On the Roof of the World

Our permit to travel Tibet was mailed from Lhasa the day before we were to leave and the wait was painful. We had decided to arrange our trip through a local Tibetan guide living in Lhasa, rather than supporting the government travel agency. The cost would be substantially less than the agency and we were promised to use only Tibetan-run hotels and restaurants. He seemed very nice over the phone but had a relaxed approach to the process, telling us our permit would definitely arrive on time...maybe...if not the next day. Our train was due to leave at 8:30 and by 7pm we were still waiting for our envelope to arrive, bags packed and ready to go. We were all worried, we would lose the money we spent on the tickets and the next train wouldn't leave for 2 days; worst of all the permit would no longer be valid for our itinerary and some people had visas expiring before we would leave the country. The manager of our guesthouse was great, tracking down the envelope to a bike courier (who had an accident) and then to a van driver's cell phone who was stuck in traffic. Only in China could you track down the individual carrying your letter! The envelope arrived at 7:30 and we were in a mad rush to get to the train station. Since there were a shortage of cabs, 5 of us crammed into one with all of our bags unable to move during the 20 minutes to the station! We arrived just in time, the police taking photos of each of our passports with the permit before allowing us to board. We were on our way; Alex and Laurin, a couple from Switzerland, Sara and Maria, swedish girls on break, David, a soft-spoken English man from London and Ryusuke, a quiet and shy Japanese man. We all rushed to board the train and settled in for the 48 hour ride.

The train was comfortable with 6 beds in each cabin, a dining car just a short walk away. We celebrated the arrival of our permit and had a great night drinking beers and playing cards. Then we awoke at 4am to a little girl in our cabin belting out songs. It was difficult to be angry, she was so adorable, but her cuteness quickly wore off as the hours passed and we tried our best to fall back asleep. We saw an incredible sunrise as the train headed into the mountains, then put in earplugs and drifted back to sleep. Sometimes sleep is the best way to pass a long train journey. We woke up in the morning to a changing landscape, we were getting closer to Tibet. After breakfast we just watched the scenery pass by; mountain landscapes, people working in the fields waving and herds of yaks everywhere. On the second night everyone was given an oxygen supply as we were heading to higher elevations. It was fun taking pictures with them but the lack of oxygen was noticed early into the evening (shortness of breath/headaches) and we plugged into the oxygen supply above our beds. We arrived in Lhasa to find our guide waiting, welcomed each of us with a white scarf (a common welcome in Tibet).

Our hotel in Lhasa was close to the Jokhane Temple and in a maze of picturesque cobblestone streets called the Barkhor. We were really here! He walked with us around the city, catching sunset over the mountains of Lhasa. That evening our guide told us the story of his life. He grew up in a nomadic family moving from place to place as many Tibetans do. When he was 6 years old his parents decided to send him to the monastery so he could receive a proper education. He studied to be a monk for 10 years before leaving the monastery to pursue work instead. He fell in love with a girl but unfortunately her parents did not give him their blessing. At the time he was working odd jobs and could only speak the Tibetan language so they felt he would not be able to provide for their daughter. He decided to move to Lhasa to study for his tour guide license. He studied chinese and english language; receiving his license just a few years ago. We were actually his first solo group outside of a travel agency. We woke up in the morning to our guide happily putting out breakfast. We were trying "duma" and "samba", a traditional Tibetan breakfast dish. It's made with barley flour, dried female yak cheese and yak butter, mixed and eaten with one finger. The duma has a consistency of oatmeal while samba can be molded into a ball, sometimes adding a bit of sugar. It fills you up and stays with you for hours! Then we were off to explore Lhasa.

Lhasa is a magical city and its impossible not to be drawn into the spiritual beauty. The men and woman doing their daily chora, spinning prayer wheels and thumbing beads as they walk in a clockwise circle around the city praying. Some people perform 50+ choras each day, repeating mantras as they walk the circle. We followed the devoted around the city, watching people throw incense and sage into burning urns as an offering to the gods. You see pilgrims performing their prostrations coming from far off distances in Tibet. It's truly a serene experience to witness. Then we had our first encounter with the Red Army, marching through the same street with guns ready to fire, walking in a counter-clockwise direction against the flow of people; offensive to the Buddhist faith. It's a horrific site to see the devoted moving around them, completely intimidated by their power.

We came to the Jokhane temple, the holiest monastery in the Tibetan Buddhist world, to see hundreds of people performing prostrations at the entrance. The king built the Jokhane in the seventh century to house the dowry brought by his Nepalese bride. As the story goes, the King had a vision while meditating that beneath the land of Tibet lay a huge, sleeping demoness with her head in the east, feet to the west and heart beneath Lhasa. It was decided that monasteries would be built on suitable points to pin her to the earth. The king commissioned to have 12 monasteries built, four around Lhasa to pin her at hips and shoulders, a set of four further away to pin her at elbows and knees and four even more distant to pin her hands and feet. When those were finished, construction of the Jokhane began, to pin her heart. Although photographs are not allowed, the temple is beautiful inside; from the roof we could see the entire square and as far as the Potala Palace but it's sad to see the army presence; men on the roof performing military exercises, snipers perched on opposite buildings while men with guns roamed the streets, able to shoot anyone without provocation. We were warned ahead of time to not take any photos of military, it was very important, but from the roof we were able to get some shots of the military presence.

After leaving the Jokhane Temple, we went for lunch at a local restaurant and walked a bit of the market. We went to the Drepung Monastery in the afternoon; a beautiful place but sadly housing very few monks since since the March protests, and most of the monastery has been closed by the government. There are still over 1,000 protesters unaccounted for in Tibet-including 80 monks from the Drepung Monastery. This monastery used to be one of the largest in Tibet, once housing 10,000 monks and now it seems to be just a shell; only a few monks walking the grounds. Amnesty International reports that close to 100 people have been arrested in recent house searches; police looking for those who may have participated in the protests or who have pictures of the Dalai Lama in their home. Many monks have simply disappeared, executed or placed into work camps while many have been sentenced to 3-9 years imprisonment for discussing lack of freedom in Tibet and the Dalai Lama. Currently there is a government-imposed campaign which forces monks to write denunciations of the Dalai Lama. One well known monk named Jigme Guri was dragged from his home after the March protests, tortured and held for 2 months, then re-arrested for discussing his ordeal with foreign media. The whole situation is depressing and difficult to comprehend why.

Once we left the Drepung Monastery, we went back to the hotel for a relaxing evening, getting momos and french fries on the street and having an early dinner. Although you are advised to not drink alcohol when you are acclimatizing to the higher elevations, it was Laurin's birthday so we had to go out and celebrate. Our guide doesn't drink but came along anyway. The streets are deserted at night with the exception of military and he wanted to make sure they didn't give us any problems. Our guide took us to a local bar which had traditional Tibetan dance and songs. When that bar was closing, our guide woke up his friend so we could continue to party at his place. We had a great night out.

The next morning, Matt went to the nunnery while I walked around Lhasa. David and I walked around Lhasa and it's surprising to see how many cameras are installed all over the city; even in the small alleys there are cameras and sound bugs. No wonder so many signs in restaurants say "No Whispering". If you are caught speaking about Tibet issues or the Dalai Lama, it could mean a long jail sentence or execution. While Matt was waiting in the square with the rest of the group, he watched military police seize a monk and an old woman with a baby on her back; guns aimed at everyone, even the baby. They were soon surrounded by military and dragged off down a side alley, everyone standing there helpless to prevent it. It put a damper on everyone's day, you read about these things happening but to actually witness it is heartbreaking.

We left for the Potala Palace, once the winter home of the Dalai Lama. Although we had seen it from a distance we were blown away standing in front. We walked with pilgrims up the many steps leading to the top; everyone out of breath from the altitude. There are over 1,000 rooms but most of the palace is off limits. In fact, the Red Army stays here now, and every room has cameras and sound bugs - as do all Tibetan monasteries (paid for with part of a UNESCO World Heritage Grant). Although photographs are not allowed inside, it's beautiful, pilgrims moving from altar to altar with offerings of scarves, money and yak butter; unfortunately, the caretaker monks are not allowed to wear their robes. We were informed ahead of time to not discuss anything regarding Tibet as the Potala is heavily monitored, you could see a 360 degree camera in every room and corridor. After our tour, when we were away from prying eyes, our guide asked us if we wanted to see the only picture left in Lhasa of the Dalai Lama. Of course we all wanted to see this secret photo, it seems absurd that no photographs of him are allowed. He told us we would have to look closely for it as it is barely noticeable and brought us into a Chinese souvenir shop. We walked through many rooms of jewelry, art, rugs, following the staircase down to the exit and there he was. A big picture of a high lama and in the background, far in the corner of the lama's wall, was a portrait of His Holiness. No one had noticed it yet so it has not been confiscated. Our guide was very proud of his discovery and excited to have just that little picture to look at.

After the Potala Palace, we went to the Norbulingka; the summer palace of the Dalai Lama, which is set within a picturesque park. We had a nice walk and then went back to the hotel for an early night. We were leaving for Namtso Lake in the morning; a 4 hour drive from Lhasa. When we returned to the hotel, we sat down and talked with the hotel manager. He's from Lhasa but went to school in the US and England, receiving his master's in Tibetan Studies. He only returned to Lhasa to run the family hotel after talking to his Mother, she said something disturbing to him and out of her character, "Come home. Let's just burn together". Since the March protests, China cutoff Tibet from the outside world; access to television, internet and telephone disabled. It has only been since June that the Chinese government has started to open up communications but the military presence has only worsened. The attitude among the younger generation is changing as well, tired of the heavy military presence and the lack of freedom. Tibetan's aren't allowed to have passports unless they spend 3 years in a Chinese school which is basically a brainwashing program. He showed us the camera's that he is being forced to install on each floor of his hotel along with an RFID scanner that he now has to use. It was still safe to talk frankly in his establishment, although not for long. We told him about what happened with the monk and woman and asked him if anything had happened that day. He said that there was a roundup of about 60 people in Lhasa, undocumented pilgrims and monks, while 10 hotels were closed. He said the woman would more than likely be set free but the monk would likely be executed. He then turned off the outside lights to the hotel, he still had one family there on a pilgrimage without proper identity cards and decided to appear closed. We stayed up for another couple of hours talking and went upstairs to sleep. It was hard to sleep thinking about all that we had seen, unable to understand why it had to be this way.

The drive to Namtso Lake was memorable, we had two land cruisers and stopped above the lake to enjoy the view while a snow fight ensued. We took some group pictures and then turned down the snow covered road to the lake. The roads weren't great but our driver was able to maneuver through it. The other driver, however, didn't quite know how to use 4WD. He had to be pushed out 8 times, at one point needing a tow. What was frustrating was, while the group pushed he would either be driving or just looking at his tires, and when the vehicle started moving he would drive far up the road making everyone walk to the car. When the guys offered advice for turning on 4WD he would arrogantly ignore them. Ryusuke, always very sweet and soft spoken, surprised us all when he yelled at the driver not to drive off and leave them again, then mumbling some japanese words! It was really cold out there and at a much higher elevation than Lhasa, everyone was cold, out of breath and exhausted. At one point they discussed turning around but we pushed them to move forward; there was no reason land cruisers could not make this drive. We pressed on and arrived at the lake 2 hours later. At the base we were all exhausted and hungry and ate at the small restaurant near the lake. The owners were sweet, putting out bread and tea for us. Namtso (sky lake) is amazing, it's at 4700m and the second largest lake in Tibet. The lake is turquoise and protected by 2 large boulders; prayer flags swaying in the wind. We all took a well deserved rest along the shore. After a few hours it was time to go and we slowly walked back to our cars. On the way back, we came upon a man in distress. He was part of a small tour group going to the lake but their car had broken down. They had been waiting for close to 5 hours for road assistance and one man had altitude sickness, on his last canister of oxygen, We offered to take him with us to the nearest hospital but the driver flatly refused. He would not risk driving to a military checkpoint with someone not on his permit, even refusing to drop him off before the military checkpoint. As we were arguing over taking the man, another jeep drove up and agreed to get him to a hospital. It was the final straw for driver number 2, and we discussed with our guide that evening about finding a replacement. No one seemed to like this man, even our guide and the other driver.

We were exhausted by the time we arrived back to the hotel, eating dinner and going straight to bed. The next morning, we found out that we had a new driver and we were on our way. It snowed in Lhasa the night before and everything was covered in white. We took the longer, scenic route 260 km south to Gyantse, stopping along the way at Yamdrok Tso. We didn't know what to expect as we climbed the cliff but at the top was the most breathtaking lake we've ever seen; turquoise water in a backdrop of mountains. After about 5 more hours of driving we arrived in Gyantse; a small, relaxed village. We walked up to the fortress for sunrise and went to the famous Gyantse Kumbum (meaning "a Hundred Thousand Images"). The Kumbum has 8 levels with narrow steps and small doorways along each floor. I hit my head hard on one low doorway and our guide said I was blessed by Buddha. We stayed in Gyantse for the night, celebrating the election results! We only had about 2 minutes of coverage on CCTV but it was great to see. We left the following morning for Shigatse, home to the Panchen Lama and the second largest city in Tibet. There is a beautiful market to walk through with everything from prayer beads and incense to meat and yak butter. Although the town is nice, the monastery is a sad reminder of the kidnapping of the Panchen Lama by the Chinese government just over 10 years ago.

The next morning we went to Sakya and visited the monastery there. The building is mongol-style and you can walk along the surrounding walls with beautiful scenery all around. On one side was a school, and it was interesting to see children as young as 10 years old with pick-axes digging out rocks in the school yard, the Chinese flag floating high. We stopped in Sakya for just a few hours and kept driving to Shekar, a small town at the base of the Himalayas. We passed from one military checkpoint to another, sometimes being required to exit the car and give passports. At many of them, children would come running from the nearby village to meet us, hair disheveled, faces covered in dirt and beautiful. We arrived in Shekar which was just one small street at the edge of the Himalayan plateau. The best thing about Shekar was the food; great yak burgers, momos, potatoes, soups.

We left Shekar at 5am and stopped at an incredible viewpoint for sunrise. We could see 5 of the highest mountains in the world, Mount Everest towering in the center. It was breathtaking to see for the first time, all of us ecstatic to finally catch a glimpse of the mountain. We then drove another 4 hours to Rongbuk Monastery, at 4,980m it's the highest monastery in the world and Mount Everest Base Camp was just 8km away. We stayed at a guesthouse run by the monastery and although the accommodation was limited, the views of Everest were amazing. We were staying four people to a room and the bathroom was in an outside shed with a hole dug in the ground. It was fine though, just for one night. We sat on rocks in the warm sun, looking at the mountain taking it all in. For Tibetans, Choomalooma (Mount Everest) is sacred and has a heart and mind of her own. Our guide told us Choomalooma must be happy with us, many times she covers her face in a blanket of clouds, unable to be seen. He said about 50% that come never see the mountain, so she must like us very much. The next morning we left for Everest Base Camp (5150m), climbing a hill of prayer flags and scarves. We found comfortable spots amongst the rocks and just stared at the mountain, set before a deep blue sky and not a cloud in site. It's a serene experience to be there, so quiet and peaceful. We stayed for a few hours before saying goodbye and going back to the monastery.

We still had a long way to go before we would reach Nepal, The roads are rough, mainly dirt and rock passes through near desolate countryside. We had a flat tire along the way, with nothing around but some sheep and a couple of herders. Two of the herders came to the car, not really to help but to see what happened. We waited for the tire to be changed and shared some snacks with them. The only motorist who passed was on a horse, stopping for just a moment to see what was going on. We were soon back on the road to Tingri, a small village about 5 hours drive away. It was a bumpy ride getting there but beautiful countryside. After checking into our hotel, we explored the village; just one dusty street but so many things to see; a small market, a sheep getting butchered, bull drawn carts carrying people and the locals were all welcoming. The hotel offered a shower, we all desperately wanted to take one after going for 3 days without. It was an outside shower and they had to turn on the generator to heat up the water first. There was just a small spicket of water coming from the ceiling but it was great!

The next morning we were off to Zhangmu, a town close to the Nepalese border. We drove along the Friendship Highway but there is honestly nothing friendly about it. It winds along dirt paths, carved out of the mountains. At times we went over rickety wooden bridges covering 1,000 ft drops, sharp turns with no room for oncoming cars and no guardrails at the edge. At one point we drove under a waterfall, water hitting the roof through wooden planks unable to fully divert it from the road. There was beautiful scenery, a mountain gorge with waterfalls dotting the green landscape. The climate changed as well, from high altitudes and cold to warm, oxygen rich air. There is almost a reverse side effect after you have acclimatized to the higher elevations. It makes you feel a bit dizzy to suddenly have an abundance of oxygen. After 5 hours of driving and praying, we reached Zhangmu. It's a bit seedy, as many border towns are, but it's impossible not to see the beauty; the town literally clinging to the mountainside. We went out for our last dinner in Tibet, and our guide wouldn't allow us to pick up the check. He told us how happy he was with the trip and said that although he could not leave with us, the scarves could, and handed us each a white scarf. He gave two extra scarves to Matt and I, since we were traveling to Dharamsala; the yellow scarf was to be given to the Dalai Lama and the white scarf to the Tibetan Government in Exile, both filled with money. Since it was our last night together, we went out for some KTV (karaoke). We walked into a small nightclub and although we weren't sure about it at first, we were soon drinking with the locals at the next table and participating in some local dances. Our guide took the stage and sang some beautiful songs and then the shyest guy in the group, David from England, was soon singing as well; people in the club draping white scarves over him. It was a great night out, one that will not be forgotten!

We left early in the morning for the border, just 10 km away but along the same Friendship Highway. The border to Nepal is often closed, not only during political tensions but also because large sections of the highway wash away every year. The road will forever be under construction. We arrived at the border, going through security scanners and customs checks. Once we received our exit stamp, we said our goodbyes to our guide and then walked over the bridge, the river underneath separating China from Nepal. Immigration was a much more relaxed process on the Nepal side, we walked into an office, men smoking cigarettes as they process applications and then walked the form into another office to be signed by one man reading the newspaper. We then walked over the border to the Nepal side and negotiated to have a jeep take us the 2 hours to Kathmandu. We were warned ahead of time that the drive could be longer, many times there are accidents along the highway and you have to drive along dirt roads through the countryside. We came upon an accident and so had to turn down the dirt road. We passed beautiful countryside, endless rice fields with the Annapurna mountains seeming to rise from the clouds. We hugged the edge of the road when buses started coming from the opposite direction while men with clipboards stood at forks in the road, accepting money for route information. It's hard to imagine this rock and dirt single-lane road is the highway detour. Along the way we stopped for food, had the best Nepali thali (rice, dal, veggies, chutney, spinach, raita and papad) for just $1 each. After being in China for so long, unable to speak what is on your mind, we were all talking a mile a minute about things that we saw and experienced in Tibet. It felt like we had been stifled for so long that it was nice to finally be able to talk frankly about China. After lunch, we were back in the jeep and all had sore bottoms when we arrived in Kathmandu 5 hours later. I think we were all thankful though for taking the long detour, being able to see the countryside and way of life in Nepal. We'll post soon about Kathmandu.