Sept. 14 Left Saga around 10 AM, going Southwest via, for the first time, an unpaved road. Drove for a couple of hours before meeting the paved Friendship Highway (G318) coming from Kathmandu. We passed by another large lake, Pelku Tso, on the left, and craggy mountain peaks covered with snow on the right. One of them was Mt Shishapagma (8,012 m.) But the sky was completely cloudy most of the way. It looked ominous, but the rain /snow in this region is not anything like you'd expect. It took a bit longer than usual, but we still made it to Old Tingri around lunch time. Our driver declared that we would stay here overnight, instead of going 60 KM further to Shegar (New Tingri.) There is a direct route (90 km) to Everest Base Camp, which parallels a three day hike from Old Tingri to Base Camp. The car was overheating, and one tire looked bad. That got fixed by the time we finished lunch. Everest can be seen right from this town, but not today. Cloud cover makes it even more unlikely in the evenings.
None of us particularly wanted to stay in Old Tingri, so we decided to have lunch and continue on to the Base Camp. At lunch, we met scores of tourists returning from the Base Camp and heading back to Kathmandu. They had to wait until 10:30 that morning to have a view of Everest - and that too only for a few minutes. We hoped for better luck tomorrow. After purchasing tickets for the Base Camp at a nearby hotel, we started on a 90 km stretch of bumpy road, almost getting stuck in one dry river bed soon thereafter. Land Cruisers, having higher road clearance, were able to get through just fine, but our van had a lower clearance. Along the way, it got cloudy, rainy, snowy, and darker too, but luckily, the rest of the way was manageable. Our guide had taken groups on the 3 day treks from here, and showed us each day's camp sites by the river, along the route. It would have been an interesting trek (Lonely Planet recommends doing the reverse trek, from the Base Camp down to Tingri. Nice idea!) The landscape was fairly gentle climb to be passable by cars, going almost directly towards the Base Camp. We only saw a lonely Yak here and there; otherwise, there was no signs of life except an occasional Land Cruiser going in the same direction as us. (The reverse traffic is in the mornings, so they can reach Old Tingri for lunch.) Far in the distance, we noticed a blue street sign. I was expecting a sign for Everest Base Camp, but it turned out to be a billboard for China Mobile -- we had seen those along the highway, near the tops of passes, everywhere.
Soon, we reached the road going from Shegar to the Base Camp -- the one we would take on our way back next day. I expected this to be a paved road, but this too was unpaved and bumpy. In a few minutes, we reached our destination - Tent Camp. Everest Base Camp is 4 km ahead of us, but road is closed for cars. We saw Rongphu Monastery - the highest in the world - 3 km before reaching Tent Camp. They have some dormitory rooms, and you can hike to the Base Camp from here on the same road - a total of 7 km. People stay at the Monastery when the Tent Camp is full, or if they are allergic to the Yak dung smoke filled tents. (I expected allergy trouble, but it wasn't too bad.) From here, the road is pretty straight with gentle climb all the way to the Base Camp. The only issue, of course, is the altitude. Many people experience altitude sickness - especially those coming from Kathmandu, who don't get sufficient time to acclimatize before reaching here. Staying here more than one night is NOT recommended.
We reached Tent Camp - 30-40 tents are lined side by side along the perimeter, situated between the road on the left (East) and a river/stream on the right (West.) Beyond those are grey/brown mountain ridges on both sides - East and West. You arrive here from North, and on a good day, Mount Everest is dominating the scene to the South, right in front of you. We saw only clouds and fog. We were planning to hike down to Rongphu Monastery and back. But it was rainy and windy; and we were beginning to feel effects of the altitude. We walked around a bit and then rested in the tent. Tents are made from Yak fur, with a stove in the middle for cooking and heat, and eight cots around with mattresses, pillows and blankets. We used our own sleeping bags. It wasn't that cold. Solar electricity powers lights, and a small TV set for Chinese entertainment. The tent owner -generally a woman - cooks, makes tea/hot water, and cleans up. Soft drinks and beer are also available. In the middle courtyard, Tibetan jewelry and souvenirs are sold during the day. By the river, there are pit toilets for Men and Women. In the far southeast corner is the highest post office in the world. Tickets to most tourist attractions are picture postcards with 0.8 Yuan postage included, which is good for postage to any place in China. And yes, there is cell phone reception here - just about everywhere!
Once it gets dark, there is nothing else to do outside. Everyone then huddles around the fireplace, chats, eats (we had, guess what? noodles!) and some people, of course, smoke (including our guide and driver.) In addition, there is the smoke from the fireplace. It was hard to fall asleep until everyone else did.
Clouds generally disappear after sundown. I therefore kept waking up and dragging myself out of the tent hoping for a view of Everest. No luck there, but the sky was clear overhead and near Full moon was shining bright.
Sept. 15 Came out of the tent around 8 am. Skies were clearing up on the South. West was almost clear with the Moon setting. Two smaller snow peaks to the left of Everest were visible, but NO Everest.
We waited until 10:30 am and then began hiking 4 km towards Everest Base Camp [5545m/18192ft]. Even that short hike was thoroughly exhausting even though the elevation gain wasn't that much -- less than 200m. We walked the dirt road that is now open only to shuttle buses, and took short cuts around switchbacks. As if to cheer us up, half way up the hike, the peak of Mount Everest appeared from partially clearing clouds - can you find it in the picture below? It is at the bottom of the V formed by the clouds.
We took pictures and hoped for more clearing. But the clouds were too stubborn. The Base Camp was just around the corner. From there, we could only see the base of Mount Everest and path leading to it, as you see in the picture below left. The sign at the Base Camp indicates elevation of 5200m (not 5545m as noted here.) Either way, we are pretty high up, and climbing the little 50 ft hill behind the Base Camp Sign was still tough.
Once on the Friendship Highway (G318), we reached the only checkpost where EVERYONE from the vehicle had to walk in and identify themselves, to get clearance to proceed. (Other checkposts required only the driver and the guide to take our passports and permits, while we stayed in the vehicle.) The traffic is pretty light in general, and there were hardly any vehicles (in both directions) at any given time.
Returned to our rooms, read and then had a pretty decent sleep at night - on a "real" bed.
Just as we reached the top from the South, a group of bicyclists were coming from the North. They started from Lhasa and were going to Nepal via Everest Base Camp. The first bicyclist, Thomas from Norway, made it to the top and started celebrating. Many of the tourists wanted to have a picture taken with him - he was more than happy to oblige. Later, I was chatting with him. He was an investment banker between jobs, and had a six month paid time off. So he was traveling around the world - during which, he was in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Mumbai, and of course, Tibet. Small world. He was still waiting for the rest of his team to catch up. We wished him luck and moved on.
Behind us were the Himalayas. No more snow, and no more 17,000 ft passes. Of course, we will still be at least 12,000+ ft for a couple more days. Our guide Sonam was more than happy to stop by Lhatse for lunch. We went to the same hotel where we had stayed earlier, but the chef was at a different location. So we drove there and had lunch at the restaurant where the same chef worked. We had Chicken Mushroom and Tomato soup - not a whole lot of variety, but at least no Noodles!
After lunch, we visited Hot Springs nearby. We had skipped those earlier. There was a large indoor pool with the spring water which supposedly cures skin conditions. We saw some patients outside, but no one in the pool. We did not feel like entering the water. Walked around the place, saw the actual hot springs, rooms where the patients stay during the treatment. Not at all what I had imagined.
Other missed item on our itinerary was Sakya Monastery. It was 60 km out of the way, and even though it was on our itinerary, it was NOT on our permit. Therefore, we couldn't visit. Instead, we visited a previously famous, but currently unknown to tourist, Narthang Monastery on our way to Shigatse. The damage to the monastery during the cultural revolution is obvious.
Reached Shigatse around 4:30 PM to stay at the same Mansarovar Hotel. Our room was once again a corner room on the third (top) floor, facing the main road. Nice room with glass bathroom, and drapes to cover the glass so no one can see inside. We had some time before dinner, and being the second largest city in Tibet, after Lhasa, we wanted to see what it was all about - and may be even eat out. Well, we had seen much of the city on the way in and out, and also seen the tourist attractions. The only other thing was to visit the shopping area. It was like Victoria Market in Melbourne, or like a farmers market in any other town. Returned to hotel for dinner. They had buffet dinner for 45 Yuans with a lot of variety - we ordered from the menu instead. We just didn't have our appetites back to the levels where having a buffet would make sense.
At one point, in a valley, we had a 30 ft tall retaining wall on the left and Brahmaputra on the right. Water was draining out of a spout in the wall, almost on the road. To kill time before the next checkpoint, the driver and guide decided to pull the car over and take a bath - and they did. A few minutes later, another car going in the other direction also stopped, and that driver did the same thing. Unbelievable! Mind you, this was on a one lane highway each way.
They drove me to the bus station, purchased bus ticket and soon the bus left for the airport. The rear view mirror had a timer built in. We reached Gonggar (LXA) airport in 44 minutes. LXA has five gates and the check in is combined for all gates. When you are in no hurry, of course, the check in takes even less time. I was at the end of one line with 20-25 people ahead of me. There were no passengers in the Business Class line, so they asked me to move over to that line. After check in, boarding pass and security, I was at my gate by 2 PM, well ahead of the 3:30 PM flight to X'ian. With change of planes in X'ian, I was to reach Shanghai International (PVG) at 9 PM. I was warned about delays on internal flights in China. I was about to experience it first hand. After a last minute gate change, we boarded the plane by 4:30 PM. The plane pulled away from the gate and then waited for half an hour without moving. There was another plane right behind us, also waiting for the same amount of time. I didn't see any planes land or take off (must be bad weather at the other end!)
Flight took off around 5:15 PM and landed in rain at X'ian at 8 PM. X'ian (known for Terracotta Warriors) is a very large airport, much to my surprise. Our plane was parked away from the gate. Buses took us to the terminal, immediately had us line up for the next flight, and boarded the buses again for the flight to Shanghai. It took us an hour and we left X'ian around 9 PM to land at PVG around mid-night. I was visiting a university in Shanghai, and thankfully, had asked them to send me a taxi. I wasn't sure if the taxi driver would still be there so late at night, but he was. I don't know what I would have done otherwise. Any case, the vacation ends here; now it is "business" time.
None of us particularly wanted to stay in Old Tingri, so we decided to have lunch and continue on to the Base Camp. At lunch, we met scores of tourists returning from the Base Camp and heading back to Kathmandu. They had to wait until 10:30 that morning to have a view of Everest - and that too only for a few minutes. We hoped for better luck tomorrow. After purchasing tickets for the Base Camp at a nearby hotel, we started on a 90 km stretch of bumpy road, almost getting stuck in one dry river bed soon thereafter. Land Cruisers, having higher road clearance, were able to get through just fine, but our van had a lower clearance. Along the way, it got cloudy, rainy, snowy, and darker too, but luckily, the rest of the way was manageable. Our guide had taken groups on the 3 day treks from here, and showed us each day's camp sites by the river, along the route. It would have been an interesting trek (Lonely Planet recommends doing the reverse trek, from the Base Camp down to Tingri. Nice idea!) The landscape was fairly gentle climb to be passable by cars, going almost directly towards the Base Camp. We only saw a lonely Yak here and there; otherwise, there was no signs of life except an occasional Land Cruiser going in the same direction as us. (The reverse traffic is in the mornings, so they can reach Old Tingri for lunch.) Far in the distance, we noticed a blue street sign. I was expecting a sign for Everest Base Camp, but it turned out to be a billboard for China Mobile -- we had seen those along the highway, near the tops of passes, everywhere.
Soon, we reached the road going from Shegar to the Base Camp -- the one we would take on our way back next day. I expected this to be a paved road, but this too was unpaved and bumpy. In a few minutes, we reached our destination - Tent Camp. Everest Base Camp is 4 km ahead of us, but road is closed for cars. We saw Rongphu Monastery - the highest in the world - 3 km before reaching Tent Camp. They have some dormitory rooms, and you can hike to the Base Camp from here on the same road - a total of 7 km. People stay at the Monastery when the Tent Camp is full, or if they are allergic to the Yak dung smoke filled tents. (I expected allergy trouble, but it wasn't too bad.) From here, the road is pretty straight with gentle climb all the way to the Base Camp. The only issue, of course, is the altitude. Many people experience altitude sickness - especially those coming from Kathmandu, who don't get sufficient time to acclimatize before reaching here. Staying here more than one night is NOT recommended.
We reached Tent Camp - 30-40 tents are lined side by side along the perimeter, situated between the road on the left (East) and a river/stream on the right (West.) Beyond those are grey/brown mountain ridges on both sides - East and West. You arrive here from North, and on a good day, Mount Everest is dominating the scene to the South, right in front of you. We saw only clouds and fog. We were planning to hike down to Rongphu Monastery and back. But it was rainy and windy; and we were beginning to feel effects of the altitude. We walked around a bit and then rested in the tent. Tents are made from Yak fur, with a stove in the middle for cooking and heat, and eight cots around with mattresses, pillows and blankets. We used our own sleeping bags. It wasn't that cold. Solar electricity powers lights, and a small TV set for Chinese entertainment. The tent owner -generally a woman - cooks, makes tea/hot water, and cleans up. Soft drinks and beer are also available. In the middle courtyard, Tibetan jewelry and souvenirs are sold during the day. By the river, there are pit toilets for Men and Women. In the far southeast corner is the highest post office in the world. Tickets to most tourist attractions are picture postcards with 0.8 Yuan postage included, which is good for postage to any place in China. And yes, there is cell phone reception here - just about everywhere!
Once it gets dark, there is nothing else to do outside. Everyone then huddles around the fireplace, chats, eats (we had, guess what? noodles!) and some people, of course, smoke (including our guide and driver.) In addition, there is the smoke from the fireplace. It was hard to fall asleep until everyone else did.
Clouds generally disappear after sundown. I therefore kept waking up and dragging myself out of the tent hoping for a view of Everest. No luck there, but the sky was clear overhead and near Full moon was shining bright.
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| Looking for Everest from Tent Camp |
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| Moon setting at EBC Tent Camp |
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| Our "Hotel" at Tent Camp |
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| Closest view of Mt Everest Peak |
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| See it now? |
We took pictures and hoped for more clearing. But the clouds were too stubborn. The Base Camp was just around the corner. From there, we could only see the base of Mount Everest and path leading to it, as you see in the picture below left. The sign at the Base Camp indicates elevation of 5200m (not 5545m as noted here.) Either way, we are pretty high up, and climbing the little 50 ft hill behind the Base Camp Sign was still tough.
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| Stark landscape at EBC |
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| Milirary checkpoint and the "little hill" behind |
The scenery of the stark landscape was ahead of us - stone signs and cairns strewn around with a dirt road for cars going further towards the Everest summit (you require a separate permit to go further.) There is a military checkpoint at the Base Camp (highest in the world.) Their main concern: Tibetans escaping to India/Nepal.
Shuttle buses ferry people back and forth every half an hour or so. You have an hour to spend at the Base Camp. Most tourists take shuttle bus back to the Tent Camp, so did we. We had an extra day, which I would have liked to spend here, instead of Lhasa, if the grand view of Everest was guaranteed for tomorrow. Looking at the skies, however, it didn't look promising, so we decided against it.
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| Last view of clouds covering Everest - from Rongphu Monastery |
After lunch (our guide shared baked potatoes that the tent owner had cooked. It was such a refreshing change.), we drove to Shegar. Most of the 114 km road was bumpy dirt road until we reached the Friendship Highway. On the way, another pass that climbed to 17,000 ft - Pang La pass. (Even to get away from the 17,000+ ft altitude of Everest Base Camp, we had to climb up AGAIN to 17,000 ft. And we were told that there is one more pass tomorrow that will once again be 17,000+ ft.)
View from here can be truly breathtaking with Five peaks over 8,000m visible (Makalu, Lhotse, Everest, Cho Oyu and Shishapagma.) Although the sky was clear and sunny where we were, clouds were hanging just above the horizon for us to see any of those peaks themselves. The climb up (and down on the other side) was incredible - switchbacks as far as the eye can see, with tiny villages in the valleys getting tinier in the distance.
View from here can be truly breathtaking with Five peaks over 8,000m visible (Makalu, Lhotse, Everest, Cho Oyu and Shishapagma.) Although the sky was clear and sunny where we were, clouds were hanging just above the horizon for us to see any of those peaks themselves. The climb up (and down on the other side) was incredible - switchbacks as far as the eye can see, with tiny villages in the valleys getting tinier in the distance.
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| Switchbacks galore! |
Overnight was in Shegar Qomolangma Resort, owned by the owner of our travel agency; therefore, this was a REQUIRED stop. Like any other resort, it had all familiar amenities like electricity, inside bathroom and toilet - after what seemed like a long time. After almost a week, we were able to take long hot showers, shave and relax. Our trip is coming to an end with both missions accomplished.
The resort is still being renovated, but our rooms were nice. Just outside, there is huge circular bar with seating all around. The only thing missing were the patrons. On the other side of the bar, there was a restaurant. We were told that the Nepali cook specializes in Indian dishes, so we ordered some. The food was pricey and bland. Our guide and driver were also at the restaurant. (Earlier, I had seen a documentary about a brewery in Lhasa. Tibet's main crop is barley, so no surprise. I had asked our guide if he could take us on a tour of brewery. He couldn't, but he suggested that we try the Lhasa beer instead.) As a celebration of "mission accomplished," we shared Lhasa beer. It was pretty light (3.8% alcohol)
The resort is still being renovated, but our rooms were nice. Just outside, there is huge circular bar with seating all around. The only thing missing were the patrons. On the other side of the bar, there was a restaurant. We were told that the Nepali cook specializes in Indian dishes, so we ordered some. The food was pricey and bland. Our guide and driver were also at the restaurant. (Earlier, I had seen a documentary about a brewery in Lhasa. Tibet's main crop is barley, so no surprise. I had asked our guide if he could take us on a tour of brewery. He couldn't, but he suggested that we try the Lhasa beer instead.) As a celebration of "mission accomplished," we shared Lhasa beer. It was pretty light (3.8% alcohol)
Returned to our rooms, read and then had a pretty decent sleep at night - on a "real" bed.
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| Hallway / lobby outside our room in Shegar Resort |
Sept. 16 - Today's plan was to drive from Shegar to Shigatse via Lhatse. Woke up pretty leisurely - everyone was pretty relaxed. No rush to get anywhere fast. We left around 10 am. We were not done with 17,000+ ft elevation yet. Soon we were at the entrance of Everest National Preserve - exit actually. We stopped to take photos. There were lot of Chinese tourists here. A 7-8 day tour of Everest Base Camp from Lhasa is a popular one - not just with foreigners.
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| Everest Regional Preserve - 5248 m elevation |
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| From the opposite side: Entrance to Everest Preserve - Himalayas in the distance |
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| Exiting Everest Preserve - no more snow! |
Behind us were the Himalayas. No more snow, and no more 17,000 ft passes. Of course, we will still be at least 12,000+ ft for a couple more days. Our guide Sonam was more than happy to stop by Lhatse for lunch. We went to the same hotel where we had stayed earlier, but the chef was at a different location. So we drove there and had lunch at the restaurant where the same chef worked. We had Chicken Mushroom and Tomato soup - not a whole lot of variety, but at least no Noodles!
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| Restaurant in Lhatse - just for Tomato Soup ??? |
After lunch, we visited Hot Springs nearby. We had skipped those earlier. There was a large indoor pool with the spring water which supposedly cures skin conditions. We saw some patients outside, but no one in the pool. We did not feel like entering the water. Walked around the place, saw the actual hot springs, rooms where the patients stay during the treatment. Not at all what I had imagined.
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| Damage during Cultural Revolution |
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| Narthang Monastery - First Dalai Lama |
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| Chorten that survived |
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| Dog standing guard at water spout |
Sept. 17 - Drove back to Lhasa one day early on the "speed checked" freeway, making stops to avoid speeding penalties.
To make sure that cars - mostly tourist Toyota Land Cruisers and Vans - do not speed too much, police have set up check points to time stamp toll tickets. You have an hour or so to reach the next check point. If you reach too early, the penalty could be 200 Yuans per minute. So, along the way, cars pull over on the side of the road - hopefully, safely - to buy some food or souvenirs, walk by the river, or whatever. After spending sufficient time, they move on to the checkpoints. Wonder if this is an effective way to control speeds on the roads, or just employ more people?
To make sure that cars - mostly tourist Toyota Land Cruisers and Vans - do not speed too much, police have set up check points to time stamp toll tickets. You have an hour or so to reach the next check point. If you reach too early, the penalty could be 200 Yuans per minute. So, along the way, cars pull over on the side of the road - hopefully, safely - to buy some food or souvenirs, walk by the river, or whatever. After spending sufficient time, they move on to the checkpoints. Wonder if this is an effective way to control speeds on the roads, or just employ more people?
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| Ticket used to track speed control |
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| Crossing Brahmaputra River one last time. |
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| Typical look of a Tibetan town. |
At one point, in a valley, we had a 30 ft tall retaining wall on the left and Brahmaputra on the right. Water was draining out of a spout in the wall, almost on the road. To kill time before the next checkpoint, the driver and guide decided to pull the car over and take a bath - and they did. A few minutes later, another car going in the other direction also stopped, and that driver did the same thing. Unbelievable! Mind you, this was on a one lane highway each way.
Reached Lhasa around 4 PM. Stayed at Shambala Palace for one night. This is a boutique hotel with limited number of rooms, each uniquely decorated in wood and rock, but with all modern amenities. Shambala Palace has a look of a palace, but was never was one. The rock and log decor is interesting - the same with the menu in the restaurant and antique phone in the room. The shower was the best we experienced so far. It is so easy to get used to creature comforts.
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| Room in Shambala Palace |
Tomorrow, Kedar will move to previously planned Dhood Gu Hotel, which is more conveniently located near the center of action. Last day to sort and pack bags for my next trips. Also wanted to explore some of the touristy areas near Jokhang Square and take night pictures of Potala Palace. Had dinner at a local restaurant (Palak Paneer, Aloo Matar and Rice) for 40 Yuans - much cheaper than other places in Tibet. Power had gone out on the East side of Lhasa (East of Potala Palace, or the Tibetan Quarters) in the afternoon, so our dinner started with candle lights. Power did come back during dinner, and we were able to take nice pictures of Potala Palace at night.
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| View of Potala Palace from Shambala Palace |
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| Before the lights are turned on. |
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| The big show! |
Sept. 18 - Back to reality for me!!! Shambala Palace had a restaurant on the fourth floor with a terrace on top. From there, you had an excellent view of Lhasa - Potala Palace on one side (West), a Mosque on the other (South), and plaques in all directions for points of interest and the history of Lhasa. We had planned to check out of the hotel at 12:30 PM, I would then take 1 PM shuttle bus to the airport, for a 3:30 PM flight, and Kedar would be dropped off at Dhood Gu Hotel for one night.
I woke up at 7:30 am, had breakfast and went for a walk one last time in Lhasa - Kora around Jokhang Temple. Later, I accompanied Kedar for breakfast, and then we got ready. Driver and guide were anxious to get me to the airport on time (as in, 3 hours before time.) So they showed up at Noon. During the trek, our guide was really helpful and friendly. I offered him my camelback hydration pack and Merrell Gore-Tex hiking boots - he had shown interest in both, and he happily accepted. Likewise, our driver had liked my Skagen wristwatch very much. He snapped it away from my hands as soon as I asked him, even though the wrist band needed to be repaired. Considering how little they make during Lhasa's short tourist season, I tipped them some cash as well. They were worth it.
They drove me to the bus station, purchased bus ticket and soon the bus left for the airport. The rear view mirror had a timer built in. We reached Gonggar (LXA) airport in 44 minutes. LXA has five gates and the check in is combined for all gates. When you are in no hurry, of course, the check in takes even less time. I was at the end of one line with 20-25 people ahead of me. There were no passengers in the Business Class line, so they asked me to move over to that line. After check in, boarding pass and security, I was at my gate by 2 PM, well ahead of the 3:30 PM flight to X'ian. With change of planes in X'ian, I was to reach Shanghai International (PVG) at 9 PM. I was warned about delays on internal flights in China. I was about to experience it first hand. After a last minute gate change, we boarded the plane by 4:30 PM. The plane pulled away from the gate and then waited for half an hour without moving. There was another plane right behind us, also waiting for the same amount of time. I didn't see any planes land or take off (must be bad weather at the other end!)
Flight took off around 5:15 PM and landed in rain at X'ian at 8 PM. X'ian (known for Terracotta Warriors) is a very large airport, much to my surprise. Our plane was parked away from the gate. Buses took us to the terminal, immediately had us line up for the next flight, and boarded the buses again for the flight to Shanghai. It took us an hour and we left X'ian around 9 PM to land at PVG around mid-night. I was visiting a university in Shanghai, and thankfully, had asked them to send me a taxi. I wasn't sure if the taxi driver would still be there so late at night, but he was. I don't know what I would have done otherwise. Any case, the vacation ends here; now it is "business" time.
Incidentally, the shuttle bus to the LXA airport is pretty convenient and comfortable. Our Tibet tour included one trip from Lhasa to LXA (60 km away) by our van. In our original itinerary, we were to return from Shigatse to Lhasa on the 18th, and I would get dropped off at LXA on the way -- so no separate trip needed. Next day, they would drive Kedar to the airport and see him off; which they did. Kedar spent his leisure time in Lhasa - walking to the Potala Palace and around. At night, he had dinner in Dhood Gu hotel restaurant. He noticed that during the two weeks we were gone, the food prices had gone up substantially (30%) - go figure!
Sept. 19 (Day 19) - Kedar was to leave LXA at 11:20 am, change planes at Chengdu (CTU) and Beijing (PEK) with a few hours of layover each, and reach LAX by 6:30 PM the same day - Nearly 7800 miles. Tony and Sonam drove Kedar to the airport as planned. The rest of his journey was uneventful.
- Kedar took the camera back with him and uploaded nearly 200 (of the 500 or so) photos in Picasa the very next day.
- Like all good, loyal, dedicated employees, he went back to work the next day (Sept. 20.) But no need to feel sorry for him. The very next week, he had an offsite "meeting" in Hawaii for 3 days at his company's expense - as if to recover from the 3 week Tibet vacation!
- I spent Sep. 19-20 in Shanghai, visiting an university and some sightseeing, and then in LanZhou until Oct. 2, mostly teaching.
- Picasa is not accessible in China, so I could only see the handful of pictures that Kedar had emailed me, until I returned to the US. Only now, at the end of December, we were finally able to select and enlarge some of the wonderful photos that will be decorating our hallways!
- The holy water from Mansarovar was shared with friends and family in the Bay Area, and some even made it to India. If the legend is true, many many people now have their sins washed away for hundreds of lifetimes!
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