on a long roll written in Tibetan. The prayer wheel looks very old but we're not sure if it was made to look old; but then again, why? We considered it a bargain and we contributed to the local economy.

After shopping, we drove to the hotel and checked in early afternoon. After first enjoying hot showers and relaxing for a bit in a real hotel room, we spent the balance of the afternoon and early evening reviewing photographs and working on this diary.

We met Urgyan and Jimmy in the dining room a little before 7:00PM. Unfortunately, we didn’t have dinner together as all guests had a shared table and all guides/drivers had a shared table. There were some government executives at the hotel who were having a special dinner followed by Tibetan entertainment. So, a buffet was prepared for all others eating dinner at the hotel rather than the normal sit-down dinner.

After we finished eating, Urgyan and Jimmy joined us at our table. We brought along the computer and we previously had put together all photographs we had taken of either of them. So, we did a quick slide show of those photographs. Of course, all the employees in the dining area wanted to have a peak too. So, we showed it several times. Then, we also shared some of the photographs we had taken of Mt. Everest (Mt. Qolomangma). These were a huge hit too. So, it was a nice way to end our final evening together.

THURSDAY, 29 APRIL: We met Urgyan and Jimmy for breakfast at 8:00AM. Afterwards, we checked out of the hotel and were on the road at 8:30AM. For us, it was new scenery as we didn’t drive directly from Lhasa to Shigatse on our way to Mt. Everest but instead went by way of Gyangtse.

For the most part, the drive was through major valleys as we went down in elevation until reaching Lhasa. En route, we did stop at several villages for photographs. We also stopped at a home where incense is made. After making a purchase, we were invited to see the inside of the owner’s home. It was interesting in that it had multiple rooms, each of which had been hand-painted in a similar manner to the monasteries we visited. We also found it interesting that the home had its own prayer room (and a large one at that) with an altar to Buddha. As part of our drive back to Lhasa, we followed the Yarlung Zangbo River. At times, it was part of a narrow gorge. During the summer rainy season Urgyan told us there are lots of whitewater rafters enjoying the ride.

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	Yaks and individuals working in the flat lands
	A ferry crossing the Yarlung Zango River (see how its still glacial due to the color)
	Manpower makes the ferry move
	The incense shop with living quarters above
	Jimmy is overseeing an individual cutting the long strips of incense into smaller sticks
	Incense drying in the sun
	The upstairs living area of the incense shop owner and his family
	Another living area with painted cabinets for storage
	The brightly painted deck in the upper living quarters

We stopped for lunch in a small town along the roadway. Evidently they don’t see many Westerners as we were quite an attraction. Lunch consisted of yak momo’s and vegetarian soup, both delicious. Afterwards, some 11 year old girls wanted to practice English with Lindy for a few minutes before we left.

We arrived at Lhasa about 2:45PM and were at The Sheraton at 3:00PM. Before going inside, we presented each of Urgyan and Jimmy with a New Mexico t-shirt along with some chocolate to share at home (we previously had given them some chocolates each day but saved some good ones for last). We also gave them each an envelope with their well-earned tip money.

We enjoyed our final dinner in Tibet (for this trip) at The Sheraton and toasted a wonderful trip before calling in an evening.

FRIDAY, 30 APRIL: Urgyan and Jimmy picked us up at 8:00AM for the one hour drive back to the Lhasa Airport. As we departed, we said THUCHICHE (Thank You in Tibetan pronounced “toe-chichee”) for sharing a wonderful adventure with us! We also want to thank TravelChinaGuide for their Tibet travel expertise. For additional details from that agency, see http://www.travelchinaguide.com/tour/tibet/ .

	A "dust devil" along side the road
	Another high-mountain glacial lake
	Some amazing geology
	The high-mountain desert

	Arrival at the Tibetan tent camp
	Lindy and our hostess inside the colorful, cozy tent
	Our hostess stoking the fire made with dried yak dung
	The dung fuel catching hold

	Some of Tibet's high country as seen on our plane en route to Lhasa
	The scenery on our drive from the airport into Lhasa (a dry valley surrounded by mountains)

	A traditional home with yak dung drying on the walls (this is a primary heating and cooking fuel source)
	A herder with sheep

	The left side of Nanchen Kalsang glacier
	The right side of Nanchen Kalsang glacier
	The stupa at the base of this enormous glacier with Wind Horses (Prayer Flags)

	Urgyan (left) and Jimmy (right)
	Enjoying dinner together at The Shigatse Hotel