Highlights of our trek

Each of our 19 day adventure was memorable in its own way.  Our journey took us about 1500 km West of Lhasa, (which itself is 2600 km Southwest of Beijing, or 2900 km West of Shanghai.)   Here is a recap (and a map borrowed from someone):

• In to thin air (the high altitude zone): from the time we arrived in Lhasa on September 1, 2011, we spent
  - 18 days at elevation of 12,000 ft or higher.
  - 7 days in the Mansarovar/Kailash region at elevations 15,000 ft or higher.
  - Highest point of the trek at Dolma La (pass) at 5636m or 18,466 ft.
  - Night spent at the Tent Camp (Everest Base Camp) - 5200m or 5545m, depending on who you believe - at least 17,000 ft or may be 18,192 ft.
  - at least four passes we drove up to were 17,000 ft or higher.
  - Later, my stay of 12 days (Sep 20 - Oct 2) in LanZhou, GanSu, China at the elevation of only 5,000 ft.
  
  For someone who is used to oxygen concentrations at the sea level, spending almost a month at one, two, three or more miles high up took some getting used to.  Thankfully, no serious altitude sickness issues.
  
• Altitude Sickness:  Speaking of Altitude Sickness, you could get sick just reading about it.  Best solution is to not get overly concerned.  Of course, you'd want to know what symptoms to watch out for so you know when/how to react.
  - Our doctor had recommended Diamox, which you begin taking a couple of days before the trip and continue until the day after you return to lower altitudes.  We chose not to take it (and hence no "side effects" to worry about!)  We did experience some common symptoms such as Headaches (Solution: take one Tylenol and take a nap), Lack of appetite (our guide used to warn me that I will be too weak to make the trek because I wasn't eating enough.  I made it through just fine!), Weakness/fatigue (we could easily sleep 10-12 hours and still wake up feeling tired - the sleep was disturbed until our breathing patterns got adjusted to lower oxygen levels in that air.),  Dizziness or lightheaded-ness (just once.),  Shortness of breath upon exertion (All the time!  It was a wonder how we managed to hike 20-24 km a day while climbing up thousands of feet.), Nosebleed (it continued for several days after returning back to lower levels.)  Easiest solution to avoid altitude sickness is to ascend slowly (after Lhasa, we drove west, gradually climbing to 13-14-15,000 ft over several days.  By the time we reached the high point of our trek, it had already been 11 days.), drink lots of water (we easily consumed two-four liters or more daily, and were still thirsty.) and avoid alcohol.
  
• Top 20 experiences (per 2011 edition of "Tibet" by Lonely Planet 915.15046): We managed to experience 9 out of those 20 during our trip.
  #1 Kailash,
  #2 Potala Palace,
  #3 Jokhang Temple,
  #4 Mount Everest,
  #7 Yak Butter Tea,
  #8 Sera and Drepung Monastery,
  #14 Gyantse Kumbum,
  #16 Prayer flags on a high pass - Dolma La,
  #17 Barkhor Circuit.
  
• Tibet geography: although it is called the Roof of the World, not all of Tibet is that high.  Lhasa is nearly at the center of Tibet.  East of Lhasa, Tibetan Plateau generally slopes downwards,  and is therefore much greener, with tall trees and grasses.  The western part is, of course, higher - with Himalayan Range to the South and Kailash (pre-Himalayan) Range to the North, being in the permanently frozen (Perma-Frost) category.  In fact, about 70 km West of Lhatse, you see last of the trees and agricultural fields.  After that, it is only shrubs and grasses.
  - Much of the landscape further west is barren, but still has some greenery.  With rivers like Brahmaputra providing year round supply of water, grasses and shrubs grow and provide enough food for yaks, sheep, goats, wild asses, horses and cows.  Some geese, cranes and other fowl were also seen by the water.  In populated areas, sparrows, robins, crows, and of course, pigeons are common.  There were plenty of pigeons even at the Everest Base Camp (where there is food ...)
  - Lone wild dogs were everywhere.  They were generally afraid of humans and rarely barked at us.  They were of course busy barking at each other.  Their favorite pastime was to sleep in the middle of the highway (the only one connecting West to East)  In small towns, you also had to watch out for people standing and chatting on the road, small kids playing on or by the side of the road.  None were too responsive to the sounds of car horns, so you had to slow down until they moved safe distance away.  In comparison, yaks and sheep spooked too easily by car horns, and would stampede in all directions.
  
• 9/11 Warning:  For the 10th anniversary of 9/11, United States had issued warnings to all its citizens to be careful of their surroundings during foreign travel.  On that day, we happen to be on the second day of Kora, in the closest proximity of Kailash, Shiv Sthal and Dolma La - in a completely peaceful environment.  We did not even think about - let alone worry about, our safety.  We were glad that nothing went wrong that day anywhere either.  As it turns out, China is concerned about social unrest in the Kailash region, and therefore has military presence in the area.  Foreign tourists require a military permit to visit Kailash, and are NOT allowed when the situation dictates.