I arrived at
Indira Gandhi International airport, New Delhi on May 15th morning
at 2AM. I had to wait at the lounge for a few hours before boarding the flight
to Katmandu. As I sat myself in the waiting lounge, I knew I was in India. A
million mosquitoes mauled me.
Royal Nepal
Airlines (RNAS as it is commonly known) is one of the most irregular and badly
managed airlines. Delays are routine. Some delays have been up to three days so
I was happy when my flight was delayed by only 3 hours.
Arriving at
Tribhuvan International airport, I was struck by:
The complete
lack of security in the airport. I could easily walk into another aircraft and
go to Bhutan maybe.
The number of
people who lit-up soon after landing. Men and women are heavy smokers and
though there is a rule against smoking in public places, it is not enforced. In
Nepal you can order tobacco off a restaurant menu.
The women all
wear red in Nepal.
Exiting the
airport there was a placard for ‘Bidha Mani’.
We drove to
Thamel, the downtown of Katmandu, where we were put up in a dubiously named
place called ‘Hotel Encounter Nepal’.
Hotel Encounter Nepal. The
yellow board to the left of the road.
It is ideally
located in the heart of bustling Thamel. As we were checking into the room the
security guard asked me ‘Madam, what kingdom are you from?’
I later
realized he asked me that as he is from the ‘Kingdom of Nepal’. You don’t have
PM or presidents here, only HM (His Majesty).
The staff at
Encounter Nepal was very hospitable and I was floored by the Nepali chai.
Nepali Chai is milk tea with a strong cardamom and ginger flavor. The hotel’s
courtyard in the picture below.
After I was
settled in the room, I went to meet Bishnu Subedi, our tour operator. Bishnu
gave the group a run down of the trip details and emphasized on the inevitable
altitude sickness. Headache, nausea, breathlessness and a few lucky souls (such
as myself) can experience ‘the drunken walk’ as well.
The Group
We were a
group of 16, mostly Indians. There was one Buddhist lady from New Zealand who
is suffering a certain culture shock. She is unable to use the bathroom and
cannot accept the complete lack of hygiene. There are two women from Russia.
There is also a pseudo-western couple from Delhi. They want the tour to be as
organized and luxurious as their European tour. Suresh, from the ministry of
Indian tourism is a professional trekker and Prakash, a scientist, plans to do
the Mt. Everest base camp trek following this one.
The route
Katmandu-Kodari-Zhangmu-Nyalam-Saga-Paryang-Darchen-Kailash-Darchen-Zhongba-Saga-Nyalam-Zhangmu-Kodari-Katmandu.
The drive from
Katmandu to Zhangmu is a very scenic one. We drove along the Bhote Kosi River,
which forms a natural boundary between Nepal and China. We drove through
evergreen forests with plenty of natural waterfalls. At one particular narrow
strip of the river, there is the ‘Ultimate Bungee’ resort. This is the second
highest bungee jump in the world (140m). The highest is in New Zealand. I had
to think twice before walking the swinging bridge.
Bhote (Tibetan for ‘Tibetan’) Kosi. The river Kosi that originates from Tibet.
During summer
the snow melts and forms many such waterfalls. This one is on the way from
Zhangmu to Nyalam.
Dhruva, Deepak, Bhes, Tsiring
and Bishnu
These five
were our sherpas in tow. They were very helpful and could take one around Nepal
and Tibet blindfolded.
Dhruva told us
that his favourite bollywood actor is Bobby Deol and that he loves action
movies. He is a strong, tall (this is unusual) sherpa who has been a mountain
man for about ten years now. He has climbed many mountains in Nepal. He told me
many stories of his expeditions and the different groups that he has escorted.
Deepak’s
favourite bollywood star is Preity Zinta. No, not Manisha Koirala as I would
have guessed. (Manisha Koirala is a Nepalese born bollywood star). Deepak was
our group leader but this was his first time to western Tibet. I am very
grateful to Deepak’s sherpa abilities as he hauled me to the tent during my
drunken walk syndrome. Deepak sang the entire Nepali version of Musu Musu Haasi,
for us.
Bhes is a
40-year-old fatherly figure who has circumambulated Kailash about 30 times now.
There is no doubt about his entry to heaven. He sang us all a wonderful song. Pardes
jaake pardesiya bhool na jaana piya. (After going back to your foreign
country please don’t forget me). Bhes would wake us all in the morning with a
hot cup of tea.
Tsiring Tamang
was an entertaining sherpa. He is the head cook and a great one at that. He was
a loud singer and likes Bhumika Chawla. I don’t know who she is but this woman
is very popular in Nepal. Tsiring could prance around at high altitudes like a
mountain goat without breaking sweat. He would carry lunch for us all during
the long treks.
With Sherpa
Dhruva Khanal
Kang Rinpoche
is the Tibetan name for Mt. Kailash. It is 6714m (~22022 ft). It is one of the
most sacred Hindu and Buddhist mountains. It is considered the navel of the
world. Four of the subcontinents major rivers originate at this peak; Ganga,
Indus, Sutlej and Brahmaputra (Tsang-Po). It is believed that these rivers
originate from Kailash and feed into the Manasarovar Lake. Ganga and
Brahmaputra then head towards India, Indus and Sutlej towards Pakistan. The
mountain is snow capped throughout the year and so is a perennial source
feeding into the rivers.
There are many
fascinating legends associated with Mt. Kailash. The most interesting one of
them is that man has never ascended it. Recently, a Spanish group was given
permit to climb the mountain and there were worldwide protests as both the
Buddhists and the Hindus consider this mountain the abode of gods. Even the
groups that have managed to initiate an expedition have returned overwhelmed by
the aura of the mountain. Staunch believers assert that man will never ascend
Mt. Kailash. He will either abandon the climb or perish in the attempt.
Kailash exudes
certain majesty and power that is so humbling that one cannot help but hold it
in awe. 
It is believed
that circumambulating Kailash wipes out the sins of a lifetime and leads you to
heavens doorstep. But the trek and even the journey there is so trying that few
manage to achieve the feat. Ultimate nirvana is when you can go around Mt.
Kailash 108 times.
Trekking
around Mt. Kailash is split into three parts. The first is from base camp
Darchen to Deira-puk. We were about 14 people who set out at around noon after
lunch to climb the 8-mile stretch. It sounded very easy to me when I was
reading the tour description from Boston. I decided I was fit enough to do it.
But consider this; we were already at about 14000ft, one woman dropped dead due
to altitude sickness, almost all the rest of us feel nauseous, have throbbing
headaches and are breathless. Walking a few steps seems like a wretched workout
at this altitude.
Our Tibetan
guide asked us to take long deep breaths and refrain from sitting down during
the trek. After the first few miles, I got into a rhythm and was confident I
could make it to Deira-Puk. The reason this climb is so memorable to me is
because we were advised not to talk during the trek. Talking takes up a lot of
your effort. So you do most of the climb in solitude taking long deep breaths.
The process is almost meditative.
I walked along
crystal clear streams, on frozen rivers, by deep gorges and ravines. It is the
closest I ever got to the mountains. Passing monks, listening to their chants
and visiting their monasteries gave me an otherworldly feeling. I was starting
to make plans to live the rest of my life in Tibet.
On
the way to Deira-Puk
Walking on a
frozen river. We had to probe around to make sure the ice was packed before
stepping forward.
It was bitter
cold and sunny when we set out. As the hours went by it started getting
windier. I could see many twisters in the landscape. There were tiny ones
gathering speed by joining other tiny twisters and huge ones clearing
everything in its path. I imagined what it would be like to be in the eye of
one of these twisters and was happy to see each of them swirl away from my
path. The next moment, like a scene from a slapstick comedy, I fell on my face.
I walked through a tiny twister and it swept me off my feet and mesmerized me
for about 10 feet! After the fall, I was very cautious and avoided walking on
the slope side of the path.
After almost 6
hours of mind numbing backbreaking climb, I had a sunburn, windburn and
dust-burn. We stopped by a tent to drink hot yak butter tea (read description).
Tibetans are amongst the most hospitable people I have met. They go out of
their way to make you feel comfortable (I gave them a number of opportunities
to prove their mettle).
The lady of
the tent gave us all a bowl of the tea. I opted for tatopani (hot water)
instead. I wondered about the family’s life there. Theirs was the only tent for
many miles. Was she there just to serve tea for passers by?
I resumed my
climb as twilight set in. Now I could hear only the streams and the wind.
Kailash is a heavenly presence throughout the climb. It looks different every
time I look up at it. There are a number of little waterfalls joining the
stream.
After a mile,
I could feel my legs wobble. By this time we were at about 16000 ft. I was
drained of all energy. I didn’t have any of the usual nausea or headache, but I
took two steps forward and one step left then right then started hopping
backwards. This is the drunken walk syndrome and apparently an extreme
manifestation of altitude sickness.
Deepak, the
sherpa who was our guide during the walk, caught up with me and made sure I
didn’t step off the path and disappear down the gorge.
Deepak told me
he felt like he was taking a drunken person home after a party night. And I
said pointing to the tent that was now visible ‘thaaaat theeere is my house.
Drop me off there’
I went
straight to the kitchen tent to warm myself. My toes were numb with frostbites.
The Nepali staff was unaffected by the climb. It seemed like climbing the
Himalayas was the most routine thing for them to do. Sitting in the tent and
dipping my feet in hot water, I watched the sky through the vent.
The Tibetan
sky is the most stunning sky I ever saw. It’s like sitting in a planetarium.
There were a gazillion stars all glittering like jewels. Kailash, in the black
of the night was a spectacular sight. It was so close, I felt I could reach out
and touch the peak. That night we could hear only the sound of the stream by
the tent as we slept.
It was most
unfortunate that we couldn’t continue our trek around Mt.Kailash. Snowfall
overnight had made the path unsafe to walk on. Drolma-La pass, our next stop
was covered in snow and was impassable. We returned to Darchen, our base camp.
I would like to return to Mt.Kailash someday to finish the trek.
During our
trek around the mountain, we met a number of pilgrims. The most devout pilgrims
do the circumambulation in a very curious and agonizing manner. They lie
prostrate on the path, rise, and start from where their hand lay outstretched.
They go around the mountain in this manner. I was told it takes them about a
month to cover the 30 miles.
Every visitor
to Tibet invariably samples yak butter tea. It was certainly not the highlight
of my trip. Yak butter tea is made of water, tealeaves, salt and butter.
Besides these basic ingredients, some people also add soda or milk to it. This
tea is a staple beverage and locals easily down about 20 to 30 cups of it in a
day. There is a wooden contraption used to make this tea. It is a hollow wooden
pipe with a piston attached to it. The ingredients are all added to the pipe
followed by boiling water and the piston is pumped in an up and down motion.
The frothy beverage is poured into little tea bowls.
The lonely
planet guide describes yak butter tea as a liquid that tastes like ‘brewed old
socks’. I agree. I gagged on it. The butter tastes rancid and the salt
exaggerates the rancidity.
I gulped the
whole cup in one shot. Sadly, emptying a cup is an indication for more tea. The
kind old lady who invited us to her place poured some more. I was very
distraught at having to drink another cup when she said ‘tsampa, tsampa’.
She presented a tin full of roasted barley flour and put two spoonfuls into my
tea. I mixed the whole thing up and made it into a slimy ball. I licked the
gruel with my fingers and held myself from throwing up. It was like eating
sand. It was a monumental effort to finish the Tsampa and appear normal. Only
Tibetans can eat this for a meal and look forward to the same thing for the
next meal as well.
She made us Bo-cha
(yak butter tea) and insisted that it helps altitude sickness.
I was aware
before leaving for Tibet that bathrooms would be an issue. I just didn’t know
it would be an issue because there were no bathrooms. So yes, I did not shower
for two weeks.
The toilets were
a very real issue. It became progressively worse as we neared Darchen. The
above picture is a representative toilet (for anyone needing more graphic
pictures, email me, I’ll be glad to leave nothing to your imagination). Lets
start with Zhangmu where the toilets were plain filthy. In Nyalam, the toilets
started out being clean, but then almost everyone was sick due to the altitude,
so there was vomit all over the place. (But we still had water). In Saga, the
toilet was a hole in the ground and was similar to the one in the picture but
it had a door with no lock. There are usually two or more holes in the ground
to facilitate a certain communal feeling. From saga onwards, there was no
water. The toilet in Paryang (in the picture) was a toilet with a view.
Now here is
the catch, all these toilets have a few steps leading upto them. There is an
entrance from below as well. The locals use this entrance to clear the mess. If
you accidentally use the ground entrance instead of climbing the stairs, you’ll
drop straight into a pile of crap and be ‘full of shit’. Yes, it did happen.
The person had to be hosed down.
View from
Paryang Toilet (above)
Downtown
Paryang!
Also called
Tso Rinpoche in Tibetan. It is the highest freshwater lake in the world and
after Lake Titicaca the highest lake in the world. (~15,500ft). It is believed
that Manasarovar was formed by a meteorite impact. It is a huge lake with a
circumference of 75km.
Like Mt.
Kailash there are many legends told about Lake Manasarovar. Hindus and
Buddhists both believe that water from this lake can cure any number of
ailments.
The rivers
that originate from Mt. Kailash feed into Manasarovar and these rivers then
flow towards their respective destinations. It is believed that before the
continental drift that formed the Himalayas, these rivers flowed and nourished
the entire world.
We drove
around Lake Manasarovar. It is a huge lake and at times seems like an ocean. It
took us almost three hours to drive around the lake. The colors of the lake are
enchanting; turquoise, aquamarine green, purple and transparent. The water is
so clear that at the shores you can see the lakebed.
Camping on Lake Manasarovar.
Legend holds
that bathing in Manasarovar cleanses sins of a lifetime. I was immobilized by
the dip in the lake. It literally sent a chill up my spine.
Western Tibet
(Ngari region) is a part of Gobi desert. The drive from Zhangmu (~1700m) to
Nyalam(~3000m) revealed the inhospitable and harsh terrain of western Tibet.
There are
rocks, sand dunes, mountains, plenty of little streams and little else. It’s a
confusing picture when you see a river flowing and not find even a little
shrub. The altitude and the soil quality do not support vegetation or
agriculture in this region.
Roads are
still present on the drive from Zhangmu to Nyalam.
A typical
Ngari region scene; icy cold desert, wind and bone dry air. For a week most of
us had nose bleeds because of the dust and dry air.
I have never
seen snowfall in a desert before. I always associated deserts with extreme temperatures,
never with precipitation.
At times, I
could see only boulders and dunes for miles and miles. The place would seem
very un-earthy and suddenly I would imagine I am on mars. Everything I thought
Mars would be like, I saw it here in Ngari.
Every now and
then, I saw a herd of yaks ‘grazing’. I wonder what they nibbled at. Worms and
rocks maybe?
The Himalayan
range was visible through most of our drives.
‘Mindoo’ in Tibetan means ‘not present/not
functioning’. As it will get obvious by the end of ‘breakdown story’, If I
can’t make it as a PhD, I can always fix Land cruisers.
Breakdown
no.1. Battery Mindoo. Also note the stream of gasoline on the road by
the rear tire. This is because fuel tank lid Mindoo. This was one of the
first breakdowns our land cruiser had.
The museum
brand 4WD would splutter to a stop while driving up a slope. The dead vehicle
would slide backwards and perch precariously over the edge of the mountain. The
driver asked us to get a little rock to place behind the wheels. It was the
beginning of breakdown adventure.
Adventure doo
doo.
A scenic
breakdown. The road from Kodari to Zhangmu is so scenic that at times these
breakdowns were welcome.
Fuel-tube Mindoo.
Clutch-plate Mindoo
Riding in a
truck because gasoline Mindoo. Read about China’s gasoline policy in
Tibet below.
The Grand
Finale.
Steering wheel
Mindoo.
There are no
roads on the way to Darchen. We drove about 30 hours in the desert replete with
pits, bumps, boulders, streams and sand dunes. Of course in these land cruisers
shock absorbers are mindoo as well. At every stop, the driver would get
off to check for missing vehicle parts and we would check for missing body
parts.
On one such
drive, from Saga to Nyalam, the vehicle accidentally ran over a huge boulder.
It was about 7PM and we had to drive a lot more to get to Nyalam.
Chikitsa!
Chikitsa!
This phrase is
used when you have a eureka moment. Every time the land cruiser broke down, the
driver would dive into the bonnet to do a diagnosis. If he figured out the
problem, he would emerge with two thumbs up and say Chikitsa! Chikitsa!
So, when the
vehicle ran over the boulder he did his routine jig and came to the window with
his victory cry. The wheel had lost communication with the axel.
Steering Mindoo.
Now, we could
only drive straight. We did in fact drive like that for a bit and at a point
realized that continuing would mean to drive off the cliff. Fixing the axel
took a couple hours.
It was about
9:30PM when we started again. We drove very slowly, especially at curves to
make sure the wheels coordinated with the steering. At around midnight, I was
in a semi-conscious state; trying to catch sleep amidst the bumps and
windy-curvy drive. We were 5 of us in the land cruiser including the driver.
Suddenly,
Suresh yelled ‘Slow! Slow!’
I opened my
eyes and saw us drive off the cliff.
The steering
wheel snapped connection with the wheels. We hit a boulder on the edge of the
cliff and the Land cruiser turned turtle. It was a slow motion fall. I was
sitting in the rear seat between Shobha and Sum. I hit the roof of the jeep and
there were all kinds of stuff falling over me. Bags, shoes, Shobha’s legs, seat
covers and tool-kits.
I yelled as I
was tossed about. There was no fear, only a sense of something unreal
happening.
I felt the
jeep stabilize on its roof. The driver got off and pulled Suresh from the
front. I disentangled myself from the others and got out of the window.
When I stepped
out I was standing on a slope overlooking a waterfall!
In the dark, I
could not tell how deep or how bad our fall would have been if we had tumbled
all the way. I crawled back up the slope, and stood there stunned by what had
just happened.
There was a
huge bush that the jeep was still slightly swinging on. If you remember, the
fuel tank had no lid, so all the gasoline had leaked out. I was expecting the
whole thing to go up in flames anytime.
None of us
were badly injured, just little bruises. I lost my lonely planet guide and
other little things.
We waited for
the other jeeps to come by and hitched a ride with them. It was a quite and
reflective drive to Nyalam.
Tibetan women
are gorgeous. They are hardworking and excellent housekeepers. Their jewellery
is flamboyant. They don a riot of colors to compensate for the bland landscape.
Local stones like zee, citron, amber and turquoise are used to make belts,
headgear, bracelets and necklaces.
Polyandry is a
common practice in Tibet. A girl is married off to any number of brothers in a
family. Our Tibetan guide, Dawa, has three brothers and the four of them have
one wife. The system was put in place to avoid fragmentation of the family
wealth.
Buying tribal
jewellery. Multi-colored beads with plenty of corals and turquoise are the most
common adornment. Bargaining is a required skill. One necklace I bought carried
a list price of 150 Yuan. I bought it for 30 Yuan and was proud of my haggling
skills. Later, I learnt that someone else had bought it for 5 Yuan!
Droma and Ba-cho
In Zhongba, I
met this delightful family of mother and daughter. Mother is Droma and daughter
is Ba-Cho. This is their house. We stayed here for one night on our way back
from Mt. Kailash.
This is a
typical Tibetan ‘affluent’ house. Kitchen is the area where I am warming
myself. The tub below the kettle is filled with yak dung and used as a fuel
source. The heat spreads through the vestibule and the smoke is spent through
the chimney (next to the jar). This system also warms the room. Water or tea is
constantly being heated here. Herbs are also burnt to serve as room sanitizers
or fresheners. It has and incense like engulfing fragrance.
The kitchen is
the central part of the room. The beds, closets and tables are all arranged
around this center. The closets and shrines all have bright Buddhists symbols
painted on them. That night, I slept on the bed beside the chimney. After many
cold days in the tent, this warm room was a welcome relief.
A Mishap
I was sitting
close to the chimney in Droma’s home with my down jacket on. Suddenly, Dhruva
noticed the exposed down. I saw the green sheath shriveling in the heat. It was
close to catching fire. You can see my heavily bandaged down jacket.
Droma and
Ba-cho in their house foyer. Tsiring asked Ba-Cho her name and she asked him to
‘shot-op’.
Later that
evening, I learnt a little Tibetan from her. We spoke in gestures and drew to
indicate. Ba-Cho is beautiful and smart. I asked for her postal address to send
her these pictures, but she said they didn’t have one.
Droma is a
devout lady. She constantly chants as she moves around the house doing her
stuff. A lot of her time is spent in cleaning the dust the nights wind sweeps
into the house. Zhongba is also called a ‘Ghost Town’ as many a morning the
city is found covered in sand.
The Men
Men are very
strong but mediocre looking (explains the lack of any pictures of men). Their
average height rarely exceeds 5 and half feet. They are all heavy smokers and
drinkers (tea and alcohol). Their favorite pastime is gambling. Almost every
household owns a pool table, which is more common among youngsters than the
older men. A typical scene is a group of middle-aged men drinking beer and
playing cards in a dimly lit bar.
On one
evening, on the way from Nyalam to Saga, the temperatures dropped very low and
the altitude change was rapid. I was breathless and shivering like a rattle in
the cold. I walked towards a Tibetan group and said ‘tatopani’ (hot water).
Instead I was offered a cigarette. He held it to my mouth and asked me to take
a puff. I nodded and said I’d prefer water. Later, the man told me that I would
have felt better faster if I had smoked.
This was the
first of few times that I was offered a cigarette. Smoking is not taboo or
health hazard here. It’s part of routine, like brushing teeth.
Our driver
would smoke with all the windows up conspiring to choke us all to death.
The Children
Children of
Tibet are unforgettable. They are the soul of the country. In keeping with
Buddhist tradition, they learn to beg at an early age. With outstretched hands
they would say ‘Alo kiki bom bom’. I don’t know what it means. It is most
likely a phrase asking for money. Besides money, there were kids who gestured
for pens, bangles, rubber bands, earrings and soccer balls. They think nothing
of pointing to your sunglasses, hat or camera and asking you to part with it.
Usually, kids are content with just getting their pictures taken on a digital
camera and then watching themselves on the screen. Women are cheekier. They
don’t let you photograph them unless you ‘show them the money’.c
A group of
boys fascinated by Geraldine’s camera.
My Calvin
Klein model of choice is the boy in green T-shirt. He achieves the hip unkempt
hairstyle by not showering for weeks together. The dust cakes his hair making
him look very suave. Tibetans rarely shower. There are a few reasons I could
think of. There is no water supply in any house. One has to go to the river to
wash. Also, showering seemed pointless to me because the wind constantly
deposited dust on every surface voiding the reason for a shower.
The Face of
Tibet.
Proud eyes,
natural ochre cheeks and windswept hair are all classic features of a Tibetan
nomad. This little girl called after me to take her picture. After I showed her
her picture on the camera, she opened her palm to give me a lollipop. I was
awfully moved by her gesture. If you consider the dismal living conditions of
nomadic Tibetans, parting with a lollipop will list as a super magnanimous
move. I gave her back her lollipop and she was delighted to have it back.
The magnitude
of poverty in Ngari region is unimaginable. Every house is a 10ftX10ft hole in
the wall. Yaks are squeezed for all that they can offer. Yak meat is staple
food. Yak butter is consumed copiously along with the tea. Yak fur for warmth,
yak dung as fuel and the horns as a superstition is saved as an apology for
killing the yak.
Yak horns are
strewn all over the Tibetan plateau. These horns adorn the entrances to homes
and monasteries.
The Yow
Cows in Tibet
are furry and have yak like horns. Yak interference somewhere in the lineage.
They are usually adorned with earrings for easy identification.
The Yeeps and
Yoats.
Monasteries
Almost all
monasteries that flourished during the peak of Tibetan Buddhist regime are in
ruins. The Chinese invasion has decimated most of these sites.
I went to two
monasteries. Chiu Gompa by Lake Manasarovar and Sera Lung by Ashtapath.
Entrance to
Chiu-Gompa
Inside the
monastery, there are hundreds of little butter lamps and bowls containing water
from the lake. There are ornate idols of Buddha, Tara and Milarepa. The monks
live in the rooms surrounding this shrine. Monasteries are peaceful and chants
fill the air with profound calmness.
Stupa outside
the monastery.
Climbing to
visit Sera-Lung Monastery. Sera-lung faces Mt.Kailash and this is where the
holy saint Milarepa meditated for many years.
Gasoline
At gas
stations, I encountered a very bizarre policy. Only a stipulated amount of
gasoline can be dispensed and gas station officials can choose not to give you
gasoline if they wish. On one of the days we had to travel by truck because the
gas station would not fill up the jeep’s tank.
Immigration
Crossing the
border from Nepal to china was a feat of sorts. Individual visas are not issued
to Tibet. One has to travel in a group. The process of visa issuance is very
badly managed. We waited for a whole day on the friendship bridge for our visas
to be cleared.
Many Nepalis
try to steal into the Chinese side. Immediately after the Chinese immigration
there are a row of shops selling household stuff for a fraction of cost
compared to Nepal. So, people steal in and out of this bridge. This is also a
reason that the bridge is full of heavily armed troops.
While waiting
for my visa clearance, I was looking at the Chinese side through binoculars
when an armed official came and asked me to put the binoculars away.
The friendship
highway is approximately 900km long and runs between Nepal and China. This is
the friendship bridge and one waits here indefinitely to enter china. Getting
clearance to enter china from Nepal is a trying task.
Entertainment
in Tibet
Tibet has very
little to offer in terms of entertainment. There is an interesting mix of
Bollywood and Chinese cinema. I saw posters of Salman Khan in more than a
couple bars. There were also a handful of karaoke bars that played Chinese
music.
Pabst is the
beer of choice.
Pabst,
manufactured in china, is most widely consumed. While the cans are recycled,
bottles are stacked outside the bar. Beer bottles are omnipresent. They are
strewn everywhere and are a part of the Tibetan landscape.
Lhasa beer is
another popular brand.
Sky Burial
Like the
Zoroastrians, Tibetans practice sky burial. The dead are cut at several places
and left in the burial ground for the vultures to devour. I did not witness a
live sky burial, but I did see regions strewn with bones.
Thangka
painting
Thangka
painting is religious Buddhist painting. It is an art for scholars of high
intellect. It takes about 15 years to master the art. There were numerous
Thangka art schools in Tibet as well as Nepal. The details of the painting are
so fine, that when I looked closely at one of these girls painting I saw her
using a single strand hairbrush. Selling Thangka paintings is an important
source of revenue for rural Nepalese.
Paikao-Tso
River
This Are Yak
Hotel Store
Idle
photography during Land cruiser breakdown
I was
heartbroken at the thought of leaving Tibet. At the Chinese immigration office,
I had to say bye to all the Sherpas. They had to escort another group to the
mountains. I was sitting by the embassy, making a mental effort to tear myself
from Tibet.
With Chotu
Guide at the Chinese Immigration Post. He is all of 17 and Tibet is already his
backyard. According to him, most people who visit Tibet invariably return to
the magic land.
This is the
image of Tibet that flashes in my mind every time I think about my trip.
Haunting chants, majestic mountains and beautiful people. I have resolved to
return there. When I got back to Bangalore, I had received an email from the
tour operator. It said, ‘Hope you have reached your destiny safely’!