The
traveler information for visitors to Tibet was rather confusing but I read
from several sites that all visitors must travel in group, guided by a tour
guide so free & easy travel is not possible. All the local travel agencies told us the
same information so I reckoned that this must be true given the strict
guideline of the Chinese. After comparing packages, I ended with ASA holidays
travel agency in Singapore. I am not a big fan of tour agencies but given the
travel restrictions in Tibet, I have no alternative. Later, I found out that it is now possible to
travel without a group as long as you engaged a local tour guide & driver. We
met two European ladies along the way who told us this and I felt cheated
following my tour group. Fortunately, I paid about SGD2, 000 for the 9 days
package which I think is very reasonable.
The
9 days seemed a little too short since we spent 3 days in China itself. Pardon
me as I am used to referring Tibet as an independent country. Departing on a red-eyed flight, I arrived in
Chengdu from Singapore on day 1 early morning. We were able to check in shortly
after our breakfast at Holiday Inn Express which was great. We had some time to wash up before heading
off to the Panda Base. The pandas are really lovely (most animals are) and this
is my first time seeing so many of them up-close. They are very adorable but
lazy animals – many of them are simply lazing and sleeping on the trees; while
some are busy chewing the bamboo shoots. There are several enclosed ones behind
the cages and it seems like these are adults and can be aggressive. I wish they
are out from the cages L
My
tour group consists of about 20 pax – age ranges from 10 years to 90 years so I
can’t expect the group to go fast. We spend around 2 hours at the Panda base
before heading to the old alleys of Chengdu (Kuan Zai Xiang which means
Broad-Narrow street). I like this street – filled with quirky shops and interesting
cafes. I found a nice Starbucks outlet back in the alley which has very
interesting architecture. The day ended by the late noon since we all had a
flight overnight flight and we need sufficient rest before departing the next
day. We spent evening nearby the hotel and ended in a yucky cheap massage place
which I regretted. There were many street food and stalls nearby so packed some
noodles back to the hotel room. Happy
with day 1.
The
next day, we took a domestic flight to Nyingchi, located in Southeast
Tibet. The domestic airport is very
small but surrounded by beautiful scenery. We hopped on a bus which has about 30 seats so it was very spacious and comfortable for the group. The bus was
surprisingly well-maintained and clean too – I went with the expectation that
the bus is going to be old and dirty. The rides were not that bumpy too and it
was great viewing the scenery along the ride.
After checking into the Fairyland Hotel (ha!), we headed toward Lulang forest.
The view on the way was magnificent and we stopped to snap some pictures
against the Glacier Mountains. The Lulang Forest – so called Tibet’s Shangri-La
is covered with green forestation which was amazing except for the thick fog,
making it challenging to capture pictures. The place was crowded with Chinese
tourist. The air is fresh but there were far too many smokers polluting the
fresh air. I am unsure why they do not ban smoking in this place.
I
was very fortunate to be assigned with a passionate Tibetan tour guide. He has a Tibetan name which sounded like
“Jimmy” which was what we called him along the trip. Jimmy is very knowledgeable with the Tibetan
and Chinese culture since he studied in China before becoming a tour guide. He
is accompanied by a Chinese tour guide so he tried to explain sensitive situations
in English which I appreciated very much. He speaks good English and Mandarin
too.
Day
3 is the visit to the holy lake – Draksum Tso. The lakes and its surrounding
views are beautiful and the site is also connected to the semi-mythical ruler
of then Kham region and Guru Rinpoche. We got to the entrance and had to wait
before we are allowed to attend. Coaches and personal vehicles are not allowed
into the park directly. Everyone had to take the ecological tram which aims to
protect the environment and clean air. The tram was filled with mostly tourists
and some locals – some spinning the wheel religiously while waiting for the
tram and on the tram. It was a short ride to the lake. The green lake is very
beautiful against the clear blue skies. I wish some tourists will stop
screaming in my ears as I enjoyed the beauty of the lake against the
glacier-mountains. Also, I wish they would stop throwing huge chucks of bread
for the fishes. I thought it was
hilarious when the fishes swarmed away as fast as they could when the huge
chucks of bread were thrown into the lake – even the fishes think that was scary. The place is crowded since it was a religious
day for the locals. There is a temple up
the pave but it was too crowded to step in. There were wooden statues of the
man and woman’s private parts outside the temple which seem to symbolize the
origin of mankind. Outside the temple, you can see personal bags left outside
casually. The trust among the Tibetan is very strong and they believe that
nothing material is valuable.
There
was money left on the trees which are believed to be sacred. These are offerings and no local will steal
them. There were also the white religious clothes hanging on those trees. Our guide pointed out at one of the areas
downhill where people buried infants who have passed away. In Tibet, other common
burial practices are “water-burial” – this is a reason to why Tibetans do not
consume seafood (another reason is that they believe that eating seafood is
equivalent to mass-killing. Why consume 10 shrimps when you can consume a yak
with 10 other person? – very logical theory and I feel bad); dog burial (common
for hill-tribes where they fed the dead to the dogs which is a way of returning
the leftover back nature).
There
were many locals having picnic too and one family were very nice to offer us
their food. It was like a flour cake (or Roti-Prata as we know it). It tasted a
little blend but we are supposed to dip into the milk or sugar. The locals seem
to be enjoying their peaceful moments despite the crowds of tourists passing
through them.
On
the way back, we stopped by the Mi-La hill which is at an altitude of
5013metres above sea level. I was lucky not to be suffering from any high
altitude sickness since I was on medication which definitely is effective. The
locals approached us to purchase the colored religious flags. I bought one and
wrote names of my beloved ones onto the flags, which they hung up at the rocks
with the other flags. By hanging the flags up nearer to the sky, they believe
that Buddha will be able to answer our prayers.
Day
4 is finally the exciting visit to the Potala Palace. This city is different
from what I have imagined. It has been developed by the Chinese and loses its
touch of culture. I cannot decide if this is good or bad for the Tibetan. Lying
amid the developed city is the famous Potala Palace. To me, it has lost its
religious touch and is now an attraction for tourists.
There
is a schedule to enter and exit the palace (1 hour or 2 hours restriction). It was a
challenge climbing up the stairs of the Potala Palace given the high altitude
in Lhasa and air gets really thin. I found myself panting very hard after
walking only 5 steps up. Everyone had to take it slow in Tibet. I heard that
there were people who fainted while climbing up the stairs and did not manage
to make it up. I made it up there successfully and I was so thankful! The
palace is beautiful but many parts of the palace has been restricted due to
whatever reasons. I was slightly
disturbed by some monks in the palace who were busy counting the monies that
they have collected from donations. I
also managed to see the coffins of the past Dalal Lama which also stored all
their belongings – so the coffins of those who lived longer are much larger
than those who passed away as a child. Overall, it was a good experience
visiting the palace. I wish the religious touch remains and it will be more
meaningful especially for the Buddhists.
We
departed from Lhasa to Shigaste on day 5. Along the way, we passed by Yamzo
Yumco lake (Baidi lake0, wedged between 2 mountains. Yamzo Yumco means “Swan” as the largest
freshwater lake in Tibet is wedged between the mountains like a swan spanning
its wings. The view was amazing. We stopped for picture-taking and there were
many locals with their yaks and dogs to attract tourists for a low price. The Tibetans
dogs are huge but adorable. They look pretty sad so I decided to go pat them
and to take some pictures with them (which they probably hate it). We drove on and stopped by the beautiful lake for some pictures before heading for Kharolo Glacier for more pictures. Kharolo is a spectacular location for pictures of the glacier mountains – this is probably my favorite place in Tibet.
The
next day, we visited the Tashi-Lhunpo Monstatery, the largest monastery of the
Tibetan Buddhist yellow sect and the seat of the Panchen Lama. The stupa of the
10th Panchen Lama can been seen in the temple. There were some VIP
during our visit and I was told that it was the Panchen Lama from Beijing. I was not impressed – and anyone who knows
the history will not be impressed too.
This place was average – most tourists only.
As
promised, the guide did bring us to the souvenir shop on our last day in Tibet.
I was disappointed as the store is owned by a group of Chinese so all the items
in there are probably made in China (not made by the Tibetan). I did manage to
find a few stuffs in the shop and it was cheap. On my wish list was the
spinning wheel – both handheld and for display kinds. I bought the display ones
in another shop previously (one of the shops outside the restaurant where we
had our lunch). My most interesting
purchase in this shop was a horn – which is used commonly during the war. I
gave it away as a gift to someone who could appreciate such “antique”.
We
stopped by a running river between the mountains for some pictures and headed
back to the hotel. It was a massage evening and the guide arrange for us to go
for foot massage which I would not miss. There was a restaurant beside the
massage parlour which was very disturbing – it was the rabbit steamboat
restaurant and there was a cage of live rabbits placed outside. This is very
very very disturbing to me :(
Day
7 is the day to embark on a journey on the world’s highest railway running on
the Tibet- Qinghai Plateaus - The extraordinary scenic and unforgettable train.
Initially, I was worried about the train being extremely dirty and I will be
bored to tears during the 22 hours ride.
Time passed so quickly on the train and I wished that we had more time
on the train. The ride was smooth and sceneries were magnificent – mountains;
lakes; grasslands; herds (you name it). The skies were clear and blue and it
was beautiful. I like the quiet moments whereby I sat by the window and stared
out at the views for hours. The cabin was nice and clean- which I did not quite
expect given some reviews I have read.
This was probably because we were in the 1st class cabin with
only 4 bedded (soft bedded). I am not sure of the differences but it seems like
there are hard bedded in other lower classes.
The small but cosy cabin consists of 2 double-decker bed. I was
fortunate to be allocated to the lower deck so I am totally incapable of
getting up and down from the upper deck. I tried and almost could not get down
which made a mockery out of me! We were almost to share the cabin with two
other ladies but they switched cabins to be with their families. We ended up with two middle-aged men from
Malaysia – there was no issue since they came in a huge group so they were in
other cabins most of the time. They came back only at bedtime and went to bed
right away. These cabins come with a
door which we could lock at night. This was important given that there were
reports of theft on these trains since passengers were allow walking freely
from cabins to cabins.
I
managed to walk down the train to peep at the other classes. Our cabins were close to the restaurant and
front cabins were really crowded with the locals. There is no bed in those
cabins – only tables and chairs but the local made themselves comfortable by
preparing games and food to get through the ride. They were friendly when I
walked pass too, we tried taking some pictures discreetly and were chased away
by the train master. Moving to the back are the 6 bedded cabins – 2
triple-decker beds and I am not sure how to fellow on the top deck got up
without bumping his head. Most of the passengers in the 6 bedded cabins are
locals too but look more affluent than the ones in the front cabins. The aisle
of the train is slightly narrow but not too bad. There are chairs on the aisle
and charging points so many folks were reading a book and charging their
mobile. The glass panes along the aisle offered good views along the ride too.
There
is a cabin which serves as a restaurant in the train – there are limited tables
which it will be good to get there before dinner time. I did not try the food
but some of my tour members did. The food looks presentable (home-cooked style)
and they commented that it was rather good. Beside the restaurant, there is
also a push trolley that goes down the cabins. They served breakfast; lunch and
dinner and these packed- meals were cheap. I cannot remember the exact price
but I think it was only about RMB10-15. One of the members bought a packed-rice
which came with eggs and meat – looked good though. I have no recollection if I bought any food from
those push-carts since there was no need to given my load of food in my food. I
had cup noodles and baked beans which were heavenly to me! We are able to get hot water from the train
directly so it made it easy to make a hot drink.
Nothing
is perfect so the main complain that I have about the train are the bathrooms
which are disguising. You see human wastes floating and pees on the bathroom
seats. It was gross going to the bathroom but I had no choice but to made quick
trips to them. The bathrooms in our 1st class cabins were no
different and were equally gross. The bathrooms were not restricted by the
class so anyone could hop into one of the empty bathrooms. As the day passed,
the bathrooms got dirtier and grosser. The
sinks were ok although it got dirtier on the 2nd day morning when I
got up to brush my teeth and washed my face – I did a quick one.
The
train made several quick stops along the way. I hopped down at some stops but
there was almost nothing. They made a longer stop (20-30 minutes) later in the
night but it was almost 11pm and I was almost asleep. It was almost freezing so
I had no interest to get down from my bed.
I read reviews that many was unable to sleep on the train due to its
movement and noise. On the contrary, the movements made me sleep really well. I
slept for more than 8 hours and got up at 7.15am which is early for me. I could
hear others waking up since 6am!
We
arrived Xining at around 10am and were welcomed by a new lady guide. She was
nice and happy but the place we were brought to was boring. It was a tourist
attraction known as Danga’er ancient town and we were introduced to another
guide there. This guide was horrible –
she was walking and talking really fast. It was obvious that none of us were
following her. Near the end, many of us
were taking pictures on our own. She was the most ridiculous tour guide. I took some pictures there but it was pretty
boring. There were several performances – a costume display which was almost
lame given that there was no presenter or voice explanation. Few ladies came
out in various costumes, posed around, walked around and end of the
performance. That was the most “eye-opening” costume show that I have seen.
There were a singing performance too – it was ok but not interesting. After lunch was a visit to a village where we
were introduced to the wine-making process and a traditional marriage.
Xining
is rather developed – there were shopping malls around the city and within
walking distance from our hotel. There is a market near our hotel selling
souvenirs and it was a great place to buy things. I bought the ancient
horse-riding drinking container as a gift J. Day 9 was a free & easy day where I spent my
time strolling around the hotel before departing for the airport at 1pm.
I
over-prepared for this trip since this is my first time visiting a place of
high altitude. These are the list of items that I brought along – may be too
much but I am glad I brought them along:
- Basic medical supplies – including motion-sickness pills; diarrhea pills and high altitude pills which you have to start taking few days before the accent
- Food & Snacks – I am a pretty fussy eater since I do not eat most meat and I was worried that I am unable to find suitable food there. Seafood is not common in Tibet. I packed along biscuits; 8 cups noodles & porridges; canned baked beans; nutrition bars cereals and packets of milk. Basically, my luggage was filled with food and snacks and I admit that I over-packed! The food was actually ok since we dine in mostly Chinese restaurants. There were a lot of greens and mushroom and some fish and I was able to fill my stomach. After few days, these dishes became the norm and most people in my tour group were eating less and less. I didn’t manage to consume my 1st cup noodles until day 4 or 5 when I was exhausted and wanted to rest in the room instead.
- Disposable raincoat – fortunately it did not rain so I did not get to use it.
- Disposable table sheets– I had intended to lay these sheets on the hotel or train beds in case they are disguising and dirty. Again, I am blessed to stay in clean hotels and tehse sheets were not needed. The soft bedder on the train was clean too but I laid a sheet over just to make myself a little comfortable.
- Tissues; wet tissues and sanitizer: I am a cleanliness freak (a little ironic given that my bedroom is constantly in a mess) so these are items are important useful to them along the trip. Oh, I brought a roll of toilet paper too which I did not get to use it since all hotels had toilet rolls. The only time that I had to use tissue will be heading to street bathrooms which are simply a drain or hole and you pee/ do your business into it.
- Sunblock & sunglasses: you need these! The radiation in Tibet is extremely strong given the high altitude. The weather is very cool so you cannot feel that the heat so it is important to apply the sunblock frequently.
- Warm jackets: The temperature was around 15 degrees Celsius in the month of April so I did not bring along much warm clothing except for a warmer. I brought only an additional pants; tee-shirts for change; pajamas only. There are nights where the temperature dipped to only 5 degrees and I was freezing. I should have brought more clothes than food!
- Camera: Sadly (very sadly), my camera’s lens were exposed and I could not take any pictures using it during my entire trip. I was very upset but I am glad that I had my mini ipad which I snapped numerous pictures with. The resolution was no good compared to my camera but at least I captured the moments. Important lesson learn: do not assume that your camera is in good working conditions. Good practice to check the condition; charge it fully; change batteries (bring along extra ones) before a trip like this.
- Chargers: Travelling with 2 iphones; an ipad and a faulty camera, chargers and travel adapters were extremely important to me. Just check to make sure that you have them. It will be a hassle not having these during a trip in places like Tibet.
Others:
- Wifi: Internet access was readily available in most hotels that I stayed in except for one. To me, it is a good that wifi is not available at all the attractions, so it is good to keep away your devices and enjoy the beautiful place!
- Travel insurance: It is important to purchase travel insurance for every trip, particularly to places like Tibet. I usually have my insurance policies stored in my iphone but I think it is a good practice to have a hard copy by your side in case of emergencies.
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