How do I describe the journey from Nepal into Tibet? I studied Tibetan Buddhism at Columbia but the whole "life is suffering" idea has whole new meaning after seeing the landscape. At an average of 4500 meters (look what traveling has done to me - I've been infected with the metric system!), the Tibetan plateau is dry, barren, dusty and, at first glance, completely uninhabitable. But that also gives the land an eerie beautiful quality that's hard to capture on digital film. The beauty of Tibet also comes from the people who are unbelievable friendly and quick to give a smile despite the meager living they manage to squeeze out of the land and the oppression by the Chinese government over the last 50 years.
We started our journey from Kathmandu, driving to the Nepali-Tibetan border and climbing over 1100 meters to 2400. Kathmandu was an interesting, lively city but seeing the countryside definitely made me want to stay for more. Nepal is famed for its treks and I definitely could see myself spending weeks hiking around the lush, green land amidst the towering Himalayas.
The countryside of Nepal was a lot more green and lush than I expected. A truly beautiful country that I can't wait to come back and trek through it! Annapurna, anyone?From the border, we systematically gained altitude from 2400 to 3700 and finally 4200 in order to acclimatize ourselves in preparation for hiking to Everest Base Camp, which is at a mind-boggling 5200 meters (that's over 17,000 feet btw). But along the way we saw some amazing views from snow-capped mountains over 8000 meters (there are only 14 in the world) to barren lands that make you think you are the only beings in the world. Some days we spent over 7 hours in 4x4 jeeps, over grueling terrain but the scenery was never dull and made each journey worthwhile (actually the landscape reminded me a lot of my Uyuni trip in Bolivia).
Tibet is like a huge rocky desert but at unbelievable altitudes. Everywhere you looked, it was just nothing and no one.
Our unbelievable Tibetan drivers. These guys were absolutely fearless. Some of the roads were so terrible, we ended up bouncing around in the car and banging into everything. Quite an adventure! Btw, I don't think I'm built for off-roading.
Nothing but me and the Tibetan plateau.
More gorgeous scenery! I could just stare it all day without getting bored.
Sorry, one more landscape photo. You can see the little village nestled at the bottom on this mountain.
Our lovely accommodations! No running water and very cold but they did have a home-y feel. The accommodations were a little bit basic and probably the worst I've ever had! Just remember to hold your breath when going to the bathroom!
There were tons of Tibetan villages along the way. They all had similar architecture, coloring and good luck Buddhist symbols. These villages seem so remote and far apart with very little to sustain themselves with.
Taking a well-deserved break. Though we were driving most of the time, the trip was still very tiring and hard. The altitude definitely didn't help!
An amazing view of a glacier at yet another pass.The overland journey also introduced us to the Tibetan people. Traditionally nomad herders and farmers, the Tibetans manage to eek out a living in a place no person would chose for themselves. But they seem to be happy and proud of their home, however hard it is. Their main cash crop is barley and the animals their raise are yak, sheep and more yak. Everything in their lives are made from yak - yak meat in everything (how does it taste, you ask? A little chewy and a bit like rotten lamb - gross, really.), yak butter candles in monasteries, dried yak dung as fuel, yak butter in tea (yes, tea) or mixed with barley flour, and of course, my personal favorite, yak cheese. More than 70% live under the poverty line but I've always felt welcomed by their quick laugh and gregarious personalities. Its hard to see so many of them beg for food and money but you appreciate their outlook on life in the face of such hardship.
A lot of Tibetans are traditionally nomads, herding yak and sheep. We met these lone travelers at one of the highest passes we crossed at 5,000 meters. We were dying with headaches and collapsing lungs while its just normal life for them.
Lots of donkey drawn carriages. You could hear them coming because of the jangling bells on the donkeys.
Ah, soccer. Crosses the cultural divide every time. Too bad Tibet doesn't have a World Cup team this year.
The older people were pretty superstitious about having their picture taken but the kids loved it! They would pose and then rush over to see how the photos turned out.The trip from Kathmandu to Lhasa has been one of the more emotional journeys on this trip. The Tibetans are deeply religious people who believe that life is suffering and the only way to reach pure bliss, or nirvana, is to leave behind all secular feelings and materialistic needs that keep them bound to this world. That takes on a whole new level of meaning after seeing how little these people have and how unforgiving the land seems but how wonderful the people are. You can also feel the spirit of the people in the surrounding mountains, making their stark beauty that much more heartbreaking. They definitely makes you rethink the things that seem so important but really are so insignificant in the long run. Not everything has to have an ulterior meaning, things don't always have to be analyzed to death and sometimes he's just not that into you. As our leader, the unfatiguable Puskar, hilariously said to a woman who demanded to know why a stone was outside one monastery, "I don't know. A stone can exist without reason." Things can just happen and we have to learn to simply let things go and let them be. There are bigger, more important things than me out there that can exist simply so why can't I? That's definitely hard for someone as anal and type-A as I am but I'm learning! I might even end up running away to travel the globe and never come back. After all, who needs the hardships and responsibilities that come with going to business school, finding a job and actually growing up?
Yes, that's me on a yak. It cost 5 yuan (about 6o cents) and it was totally worth it! Except when it started to move. It also stank.
2 comments:
Great to see your photos and read about your trip from nepal to tibet. Do you think this journey is ok to do in march, or too much snow for the roads. Is it easy? What do you think?
When I was there it was the beginning of May and it was pretty cold. It got to freezing at night and not that much warmer during the day. There probably won't be that many people out there in March b/c its so cold but you could probably do it. Though I think most trips don't start running until April. So I'm not sure if you would really want to do it in March but you probably could if you were really keen. Its a great trip though!
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