Freedom to blog!
So, we have now arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal. Now we can actually see our own blog! How exciting. Plus the internet is English rather than Chinese so we can actually know what we are doing when we click the buttons. Hopefully the picture posting will work.
Final thoughts on Tibet - it's an amazing part of the world with absolutely stunning scenery. Fresh air, blue skies, towering mountains - awesome. Unfortunately the infrastructure just is not up to scratch. We were off-roading for over half the time. Philosophical question of the day: if the road itself consists of dirt, rocks, more rocks and small rivers to cross, is it still considered "off-roading"? A 4x4 is an absolute necessity there. Toyota Landcruiser seems to be the 4x4 of choice in Tibet. Toyota really should film their commercials there, because the Tibetan terrain really throws everything at you.
If you go to Tibet, you absolutely need to have an English speaking guide, as almost no one speaks English. You also need to have an experienced driver who knows how to handle a 4x4. Fortunately we had a good guide and driver and can recommend them to you if you're interested. One time we were going through a mountain pass when they were paving the whole road in front of us - there were three options: 1) wait 7 hours until the paving crew went home for the day 2) back track about 140 kms over bumpy rocky road and go the other way or 3) simply drive down the embankment next to the road and drive your 4x4 through the river. Fortunately we were able to take option 3.
Our accommodation in Tibet was pretty spartan. For 3 nights we had no heat at all. At the first place when I asked for heat or a heater, oh my how they laughed! I learned my lesson for the other nights. We didn't have running water for 2 nights either. So, now that we've gone local in Tibet, I can say that heating and running water are not luxuries, they are absolute necessities!
One can only hope that the infrastructure and accommodation in Tibet gets significantly upgraded in the next decade or two. Since the blue sky, the stunning landscapes and the impressive mountains aren't going to change anytime soon, it might be worth postponing your trip to Tibet for about 20 years! :)
Final thoughts on Tibet - it's an amazing part of the world with absolutely stunning scenery. Fresh air, blue skies, towering mountains - awesome. Unfortunately the infrastructure just is not up to scratch. We were off-roading for over half the time. Philosophical question of the day: if the road itself consists of dirt, rocks, more rocks and small rivers to cross, is it still considered "off-roading"? A 4x4 is an absolute necessity there. Toyota Landcruiser seems to be the 4x4 of choice in Tibet. Toyota really should film their commercials there, because the Tibetan terrain really throws everything at you.
If you go to Tibet, you absolutely need to have an English speaking guide, as almost no one speaks English. You also need to have an experienced driver who knows how to handle a 4x4. Fortunately we had a good guide and driver and can recommend them to you if you're interested. One time we were going through a mountain pass when they were paving the whole road in front of us - there were three options: 1) wait 7 hours until the paving crew went home for the day 2) back track about 140 kms over bumpy rocky road and go the other way or 3) simply drive down the embankment next to the road and drive your 4x4 through the river. Fortunately we were able to take option 3.
Our accommodation in Tibet was pretty spartan. For 3 nights we had no heat at all. At the first place when I asked for heat or a heater, oh my how they laughed! I learned my lesson for the other nights. We didn't have running water for 2 nights either. So, now that we've gone local in Tibet, I can say that heating and running water are not luxuries, they are absolute necessities!
One can only hope that the infrastructure and accommodation in Tibet gets significantly upgraded in the next decade or two. Since the blue sky, the stunning landscapes and the impressive mountains aren't going to change anytime soon, it might be worth postponing your trip to Tibet for about 20 years! :)
posted by Kevin at 11/09/2006 11:01:00 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home