Travels in Tibet

A big fat hello from freezing cold Tibet!! Don't forget to check out Marty's fab pictures of Mt. Everest and some other amazing spots in Tibet...

Well, the train from Chengdu took a whopping 44 hours and passed through some stunning scenery at around 3,000 m above sea-level. Hi to Lee (from Donegal) and hubbie Mike (from New Zealand) who were our travel companions for the trip and our time in Lhasa (we'll see you two again in Auckland for Xmas drinks, ok?!!).


One of the amazing views on our 44 hour train journey

Arriving in Lhasa, the main city in Tibet, we were now at 3,600 m above sea-level and finding it tough enough to breathe! It was here we spent a good few days acclimatising and learning how to inhale at this height before heading off into the Tibetan wilderness with a lovely German couple, Sangeetha and Mario, in a LandCruiser and with our trusty Tibetan driver!

Over 5 days we visited gorgeous Yamdrok (meaning "dark blue") Lake, the towns of Gyantse, Shigatse (Tibet's second biggest after Lhasa) and Lhatse (talk about a 1-horse town, this was the real deal 1-yak Tibetan town!!),Tingri and finally Mt. Everest Base Camp (where we felt obliged to pay a visit to the highest bar in the world!!). It was extremely cold, particularly since we were dressed for Thailand's beaches and not Tibet's less clement climes - it was here we saw snow for the first time since Brussels!

Marty doing his stuff at Yamdrok lake

Don't think we'll ever forget our night staying in the digs of a Buddhist monk at Rongbuk Monastery, which at the foot of Mt. Everest is (you've guessed it) the world's highest monastery at 5,200 m above sea-level. With no electricity or heating we shivered the night away, but the blanket of tiny stars in the ink-blue sky that night was unbelievable and with the silhouette of Mt. Everest in the background, we managed to put up with it. And hey, didn't we survive and get up at dawn the next morning to catch sunrise over Everest (or Chomolungma in Tibetan). We also risked hypothermia and frostbite to get a couple of nerdy snaps from Everest Base Camp too, so check 'em out!

Right now, we're back in Lhasa taking it easy and enjoying the views of the stunning Potala Palace, former residence of the Dalai Lama and seat of the Tibetan government, ahead of our flight to Jinghong tomorrow (Monday 22/10) which will be our last stop in China.

Potala Palace

Wednesday should see us arriving in Laos where we'll happily laze away a week or so before heading back into Thailand for our flight to Sydney on 12 November.

Hope everyone of you is keeping well, and we'll post more soon!!!

Love, Marty & Susie xoxoxoxo