Last Days - Kathmandu

Rainy Kathmandu is certainly a contrast from the Himalayan plains of Tibet. I'm just filling in time here, as I don't have enough time for a trek, and besides, the monsoon weather isn't inspiring. There are several temples and ancient sites to visit, many a combination of Hindu and Buddhist, and aside from that I'm enjoying the extensive cuisine on offer here. At the moment I'm sitting in the Himamlayan Java coffee with an extremely strong Americano in front of me.

It's hard to sum up Tibet in a few words. The things that struck me most were the importance to Tibetans of their particular version of Buddhism, and the political situation. The two are connected: resentment at China's occupation of Tibet (and with armed soldiers on guard at every street corner in Lhasa, it really feels like an occupation) gives the religion a great deal more significance, especially given that the exiled Dalai Lama is both religious leader and political head of state.

There's no doubt that China has invested a lot in the country and brought real benefits - roads, power, agricultural improvements - but without the approval of the people these things are just resented. And China isn't a country that does things by halves. In some ways the speed of development and the scale of what they have achieved is admirable, but in Tibet it seems crass and inappropriate, clashing with Tibetan values. Crossing the enormous distance between densely populated central China and Lhasa (across a vast area of high-altitude emptiness, another Chinese achievement, as this is the highest train line in the world) really emphasises that Tibet has more in common culturally with Nepal and India than with China.

Lhasa itself is a small city with a Tibetan old town and lots of sprawl that could be anywhere in China. The highlight for me was going inside the Potala Palace, above all else the iconic image of Tibet. Its 1,000 rooms are mostly empty, and it has been that way for much of its history. Our visits to the various temples and monasteries were opportunities to try and understand a little of the complexities of Tibetan Buddhism, thanks to our Tibetan guide. My travel companions (you have to go as part of a guided tour) were backpacking for much longer than me so were on a tighter budget, and one of them spoke Mandarin, all of which meant that we ate in local restaurants much more, and my food expenditure plummeted!

To get from Lhasa to the Nepal border we had a jeep, and stayed in a variety of towns en route, all very much on the tourist trail. There were some highlights in terms of monasteries but the main thing was the stunning scenery. On our visit to Everest Base Camp (on the Tibetan side - no sign of anyone attempting an ascent) we were lucky to get some clear views of Everest, and it was great to cross the Himalayas this way, seeing remote nomadic life in this inhospitable environment.

The scenery changed remarkably suddenly as we descended from the plateau, and we approached the border descending into a lush forested gorge. The border itself has to be one of the most dramatic: towns on both the Nepal and Chinese sides cling to the sides of this steep valley, each filled with trucks and other vehicles lined up on narrow switchback roads waiting to cross. The border is the river beneath which we crossed on foot having been released from China. To get down to it, we had to clamber over a huge pile of mud, carrying all our gear, as a landslide the previous night had blocked the road. This is not surprising as it hardly stopped raining the whole time we were in the area, another big contrast from the dry uplands.

So, with only a few days to go I'm happy to do a little sightseeing, contemplate the last three months and enjoy a few creature comforts while they are still a fraction of the price back home! Looking forward to seeing you all soon. Cheerio.

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Pandas, and cities old and new

I'm about to set off today for Lhasa, and a tour round Tibet. This is quite exciting, as to get into Tibet you have to book through a tour company with a planned itinerary. We are also going on the new train line across China, the highest in the world. I've met up with the two other people I'm travelling with - we were in email contact but now we've all met. As one of them says, it's like we are going on holiday!   Since the last blog post, I've been to Chengdu, which is a nice, modern, easy place to spend some time. Although it doesn't have historical things to look at, it was a real pleasure to be there, and there are interesting things round about, like the panda breeding centre. This is one of the few places in China where the pandas will actually breed, so they must be doing something right. They are unbelievably pampered animals and have everything done for them, including being fed special nutritional cakes, and having a special air conditioned room when it's too hot outside. It's not exactly wildlife in its natural environment, but it was interesting.   I also spent a couple of days on Emei Shan, which is a series of steep forested mountains with Buddhist temples on every peak. They are all joined up by miles and miles of stone steps, and the thing to do is to walk to the top and see the sunrise by the amazingly ornate Golden Temple at the top. Looking back afterwards at my guide book, it does mention the word "exhausting" although that hardly does it justice. Spending eight hours basically climbing a never-ending stone staircase in the tropical heat is incredibly hard work. I don't think I've ever sweated so much in my life. But it was atmospheric and something different. The temples offer basic dormitory accommodation, which means you can stay on the mountain a couple of days, and that is very nice.   (I keep writing "template" instead of "temple". You can take the girl out of the office, but you can't get the office out of the girl.)   After Chengdu I went to Xi'an, which is where the Terracotta Army is, and many other historical things, it being the ancient capital. The museums, and the stuff they have dug out of the ground, are fascinating, and they are finding more all the time. They really give an insight into China's very long and distinctive civilisation. However, Xi'an, the city as it is today, is a bit of a mess, with rebuilding going on everywhere and all very disorganised and difficult. It didn't help that it poured with rain the whole time I was there. It was worthwhile, though.   I'm currently in Xining, towards the north west of China, to get on the train for Tibet. Xining is quite a pleasant place, in a valley between two mountains, with loads of high rise buildings going up. The hostel is on the fifteenth floor, so some nice views. A good place to get ready to go on holiday!   After Tibet I'll be crossing the border into Nepal and making my way to Kathmandu, where I fly home from. More from there, if not from Lhasa.   Best wishes to everyone - home soon!!