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3 June - Tibet- Lhasa to Tsetang
We feel like we are on the 'Roof of the World Mystery Tour'
I mentioned earlier that we only get enough information for the day. We have an skeletal itinerary from the travel agent but never know what the next move will be. For example- our itinerary was to go to Namatso Lake for tonight & stay in tents so we pack accordingly.
Last night we get told we are heading to Samye monastery & our plan says sleep in shared guest house at the monastery so we pack accordingly. After 3 checkpoints & half an hour getting the permit to go into the area we head off to a palace where we did manage to climb up 500 metres of zigzag stairs to get to the palace so feel pleased with ourselves, then to a monastery then get dropped at a hotel in Tsetang!!
This hotel is an eyeopener, not sure how old it is ... lets say around 50 years old. Our passports get removed to be copied, we are informed on arrival that the resturant is shut!! go & eat in the streets & carry our own bags to our room on the 3rd floor (no lifts). On arrival the most overpowering smell on opening the door was mothballs & faint sewage. We gag, throw the windows open which makes it much better.
We found a lovely clean eating place & survived the night. The promised hot water did not appear & a number of lights did not work. As some were hanging out of the walls with rather nasty burn like marks around them probably just as well.
It all adds to the interest & we just take each day as it comes. It's always interesting browsing the shops, comparing prices & finding NZ dairy products on the shelves.
This must be a fairly affluent town as a lot of white ware is for sale , mainly Haier brand.
There is also room for the iPhone sellers, fruit sellers, roasted chestnuts, corn on the cob, clothes and so on. I find the noodle makers fascinating - its made by hand on what looks like a clothes drier, placed in the middle of the shop/area &allowed to air dry.
Although we are the only westerners I have seen here nobody really seems that interested in us, just smiling & saying 'hello' or just giving us a brief glance. On the way to the petrol station we had to give way to a flock of sheep walking down the main road.
The petrol station is a whole symphony as well. First you park & the driver goes to police inside petrol station to get his licence scrutinised & all details taken. If all in order he proceeds to bowser with piece of paper & you can start to fill. The reason apparently is to avoid ' known undesirables or dissidents' being able to buy petrol to either are Molotov cocktails or to set themselves on fire in protest. BTW petrol is $1.60 a litre. I make it sound simple but as everything is hand written & there are large volumes of all manner of vehicles on the road it's a slow process.
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