Tibet

Having sold my business, I finally have more time to explore Tibet, and other parts of China too.

Jun. 17, 2010
Bangkok to Lanzhou

China Eastern flies directly from Bangkok to Kunming where I spent a few hours changing money, getting a mobile phone sim card, doing some shopping etc. I then took the evening flight from Kunming to Lanzhou and arrived after midnight. The airport bus (30 yuan) is handy to take passengers to the center of the city.

When I arrived at Lanzhou Train Station, it was already very late after midnight. I tried to buy a ticket to Lhasa. Initially the staff told me all the tickets to Tibet were sold out in the next 10 days. I later begged her to help and she then found a soft sleeper departing later the day for me for around 900 yuan (no ID card checked). Not cheap but OK since I could leave soon.

Jinmafang is a landmark in Kunming

Jun. 18-19, 2010
Lanzhou to Lhasa

Almost all trains arrive in Lhasa in the afternoon or evening so they all pass Lanzhou in the afternoon. My train originated from Beijing and arrived in Lanzhou around 3 p.m. There is a special waiting area for Tibet-bound trains. Perhaps because I don't look like a foreigner, the staff just asked where I headed and if I already had a ticket.

In the late afternoon the train passed the famous Qinghai Lake. It's not so close but the lake could be seen. After Gomlod (around 4 a.m.), oxygen started to be released to the car. The train passed Hoh Xil area early in the morning around 7 a.m. In order to see the antelopes I had to get up early. After Danggula Pass the train officially entered Tibet. It's mostly typical mountain and field plateau scenery with the big Cona Lake as a highlight (just after Amdo Station).

The train arrived at Lhasa Station in later afternoon. It was very hot outside. I took a city bus to the center of the city and found Tianya Guesthouse in the corner of East Beijing Road and Duosenge Road for just 50 yuan/night (with private bath). This place happened to be my base during my stay in Lhasa.

Cona Lake

Jun. 20, 2010
Lhasa

This is a “resting and planning” day in Lhasa. As a tourist, it's a good idea to rest one or two days when first arriving in Lhasa. But I didn't stay in the hotel all the time. I did 2 major things: 1. Reserved a ticket to the Potala Palace the next day (a requirement). 2. Went to a few guesthouses to arrange a trip to Ngari and finally met a fellow traveler and made some progress.

Barkhor (Bakuo) in Central Lhasa

Jun. 21, 2010
Potala Palace & Jokhang Temple

This is the sightseeing day in Lhasa. First I checked out the Potala Palace (100 yuan) at the assigned time. There were many people there. The journey basically followed a certain route and took just one hour.

After lunch, I met the fellow traveler again and went to a travel agency together. The agency helped find another traveler so we finalized the trip to Ngari starting the next day.

In the afternoon, I went to the nearby Jokhang Temple (85 yuan) and experienced first-hand the Tibetan religious ritual.

Potala Palace

Jun. 22, 2010
Lhasa to Shigatse

The first day on the journey to Ngari. A major attraction on the way from Lhasa to Shigatse is the spectacular Yamdro Yumtso Lake. At Gyangze, there is a small Baiqoi Monastery worth visiting.

We arrived in Shigatse in late afternoon. Because of the time difference, it was still very hot. The must-see Tashihunpo Monastery (55 yuan) is under renovation so not much can be seen.

Yamdro Yumtso Lake

Jun. 23, 2010
Shigatse to Drongba

This is a long journey and not much to see on the way. We started early in the morning, passed famous towns like Lhatse, Ngamring, Sangsang, Sagar, etc. and finally arrived at Drongba in the evening.

Even the so-called New Drongba looks quite poor and there are no decent hotels in town. That’s not the problem. The real problem for me – it was very cold in the evening.

On the Way from Sagar to Drongba

Jun. 24, 2010
Madzo Yumtso & Langa

We started in the morning and continued our journey west to Ngari. Around 2 hours later, we arrived in Payang, the last major town in the Shigatse District of Tibet and had some breakfast there. After a couple of hours, we reached Huoer, the first major town of Ngari District and had some late lunch (or early dinner) there. The holy lake of Maszo Yumtso is just about one hour drive from Huoer. The lake is indeed magnificent and the best thing is – there were no tourists at all. We also checked out the nearby Ghost Lake of Langa – very nice too. Accommodation near Madzo Yumtso is simple but we were staying just next to the holy lake – what could we say?

Madzo Yumtso Lake

Jun. 25, 2010
Zadar

We got up early to continue our journey to the west. Luckily we had a glance at Mt. Kailash. The road to Zadar is a dramatic one – it took me to a few hundred years ago. Zadar county is like hidden in the endless roads, mountains and mound. Not too far from Zadar county is the famous Ruins of the Guge Kingdom which disappeared overnight mystically some 700 years ago. The combined entrance fee for all the sites near Zadar is  200 yuan, though there are not a lot of tourists anyway.

The Ruins of the Guge Kingdom

Jun. 26, 2010
Bangong Lake

Leaving Zadar, we were in the mountains and mound again and after a few hours we arrived at Gar (Shiquanhe), the administrative center of Ngari region and a mainly Han Chinese town. We had lunch at a Sichuan restaurant and headed for Bangong Lake. On the way we saw some black-necked cranes, kiangs and chirus. Bangong Lake is partially in the Chinese territory and partially in the Indian Kashmir. Two weeks ago six tourists died in an accident here so there were no tourists at all when we arrived and no boats were operating. Bangong Lake is famous for birdwatching and actually quite beautiful. It's a shame we could only stay there for less than one hour. Back to Gar for the night (numerous accommodation choices).

Bangong Lake

Jun. 27-28, 2010
Gar to Lhasa

We went back to Lhasa using the same route, well, almost, overnight again in Drongba. We used the normal road linking Shigatse and Lhasa this time and to my surprise it's also quite scenic.

Chirus in Ngari

Jun. 29, 2010
Lhasa

Mostly resting and preparing for trips in the next couple of days.

A Bust Stop in Lhasa

Jun. 30, 2010
Namtso

I took the one-day Namtso tour without lunch for 200 yuan, starting around 7 a.m. The trip from Lhasa to Namtso takes 4 hours, passing the viewpoint for Nyainqêntanglha and Laken Pass. Namtso is grand but perhaps because I had just seen so many beautiful places in Ngari Namtso didn't look so special to me. And there are more tourists!

Namtso

Jul. 1, 2010
Shannan


I took the 6 a.m. "tourist bus" (mostly Tibetan prayers on board) near the Jokhang Temple Square. It arrived at Samye Monastery around 10 a.m. Samye Monastery (40 yuan for non-Tibetans) is the single most important site in Shannan (Lhoka) and it's quite worth visiting, even to someone not much interested in history like me. At 2 p.m. the same bus went back to Lhasa, stopping at Traduk Temple (70 yuan for non-Tibetans) and Yumbu Lhakang (60 yuan for non-Tibetans) for sightseeing. I got back to Lhasa around 8 p.m.

Samye Monastery

Jul. 2, 2010
Basomtso

I actually took a tour (partially) to Basomtso and the Grand Canyon of Yarlung Zangbo. Linzhi (Nyingchi) District of Tibet is relatively at lower altitude and attracts more tourists each year. Basomtso (100 yuan) itself is more like a green lake not too different from other lakes in China. We stayed overnight at Bayi, a typically Han Chinese town and the administrative center of Linzhi District.

Basomtso

Jul. 3, 2010
The Grand Canyon of Yarlung Zangbo

The guide instructed everyone to get up at 5 a.m. to take the tourist bus to Paizhen where we changed to another tourist bus into the Grand Canyon of Yarlung Zangbo. On the way to the canyon there is a viewpoint for Mt. Namjaparwa. Unfortunately we couldn't see the peak due to cloud. As for the canyon, the whole site is still under development so we could only see the very first part of the canyon. While beautiful, I don't see it comparative to other canyons like the Grand Canyon in the USA. Luckily, on the way back, the sun appeared and we could have a glance of the peak of Mt. Namjaparwa.

We finished the trip to the Grand Canyon of Yarlung Zangbo about lunchtime. In the afternoon I left the tour and took a minibus from Biyi Bus Station to Bomi. The most exciting/dangerous part of the journey is a dirt road from Pailong to Tongmai Bridge and shouldn't be missed.

Mt. Namjaparwa

Jul. 4, 2010
Bomi to Ranwu

About 20 km from Bomi town is Gangxiang Natural Reserve (no entrance fee) and there is no public transportation so I hired a jeep to get there and to take me to Midui Glacier and Ranwu (Rakwa) later in the afternoon.

Walking in Gangxiang Natural Reserve is nice and there are rivers and lakes in the reserve, although I expected more. Since the road to Gangxiang Natural Reserve is still quite bumpy at the moment, this site can be dropped if you don't have much time.

On the way to Midui Glacier there are a few minor sites not very interesting (such as some holy mountains which local Tibetans don't even know). Midui Glacier (50 yuan) is quite beautiful and worth the time and money, mostly because of the water in front of the glacier. I stayed overnight in Ranwu town for 30 yuan for a single room (one of the cheapest in the whole trip).

Midui Glacier

Jul. 5, 2010
Laigu Glacier

Because of constructions, the road to Laigu Glacier is very, very difficult and dangerous at times. I hired a car for 300 yuan. There is a 20 yuan unofficial entrance fee at the gate. After that it's a long walk to the glacier. While half way uphill, I saw some locals with horses walking down and hired one to take me up there with a horse for 60 yuan – not bad. Laigu Glacier (no water) is not as grand as Midui Glacier but it appears bigger and different. The view around Laigu Glacier is also nice so the trip is still worth it.

Public transportation around Ranwu is not as frequent as other parts of Tibet so I hired a car to Bashot for 200 yuan in the afternoon.

Laigu Glacier

Jul. 6, 2010
Chamdo

The bus from Bashot to Chamdo started very early in the morning at 5 a.m. (normal shedule 8 a.m.) due to road construction. It passed Chamdo Airport (world's highest airport) around 9 a.m. and arrived at Chamdo town around 1 pm. There is only one site in Chamdo town - the Jampaling Monastery and it's free.

Jampaling Monastery

Jul. 7, 2010
Chamdo to Dege

There is no direct bus from Chamdo to Dege - only one bus in the morning to Jomda. Upon arriving in Jomda in the afternoon, I continued the journey to Dege by a minivan. The leg from Jomda to Dege is a quite funny one. I had to change vehicles two times. First at a point where constructions blocked the road and all the passengers had to get off and walk downhill to use another car. At the border between Tibet and Sichuan province we changed vehicles again and when we finally arrived in Dege it was already in the evening.

On the Way from Jomda to Dege

Jul. 8, 2010
Dege to Garze

Although in Sichuan province, Dege is a typical Tibetan town. The single most important religious place is the Scriptures Printing Yard (50 yuan). From Dege to Garze there is only one bus in the morning around 7 a.m. The road between Dege and Garze is one of the most exciting ones along the Sichuan-Tibet Highway. The Mt. Chola Pass is said to be the highest and the most dangerous along the whole highway. After Mt. Chola, it's nice to stop 1-2 hours at the picturesque Yihun La-tso Lake (20 yuan, horse-riding 30 yuan), before reaching the cowboy town of Maniganggo. A couple of hours later, I arrived in the big old Garze. Despite what other people say, I found the Tibetans here quite welcoming.

Scriptures Pringting Yard, Dege

Jul. 9, 2010
Garze to Danba

I actually planned to go to Barkam from Garze but there is no direct bus. I then jumped to a bus for Luhuo to try some luck. After getting off at Luhuo, I was told there was no bus at all to Barkam. The driver of the bus learned my plan and told me that his bus was going to Danba and I could transfer there to Barkam. Not a bad idea, although I needed to spend  one more day on the road, I thought. Danba is a beautiful name anyway. On the bus, I happened to read my travel book and found that Danba is actually quite worth visiting. I decided to stay in Danba for some sightseeing.

On the Way from Garze to Danba

Jul. 10, 2010
Hulu Lake

The most exciting site around Danba is Hulu Lake, near Dangling village. From Danba to Dangling is only 68 km but because of constructions it took 4 hours by jeep. There are no mobile phone signals in Dangling. At the end of the road is the village head's house. All the travelers visiting Hulu Lake eat and sleep here. From Dangling village, it's a 3 hour hike to Hulu Lake (better to hire a guide for 100 yuan). The hike is quite pleasant and the lake is really beautiful, hidden in the mountains and forests. Best thing is there are no tourists around. Highly recommended.

Hulu Lake

Jul. 11, 2010
Danba

Around Danba town there are two sites most travelers visit:  Sopo Ancient Tower Group and Jiaju Tibetian Village (30 yuan). They are only a few kilometers from the town center. Sopo Ancient Tower Group is currently without charge and most visitors watch from the other side of the river. Jiaju Tibetan Village contains numerous local houses and is a little bit touristy. The Tibetan houses around Danba are quite different from the rest of the Tibetan community. They use mostly white as the main color. As I already traveled to Dangling and saw many similar houses on the way, I didn't find Jiaju Tibetan Village particularly interesting. The direct bus from Danba to Barkam is in the morning and some buses from Chengdu to Barkam pass Danba around 3 p.m. After visiting the sites around Danba, it's already 5 p.m. and I hired a car to Barkam directly.

Tibetan Houses near Danba

Jul. 12, 2010
Hongyuan

To my surprise, I couldn't get a ticket to Roige for the next two days at Barkam Bus Station because of the number of students heading home. Even tickets to Hongyuan half the way were quite difficult to get. I had no choice but hiring a car to Hongyuan. Hongyuan and Roige are famous for the prairie, the biggest in Sichuan. Just a few kilometers before Hongyuan town, there is Moon Bay – good to take some photos.

At Hongyuan Bus Station, again there was no bus at all for Roige. I happened to meet two students also heading for Roige. We hired a car together and I got off at Tanggor, a very cold place even in July.

Moon Bay

Jul. 13, 2010
Tanggor and Roige

The main attraction near Tanggor is the so-called First Creek of the Yellow River, about 9 km north of Tanggor town. I was told that I could hire a car to get there for 20 yuan but I couldn't find any car in town in the morning so I walked about 1.5 hours to the site. Climbing the hill a bit to get a good view, the site looks like a bigger version of Moon Bay in Hongyuan but of course this one is more famous.

Back to the road, I hitched a car directly to Roige for 30 yuan. On the way is endless prairie. To get the best of the prairie, it's better to check out the Flower Lake (58 yuan to enter, 20 yuan for transportation), some 40 km from Roige.

From Roige to Chuanzhusi there is a newly paved expressway and it only takes 2 hours.

Flower Lake

Jul. 14, 2010
Huanglong

Perhaps because of road construction, it's not very easy to get to Huanglong from Chuanzhusi by public transportation. I took the bus originating from Songpan and heading for Pingwu. It passed Chuanzhusi before 7 a.m.

I arrived in Huanglong (200 yuan, cable car one-way 80 yuan) around 9 a.m. and there were not many tourists. Huanglong is famous for its numerous colorful ponds and is worth visiting. I took the cable car up and walked down. It took me totally around 4 hours in the park.

Waiting for a bus on the road back to Chuanzhusi was not fun. I waited for one hour and didn't see any buses coming then decided to hitch. They only charged a similar amount to the bus – not bad.

Multi-colored Pond, Huanglong

Jul. 15, 2010
Jiuzhaigou

This was my second trip to Jiuzhaigou (220 yuan plus 90 yuan for transportation in the park). As one of the most beautiful places in the world, it attracts so many tourists, many of them in package tours. Compared to my last visit almost 10 years ago, more trails were added. The lakes and waterfalls are still very beautiful and the bus routes and trails are quite organized. The only thing is the number of tourists so if you want to take some photos of the scenery you probably need some patience.

Multi-colored Lake, Jiuzhaigou

Jul. 16, 2010
Jiuzhaigou to Xi'an

There are not many buses from Jiuzhaigou heading north. The most frequent buses go to Wenxian in Gansu province. There is one morning bus from Jiuzhaigou to Guangyuan also in Sichuan through Wenxian.  I decided to take this one. The bus arrived at Guangyuan in the early afternoon, just enough to catch a later bus to Xi'an. The bus arrived in Xi'an (near the train station) around midnight.

On the Way from Jiuzhaigou to Guangyuan

Jul. 17, 2010
Mt. Huashan

The 8:30 a.m. high-speed train from Xi'an is of good timing. It arrived at Huashan North Station in less than 1 hour. There is a tourist bus service to shuttle passengers to the visitor center where you buy the ticket (100 yuan, entrance only). There are some accommodation choices near the visitor center but they are all quite expensive (over 200 yuan/night). To get to the feet of the mountain, you need to pay another 40 yuan to take the minibus and to take the cable car there is another 80 yuan (one-way) or 150 yuan (round-trip). I decided to take only the one-way cable car. The upper cable car station is near the North Peak. Mt. Huanshan is famous for its danger. However, I didn't find it particularly dangerous since it's quite prepared (handrails at places, etc.) and the most dangerous routes are forbidden to use. It's some good climbing to the other 4 peaks (Central, East, South and West). When the sky is clear, the scenery is not bad. I walked downhill through the so-called “Soldier's Path” - a very interesting trail.

Mt. Huashan

Jul. 18, 2010
Longmen Grottoes

Again I took the high-speed train from Huashan North to Luoyang Longmen (only a little bit over one hour – at a hefty 125 yuan). Bus 67 took me directly from the station to the Grottoes for 1 yuan. The grottoes (120 yuan) are on both sides of a river. Although many of the grottoes were badly damaged, there is something to see, like the big Fengxian Temple. Two hours should be enough to check out both sides of the grottoes.

Longmen Grottoes are about 12 km south of Luoyang city. I tried to buy an overnight train ticket to Beijing but it was very difficult to get a sleeper (or even a seat). I decided to take an overnight sleeper bus (240 yuan) to Beijing. To my surprise, after leaving the bus station, the bus driver took the bus to another place and got many other people on the bus. They just sit between the beds and the smell of the bus became weird.

Longmen Grottoes

Overview

Tibet is definitely a dream destination of any serious traveler. While there are many tourists in Tibet, the Ngari area is still off the beaten track and offers some of the best scenery in Tibet. As the paved road is almost finished and the airport opening, hard-core travelers may hurry to check it out. The Tibetan part of north Sichuan is also interesting with some exciting road trips and unique culture. Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou are technically Tibetan areas but since both are extremely popular to ordinary tourists there are few Tibetans living there nowadays.