Independent Travel: Tibet

^Potala Palace in Lasa.

Three other classmates and I travelled to Tibet for our independent travel.  A trip to Tibet certainly comes with its challenges ranging from Visa permits, to travel agencies, physical challenges, etc.  But I can't say enough goods things about the travel agency that helped us coordinate our trip, Tibetan ShamanTours. 

^小朋友 or "Little Friend" on the train.

^Just playing the Tibetan "flute."

^Monks debating in the courtyard at Sera Monastery.

We decided to take the train from Shanghai to Lasa, which was the more economical option, and in retrospect the safer option from a health standpoint because it allows you acclimatize, but it did take a full 48 hours.  From the outset, I had read about Altitude Sickness, and brushed it off as nothing because I'm a healthy 20 year old guy, right?  Well, by the second night on the train I was already not adapting well to the altitude, breathing funny, feeling dizzy, and by the time I arrived in Lasa, I was in rough shape with a splitting headache, insomnia, and from there most other bodily functions got worse.  I toughed it out until Tuesday, when we made our next stop to Shigatse, but after dinner on Tuesday night, I could barely walk back to our hotel, with little energy left, an awful headache, nausea, and worst of all inability to sleep.  When you're feeling awful, what is the one thing you look forward to doing?  Hitting the bed and sleeping it off, but sleep was the first and last thing you wanted to do with altitude sickness.  By Wednesday morning, I had to make a really tough decision, do I continue on to Mount Everest Base camp at 5000 meters above sea level, or stay in Shigatse for another day at a less dangerous but still threatening 3,800 meters above sea level?  Well not to sound dramatic, but based on my instincts I was already developing one of two life threatening diseases, HACE or HAPE, so it was totally against what I would have liked to do, but I didn't want to risk making the ascent.  This is where our travel agency and tour guide were so great to me, they arranged for me to stay in the hotel in Shigatse, got me oxygen tanks, Acetazolamide and Rhodiola Root Extract (traditional Tibetan medicine) to reduce the symptoms, and arranged for the hotel staff to bring me meals and check on me in the room.  Fast track to the end of the week, and I really only adapted to the altitude by Friday or so, and mind you I flew out on Sunday!

^Tibetan handicrafts.

From what I was able to observe in my trip to Tibet, it is absolutely gorgeous!  The Tibetans have a much different demeanor than their Han Chinese counterparts, with a much more low-profile attitude about them, and much less flamboyant and loud interactions.  They were all very sweet, everyone we passed greeted us with a warm, "Hello!" even if it was the only English word they knew.  The one sad part to witness was how oppressed these people were.  If you don't know about the Chinese occupation of Tibet, I suggest you do a quickbrush up... Right away, our tour guide informed us to avoid any kind of political conversation regarding Chinese-Tibetan relations, and basically be very cautious in any conversation we engaged in, even religious conversations about Buddhism.  She even told us to be careful about using Mandarin with locals so as not to offend anyone.  It is upsetting to witness all of this from third persons perspective, with little or nothing that you can do, but as with most things in China that seem foreign to a Westerner, the most important thing you can do is just try to maintain an awareness of these issues, and very, very carefully pick and choose your battles.

^Found at the Summer Palace in Tibet, but this was nothing out of the ordinary, Tibet is under Marshal Law.  (特警 or "SWAT")

So apart from my experience, the three others I was with had some of the altitude sickness symptoms at the outset, but quickly adapted after about two days.  I still encourage anyone to go out to Tibet to see some beautiful scenery and learn a little something about their Buddhist way of life.  Trust your instincts and be ready for a little physical challenge, but you only live once, so get out there and see Tibet before it goes through any more drastic changes.

^Guards looking down from the rooftops.