|
|
Adventure Coaching Blog
Getting to Lhasa and Touring Around
Greetings from Lhasa Tibet!
Yesterday we flew from Kathmandu to Lhasa and of note I received a complementary upgrade to first class, along with Lukas, Josef and John . This came complete with champagne, red slippers and various other trimmings. Not that the rest of the team in the back were jealous or anything!
Unfortunately, due to the continuing heavy monsoon still affecting Nepal and vast areas of Asia, mountain views were not forthcoming. At Lhasa airport we were met by our Tibetan guide Pema who will accompany us overland on our journey to Cho Oyu. After moving into the Himalayan Hotel, we all went for a walk around the old Tibetan Quarter of Lhasa and checked out the Jokhang and general scene. We then had dinner at a restaurant called the Lhasa Kitchen and most folks opted for yak steak. Lhasa is at an altitude of 3600m and so we are all feeling the affects of tiredness that accompany an altitude jump.
Meanwhile, this morning our Sherpa Team left Kathmandu with a truck to transport all our cargo over the Friendship Highway. The news today was that a huge landslide had closed the highway. The slide was on the Nepalese side of the Friendship Bridge that forms the boundary between Nepal and Tibet. Land slides are not unusual and our schedule allows for potential delays.
Tomorrow we have a day of tourism planned in Lhasa which includes visiting the Potala Palace and the Sera Monastery.
It is great to be under way and and to have begun this journey in earnest.
After heavy rain last night and a grey morning, the sun lit up the Potala beautifully for our visit. Not withstanding the politics and tragedies that have beset Tibet, the Potala Palace is certainly a mighty, majestic and awe inspiring structure. In order to comply with the regulations of a one hour maximum visit we were constantly being shepherded along by our guide. The Potala is a giant commemoration to the history of Buddhism in Tibet, most specifically the Dali Lama lineage, and contains numerous, statues, tombs and works of Buddhism art. This afternoon involved visiting a working monastery called Sera and then chilling out. Tomorrow we will be on the road to Shighatse. The direct route is closed for road works and so we are expecting an early start and an eight hour drive.
Wishing you all a life of adventure and inspiration.
Sarah Wilson
Adventure Coach and Adventurer
Posted by Sarah Wilson on 1st September, 2010 | Comments
Tags: Lhasa, Cho Oyu, Adventure
There are no comments for this post Post a CommentHTML is not allowed in comments, http://... will be automatically linked.
|
|
|
|
