khassandraHow to travel to Tibet, the Roof of the World
May 30th 2007 18:37
Two summers ago, I traveled to Lhasa, Tibet, the People's Republic of China, for a month to volunteer at an orphanage/welfare school and did some trips to other areas of Tibet as well, including Mt. Everest Base Camp (the original British base camp, which isn't the one that is primarily used now). It's an awesome place to travel, though there's small chance that you'll be able to communicate much with locals even if you do have your Tibetan phrasebook (or even speak a little Chinese). Tibet is changing quickly, though, with the addition of the railroad from Beijing to Lhasa-- travel options have opened wide for both Han tourists and foreigners, and as a result Lhasa is going to become increasingly more developed at an exponential pace. There are benefits and pitfalls to this-- the good thing is it's easier to travel, and the bad thing is that Tibet is changing fast from what it used to be. But whether you're viewing it as a pessimist or an optimist, it's time to go for a visit.
Arriving in Lhasa and Concerns:
There's no booking a cheap flight to Lhasa--it will run about $2,000 from the cheapest source, and then you'll need to get a travel permit to the Tibet Autonomous Region from a travel agent in China. I went through Chengdu in China, and spoke with an agent there who bought me a ticket for a flight from Chengdu to Lhasa as well as the permit. Agents are fairly easy to find if you do an internet search ahead or time, if you book a hotel ahead of time, or even if you ask at one of the travel information booths in the airport in Chengdu. You can also get this set up if you go to Tibet through a company like the volunteer organization I went with, but this is in no way necessary. You can also fly through Nepal, which is a better route to take if you have a couple of days to hang out and wait for your connecting flight-- it will give you a chance to acclimatize to the altitude, which is a big issue. If you connect immediately, the altitude will definitely get you feeling a little light-headed (at the least), and waiting a few days in Nepal is probably your safest option (physically, since getting too high too fast can cause serious problems like pulmonary or cerebral edema and death). I spent only one night in Chengdu, which was a big mistake because I ended up only getting to see the airport district of Chengdu, which really sucks (like the airport district of any city), and then I felt insane when I got off the plane in Lhasa. It was unreal, and not entirely in a good way.
There's really nothing you can do to prepare for the altitude change in Lhasa, either-- you can bring some Diamox (which will alleviate symptoms of altitude sickness), or purchase canned oxygen at a convenience store in Lhasa, but you'd better go ahead and plan on not being very active for at least a few days. Even climbing stairs in your hotel will wear you out, and if you don't give your body the rest it wants you can have serious complications. I recommend going to Tibet for at least two weeks, and planning to stay in Lhasa for at least the first week of it, doing low-key activities like visiting the Potala Palace and the Jokhang temple, and the Barkor circuit for some shopping. Then, if you're interested in doing some hiking in the area or outside of Lhasa, do it in your second week when you've gotten more acclimated. There are plenty of great hikes in the immediate Lhasa area, as well as some monasteries and various cultural sites, so you can easily plan to spend two weeks in Lhasa alone. Alternatively, spend a week in Lhasa and then rent a land cruiser or take a bus to visit some of the smaller surrounding cities, all of which will have a central temple or monastery to visit and hikes to do (if only the pilgrimage circuit surrounding the temple).
Food, Accommodations, and Conveniences:
I strongly recommend that you stay at the Kirey Hotel in Lhasa-- it's only blocks from all of the attractions in the historic (old) part of the city, which is definitely the part you're going to visit. The hotel costs mere dollars a day, and has laundry service (you put your clothes in a bag and take them to the desk, they're done by the next day) and a delicious restaurant called Tashi's II, which served as my staple food for most of my time in Lhasa (where you can also eat yummy yak steaks and other hearty meals for dollars a day). There's another restaurant in the Kirey Hotel plaza that has a more touristy fare (and a cultural show every night), and is slightly more expensive, as well as an internet bar above the restaurant with about 10 computers. There are a couple of small convenience stores on the same block as the Kirey Hotel, a store with phones for international calling, and a bank up the street. The computers in the internet bar initially display in Chinese, but can be set to display pages in English-- just ask the attendant. The only downside to this internet bar is that they only play the Eagles greatest hits, which sucks if you don't like the Eagles and sucks if you do like the Eagles, because after hearing that CD for a week you'll want to break it into tiny shards and stab yourself with it. In fact, I'd venture to say that I preferred to hear the uncanny Chinese versions of American songs on karaoke mixes that were playing in a lot of bars, restaurants, and random outdoor areas. At least that was funny. Also in the Kirey hotel (and this will be in most hotels, and is highly convenient), there is a message board for travelers to post ads for people to rent or share a land cruiser to do some area traveling, and you can usually find someone interested in almost anything you feel like doing. If there's not a message already up, you can post one and find a way to do what you're interested in.
There are a number of hotels and restaurants in the city-- the downside to the Kirey is that the bathrooms are shared at the end of the hall, and the toilets (like most in Tibet), are in-ground and you need to bring your own toilet paper (ALWAYS have your own toilet paper in Tibet). For more amenities, try the Lhasa Hotel or the Yak Hotel. There are a lot of good restaurants around the Barkor (the pilgrimage circuit) with all kinds of food-- just stop in when you see a restaurant and try it out. Almost all menus will be in English, and prices in yuan. For a big, American-style meal of world cuisine, try Dunya Restaurant and Bar-- it is more expensive than most restaurants in Lhasa and owned by a German couple, but the portions are big and the food comforting if you've had a long day. My recommendations for food anywhere in Lhasa are these: Definitely try the yak steak or yak burger, and definitely DON'T try the pizza. Pizza in Tibet is always weird, but local fare is usually great. Traditional Tibetan food weighs heavily on barley, and you should try tsampa (barley mush, basically), at least once, which you can do at Tashi's II, but now that there is so much Han presence in Tibet you can get great Chinese food everywhere, including the street stands that are prevalent in much of China.
Hikes:
Do make sure you bring plenty of food, juice, and water when you go hiking in Lhasa, because there's nothing like being tired on a high-altitude hike and not having enough to eat or drink. Even experienced hikers will feel some fatigue when they don't expect it, so plan to do less than you probably could at least on the first hike you do in the area. It's the roof of the world and you're in the Himilayas, so definitely get out and enjoy it, just make sure you're equipped! Pack animals can be rented for longer hikes, though I think it's more enjoyable to do day hikes since there's so much to see in the cities. The highest hikes in the Lhasa area are all walk-ups (so no climbing expertise or equipment is necessary), but they're all VERY high altitude (17,000-18,000 feet for the top 3), so you can hike for a day or two and still get amazing views and feel like you've accomplished something BIG.
Attractions:
Lhasa (and Tibet in general) is a hotspot for CULTURAL tourism-- so get ready to see a lot of Buddhism! For Buddhists, or people who are familiar with places like South Korea where Zen Buddhism is prevalent, Tibet seems to have a lot more widespread and institutionalized religion. It's much like the Bible Belt of the U.S.-- everyone is Buddhist. They just are. Buddhist monks will ask for money in ways that most Buddhists would consider to be completely inappropriate-- get used to this, and try to keep your center when confronted by people in religious garb asking you for money. It's simply a historic trend-- in Tibet, it was often so difficult to grow enough food to support the entire family that people would frequently send at least one child to become a monk or nun, regardless of the child's interest, so the monastic culture is just heavily institutionalized and ingrained in society. That being said, you should still be respectful to the monks and nuns you encounter in the cities, especially in the temples. The Buddhist temples are a treasure of Tibet, so see as many as you can and admire the unique qualities of each. Give some money if you can, buy the wares the monks are selling within the temple (the profits of which will go to them to support the monks and the temple), and ask before you take pictures. Often you can take as many pictures as you want, but sometimes you'll need to pay a very small fee before taking all your pictures. So just ask. And above all, be respectful of the Tibetans who are going on pilgrimages. They'll be kneeling, bowing, and walking in circuits, so if you need to walk around something, go in the direction of the Tibetans to make sure you're going to right way. No one will hurt you if you go the wrong way on a circuit, but it is disrespectful and should be avoided if you're a nice person with any cultural sensitivity.
Money:
It's a good idea to exchange money or get money out from the ATM. Don't rely on anywhere to accept your credit card, even major hotels. You won't be carrying exhorbitant amounts of money at any time because most things are so cheap. Also don't be afraid to negotiate (bargain)-- even hotels may try to overcharge you because you are a tourist (though this didn't happen to me in Lhasa, only in the countryside). If you go to a convenience store, pay attention to the price that is marked-- I once got overcharged for a bag of oreos that had a price clearly marked on the package! I told the cashier the right amount and he sheepishly corrected himself. However, don't feel bad if you do get overcharged, because it usually won't be by much (although I've sometimes heard of people trying to charge foreigners the equivalent of like a million dollars for a land cruiser rental, just because they were trying to think of an exhorbitant amount of money and had no concept of what they were asking).
Safety:
Tibet is a REALLY safe place to travel, even for women alone. Dress modestly (pants, long skirts, and at least 3/4 length sleeves on shirts), but not because you're in danger of unwanted attention-- you'll just scandalize all the Tibetans around you, who are quite conservative, if you wear shorts or a tank top. You don't need to worry much about being robbed or assaulted, just be aware of the small annoyance of people asking for money anytime you show that you have some. Transportation can be a little scary at times (passing people on the right or while going around a blind curve, passing people who are passing people, etc.), but you don't have much choice when it comes to taking buses and taxis, and you're probably safer than driving yourself if you can be driven instead. The main danger in Tibet is the many feral (and domestic) dogs-- if you see a dog acting funny, get away from it, because many dogs in Tibet have rabies. If you get bitten by a dog, visit the hospital immediately. If you're going to spend a long time trekking in Tibet and will be away from the cities for many days at a time, I might even recommend getting a rabies vaccine at home before leaving, because it's much less expensive and less painful than being treated after the fact, and if you get bitten by a rabid dog while trekking you may not be able to reach a hospital in sufficient time to be treated.
Overall, Tibet is an incredible place, full of rich cultural heritage and a unique blend of Chinese and Tibetan ways of life. English-speakers can get by fairly easily in the cities and you can travel between cities in a matter of hours to see different sites if you want to leave the capitol of Lhasa. Don't feel like you have to leave Lhasa, however-- the Himilayas are incredible, but you could easily spend several weeks just in Lhasa and the surrounding mountains, and there are some rewarding hikes and vast numbers of cultural sites to see in the city. Be prepared for some discomforts, but don't let them daunt you if you're planning a trip to this ever more accessible land of adventure. You'll do fine if you bring your favorite toilet paper and when you get homesick, there will be oreos and pringles waiting for you in the supermarket (near the post office and the Potala Palace).
Visit the beautiful Potala Palace, former home of the exiled Dalai Lama
Arriving in Lhasa and Concerns:
There's no booking a cheap flight to Lhasa--it will run about $2,000 from the cheapest source, and then you'll need to get a travel permit to the Tibet Autonomous Region from a travel agent in China. I went through Chengdu in China, and spoke with an agent there who bought me a ticket for a flight from Chengdu to Lhasa as well as the permit. Agents are fairly easy to find if you do an internet search ahead or time, if you book a hotel ahead of time, or even if you ask at one of the travel information booths in the airport in Chengdu. You can also get this set up if you go to Tibet through a company like the volunteer organization I went with, but this is in no way necessary. You can also fly through Nepal, which is a better route to take if you have a couple of days to hang out and wait for your connecting flight-- it will give you a chance to acclimatize to the altitude, which is a big issue. If you connect immediately, the altitude will definitely get you feeling a little light-headed (at the least), and waiting a few days in Nepal is probably your safest option (physically, since getting too high too fast can cause serious problems like pulmonary or cerebral edema and death). I spent only one night in Chengdu, which was a big mistake because I ended up only getting to see the airport district of Chengdu, which really sucks (like the airport district of any city), and then I felt insane when I got off the plane in Lhasa. It was unreal, and not entirely in a good way.
There's really nothing you can do to prepare for the altitude change in Lhasa, either-- you can bring some Diamox (which will alleviate symptoms of altitude sickness), or purchase canned oxygen at a convenience store in Lhasa, but you'd better go ahead and plan on not being very active for at least a few days. Even climbing stairs in your hotel will wear you out, and if you don't give your body the rest it wants you can have serious complications. I recommend going to Tibet for at least two weeks, and planning to stay in Lhasa for at least the first week of it, doing low-key activities like visiting the Potala Palace and the Jokhang temple, and the Barkor circuit for some shopping. Then, if you're interested in doing some hiking in the area or outside of Lhasa, do it in your second week when you've gotten more acclimated. There are plenty of great hikes in the immediate Lhasa area, as well as some monasteries and various cultural sites, so you can easily plan to spend two weeks in Lhasa alone. Alternatively, spend a week in Lhasa and then rent a land cruiser or take a bus to visit some of the smaller surrounding cities, all of which will have a central temple or monastery to visit and hikes to do (if only the pilgrimage circuit surrounding the temple).
Food, Accommodations, and Conveniences:
I strongly recommend that you stay at the Kirey Hotel in Lhasa-- it's only blocks from all of the attractions in the historic (old) part of the city, which is definitely the part you're going to visit. The hotel costs mere dollars a day, and has laundry service (you put your clothes in a bag and take them to the desk, they're done by the next day) and a delicious restaurant called Tashi's II, which served as my staple food for most of my time in Lhasa (where you can also eat yummy yak steaks and other hearty meals for dollars a day). There's another restaurant in the Kirey Hotel plaza that has a more touristy fare (and a cultural show every night), and is slightly more expensive, as well as an internet bar above the restaurant with about 10 computers. There are a couple of small convenience stores on the same block as the Kirey Hotel, a store with phones for international calling, and a bank up the street. The computers in the internet bar initially display in Chinese, but can be set to display pages in English-- just ask the attendant. The only downside to this internet bar is that they only play the Eagles greatest hits, which sucks if you don't like the Eagles and sucks if you do like the Eagles, because after hearing that CD for a week you'll want to break it into tiny shards and stab yourself with it. In fact, I'd venture to say that I preferred to hear the uncanny Chinese versions of American songs on karaoke mixes that were playing in a lot of bars, restaurants, and random outdoor areas. At least that was funny. Also in the Kirey hotel (and this will be in most hotels, and is highly convenient), there is a message board for travelers to post ads for people to rent or share a land cruiser to do some area traveling, and you can usually find someone interested in almost anything you feel like doing. If there's not a message already up, you can post one and find a way to do what you're interested in.
There are a number of hotels and restaurants in the city-- the downside to the Kirey is that the bathrooms are shared at the end of the hall, and the toilets (like most in Tibet), are in-ground and you need to bring your own toilet paper (ALWAYS have your own toilet paper in Tibet). For more amenities, try the Lhasa Hotel or the Yak Hotel. There are a lot of good restaurants around the Barkor (the pilgrimage circuit) with all kinds of food-- just stop in when you see a restaurant and try it out. Almost all menus will be in English, and prices in yuan. For a big, American-style meal of world cuisine, try Dunya Restaurant and Bar-- it is more expensive than most restaurants in Lhasa and owned by a German couple, but the portions are big and the food comforting if you've had a long day. My recommendations for food anywhere in Lhasa are these: Definitely try the yak steak or yak burger, and definitely DON'T try the pizza. Pizza in Tibet is always weird, but local fare is usually great. Traditional Tibetan food weighs heavily on barley, and you should try tsampa (barley mush, basically), at least once, which you can do at Tashi's II, but now that there is so much Han presence in Tibet you can get great Chinese food everywhere, including the street stands that are prevalent in much of China.
Hikes:
Do make sure you bring plenty of food, juice, and water when you go hiking in Lhasa, because there's nothing like being tired on a high-altitude hike and not having enough to eat or drink. Even experienced hikers will feel some fatigue when they don't expect it, so plan to do less than you probably could at least on the first hike you do in the area. It's the roof of the world and you're in the Himilayas, so definitely get out and enjoy it, just make sure you're equipped! Pack animals can be rented for longer hikes, though I think it's more enjoyable to do day hikes since there's so much to see in the cities. The highest hikes in the Lhasa area are all walk-ups (so no climbing expertise or equipment is necessary), but they're all VERY high altitude (17,000-18,000 feet for the top 3), so you can hike for a day or two and still get amazing views and feel like you've accomplished something BIG.
Attractions:
Lhasa (and Tibet in general) is a hotspot for CULTURAL tourism-- so get ready to see a lot of Buddhism! For Buddhists, or people who are familiar with places like South Korea where Zen Buddhism is prevalent, Tibet seems to have a lot more widespread and institutionalized religion. It's much like the Bible Belt of the U.S.-- everyone is Buddhist. They just are. Buddhist monks will ask for money in ways that most Buddhists would consider to be completely inappropriate-- get used to this, and try to keep your center when confronted by people in religious garb asking you for money. It's simply a historic trend-- in Tibet, it was often so difficult to grow enough food to support the entire family that people would frequently send at least one child to become a monk or nun, regardless of the child's interest, so the monastic culture is just heavily institutionalized and ingrained in society. That being said, you should still be respectful to the monks and nuns you encounter in the cities, especially in the temples. The Buddhist temples are a treasure of Tibet, so see as many as you can and admire the unique qualities of each. Give some money if you can, buy the wares the monks are selling within the temple (the profits of which will go to them to support the monks and the temple), and ask before you take pictures. Often you can take as many pictures as you want, but sometimes you'll need to pay a very small fee before taking all your pictures. So just ask. And above all, be respectful of the Tibetans who are going on pilgrimages. They'll be kneeling, bowing, and walking in circuits, so if you need to walk around something, go in the direction of the Tibetans to make sure you're going to right way. No one will hurt you if you go the wrong way on a circuit, but it is disrespectful and should be avoided if you're a nice person with any cultural sensitivity.
Tibetan women walk a circuit around some stupas (burial monuments)
Money:
It's a good idea to exchange money or get money out from the ATM. Don't rely on anywhere to accept your credit card, even major hotels. You won't be carrying exhorbitant amounts of money at any time because most things are so cheap. Also don't be afraid to negotiate (bargain)-- even hotels may try to overcharge you because you are a tourist (though this didn't happen to me in Lhasa, only in the countryside). If you go to a convenience store, pay attention to the price that is marked-- I once got overcharged for a bag of oreos that had a price clearly marked on the package! I told the cashier the right amount and he sheepishly corrected himself. However, don't feel bad if you do get overcharged, because it usually won't be by much (although I've sometimes heard of people trying to charge foreigners the equivalent of like a million dollars for a land cruiser rental, just because they were trying to think of an exhorbitant amount of money and had no concept of what they were asking).
Safety:
Tibet is a REALLY safe place to travel, even for women alone. Dress modestly (pants, long skirts, and at least 3/4 length sleeves on shirts), but not because you're in danger of unwanted attention-- you'll just scandalize all the Tibetans around you, who are quite conservative, if you wear shorts or a tank top. You don't need to worry much about being robbed or assaulted, just be aware of the small annoyance of people asking for money anytime you show that you have some. Transportation can be a little scary at times (passing people on the right or while going around a blind curve, passing people who are passing people, etc.), but you don't have much choice when it comes to taking buses and taxis, and you're probably safer than driving yourself if you can be driven instead. The main danger in Tibet is the many feral (and domestic) dogs-- if you see a dog acting funny, get away from it, because many dogs in Tibet have rabies. If you get bitten by a dog, visit the hospital immediately. If you're going to spend a long time trekking in Tibet and will be away from the cities for many days at a time, I might even recommend getting a rabies vaccine at home before leaving, because it's much less expensive and less painful than being treated after the fact, and if you get bitten by a rabid dog while trekking you may not be able to reach a hospital in sufficient time to be treated.
Overall, Tibet is an incredible place, full of rich cultural heritage and a unique blend of Chinese and Tibetan ways of life. English-speakers can get by fairly easily in the cities and you can travel between cities in a matter of hours to see different sites if you want to leave the capitol of Lhasa. Don't feel like you have to leave Lhasa, however-- the Himilayas are incredible, but you could easily spend several weeks just in Lhasa and the surrounding mountains, and there are some rewarding hikes and vast numbers of cultural sites to see in the city. Be prepared for some discomforts, but don't let them daunt you if you're planning a trip to this ever more accessible land of adventure. You'll do fine if you bring your favorite toilet paper and when you get homesick, there will be oreos and pringles waiting for you in the supermarket (near the post office and the Potala Palace).
| 62 |
| Vote |
Subscribe to this blog
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
I would love to go to Tibet...one day hopefully...
Tracy
Comment by Lesley
Comment by charles
FanFootball
ZCars
Ponderous
Looking forward to lots more!
Charles.
Comment by Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
It is always good to know what places you can feel safe travelling in, particularly being female.
Great post Lesley
ash
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Whereabouts is your background pic from? I love those houses.
Tracy
Comment by Lesley
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
I have the travel bug again...