Today starts like any other Thursday when I’m teaching early classes, up at 5:00, getting ready to leave around 6:15. But today I’m headed for the airport and Tibet. I’m pretty pumped about this trip. Tibet has always seemed like the end of the earth, and now I’m getting to visit!
None of the taxi drivers are interested in going to the airport. I finally have to entice one with some extra cash to get a ride. He was sixth in line. At the airport I meet up with Josie and Steve, have breakfast at Starbucks, and begin checking in. They carefully look at our Tibet travel permit. There is more close scrutiny of our paperwork at the security checkpoint.
The first leg of the flight is to Chengdu (2 ½ hrs.), where we get off the plane for 30 minutes, then get back on. The next leg is to Lhasa and is slightly over 2 hours. The plane isn’t crowded and the flight is almost relaxing. At the airport, we again have to show our passports and travel permit. It’s almost as if we’re entering a foreign country, instead of a Chinese region. Our guide and driver present us with our official Tibetan welcome, a white silk scarf (Tibetan version of a Hawaiian lei).
My first view of Tibet!
The view from the plane as we near the ground.
My Tibetan welcome scarf
Ready for the adventure with Josie and Steve
The next leg of the journey is a 65 km drive to Lhasa itself. The scenery is striking as we make the drive through the Yalong and Lhasa Valleys. The Himalayan Mountains surround us. On the outskirts of Lhasa, we have to pass through another security check of our passports and travel permit. We’re staying in the Dekang Hotel. It’s in the old part of town. It’s an older hotel, but clean. It definitely has a Tibetan touch.
View from the room
After checking in, the plan is to eat dinner, then relax and acclimate to the altitude. Everything I’ve read, and anyone I’ve talked to, mentions altitude sickness. We’ve been taking some Tibetan herbs for 5 days, so with rest, hydration, and the herbs, maybe we’ll be ok.
We walk down the street, eager to check out Lhasa. About 100 meters down the street, we find a little local restaurant. The menu looks ok, so we sit down for a dinner of duck, vegetables, Kung Pao chicken, and rice. The duck is different than the Peking duck we’re used to seeing in Beijing. It’s deep fried and crispy, instead of thin-sliced and served with the small pancakes. It’s also served with the duck head. I guess we could eat it, but none of us were interested. The food was really good, and a great way to start off our Lhasa visit.
Our crispy Tibetan duck arrives.
It comes complete with the head!
Our table full of food
Steve, our cook, and Josie
Back in the room, everything was fine, except I couldn’t find the heat controls. It’s supposed to get down to 25 degrees tonight. The room is already cold. I guess there isn’t any heat? I’m not sure why? Maybe after a certain time of the year, the heaters are taken out? I guess I’ll find out tomorrow morning. This is sorta reminiscent of some of the ski cabins I’ve stayed in. Under the blanket is fine, but the room is chilly.