“Tibet has reopened to foreign nationals after being closed for two years due to the Coronavirus.”

The news about Tibet, after 2 years waiting for it to open up and multiple failed applications for a permit.

Before I had come to China, I wasn’t fully aware of the difference between Tibet and Nepal. The common denominator that was made obvious to us in the West was Mt. Everest, and I didn’t know much else. It was only after I arrived in China did I start to see the tours for it and educated myself further. Tibet quickly moved up in my China bucket list.

Though we were first to experience the pandemic, Chinese authorities were swift and effective in getting the country back to a state of normal. So that meant that I was back to traveling in no time. In 2020 I managed to go to some of my favourite places in China, including Yunnan and Gansu.

However, Tibet remained closed.

In 2021, I embarked on a 3 month backpacking trip around China where I successfully ticked off a large chunk of provinces I hadn’t visited before. By the end of the year, announcements were floating about that Tibet was open for foreigners again. I asked to be on a waiting list with the tour company and waiting for a response that never came. A tour opportunity came up so I applied for a permit and… it was rejected due to a ‘local holiday’.

But come December, my friends and I re-applied, payed a deposit and had the permit in our hands in weeks! Tibet, here I come.

Now, tours aren’t my ideal method of traveling, but places like Tibet are off limits otherwise. If you’ve lived in or are living in China, you’ll be familiar with various tour companies. They all offer similar itineraries at roughly the same price. I had been to Xinjiang with Wanna Travel, so I went with them.

Chinese New Year was when my tour was scheduled, and also when a cluster of Covid outbreaks surfaced. The stringent routine of health codes and risk areas meant that at any moment the trip could be cancelled. The planned journey was Shanghai > Chongqing > Lhasa (flying through Chongqing or Chengdu saves a lot of money), but we didn’t let ourselves get excited until we stepped off the plane in Lhasa. Finally! Tibet was really happening.

I immediately felt the altitude, though at this point I wasn’t sure whether it was exhaustion or the height. The people that greeted us truly demonstrated the nature of the Tibetan people. They were witty, friendly and helpful and suddenly, we were relieved of all our entry stresses.

As we drove into downtown Lhasa, Potala Palace came into view. I had dreamt about seeing Potala Palace many times before, but nothing could have ever prepared me for what greeted me in person. The size of it was jaw dropping. It towered over the city, and when lit up at night, its grandness stood out even more against the black sky. We later learnt that no other structures can be built to the same height, honouring the symbolic importance of Potala.

Traveling in places like this in Covid times means tests tests tests. After a jab so far up the nose we’ll never forget it, the first afternoon was spent in bed, adjusting to the altitude. This was advised online and by our tour guide. We naively arrived thinking that we’d rest for a few hours and get out and about by evening… but boy were we wrong.

That evening, I was hit with such a bad headache that I was a heaving, crying mess until the early hours of the morning. Now, as an avid hiker and lover of mountains, I never expected to be affected so badly! After vomiting all the food we had earlier chowed down, I found a position with as little pressure on my head as possible and eventually dozed off.

Day 2 – Drepung Monastery & Sera Monastery

I woke up feeling, well, as good as you can feel after a night of endless crying and vomiting, with the puffy eyes to show for it. But, this day was the first day of exploring Lhasa! We had a quick breakfast and got on the bus to the first Monastery. I was mesmerised looking out the window and seeing the stunning Tibetan plateau stretching endlessly around the city. Some mountains still held onto their heaps of stubborn snow refusing to melt. Others were bare and fashioned jagged rock edges.

We spent the day wondering around the peaceful monasteries, listening to our lovely guide teaching us the history of Tibet and Buddhism. I listened with a sense of pure contentment, how Tibetan people live so honestly for the moment – even buying portions of food only for the near few days so as not to be too fixated on the future.

Whilst in Drepung Monastery, a sweet girl suddenly grabbed my hand, “Jie jie!” (Chinese for big sister). With my broken language skills and her Tibetan accent, we had a brief conversation in Chinese about what I thought about Lhasa and whether she was a local. Her kind eyes were smiling up at me and she held onto my hand a little longer before running back to her family.

The devotion of the people to be and do good was so obvious, from the local ‘Welcome to Tibet!’ calls, to the honest daily commitments to Buddhism. Our guide explained common morals of generosity and selflessness, of avoiding greediness and wasting natural resources. I felt so completely inspired.

Day 3 – Potala Palace & Jokhang Temple

The following day was Potala day! We climbed the 432 steps (very slowly), thankful that the air was crisp to cool our heavy breathing down. Not only was the structure itself impressive, but the views of the city were phenomenal. Tibetan New Year falls on the same holiday, so flocks of devoted Buddhists were there to do their laps around the city and grand halls of monasteries.

Within Potala, we were able to see the study and living rooms of Dalai Lamas past, amongst the 1000 rooms that make up the palace. It was surreal to consider the history of the place and to walk on the very same floors in the present day. I was truly lost in the moment, taking in the incense, the hums of prayer and the bright colours of decorative gem stones on gold stupas. It was easy to understand how this was the holiest landmark of Tibetan Buddhism.

Jokhang Temple and the surrounding Barkhor Street gave us more history, and a good look into the cuisine, lifestyle, fashion and culture of the Tibetan people. I was in ring and scarf heaven! I very successfully scored some stunning local jewellery and ate a memorable meal at Tibetan Family Kitchen.

Day 4 – Shigatse

We spent the next day driving to Shigatse following a road that looked like a movie set. My first exposure to the Tibetan plateau was in Qinghai, and it really never disappoints. Thankfully, I was adjusting to the altitude by this stage so the journey wasn’t a nauseous one. We soon realised the entirety of Shigatse was celebrating the New Year, so the evening was filled with non-stop fireworks and many failed attempts at finding a restaurant still open.

We went to sleep early that night, eager for what awaited us the following day.

From Tibet’s side, China has built a road that drives straight to Base Camp. This is both impressive and a little disheartening. This natural wonder seems to me like one you should achieve on foot, but on the other hand, the road is incredibly convenient and means that people can come and go daily without overcrowding the camp grounds.

The night at Base Camp was an uncomfortable yet memorable one. We got back from the viewpoint and sat around a fire with some tea. Remarkably, there were only the 14 of us on the tour, and the monks living in the monastery, at Base Camp that night. The temperature outside was well below zero, wind picking up. The exhaustion of the journey plus the altitude caught up quickly and soon it was bedtime.

When you sleep at an altitude of 5100m, every roll over and pillow adjustment leaves you winded. Due to it being off season, and an issue with a power line, we had no electricity. Blankets on blankets plus every layer of clothing we had on us kept us going that night. I woke every hour or so, taking a few breaths of the oxygen provided after finding another semi-comfortable position.

But I tell you what – this night of what you could hardly call sleep was worth it to wake up in the morning and see Everest standing in all her glory in the centre of the valley. I did a pathetic job of brushing my teeth and rushed off to sit in silence in front of her, before it was time to go.

Day 6 – Shigatse

We embarked on the 7 hour journey back to Shigatse, still in a state of awe. Most people had woken up with a headache and it was fascinating to feel the pressure in your head suddenly reside on descent. I’ll be honest, I spent most of this leg of the journey asleep.

Our hotel in Shigatse greeted us with a traditional Tibetan scarf and free beers for all! It seemed like every local left in town gathered in the food hall there and celebrated the New Year together. Notably, they sang a beautiful song to us visitors, which they translated:

When we have a karma connection, we will meet again and again.

Another tear-jerker.

Day 7 – Yamdrok Lake, Karola Glacier & Kumbum Stupa

The final full day of the tour was jam packed, with a great distance to cover and multiple stops to make. The weather could have been kinder to us, but we weren’t about to complain after our luck at Base Camp. By now we had been saturated with the constant beauty of the Tibetan plateau, and I was loving it!

Kumbum Stupa was our first stop in the quaint town of Gyantse. We had lunch and spoke to the Nepalese residents. I learnt that the only international destination out of Tibet is in fact Nepal, so a lot of people come for work. The sightseeing didn’t disappoint for a second as we visited Karola Glacier standing at a whopping 5000m altitude. This was followed by Yamdrok Lake, frozen over in the piercing cold of January.

By evening, we arrived back in Lhasa and said our goodbyes. The week felt so much longer than 7 days, yet seemed to fly by at the same time.

This is simply a shoutout to the adorable animals around Tibet, including a Tibetan mastiff!

In the last few hours before my flight out, I returned to the Tibetan Family Kitchen. The cross-eyed ginger ball of cuteness pictured above accompanied me as I had my last meal in Tibet, before I headed off to the airport.

Needless to say, I regrettably said goodbye to Tibet. This trip will stay with me forever. Not only was our guide incredibly informative, but the tour itself was worth every penny. We truly got our money’s worth.
Hopefully I’ll be back in Tibet another day, interacting with the gentle souls and exploring the Tibetan plateau again.

– Tash