THE TIBET SERIES, DAY 5 & 6
CHENGDU – LHASA
New friends but no oxygen in Lhasa. As I write this I am currently flying towards Tibet over the Himalayas and it is easily the most scenic flight I have had. I have flown 100s of flights and nothing can prepare you for how incredible the Himalayas are, so rare actually that most aircraft carriers fly around that over.
WELCOME TO COUNTRY NUMBER 170!
I do have a huge regret not having a window seat, however I have been lucky enough to see the odd glimpse and was even offered to switch by the friendly local beside me.
What has worried me slightly is the severe lack of oxygen in Tibet and the common occurrence of altitude sickness for tourists. I guess we will see.
DAILY INFO….
- HOTEL – Shambhala Hotel 7.5/10
- ATTRACTIONS –
Potala Palace
Jokhang Temple
Barkhor Street
Sera Monastery
SHAMBHALA PALACE
I haven’t planned to do much today besides give my body time to acclimatise so it was straight to the hotel (impressive!) to chill. This was one of the most authentic hotels I have stayed at but unfortunately no lift and I was on the top (4th) floor which is a struggle in any situation never mind at this altitude but will do me no harm!
New friends but no oxygen in Lhasa
LOCALS
From here I headed out for a walk to familarise myself with the city and possibly get some food. I was only out of the hotel for maybe a minute before I bumped into two local girls who were keen to talk…or rather communicate using google translate. They were interested to know where I was from, did I have a guide and if I had eaten. Me being an absolute cynic thought this was a honey trap and was a little unsure how to take this.
Anyway it turned out they had good intentions and one of them wanted to take me for dinner and in the process buy me a hat. The UV rays at 3,600m are incredibly dangerous for pale skin and they were keen to look after me. I could not believe the hospitality here!
FLAG….
- THE SUN – Symbolizing the bright future and hope for Tibet and its people.
- SNOW LION – Traditional symbol of Tibet. It represents the country’s natural beauty, strength, and independence.
- RED – Symbolizes the people of Tibet, their spiritual and secular authority, as well as their courage and strength in the face of adversity.
- BLUE – Represents the Tibetan sky, symbolizing freedom and spiritual realization.
- WHITE – Represents the snowy mountains of Tibet, symbolizing purity and the path towards enlightenment.
- YELLOW – In Tibetan Buddhism, yellow symbolizes the Middle Way, which is the path between extremes and represents harmony and balance.
DINNER
I did not expect my first dining experience in Tibet to be with someone who I had never met and could only communicate through a translator app! However there was something quite endearing about it and it turned out that Lamu paid for the meal. What’s worse is that it was actually her birthday! Who is willing to give up their birthday to spend time buying dinner for a random tourist! I thought this was amazing.
After dinner we took a stroll and bought some Tibetan cream yogurt (relax, it was chill!).
RELATED READ: HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS WHILE TRAVELLING
FIRST SIGN OF ALTITUDE SICKNESS
There are 3 main things you must do if you want to reduce your chances of having any issues. Keep a steady flow of oxygen cans with you, stay hydrated and do not have hot showers. I didn’t know any of this but it was the hot shower I had tonight that ruined me.
It is well known (apparently) that hot showers fasten the metabolism which aggravates oxygen deficiency and didn’t I know it that night. I always sleep like a baby but I found it impossible to get over tonight and tbh it rarely improved.
POTALA PALACE
Today we started in Potala Palace, the highest palace in the world and the most sacred in Tibetan Buddhism. It’s a huge building, erected on a large rock formation at the city’s center, overlooking Lhasa. There is a blanket planning condition that forbids any other structure to be higher than it and you can see why.
It was a challenge to climb the stairs, the first instance (apart from getting to my hotel room) that altitude has an incredible effect on your performance. There were many people struggling, holding oxygen cans and taking their time to climb the stairs. Unfortunately you cannot take photos from inside but it was a labyrinth of rooms and halls.
New friends but no oxygen in Lhasa
DALAI LAMA
Previously the palace was used as a summer palace by the Dalai Lama until the Chinese invaded in 1950. Since then it is now used as a government office but still allows tourists in everyday. If you want to visit it is best to reserve your place soon as there are limited spots and they are booked up weeks in advance.
New friends but no oxygen in Lhasa
JOKHANG TEMPLE
Next up was Jokhang Temple, which was surprisingly big in the inside. This is where many Tibetan Buddhists end their pilgrimage as they walk as far as 2000km, incredible. The temple is made up of a Buddhist Temple, a school monastery and houses the statue from the time Shakyamuni Buddha lived, known as the founder of Tibetan Buddhism.
BARKHOR STREET
Barkhor Street is a circular street that surrounds Jokhang Temple and the place where many people do the Kora. A form of pilgrimage or meditative practice that involves walking in a circular path around a sacred site, such as a temple, stupa, or mountain. Many people walk or prostrate (a religious gesture which involves kneeling or going on all fours, often touching the forehead to the ground) around the temple 3 times, morning, noon and night.
MONK DEBATES AT SERA MONASTERY
Our last visit today was on the outskirts of the city at the Sera Monastery to witness the famous monk debate. This is where monks come out to discuss their own interpretation of what they have learned. Its incredible as you hear shouting, slapping, and a fair bit of commotion!
New friends but no oxygen in Lhasa
FINAL THOUGHTS
I’ve survived the first few days of Tibet, I am hoping that is the worst of the altitude sickness, however my sleeping is as poor as it has ever been!
NEXT UP
Tomorrow, my most horrifying travel experience!!! Click to read.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
170/229
This post is part of The Tibetan Series, for the entire series click here or for episode 1, click here.
To watch the video of my trip, head to my highlights on my Instagram.
