Back on the road from Lhasa. Already passed hardest part in western Tibet
October 13th
10/13 Lhasa to Camping past Jangtang village
I had breakfast, got my stuff together and said goodbye to Peter and Francis who I will miss on this next part. If Francis had a few more days off of work they might have gone all the way to Katmandu with me. They had done western Tibet last year but not all the way to Nepal. I’m sure I will meet them again in the next years to come either cycling or in Spain.
I got on the road around 10:30 after getting my last western breakfast at Nomads cafe which was a place I spent some time at. The road was going upstream along a river but was pretty much flat for the first 70 kms pretty much. Afterwards I began to climb Kampla pass (4794m) which is a hard 23 kms climb on a paved road and is actually the hardest pass all the way to Nepal so the hardest part is over. However on this day it was too hard to go to the top so I went up 8 kms to where a small water source was to camp so I only had 15 to do the next day. Usually you can see only about 10 kms ahead of you but here you could see the road going about 20 to the top which looked pretty high. I passed thru a a couple towns which had some kids asking for candy and money and surrounding me. At some point in the day a girl asked me for a pencil which I heard they ask about to which I thought was funny. A group of about 10 kids came up and kids as young 4 had their hands in the pockets of my backs. They also tried to pull my backs as many times before but I kept yelling no so they stopped. A little further thru the last village an object like a rock passed by me on the road so I got off my bike and walked over to the few kids and knocked the kid’s hat off who was carrying what looked like a bowl of small potatoes. He cried, friends looked scared and the few older farmers nearby didn’t give me a problem since they knew an adult is right. They would never do this to a Tibetan or Chinese and I would never throw a rock or take something in front of anyone in the US unless I expected a beat down. Anyway, the did will learn to run away next time or not carry the ammo. I pitched my tent for the first time this trip about 100 feet above the road on a river bed about 40 feet wide with only a small creek running thru part of it. This area is one of the driest I have been thru in a while. I found a decent spot and the temperature wasn’t too bad but for some reason it got pretty windy around midnight so I turned the tent 90 degrees and put in the stakes since gusts of strong winds were coming from all sides. I was around 4000 meters so I was surprised it wasn’t colder. It was about 50’s around midnight and around low forties in the morning. I was about 8 kms to the closest town but it seemed like some herders were around the area and I saw one on the ridge before dark. The only reason I was concerned about people was because the last trees were in the last town so there was nothing for me to lock my bike to. I just locked the front tire on the frame, put my steel pot on the wheel to make noise if it was lifted and placed it on the ground in front of my tent. Amazing views of stars of course, I saw at least 4 shooting stars.
I got up in the morning around 8:30 and it was pretty cool so I waited a little bit for it to warm up before packing up my stuff. A few people came by in the area and one older guy was knocking on the door out of curiosity so I opened it and said hello. I’m sure he was hoping for a cute western chick but unfortunately it was just a bearded buy with a big nose in his sleeping bag. Some may have been herders but I think there was some holy site or short cut to the other side where they were headed. I took off around 9:30 realizing as I pushed off that I had my first rear flat. I figured it was slow since I didn’t know anything the day before so I filled it up and took off. It probably had something to do with the 400 bottles of broken glass on the shoulder of the road leaving Lhasa for the first 50 kms. I filled it up a few more times just enough to make it to the top where I changed the tube and got amazing views of Yamdrok Sto, which is one of the most scenic place in Tibet and definitely in my top 3 or 4. The lake itself must be around 4000 feet and is one of the holiest lakes in Tibet and also one of the bluest lakes I have ever seen. After I got to the top of the pass I began a decent for 6 kms and then it was flat along the lake. Luckily I didn’t have headwinds like I thought I would but I didn’t get to the next village for lunch until another 20 kms or so around 3. I had noodle soup in a crowded Tibetan restaurant, game room and hang out. Afterwards I continued around the lake which was pretty mellow and scenic. I came into a town that seemed half Tibetan and half Chinese called Nangartse where I found a room for 30 yuan at the Post Guesthouse. It said in the information I have that tons of stray dogs are in town which was definitely true. In one courtyard of a hotel there must have been 15 dogs, most a pretty good size. My guide and some Children who I asked also mentioned that there is also food. Actually dogs haven’t been a problem in Tibet overall, but I had one dog chase me today who looked pretty vicious. In the middle of Tibet before Lhasa there were tons of stray dogs but since they had no home they didn’t seem territorial or aggressive ever. After I got my room I had a couple kids follow me who observed me and then were watching TV after I turned it on. I didn’t mind but they were inching toward my bike after a while and I heard them say tang, which means candy in Chinese so I knew they were looking to take something so I told them goodbye. Afterwards, I used the internet and then went back to the hotel where I got some food and they had an English menu.
From Ancient fortress in Gyantse to monastery in Shigatse where Panchen Lamas originated
October 16th
10/14 Nargartse to Shigatse 103 kms
I left Nargartse in the morning around 9:30. The road was a pretty long with about 25 kms under construction in the middle and one moderate 10 km climb. The pass was around 5000 meters and there was a huge glacier next to where the pass was and was also a holy site. My guide noted that there should be heavy head winds but luckily it wasn’t too bad and it usually shifted directions from time to time. After the pass the road was under construction and dirt but it was pretty decent as dirt roads go in Tibet and luckily it wasn’t more than 25 kms. I came up to a lake and then passed a dam and went down into Gyantse which was pretty impressive because you can see a large fortress from about 10 kms away lodged on a hill in the town. There is also a famous monastery nearby with large walls around it you can see from a distance. I didn’t go into either but did take photos from the outside and went over to a popular hotel for a shared room. The only other person in the 3 person room was a Russian my age that was also traveling alone. I haven’t met a Russian in a long time so it was kind of interesting. We talked for a while and drank a little and then I went alone to get some food nearby. Many places have western food since so many western tourists come into town. It seems like much more tourists do the western part of Tibet. This is probably because of the permit situation and because there are more historical buildings, monastery’s and also Mt Everest. Actually you still need some permits for areas in western Tibet but the information about obtaining them is so ridiculous that I’m not going to bother. I had rarely seen western tourists in eastern Tibet but now that’s all that I seem to see. About 85% of them seem to be retiree’s so I haven’t spent allot of time talking to them.
10/15 Gyantse to Shigatse 93 kms
This day could have been my easiest day. I got breakfast and took off around 9:30 when it wasn’t so cold. The road was flat thru many villages and I had some tail winds as well so I ended up in town around 3:30 or so. There wasn’t anything to eventful besides a few small monasteries in the tows I passed. I rode around a little in Shigatse which is Tibet’s second biggest town but doesn’t seem as big as Bayi in east Tibet and then got a room in another recommended place from Lonely planet. I got a four person room on the first floor and then walked around a little. I tried to have my clothes washed somewhere but all the places were dry cleaning places which were about $4 so I ended up washing them myself. Later a Japanese guy and an American girl my age came to the room. I talked manly with the Seattle girl Alice for a while who lived in Beijing for a couple years and then we all had dinner upstairs which was pretty decent.
10/16 Day off in Shigatse
I could have taken off since I already took so many days of in Lhasa but my legs were a little sore and it was recommended that I go to the monastery in town. I had breakfast with Alice and the Japanese guy and then they took off to get a bus to Lhasa and I went to see the monastery which from the outside was similar to the others but the interior had one Buddha which was the biggest I have seen in Tibet. My cycling guide mentioned that the monks were kind of rude which was true. As I walked into some buildings they yelled “No!” instead of saying closed or sorry where closed. Also, after a few Tibetans were going thru they put a rope in front of me and the other foreign tourist who were behind me so we couldn’t enter. I understand they get allot of tourist but who is paying all of the money. The Tibetans enter for free and the foreigners and some Chinese who don’t look Tibetan pay about $6 each. There are probably 100 to 150 tourists a day at least which is around $600 to $1000. I know the monks go on many pilgrimages to other areas like Nepal and the buildings need construction so I wonder if China or the foreigners are paying there bill? Plus photographs in some of the buildings run from about $3 to $50 if you’re using a video camera. The money could be going to China but I really doubt it, I think the money goes straight to them so personally think fuck’em. I don’t really need to ramble on but I could care less about the Tibetans freedom when the only countries trying to do anything for them are the western ones and they can’t even give a little courtesy.
Anyway, I didn’t do too much else besides buy some extra things I needed and get ready for the next part. I should be at Everest base camp in about a week and a little after that I’ll be in Nepal which I’m looking forward to.
Tough, cold, head winds and “children of the corn” to Everest then Nepal
10/17 Shigatse To Sakya turn off 127-130 kms (biggest day)
I left Shigatse after having my last day off in Tibet around 9:30. Today was my last pretty easy day for Tibet. The road was pretty flat with some minor headwinds later in the day. Around 100 kms I could have stopped at a guesthouse, but it was pretty dirty so I figured I would go up 10 kms to a pass and then down to find a place to stay. I got to the top of the pass as it was dark around 8:30 and went down in the dark. At the turn off for the Sakya monastery there was supposed to be a small hotel that was written on the information but I didn’t see much but a bunch of houses with tv’s on since the area was mainly housing for a military base. One woman had said hello as I passed and after getting down the road about a km I went back and this tiny house had rooms after all. Otherwise I would’ve had to go another 30 kms to the next town which was definitely out of the question. One large room had several beds and the other room was the kitchen. There were no lights and the girl about 25 was there with 4 other guys who were drinking. I added water to my instant rice mixed with meat and I also had an instant potatoes which was OK. After about an hour and a couple beers I passed out.
10/18 Turn off to Sakya to Beiba 108 “Headwinds from Hell”
From this point of my trip to Nepal it got a little harder than I expected not because of the climbs but because of the head winds, bad roads and cold. I did the 30 kms to the town of Lhatse in the morning which wasn’t too bad. I had lunch and began a 30 kms climb. The first 10 kms weren’t too bad but by then the head winds really began picking up so the next 20 kms seemed to take forever. Near the top the last few kms were so windy I had to walk in several places. Of course near the top a couple of Tibetans in their 30’s were coming down the mountain after begging all day at the top where the tourists were. They asked me but I continued. I love how I cycle all day tirelessly up a mountain and people doing nothing but sitting there want something from me. It seems like it should be the other way around. Anyway I only got rewarded with about 2 kms without peddling before I had to peddle downhill into the strong head winds. I kept on doing 50 kms downhill to the town of Beiba where I arrived in the darkness to a large Tibetan guesthouse which was pretty nice. There I met a Canadian girl early 20’s and a English couple about 40 who were also cycling from Lhasa to Kathmandu with a support truck. I talked to them briefly before they went to sleep and I followed them afterwards to a hotel style room.
10/19 Beiba to Tashi Dzom 47 Side road to Everest base camp
I left around 10:30 I guess as it’s always cold until then. Since all of China is on the same time zone it doesn’t get light until almost 8:30 and not warmer until a couple hours later. I had to buy the ticket in this town for entrance to the road to Everest which was over $20 which I thought was too expensive but whatever. After about 10 kms we passed a military checkpoint where they checked our passports and then I continued on the dirt road to Everest. There was about a 15 km climb over the first pass Pang La around 5000 meters where I got my first good view of Everest. I cycled most of the day along with the 3 cyclists who had the support truck. I passed the American Ken from Colorado who I met in Lhasa who mentioned the kids on the road were the worst which seemed pretty accurate. I went downhill to the first major town and even though I could have continued I stopped to make a shorter day in the small village of Tashi Dzom at a pretty nice and large Tibetan guesthouse. Most have one large room with a stove but this one had three large rooms. One very young child came in and tried to beg but none of the other kids came in to beg. The hallway was kind of funny because random dogs kept coming in at different times to look for food. I actually gave a dog some food. I feel much more compassion for the dogs that starve and live day by day in the cold and fighting then the brats who beg. I got my own room upstairs ate some food and relaxed the rest of the evening. The children outside seemed really aggressive and excited towards the tourists who had stopped thru town and came up to the windows of the guesthouse allot.
10/20 Tashi Dzom to Rongphu Monastery (near Everest base camp)
Since I had already did the large climb I didn’t think the slight incline uphill to the base camp would be that hard but it was still real slow on a typical shitty dirt road. I hoped the children would already be in school by the time I left but a few were going there as I left town around 10:30. There were about 3 teenage girls and a few younger children. I said the Tibetan greeting and they did as well with a smile and then one of the girls tried spitting on me so I spit back and maybe one of the younger children spit as well and gave me dirty looks as I sped away. Luckily I didn’t’ run into to many children after that except for the very young children who aren’t as much as a problem. I also ran into Francis and Mona about 14 kms from the monastery that was leaving on the road they came in on. Francis said that the police had given him a 50 yuan ticket the day before so he let me know what to expect. I figured I would see them in the next couple days or in Kathmandu. After about 50 kms I finally got to the Rongphu monastery which is about 8 kms from the actual base camp and is where most people stay. You can get a room here for 50 yuan or they also have this really unattractive expensive Chinese hotel. I went into the dining areas where about 80 people were crammed in to get warm to ask about a room for 50 yuan but the army guy there was asking questions like if I had a guide and stuff so as he was distracted I took off to pitch my tent which I knew would be freezing. I went back to the dining area to get warm and talk to some people. I met an English couple my age that were cycling as well as an American girl and her English boyfriend who were also cycling. The one British couple wanted more of an adventure getting from Shigatse to Everest so they had taken a different road that ended up taking them 2 weeks which only took me 4 days. They basically walked and carried their bikes along a river, there slowest day was only 16 kms and they hardly had any shops so they got real hungry. I’m glad I stuck to the main routes. Tibet is too remote to try to take any side routes which could be dangerous. We had a couple drinks and talked about our trips. I thought I would run into the American girl and her British boyfriend in the next days but I didn’t. They had lived in Japan for over a year so we talked about our experiences living in Asia together. Around 10:30 or so me and the British couple who also pitched their tents went out to go to bed. I don’t know if it’s because of the cold or what but several dogs were barking like crazy all night which kept me up most of the time. Maybe the dogs could see the ghosts of Everest.
10/21 Rongphu Monastery to Everest then cycled near top of pass to camp
I got up around 9:30 and it was freezing of course. I was OK in my tent except my toes were to cold which was another problem keeping me awake. I figured my hands would get cold riding so I decided to walk to Everest which is about 8 kms on the road but about 5 if you take shortcuts across the switchbacks. I ended up going to the left side of the road and kept walking uphill. Eventually I tried to look for a place to cross a stream and continue to get closer but it was too difficult. I realized after getting to an overlook that I was actually about 300 hundred feet above the base camp which I didn’t want to go to anyway because of the police there. The views were pretty good and I got a few good pics on the way back. I was hoping one of the SUV’s with westerners would pick me up on the way back but the bastards didn’t so I had to spend another hour and a half walking back. It took me about another 45 minutes to get the kitchen to make me just one pancake and then I packed up. I didn’t get onto the road until almost 4. I went back down the road which isn’t steep to where the cut off is about 10 kms away for a shortcut. Or I could go back on the same road but the shortcut would save me about 80 kms and since it’s a different route it seems more interesting. This shortcut was only a hiking trail or cart track before so I was to assume the road would be really bad which it was for the most part. Now many SUV’s take this route as well which runs north west instead of going north east. The road up was much longer then I thought. Since I hadn’t dropped allot of elevation from the monastery I assumed the climb wouldn’t be that bad. I passed thru one village about 10 kms up where I hoped they may have a place to stay or a shop but they didn’t. One girl tried to beg but I just continued past the village hoping to get over the pass before dark. I passed a group of Tibetan herders were bringing in some Yaks to the villages most of which seemed rude. I said Tashi Dele which is hello to a woman and a couple girls and they replied back in a mocking manner basically telling me to go fuck myself. It was the first time an older woman was rude as well. Up to that point I could only say the children were rude. At the end of the group there was a young guy who was singing and he approached me and asked if I went to (Qumoluma) Everest and I replied yes so he shook my hand which made me feel better at least that all the people weren’t bitter. As he left I gave him one of my candy bars. I kept on going up into the darkness and there weren’t any good camping areas that weren’t in the open so I kept continuing on. It was hard to tell when I was at the top since there weren’t any prayer flags and it was a pretty flat summit so I had no steep decline. I finally found a place as I went down near a mountain ledge which I thought would block the wind but I had strong gusts in every direction all night. At Everest and some areas the wind receded in the evening but this lasted in different directions all evening. This evening I put my jacket around my feet so they wouldn’t get freezing like the evening before since I must have been at a similar elevation.
10/22 Top of pass to Tinggi 33 kms
I didn’t get on the road until around 11:30 because it was so cold and I knew I wasn’t going so far. I did a short day to get to the small town of Tingri, which has Mt Everest and many other mountains in the distance. I found a place which had showers which I needed. I was surprised but the road west of Lhasa becomes more undeveloped as you go. Many places only have electricity at certain times and most don’t have hot water. They headed the water tanks but there was hardly any water so it wasn’t the best shower but it was better than nothing after several days. I talked to a woman from S. Africa with her Scottish husband as well as a Canadian Indian couple in the courtyard for a couple hours. I later went into the main dining room where about 30 German or Dutch tourists were getting information from there guide. I then got food and talked to the Indian couple and two guys from London, one who was the first black guy I saw in Tibet.
10/23 Tingri to Sumo 60 kms
I assumed that the road to Nepal would be paved but unfortunately I was wrong. Only after a few kms the road was dirt again and with some head winds very slow again. Dirt roads also means more dirt in my face from all the passing traffic. A couple SUV’s had stopped on the road today. One Dutch couple stopped to say hello and asked where I was from and another SUV stopped with some western tourists and a guy about 30 asked me if I needed some water but I was OK. Later in the day I noticed that I had a slow leak which was a drag but I was able to fill it until I came to a guesthouse just before the town of Sumo. I almost fixed it in one town where I got a drink but a couple children were begging so I took off. Inside the guesthouse were a few Tibetan guys as usual, one of them was a guide and knew English I spoke to a little. I fixed my flat and noticed a broken spoke that I fixed as well. I also had a couple drinks and some food before passing out.
10/24 Sumo to Nyalam 90 kms Last couple of passes before world’s longest downhill
I left Sumo after some snacks and Yak tea around 10 or so to go up my last two passes. The first climb was a little slow and long and then I had lunch in between the passes at a tent on the side of the road. One old guy had seen my sunglasses and asked if he could have them. I happened to have that extra pair I found at the beginning of my trip so I gave it to him. After he went outside it was no surprise a bunch of other people who were across the street came in. I just took off so I wouldn’t have to deal with any begging. The next pass was the same height and wasn’t too bad since I had some tail winds for a change. From here I began the biggest downhill in the world from about 5000 m down to the lowest point in Nepal which was about 700 meters. Not all of it is a steep downhill of course and the road was bad in parts so it wasn’t easy. I still had to pedal on the dirt road which had some climbs as I went along a river. There were some nice views and villages but I usually ignored any of the local people. Luckily I didn’t run into to many children or surly adults. Before dark I got into the town of Nyalam which was a decent size border town. A couple kids passed me and said something bitter and passed me a few times as I looked for hotels. I fixed my flat and I found a place where I got a cheeseburger down the road which was pretty decent. I talked to the Nepalese guy who cooked the food who gave me some information about the road ahead which is good after I get to Nepal which will be nice. With warm weather ahead, better food and a different culture, I’m definitely reading to get to Nepal.
10/25 Nyalam to The last Resort in Nepal 55 kms Cycled with couple I met
I got up around 9 and nothing was open as everyone was still asleep. I waited a little while for the restaurant to open next to the hotel. I ate with an older American couple and a French girl and Belgium guy my age who were also cycling. The Belgium guy Quentin started in Kazakhstan and met the French girl when he was staying in Kyrgyzstan so they continued thru Tibet together. It really seems like further western Tibet is all undeveloped with bad roads, no electricity and hardly any services so I’m glad I’m not going that way. After breakfast we took off down the road around 10:30 the road was pretty steep and really bad for the most part since it was under construction. It was similar to the road I cycled from Yunnan to Tibet which was also the worst road I rode. Of course as we got lower to the scenery became greener and there were allot of waterfalls. We also had to cross a few streams, one which was about a foot and a half deep so my feet were wet afterwards. Luckily since the road was under construction the road was closed to normal traffic until late afternoon so we had the road to ourselves for the most part except for a few trucks. It was also a little dangerous in some sections because it was narrow and steep and in one area they had just dynamited the some roads so there were huge boulders like cars and some smaller ones we had to carry our bikes over. We finally got to the border town of Dram which was lined with hundreds of trucks and had narrow switchbacks that went downhill thru town for a couple of kms at least. The road was so narrow that it was hard to pass so we had to go in between trucks and switch sides of the road several times with tons of pedestrian traffic. We got some food and didn’t get to the border until around 4 or so since the 30 kms downhill took most of the day. We changed the money we had with some locals who much have been working together because we couldn’t get a lower rate so they got about a 15% commission for about $40 Chinese I gave them. Getting out of China was real easy and then we continued on a shitty road for another 10 kms down to the Nepal side which was pretty easy as well. In one area a couple hundred Nepalese were waiting to get thru the main gate but I was able to get thru. At the immigration we were the only ones there and I already had my visa so it was no problem and my two friends got there 2 month visa’s in about 5 minutes which I waited in Lhasa for about 3 or 4 hours. We continued on and saw signs for “The last resort,” which I had already heard about so we did the 20 kms to get there which was all downhill. We just passed thru mainly small towns along the way and the villagers seemed much friendlier then Tibet and we didn’t have any beggars. Maybe a few kids would yell for money but it wasn’t with such aggression and hatred like it was in Tibet. I had mentioned in a conversation to my friend how it reminded me of the mountains of Vietnam like the Ho Chi Minh trail and Quentin said it really was because of all the soldiers, sand bags and barbed wire in certain areas. Although the last year and a half hasn’t been that bad as far as violence goes, Nepal has still been in a civil war for over 10 years. Many areas before towns and in certain areas in the countryside have many small bases and soldiers wearing the blue camouflage. We got outside the Last resort which had a large bridge over the bridge to get to the other side. It was pretty awkward to get our bikes thru the main gate because of to many cars so I went up about 30 feet of stairs and then went across to the other side. I was kind of hoping it would have more of the hippy feel with younger people and pretty cheap prices but it was pretty much a yuppie resort with $4-5 beers, all modern facilities and we couldn’t use our tents so we had to use theirs. It was only $5 for to use there cheapest tents which was OK and then decided to cross the bridge to get food and things on the other side. One of the owners asked us why we wanted to cross and it almost felt like we were prisoners on an island. We got some good food and a couple beers on the other side before going back. Luckily the gate was open but it actually wasn’t late since the time zone changes back 2 hours and 15 minutes. Now it will get dark at 6:30 but it will be light at 7 in the morning at least.
10/26 The last resort to Dololghart
We had the breakfast buffet for around $5 which was pretty good but didn’t have any meat. Some people were on the bridge so we couldn’t cross at any time. I did meet the other owner who was a New Zealand guy who opened the place about 8 or 10 years ago with a Nepalese friend. I guess the bungee jump there is the second or third highest in the world. After talking to some people and waiting for my two cyclist friends I don’t think we got on the road until around noon. The road continued downhill and was pretty decent most of the way except for a few landslides and a few small climbs which at this low elevation weren’t that bad. We got some of the basic local food which was pretty decent and continued thru some villages where the traffic got narrow again and it could get hard to get thru. We had a 2.5 climb and then down to town where I awaited Quentin and Christine who followed about a half hour later. We had some time to cycle but after the town was the beginning of a 26 kms climb and there were no hotels so we decided to stay in Dolalghat which was a small town with maybe only one hotel at the end of the bridge which was had a sign as the fish restaurant. We got a room on the top floor high above the noisy traffic with some nice views of the river and town for about a dollar 50 each and we then walked around looking for other restaurants. We tried a few basic things which were already cooked and then we went back to our hotel for beers and awaited some kind of curried chicken, beans and other side dishes. Me and Quentin talked for a while and past out around 10:30 or so. It seems like the food and accommodation is really cheap but the beers are about $1 and a half to $2 each. It also seems that almost all of the people know some English and the minority knows English very well which is nice.
10/27 Dololghart to Kathmandu
I slept pretty well and had a Nepalese style breakfast which was a curried potatoes and a wrap with some kind of sweet bean paste which was similar to the kind I have had in China before. We took off around 10 or so to begin our climb from about 700 meters to 1600 meters over 26 kms before the major heat set in. We had a good lunch about 10 kms from the top which had some nice but hazy views because of the humidity. The climb wasn’t really bad because of the lower elevation but 26 kms is still long and the last 10 were the steepest. Afterwards there was a slow decline and then we began going thru some pretty crowded towns and denser traffic as we got closer to Kathmandu. The traffic was definitely more like Cambodia or Vietnam so traffic can get very close and there are a ton of motorcycles everywhere as well. We got into the city and asked a couple people for directions and utilized an ATM machine. Christine was pretty hungry so we got some food first at some place in Thamel which is the main tourist area and is pretty large about a square km around. Afterwards in the darkness and crowded narrow streets we looked for a hotel which took a little while since we were trying to find the cheapest price. We finally ended up in the north east part of Thamel which had a place for 300 rupees ($5) with a bathroom included we took. I figured in the next couple days if I found something better than I would change. We went out to this place called Sam’s which didn’t have live reggae music but was OK and then we got some local food on our way back and met some African’s there who spoke English and French.
Conclusion of Tibet
November 1st
Overall
I definitely liked the first part to Lhasa more than the part to Kathmandu. At that time I was with some friends I enjoyed, the scenery was more diverse the people were friendlier and there were better services. There were also much less western tourists around as well because of the strict permit rules. The part from Lhasa to Kathmandu had more famous historical places but was much colder, a less diverse landscape except for the road close to Nepal and the people weren’t that friendly. Because of the costs of independent travel, I saw most of the sites I could because I figured I wouldn’t be back any time soon. Overall I think the trip was challenging and interesting as well as a must stop for world cyclists, but in some ways I think Tibet is a little over rated for the following reasons I mention below.
Some facts and things I learned along the way
Costs
One of the first surprises I had in Tibet was the change in cost. I figured it would be the same price since it was really poor, but the scarcity of goods pushes the prices much higher. So when I left Yunnan province the costs of many things especially food were about 50% to 75% higher. After splitting costs many times with my friends I still spent about 35 to 40 yuan ($4-$5) pretty easily for meal. Water which is usually 1 (12 cents) yuan which is less than a liter was about 3 or 4 yuan (up to 50 cents). The costs for housing were pretty cheap or the same as China at least and the price for beer was just a little more but could be highly inflated if many western tourists were around.
If you plan to travel to Tibet without bicycle then the cost is very high. Tibet has something like 15 to 20 permits for all of the different regions. The areas I went to you needed about 5 to 8 but of course I had none. For this reason you always need a SUV tour which has a driver and a guide usually and is very expensive. The Chinese government probably keeps this policy which I’m sure these company’s lobby the government hard not to change. For instance if you want to go from Lhasa to Kathmandu they don’t have any available buses for foreigners which is only 200 yuan ($24) but if they have to take an SUV it will be part of a tour and cost probably $500 or more. This is why most of the travelers are retired Europeans so the feel in most tourist areas is a little more tired and beat then most other places I’ve been.
People
The people were decent but nothing special like I have read in guide books etc. They seem to mention that the people are such devout Buddhists so they should seem like the most holy people in the world but of course this is not the case. For example, I had some monks young and old budge everyone who was waiting in line for 2 hours at the Nepalese Embassy and half of which had to come back the next day. One of the first monks who had a small shop and let people stay there was pretty obnoxious, pushy about me staying there (which I didn’t) and ended up keeping my friends awake who stayed there all night drinking and talking loudly then asked them for 30 yuan in the morning (which I was told in Chinese was 20.) At one of the famous monasteries in Shigatse the monks on a few occasions yelled just “no” in certain areas which were closed in midafternoon instead of the possibility of being polite and saying “sorry where closed.” I’m sure most of their food, travel expenses, visa’s, repairs to monastery’s and medical aid comes from the tourists who each spend $8 to enter the majority of the monastery’s. Other than this basically all of the adults seemed to be polite or wave. It was mainly the children on the way to Kathmandu who were really bad and would spit, throw rocks or try to grab things. Tibet was definitely the first place where I had at least a small problem with children and I always dreaded running into them on the road or in towns after a while which was a first for me. Luckily I only had a couple of surly adults. I wouldn’t make my opinion of all Tibetans based on a bunch of bad children but it nevertheless makes some riding and the general experience worse. I could maybe say that the weather or living conditions could be attributed to this problem but it’s hard to say. I have definitely had more smiling faces and better vibes in South East Asia but it’s hard to say why.
Chinese influence
While Tibet is always seen as this separate country the Chinese have definitely taken over. Most of the towns east of Lhasa were very Chinese but much less so west of Lhasa at least. Lhasa itself is hard to tell but it must be 75% Chinese so anyone trying to free Tibet or limit Chinese influence good luck! Actually, while the Chinese have done many terrible things in the past, they have spent billions on infrastructure which the Tibetans would take a century to do.
Although the roads are probably built also to maintain good military transport which was very apparent in eastern Tibet (sometimes I probably saw up to a hundred trucks in convoys in one day.) Also contrary to many people’s opinions I was able to speak the basic Chinese I know the entire way. Of course some people didn’t know mandarin but almost anyone with any business would because of the heavy Chinese tourist presence. Not to mention the impact of television. Tibet may have one Tibetan station from what I saw but almost all of the programs I saw people watching were in Mandarin so if you didn’t know any Chinese it must be real boring entertainment (Although Chinese TV is probably just as bad if you know the language or not.) In some of the more touristy areas the people know some English but it’s not really great. The language barrier was definitely a little problem for getting to know people well. A few guides in tourist or some random areas knew English but they had probably met so many westerners that they weren’t so interested.
Food
The food is really pretty basic and it’s another reason why I frequented many Chinese restaurants. Since Tibet is so high they manly grew wheat, potatoes and had raised Yaks. For this reason the food is really basic. I probably liked the Yak butter tea the most with some sugar in it. I don’t remember the name now but one of the main meals in the yak tea with some meat, flour balls and some kind of noodle or something. I didn’t really like this that much so I only had it a couple times. I did have them make just a plate of cooked meat which was pretty good a couple times. They also can make decent bread which is kind of like Indian bread. I usually went to Chinese restaurants for the most part.
Potential problems in Tibet like landslides, etc.
Really my only fears going into Tibet would be from landslides for the most part. One thing I did assume of the passes is that they would have steep snow banks or rocks on the sides but fortunately most of the passes were flat. Actually it’s the lowest elevations of Tibet where you get more rock slides and the canyons can get very steep so these areas are the most dangerous. The highest passes are usual around 5000 meters or just above that but I don’t think it’s a big problem at all. You can get to a safe area or turn around if things seem unsafe. After you get farther away from Yunnan you probably have less of a chance of precipitation so it’s a slim chance for snow. We had snow over our first large pass but we stayed inside a shelter for about 45 minutes and it passed. There are tons and tons of dogs on the road to Kathmandu from Lhasa but they are all pretty terrified of the people who normally abuse them. I was actually more concerned about the few kids around me in a town than the 40 dogs in the proximity of me.
Roads
The roads in some ways were worse and better then what I had seemed. I thought all of the roads that were unpaved were going to be the cobblestone style road but they weren’t. Only the first road to Deqin was this cobblestone road. However, the roads under construction into Tibet and leaving Tibet were about as bad as it could get. The other roads weren’t bad all the time but they had a lot of the washboard Tibet which is pretty annoying. I would guess that about 70% of the roads to Lhasa and then to Kathmandu were paved at least which is pretty decent. However, if you do travel thru all of west Tibet which I didn’t I heard that the roads aren’t good and there are hardly any services.