Namsto Lake

Almost at the top of the world sits Namsto Lake, the highest salt lake in the world. Sounds impressive, eh? Well, it is.

Along with our Dutch travel compadres, Merein and Jorien, we hire a Land Cruiser and a driver, and head north from Lhasa to Namsto. We cross a pass at 5190m- there is thick snow everywhere and the wind is freezing. It even snows on the drive there. Hailing from Australia, snow is a novelty, a novelty lost on our Dutch companions.

When we reach Namsto, the lake is partially frozen over, and icebergs (cool!) are scattered across the surface. As I have never seen icebergs, I temporarily lose sanity and leap into the freezing water to walk on the icebergs. Doesn't really happen, but it makes for a good story and great photo.

But the cold really sets in, and it starts to snow. Its really, really, really cold, and our 18 month summer does not seem to assist Steph and I to deal with the cold. The novelty has worn off. We have not slept in a tent in 3 months, and we choose a freezing cold, snowing Tibetan mountain lake as the time to change.....go figure! And as Namsto is around at 4850m, we all have a really bad night. Steph is worst off, and we decide to head back to Lhasa a day early. Really makes you realise how delicate the body is- a couple of kilometres above sea level and we're in trouble.

But we get a clearer picture of what Tibetan life is like- I think the pictures speak for themselves.

Lhasa, Tibet

Well, I don't know for how long I have dreamt of the land of Tibet, of seeing the Potala Palace with my own eyes, and of experiencing the magical spiritual home of the Dalai Lama...... and after 5 days of travel from Kathmandu, we arrive in Lhasa.

I have read extensively about the Tibetan political situation, but nothing could have prepared me for just how far the Chinese had taken cultural genocide in Tibet.

For a Tibetan city, Lhasa looks very Chinese. Worryingly Chinese. Like there is no Tibet left. The Potala Palace is perched in the middle of a sprawling Chinese business district, and at the base of the Palace, the Chinese have thoughtfully put in a Tienanmen-style square. On the highest point of the Potala sits a Chinese flag. I know it sounds bad, but it really is bad. This is not Tibet, this is China.

For a more candid look at the political situation in Tibet, the feel of the place and some impressions, please have a look here.

In the Tibetan quarter of Lhasa, the Jokhang Temple appears to be one of the last vestiges of "real" Tibetan Buddhist culture left- in Lhasa, at least. And it has that amazing spiritual energy I came to Tibet for.

Tibetan adventures Part 3

Well, after Xigatse, we head to Gyantse, only 100 kms up the road. We head to yet another monestary, Palcho monastery, and the scenery reminds me a little of the movie Mortal Kombat. Dark brooding clouds in the background, strange religious temples and a mountain top fortress....almost a Hollywood set.

Day 5 dawns with us heading for our final destination, Lhasa. We skirt by the breathtaking (seems like I use that word a lot in Tibet) Lake Yamdrok Yam Tso for over an hour, and believe me, it is breathtaking.

But the trip is nearly over, and our travel weary bodies yearn for a few days of R&R. Personally, I have wanted to visit Tibet, and in particular Lhasa, for at least 10 years, so today holds for me a special achievement. Anticipation and excitement builds as we approach the Tibetan capital.

Tibetan adventures Part 2

Well, the next couple of days pass in a blur, as altitude sickness dominates me. We exceed 5000 metres above sea level as we cross the Lalungla Pass, calling for celebration, and as we go down the other side, those with altitude sickness breath a sigh of relief.

The first 2 days of Tibet, breathtaking scenery is juxtaposed against very basic facilities- it would be a very difficult place to live. For me, the basic accommodation and facilities combined with cold and high altitude make the first 2 days a challenge.

After 2 nights roughing it in Tibet, we reach Xigatse, the second largest city in Tibet. Up until now, the only Chinese influence has been the odd Chinese settlement and Chinese road signs. In Xigatse, the Chinese cultural influence is everywhere- I'm not sure what I expected but the Chinese are certainly here.

While in Xigatse, we visit the Tashilumpo monastery, the seat of the Pachen Lama in Tibet. With some political wrangling, the Panchen Lama prevented the destruction of his monastery- a fate which befell most of the other Buddhist sites in Tibet. The monastery is exquisite, and I wander through the amazing chapels and squares, almost tasting the immense energy seeping out of the buildings. Tashilumpo is a living monastery- it has practicing monks in residence, and even the thought of the monks chanting here makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

Tibetan adventures Part 1

5.30am We arrive at the designated meeting point, still half asleep but pumped for our trip to Tibet. Our small group, has grown to 38...not such a small group after all. Wearily, we board the bus, and soon we are thundering away from Kathmandu, horns blazing.

The bus trip to the border is interesting to say the least- we get stuck on a one way road with truck carrying bricks. Once we get away from the city, the going is a little bit easier, and the scenery is breathtaking. We reach the Tibetan border at around 3pm. For a Tibetan border, it looks distinctly Chinese- a premonition of things to come?

The friendly Chinese spray our bags with some mysterious liquid (pesticide??), take our temperature (SARS), and before we know it, we are inside Tibet.

We commandeer a Land Cruiser with Merein and Jorien, a couple from Holland, and embark on the first leg of our journey to Lhasa. The scenery... well the pictures speak for themselves, WOW! The land is cold and desolate, but it holds a special energy which transcends the barrenness and is amplified by the isolation.

We have million-dollar views from our guesthouse window- prayer flags flanked by snow capped mountains. But at 3900 metres above sea level, the altitude in Nylam hits me hard and I spend most of the next day sleeping in the car.

The edge of the valley

After a couple of days in Kathmandu, we decide to head out to the edge of the Kathmandu Valley to immerse ourselves in Nepalese culture and get away from the city. So we head to the local bus station, and jump on a bus to Dhulikhel, around 2 hours east.

The bus trip is fantastic- buses are owned privately in Nepal and each bus has spruikers who hang out the door yelling the destination of the bus, in this case, Dhulikhel, Dhulikhel, Dhulikhel, to pedestrians and passersby, attempting to fill the bus. Soon the bus fills up with all sorts of people and goods.....and we even see goats on the roof of another bus!

Dhulikhel is sleepy and relaxed, with fantastic views of the mountains. At Snow View Guesthouse, we get an awesome third floor room overlooking the mountains. On the third day, the haze clears and we get our first real view of the Himalayas- sharp, snow covered precipices. I can't tell you what it feels like to see the Himalayas with your own eyes for the first time, just awe-inspiring.

At our host's suggestion, we take a stroll to Namabuddha, where a Buddhist shrine commemorates a monk who sacrificed his life to feed a starving tigress and her cubs. We get hopelessly lost, but are assisted by a friendly Nepalese man, who takes us to visit his grandmother. After a refreshing drink, he points us down the correct road.

Along the way, we meet some local children, who challenge me to a game of Carrom- like snooker, but played using the fingers. After a few lucky shots, I am thoroughly beaten by these Carrom sharks- much to their amusement.

Kathmandu, Nepal 27.45N, 85.20E

Even from the window of the plane, Kathmandu has a laid back feeling about it. It is also much poorer than any other country we have visited so far. Huge UN transporter plains and helicopters are scattered around the airport, and as we emerge from the plane, the sun shines from a crisp, clear blue sky.

With a couple of people we met on the plane, we grab a taxi and head into the main accommodation area- Thamel. The ride to Thamel is wild- traffic organises itself around the loudest and most persistent horn, and our driver is a skilled operator. Bikes, trucks, cars and pedestrians vie for a single lane road- organised chaos that, strangely enough, seems to work really well!

Even though Nepal's official religion is Hindu, Tibetan prayer flags are draped from every building- a beautiful sight in the afternoon sun, and I feel comfortable and relaxed almost instantly. Even though the people are poor, they are always ready to share a smile, and I find their lifestyle refreshing.

Something that is somewhat off-putting, however, is the Nepalese habit for spitting. Nepali's have no hesitation in hawking up a lurgie from the depths of their lungs and delivering at your feet. It's really hard not to cringe at the sound of drawing phlegm, and the road is a veritable minefield of quivering mucus. Ick!

Kathmandu via Dhaka

Au reviour, Thailand- next stop Kathmandu, Nepal. Looking to pick up the pace a bit, we book a flight with Biman Bangladesh Airlines to Kathmandu, with an all expenses paid stopover in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.

After countless delays, we take off for Dhaka. The air hostesses are dressed in saris, and the food has a distinctly Indian flavour. With a cheeky grin, one of the air hosts offers us hot pickle- from a jar with a spoon hanging out of it. HOT PICKLE he calls, like a spruiker selling wares. Classic!

Arriving at Dhaka, we are given a hotel token and herded onto a bus....and we launch headlong into the Dhaka night. The traffic is wild, everything- the buses, the cars, the buildings, are dated. Our hotel would have been cool in the 60s- now a cross between opulence and tackiness. But the place has an intriguing, unashamed, almost arrogant energy about it- completely fascinating. Unlike Thailand, things are still unsure, a little shaky, in Bangladesh, making for a refreshing and stimulating change.

After a leisurely breakfast, we bus back the airport. The flight is spent staring longingly out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Himalayas from the air. After about an hour, the flat plains of Bangladesh give way to small foothills- we can see the convergent boundary where the Indian plate collides with the Eurasian plate....the nascent beginnings of the Himalayas!

Unfortunately, this is all we see of the mountains- its too hazy. But the fun is only just beginning- we are landing in Kathmandu.