[The China of Tibet]

Since I was 17 I have always wanted to goto Tibet. In particular I was captivated by the books my dad had lent me, written by a Tibetan monk called Lobsang Rampa who later settled in Canada. His stories of a monks life, rituals, pilgrimages and ancient Buddhist practises fascinated me. Buddhism always felt familiar to me and I have often said that if I had to join one religion Buddhism would be it.

On 22nd May I crossed the border of Nepal into Tibetan territory as part of a 7 day overland tour. My first impressions of Tibet were typified by the border town of Zhangmu (2300m elevation). Its China.

All the writing is in Chinese and only occasionally in small writing beneath are the words in Tibetan. If there is money involved or its a business, to be sure, its mostly owned by Chinese. As the Dalai Lama rightly pointed out, the greatest threat to Tibet are the Tibetans themselves becoming a minority in their own country. (Its also illegal to have a picture of the 14th Dalai Lama in Tibet. For similar reasons bookshops in Tibet dont sell the Tibetan Lonely Planet as the guide book doesnt support the Chinese view of Tibet)

For me, the feeling of a non-China Tibet is in the small rural villages where the Tibetans still farm the soil with Yaks. So arriving in Lhasa after my tour I have mixed feelings. Certainly surprised at how non-Tibetan it is.

Lhasa is a super modern city and in the main shopping street I was surprised to find the likes of Gucci, Playboy, Etam etc. 4-5 star Chinese hotels are everywhere.
Most of the Tibetans in Lhasa can be found in an area called Barkhor. Pilgrims flock to the Jokhang temple and circle it clockwise (always clockwise!) Some even circle the temple by prostrating around it all the way. Maybe its good for Karma credit, but isnt there an easier way..?

Tibet is really a high altitude desert and this can provide amazing contrasts in
landscapes. It seems most settlements are on the plains flanked by steep mountains on either side. Nothing seems to permanently grow on these mountains so every where you look you are surrounded by high, brown, rocky peaks. Its a harsh beauty in itself, the brown rocky plains, with the odd green rice fields, or with turquoise coloured lakes against a blue blue sky.

The air is thin and dry due to the altitude. (Lhasa is 3600m) On our 2nd day of the tour we passed through 5050m and finally slept at an altitude of 4050m. This meant we had elevated 1700m in one day- we all had altitude sickness. For me, like I had when I climbed Kilimanjaro, I had throbbing, throbbing headaches.

In 2003 I quoted my worse toilet experience but I have found a new winner.... In rural western Tibet. The toilet was merely a long slit in a small concrete room, elevated above the ground. There was not even water available. Below on the ground one can see the excrement. And does it smell! No water, no lime, no saw dust. Pure crap left outside for months. Just as I was finishing up I almost shat myself again when I saw something big move under my bum 50cm below. It was a donkey (or small cow). She came to check out the fresh droppings and sniffed and licked at her new findings...blah! Often in mens toilets there is no partition between the slits, so one can happily shit in the company of others. I never thought I would say this but I look forward to the toilets in India again..

Curiously and to much our discomfort, our first 2 hotels in rural Tibet didnt even have any shower facilities, not even a private place to through a bucket of water over yourself. The hotel in Zhangmu was quite new with staff sharply dressed in uniforms, yet no showers. Weird.

The Tibetans are generally warmer, more welcoming and friendlier than the Chinese. The monks are lively and fun to talk with. I had a very familiar, home coming experience when I visited the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa. It somehow touched a deep chord within me. And when I visited the Potala I felt the excitement of the place it was and I could imagine myself having debated politics and religion amongst the lamas in one of their great halls.

Sometimes when I saw one of the many statues of the past lamas in the temples, it was as if they were alive. Almost as if the energy and personality of the lama is being transmitted into the room via the statue. I was impressed when I saw the monks make a Mandela out of coloured sand, purely by hand, taking month(s) to make. Only to be destroyed later, as a teaching too for non-attachment.

To go almost anywhere outside of Lhasa one needs a group travel permit. This means one has to be part of a tour, hiring a jeep, driver and a government approved guide. This frustrates everyone as not only is it insanely expensive, (out of the realms of typical backpacking) it takes days to organise a group (including permit). Plus you have to be lucky enough to find enough people to participate and share the cost in a private tour you want to make. Chinese visas organised in Kathmandu are short anyways, mine being 20days.

So I feel rather trapped here. Luckily Lhasa is an interesting place and still worth more time to feel and explore. I really enjoyed the nature in Tibet and Im hoping to do a couple of organised trips in this direction before I fly back to Kathmandu.

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