Tibet!

I’m writing this right now from my (slightly gross) hotel room in Lhasa, Tibet, at an altitude of 11,975 feet! We’ve already spent a night and an entire day here, but it’s still difficult to believe that I’m actually in Tibet – one of the most remote places on earth. Before now, I don’t know that I’d ever even met anyone who had been to Tibet. It’s very surreal.

Tibet is one of the most extraordinary places I’ve ever been in my life. First of all, it definitely doesn’t feel like I’m in China anymore, even though I technically am. We took the new train to Lhasa from the city of Xi’ning, the capital of Qinghai province. The train actually wasn’t supposed to be completed until this year, 2007, but it was completed a year early. It’s a nice train, but outside of China (and I’m sure in private settings inside China) there has been much discussion of the controversies that exist surrounding the train. I’m glad it makes it easier for people like me to see Tibet, and I’m glad that it brings with it economic prospects, but at the same time, it really shows that what I like to call the “Chinafication” of Tibet is now in full swing (more on that later).

So after spending some time in Xi’ning, we boarded the evening train to Lhasa. It was the longest train ride I’ve ever been on – almost 30 hours! Like the train we took from Beijing to Xi’an, we all had hard sleeper bunks. Luckily, since this train was so new, the bunks were nicer than those in the train to Xi’an. We all went to bed pretty early that night because there really wasn’t much else to do, and they turn off all of the lights at 10 o’clock.

Waiting in Xi'ning for the train to Lhasa:

The next morning, we awoke to some stunning scenery as we climbed further into the Tibetan Plateau. The entire way to Lhasa was through the mountains. It was then that I really appreciated just how remote Lhasa really is. I literally saw nothing but yak and tiny clusters of what looked like nomad enclaves the whole way to Lhasa. We would go for miles and miles without seeing any sign of civilization whatsoever when suddenly we would see a hut, or a small cluster of huts. When passing these tiny outposts of civilization, I would constantly wonder how it is that people can stand living in such remote areas. I guess they don’t really know anything different, so they’re simply accustomed to it. I’ve read about people living in yurts and whatnot, but I’d never really seen it on such a scale with my own eyes. At one point the train stopped in what appeared to be a small town (or at least a cluster of buildings that were not yurts), and we saw a woman walking across a huge expanse of grazing land toward the train station, wearing the colorful clothing that you see many of the native Tibetans wearing and carrying a baby on her back. It looked like she had walked from a tiny collective of huts which was nestled between several mountains far away in the distance. My friends and I simply watched her for as long as we could still see her before the train pulled away because she was so interesting – just a lone figure in such a vast area. We couldn’t help but wonder about her story. Where was she going? Why was she going there? Where did she come from? Needless to say, this was the most fascinating and visually pleasing train ride I’ve ever been on.

Scenes from the train ride to Lhasa:

We arrived in Lhasa at around ten o’clock at night, so it was obviously dark outside. However, one of the many strange things about China is that it has no time zones, so even though we are so far west from Beijing, we are still on the same time. This has thrown us all off because the sun doesn’t set until around 8 or 9 at night, so it feels much earlier than it actually is. As I’m writing this, the sun is just rising, and it’s almost 8 am! The altitude here has also thrown us off. As I mentioned earlier, Lhasa is almost 12,000 feet above sea level, so there is little oxygen here. I haven’t had too much of a problem with it, but some of my classmates have fainted or experienced altitude sickness. I will admit though, that I get winded after climbing to the second floor of the hotel, where our room is, or even when I’m turning over in bed! Running is out of the question – I think I would probably collapse! It’s good that I’m in relatively good shape because I haven’t had the same problems that others have had, but I definitely notice the effects of being at such a high altitude. I mean, we are in the foothills of the Himalayas, which reminds me: yesterday my friend Becky and I were walking down the street when one of those people who promotes bus tours, etc. approached us and asked us if we wanted to go to Mount Everest. We were taken aback at first, but then we realized that we’re actually not that far from Everest. It would take about three days to get there by van through some sketchy roadways, but it’s crazy to think we’re actually that close!

Like I said before, we arrived in Lhasa in the evening. Our hotel, the Xionbala Hotel, was ok, except for the fact that the second floor, where many of us stayed, looked (and smelled) like it had recently been flooded. I had to wear flip-flops the entire time I was in the hotel room. Also, our toilet didn’t work. Fortunately, I wasn’t expecting a four-star hotel in Tibet.

After an early breakfast the next day, we set out for the Potala Palace, which was built in the seventh century and has served as the seat of Dalai Lamas and the political center of Tibet. It really is a magnificent structure. It has almost a thousand rooms. We were only able to see a tiny fraction of those rooms, but that was enough to appreciate the grandeur of it all. Getting up to the palace was slightly difficult, as it is very tall and located on a hill. At sea-level, climbing to the entrance probably wouldn’t be too difficult, but it was a pain at such a high altitude. However, it was worth the climb – the views from the palace were absolutely breathtaking. I couldn’t get over the fact that I was standing in such a grand structure overlooking Lhasa, the heart of Tibet, one of the most remote places in the world. It was almost spiritual.

Me in front of the Potala Palace:

Monks climbing the steps of the Potala Palace:

View from the top:

Tibetan prayer flags:

We spent much of the rest of our time in Lhasa touring the city, shopping, and eating. Tibet has a lot of yaks, and you grow to appreciate the yak’s omnipresence in the area, as seemingly everywhere smells like yak butter candles, or serves yak butter tea (or just plain yak), or sells various products carved out of yak bone. We went to the Mad Yak restaurant one night and ate yak and watched a Tibetan dance performance. The yak actually tasted pretty good – it has the consistency of beef but a taste that is similar to lamb. I thought the yak butter tea was disgusting. On another note: Tibetan culture reminds me so much of Native American culture in the US. I was talking to my friend Kuong, who has spent time on a Navajo reservation, about this, and he says it's because Tibetans and Native Americans share the same Mongolian DNA - it's just that the Native Americans' decsendents crossed over the landbridge that used to exist between present-day Russia and Alaska instead of staying in Asia.

Tibetan crafts (notice the girl in the foreground's cowboy hat!):

Eating lunch with Becky, Anna, Katie, and Kuong:

Browsing the markets:

Anna, Kuong, and I (on the right) just couldn't resist going back to the Potala Palace to dress up in some "traditional" Tibetan clothes:

One of the many striking things about Tibet is the significant Chinese military (PLA – People’s Liberation Army) presence that exists there. So far, I’ve been to a number of Chinese cities, and none of them had such a ubiquitous military presence. We were walking through the center of the market one day when suddenly five Toyota Land Cruisers with military plates parked right in the middle of it. Soldiers got out of the cars and simply walked around the market for a little while before getting back in the cars and driving away. Another time, I was eating lunch with some of my friends when we noticed about a zillion military cargo trucks drive past, one right after another. When walking around Lhasa, I would notice random military vehicles parked on street corners, in front of stores, or near restaurants. It was a little strange, but also intriguing, so I made sure to try and take a picture of almost every military vehicle I saw. Also, did you know that foreigners need to get a permit just to visit Tibet?

Those SUVs in the picture are all Chinese military vehicles:

As I mentioned earlier, the “Chinafication” of Tibet is extremely prevalent. The first thing I noticed about Lhasa upon exiting the train station and approaching the city were the flashing lights that characterize essentially every Chinese city. I’ve come to realize that so much about Chinese cities is just extremely flashy and gaudy. Now that access to Tibet is becoming easier and easier, Lhasa is no exception. Like every other city I’ve been to thus far in China, Lhasa seems to be totally under construction. I don’t know if I’ve brought this up before, but one of my Chinese friends told me, jokingly, that China’s national bird is the yellow crane – construction crane, that is! There were entire streets that seemed to be under construction – we even saw monks hard at work. The Chinese ostentation combined with all of the construction and the Chinese military presence showed that Tibet is, in fact, Chinese territory. However, despite all of that, Tibet still retains an atmosphere that is very un-Chinese. In fact, most of the time, I don’t even feel like I am in China. Rather, because the people and culture are so distinctly different from most of China, it feels like I’m in a different country.

One of many construction scenes in Lhasa:

Even the monks are taking part in construction!

I’ve really liked Tibet. As we drove outside Lhasa, we took roads that wound around the mountains of the Tibetan Plateau, and the sheer otherworldliness of Tibet became apparent. We passed many small farms and villages with Tibetan-style architecture. There are Tibetan Prayer flags everywhere. Sometimes, when you look up at these rock-strewn mountains, you will see prayer flags that had been spread out across the mountainsides to catch the breeze. I find myself looking up in amazement at the prayer flags that have been placed at the peaks of these mountains because it seems that it would be nearly impossible to get up there to place the flags. Tibet is such an amazing place and I feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to visit.

Prayer flags on the drive to the airport: