We spent three days in Lhasa, the largest city of Tibet and then travelled to the Nepalese border over the next seven days.

On a whole Lhasa is like nothing we've ever seen before, we just couldn't get enough of observing the people and their attire and they all seem so happy and friendly. We learnt that at this time of year the Tibetans that run farms outside of Lhasa have finished their harvesting season and come down to Lhasa to see the temples while work is low back home. Also, due to the imminent Chinese New Year celebrations, a lot of the Chinese people that have forced their way into Tibet have gone back home. On top of this, as it is the winter low season, the throng of Chinese tourists are not swarming the streets and filling up all the hotels so we really could not have timed our trip better. We managed to come here when there are no tourists or Chinese but instead Tibetans that live in their small towns elsewhere in Tibet fill the city.

The Tibetan people that have come down from their farms are everything you would expect a tribal Tibetan to look like and more. They have huge beads through their intricately woven hair which passes their backside in length. The have heavy, colourful garments and weathered faces. They all seem so devoted to their religion, partaking in some homage practices that can involve days of circling temples by sliding forward on their knees and standing up while muttering prayers and counting their beads.

The temples are packed with Tibetans all walking in the same direction, muttering their prayers under their breath, stroking the walls, giving cash offerings and counting their beads. They are all so absorbed by their prayers that they get a bit pushy but not in a harsh way. Regardless of their devotion, so many of them found us incredibly interesting, often staring in amazement for extended periods of time and even taking pictures of us.

At one of the monasteries we witnessed monks "debating." The older, wiser looking monks were sitting on the stones with their legs crossed while young enthusiastic monks fired questions at them. Questions were asked loudly while stomping one foot forward in a sort of lunge while loudly clapping in the direction of the monk in question.

We couldn't recommend Tibet enough, and if you've ever wanted to go, do it now because the Chinese government's influence on the Tibetan region is only increasing. The Chinese mentality of constant building has spread to the Tibetan cities, and apart from the small, rural traditional areas, the streets of the larger cities/towns are being modernised quickly. It's already different from just 1 year ago, and will continue to change fast.

Despite how much we loved Tibet, there is also a depressing side, we've never felt so effected by a governing body before. Some Tibetans say living in the region can compare to living in a jail at times, as they require permits from the government to move between parts of their own country. The government has taken control over all the holy buildings, installing cameras and microphones in them. Our tourist cars even had GPS trackers and a camera so the government could know exactly what we were doing. Every day we passed through multiple police and army checkpoints put in place to have complete control over the Tibetans' movements. They've also hung the Chinese flag on every corner in a clear message to all Tibetans not to forget who is in charge. As outsiders, we think this looks incredibly insecure. It's one of those places that makes one appreciate the freedoms we have in Australia.