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.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
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