Reaching Tibet

Lasa greeted us with fierceness. The sun beat down strongly on our backs. Our heavy backpacks weighed us down. The altitude began to suck the fragile life that we had out of us. My head started pounding and my weakness increased drastically. Despite all the effects of the previous weeks and the altitude, my heart was glad to be in Lasa. The sky was so clear and blue, and the mountains were huge. However, that night the altitude sickness became worse. My head increased in pounding and my body felt fainter. My stomach began to feel nauseated and my allergies and sinuses went into full gear. I wasn’t the only one feeling the effects. Eric actually was the one to throw-up. We made it through the first night, and in the morning the effects weren’t so strong. We walked a bit, rested a bit, ate a bit, and took it pretty easy because we were so very tired.

Eric, Joanne, and I were in Lasa together for about four days. Then they took off for their land cruiser tour of Tibet with another couple, and I waited for the arrival of Brett and his sister, Brooke. Lasa was very neat. It is the heart of Tibet. Pilgrims walk around the temple continuously. With each step, they turn their prayer wheels and utter prayers. They circle and circle the temple calling out to their God in their own way. Some will take a few steps and utter prayers and chants. Then they will fall to the ground and slide until their bodies are prostrate. Then they will do it again, and again, and again. The smoke from the offerings floats into the sky. Prayer flags flutter in the wind. The yak butter candles burn in front of the idols. Monks walk with their arms wrapped around each other in the temple. Lasa pulsates and Lasa lives strongly in the heart of the pilgrims.

However, whenever I imagined Tibet I did not imagine this. I imagined lots of spacious land. I imagined desolate land, barren mountains and hills. I imagined looking out and seeing endless space and small villages. Well, Tibet definitely has that as well. I saw that side as I later entered my own land cruiser with Brett and Brooke. After being in Lasa for about a week, I headed off to see the other side of Tibet. We had a plan of going to Everest and then crossing over to Nepal overland. Our journey in the land cruiser was going to be 4 days, and then it would take approximately one more day to get to Katmandu, the capital of Nepal. It was definitely a journey. On the way we saw lots of things. We would stop in cities and visit temples. We would see the mountains stretch to the sky. We would go on roads were basically there were no roads. We set our own path. We saw a barley house. We saw the biggest tree in Tibet. There really aren’t that many trees in Tibet. The land is harsh and cultivation isn’t easy. We bumped along the path towards the highest mountain in the world.